Iowa’s three public universities will not require students or staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Iowa Board of Regents President Michael Richards announced at the board’s meeting in Ames on Wednesday. “I’d like to make it clear that while we continue to strongly encourage members of our campus community to get vaccinated, the regents universities […]
COVID-19
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Iowa City Hy-Vee to hold a vaccine clinic Saturday
Hy-Vee will host an vaccination clinic in Iowa City on Saturday. The event is open to those 16 and older, and there will be 1,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine available, according to the company. “The clinic will be held Saturday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside the former North Dodge Hy-Vee […]
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CRCSD shares preliminary plans for 2021-22 school year, including continued use of face masks
The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) will offer two options to families in the next academic year. For the 2021-22 school year, students will be able to choose between in-person learning or online learning through the Cedar Rapids Virtual Academy (CRVA), Superintendent Noreen Bush said during the Board of Education’s Monday meeting. The CRVA […]
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IDPH tells vaccine sites to temporarily stop using J&J one-shot vaccine after CDC and FDA advise ‘pause’ for safety review
The Iowa Department of Public Health has advised all vaccine administrators in the state to temporary cease using the one-shot Johnson & Johnson following a joint statement on Tuesday morning from the CDC and FDA calling for “a pause in the use of this vaccine.” The CDC and FDA called for the pause in response […]
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A 24-hour vaccine clinic will be held this weekend in downtown CR
There will be a 24-hour COVID-19 vaccine clinic this weekend at the DoubleTree, 350 1st Ave NE, in downtown Cedar Rapids, Linn County Public Health announced on Monday. Anyone 16 years and older is eligible to make an appointment. The large-scale clinic will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday and run through 9 a.m. on […]
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Linn Street closed from Market to Bloomington, as outdoor dining on the street returns
Curbside pickup has given way to street-wide dining on a short stretch of North Linn Street, as picnic tables replace parking spots again to allow for outside dining with safe social distancing.
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Vaccination clinic with one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine will be held at Collins Aerospace on Monday and Tuesday (updated)
Update: Linn County Public Health announced on Tuesday morning it is cancelling the second day of the vaccination clinic at Collins Aerospace. The clinic was using the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and early on Tuesday the CDC and FDA issued a statement calling for a pause in the use of that vaccine while safety data […]
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During the HIV/AIDS epidemic, artists became activists. What will COVID inspire?
Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes. How do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, In sunsets, In midnights, In cups of coffee, In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife —“Seasons of Love,” Rent Jonathan Larson, who wrote the groundbreaking rock musical Rent, spent all of his time, money and effort creating this […]
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‘You can only play Candy Land so many times’: The pandemic from the perspective of local parents
“I will Venmo you to keep my kids an hour longer.” “I became the only socialization. You can only play Candy Land so many times.” Speaking with local parents about their experiences over the last year, a few themes resonated: resilience, struggle, anxiety and an intense desire for some kind of return to normalcy. Also […]
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Homelessness was increasing in Iowa. Then COVID-19 and the derecho hit.
A total of 2,647 Iowans were homeless on a single night in January 2020, a 14.3 percent increase from January 2019. The number of people experiencing homelessness in Iowa was increasing even before the COVID-19 pandemic. Then came the August 2020 derecho that caused nearly $4 billion in damage, with at least $83 million of […]
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Two Iowa teachers reflect on a year of pandemic schooling
“Create a connection with the student [and] the work will come naturally, no matter how unusual the virtual format.” That’s the advice Jefferson High School teacher Joe Link would have given himself in March 2020. More than one year ago, Iowa schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, disrupting education and changing how teachers interacted […]
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Linn County health officials express frustration over state’s allocation of vaccine and lack of local control
In a three-page email to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office and the Iowa Department of Public Health, Linn County officials questioned and criticized the state’s allocation of the one-shot Johnson & Johnson vaccine, as well as pleaded for local control to allocate the single-dose vaccine to vulnerable populations. Tricia Kitzmann, who is Linn County Public Health’s […]
