In the fall of 2014, Blame Not the Bard debuted as Jim and the Brix at that year’s Fiddlers Picnic. In the seven years since, through a new guitarist, an album, many Iowa Irish Fests and a pandemic, their love of traditional Irish music is as strong as ever. Andrew Philbrick (vocals and bass), Nikki […]
COVID-19
Posted inCOVID-19
Linn County Public Health will begin allocating vaccine to residents with underlying medical conditions starting next week
Linn County Public Health has made “significant changes” to vaccine allocation and will begin vaccinating residents with underlying medical conditions next week, the department announced on Sunday. The Iowa Department of Health announced last Thursday that adults under 65 who have a condition the CDC recognizes as putting them at higher risk of developing severe […]
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‘Extremely frustrating’: Linn County will not be receiving additional COVID-19 vaccines despite IDPH expanding eligibility
Linn County will not be receiving additional COVID-19 vaccines from the state despite the Iowa Department of Public Health expanding the number of individuals who will become eligible to be vaccinated. The Iowa Department of Health announced on Thursday that adults under 65 who have a condition the CDC recognizes as putting them at higher […]
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Cedar Rapids high schools will hold in-person graduation ceremonies this spring
Students graduating from the Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) will have an in-person graduation ceremony, the district said in an email to families on Friday. Ceremonies for Jefferson, Kennedy and Washington high schools will be held in the Alliant Energy PowerHouse, formerly known as the U.S. Cellular Center. The ceremony for Metro High School […]
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Iowans under 65 at increased risk from COVID-19 will be eligible for vaccination starting Monday
Starting Monday, adults under 65 who have a condition the CDC recognizes as putting them at higher risk of developing severe illness due to COVID-19 will become eligible to be vaccinated in Iowa, the Iowa Department of Public Health announced on Thursday evening. According to the CDC, “Adults of any age with the following conditions […]
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Gov. Reynolds assesses her pandemic performance ahead of Iowa’s COVID anniversary
Gov. Kim Reynolds began her news conference on Wednesday by noting that “almost 23 percent of eligible Iowans age 18 and up, and almost 70 percent — 69.5 — of older Iowans, age 65 and above, have received at least their first dose” of COVID-19 vaccine. The governor said she expects the rate of vaccination […]
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Left to ‘completely rebuild’ their team after COVID cuts, UI women swimmers are taking the university to task over Title IX
There were “mixed emotions” when University of Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta met with the women’s swimming and diving team on Feb. 15 to let them know their program, which the university had cut on Aug. 21, would be fully reinstated. While there was excitement and optimism over the news, there was also frustration over […]
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UI now planning in-person commencement ceremonies after Republican lawmaker introduces bill that would mandate them
The University of Iowa has reversed its decision to hold only virtual commencement ceremonies for its spring 2021 graduates in an attempt to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19, and will hold in-person ceremonies. UI announced on Feb. 3 it would be holding a virtual ceremony. In its statement, the university acknowledged “how much [in-person] […]
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UIHC warns about a COVID-19 vaccination phishing scam
The University of Iowa Health Care is warning about a scam related to COVID-19 vaccinations. In a message posted on social media, UIHC said people have been receiving phone calls from scammers who claim to be from UIHC and “can schedule your COVID-19 vaccination if you provide your social security number and credit card number.” […]
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Ninth annual Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week kicks off Saturday
Cedar Rapids Restaurant Week is kicking off its eight days of creative cuisine on Saturday, Feb. 20. The start of the ninth annual Restaurant Week will be celebrated via a Facebook Live event, according to the Cedar Rapids Metro Economic Alliance. The Metro Economic Alliance announced in December that the usual kick-off event, Fork & […]
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Gov. Reynolds cancels plans for a ‘one-stop shop’ website for COVID-19 vaccination scheduling
Two weeks after announcing the state was going to launch a website that would be “a centralized registration and referral system” for people trying to schedule a COVID-19 vaccination, Gov. Kim Reynolds said no such site will be created. The governor described the planned website as “a one-stop shop where Iowans could provide their information […]
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University of Iowa reverses course and reinstates women’s swimming and diving program
The University of Iowa announced on Monday afternoon it is “fully reinstating women’s swimming and diving as an NCAA and Big Ten Conference program.” The decision came almost six months after UI announced the program would be cut after the end of the season, and seven weeks after a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction […]
