Today is St. Patrick’s Day. It’s been my favorite holiday since childhood, and a big part of that has always been the music, the love of which was passed down from my mother and grandmother right along with the family lore and recipes. That music, at least the live version of it, will be largely […]
COVID-19
Posted inCommunity/News
Coronavirus tests CommUnity’s crisis services in an already difficult season for nonprofits
In the 50 years since it was founded, CommUnity Crisis Services and Foodbank has never faced a challenge like the COVID-19 pandemic. But the challenges it has faced in the past, and still does on a daily basis, have helped it prepare for the major disruptions COVID-19 will likely bring. The flood of 2008 forced […]
Posted inCOVID-19, Letters, Opinion
Letter to the editor: A message from the Iowa City Downtown Arts Alliance
The impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus escalates across the nation and threatens our community. We in the arts have seen this plot countless times before on stage and on screen. We recognize the moment of crisis that demands an extra ounce of strength to overcome the odds. For the Iowa City Downtown Arts Alliance, that […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids wants restaurants and bars to close for St. Patrick’s Day to limit spread of COVID-19
The City of Cedar Rapids is asking all bars and restaurants to close tomorrow for St. Patrick’s Day to prevent people from gathering in large crowds, in which the risk of spreading coronavirus is higher. Normal St. Patrick’s Day activities would cause a “public safety hazard,” city manager Jeff Pomeranz said during a press conference […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds confirms ‘substantial community spread’ of COVID-19, will not order business closures (yet)
During a late Monday afternoon press conference on COVID-19, Gov. Kim Reynolds said it was too soon for the state to impose restrictions on large public gatherings or on public spaces such as bars or restaurants, even though she acknowledged “substantial community spread [of COVID-19 in Iowa] was confirmed.” The governor said she would prefer […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City and Cedar Rapids schools are closing in response to COVID-19
The Iowa City Community School District announced on Monday morning it will be closing its schools until April 13, in order to help limit the spread of coronavius. In an email to parents and district staff, Director of Community Relations Kristin Pedersen said the district made its decisions following the advice Gov. Kim Reynolds offered on Sunday night.
Posted inCommunity/News
National Security Council warns about text messages with COVID-19 disinformation
Shortly before midnight on Sunday night, the National Security Council tweeted a warning about disinformation being circulated by text messages that falsely claims a national quarantine is being imposed because of COVID-19. Text message rumors of a national #quarantine are FAKE. There is no national lockdown. @CDCgov has and will continue to post the latest […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Community spread of COVID-19 detected in Johnson County, Gov. Reynolds recommends closing schools in the state
Update: Following Gov. Reynolds’ announcement, the Cedar Rapids Community School District announced it would follow the governor’s recommendation that schools “close for 4 weeks in response to community spread of COVID-19.” According to CRCSD Superintendent Noreen Bush, following the governor’s Monday press conference, “we will communicate with families again… with details regarding how we will […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds says ‘we now have community spread’ of COVID-19 in Iowa, but still thinks it’s too soon to take major actions
On Saturday night, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced COVID-19 has entered the “community spread” phase in Iowa. “This afternoon, the Department of Public Health was informed of one additional positive case of an Iowa with COVID-19,” the governor told reporters at a hastily-called press conference. “The individual is an older adult, age 61 to 80, and […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds encourages social distancing, is cautious about ‘disruptive’ closings in COVID-19 update
The first number Gov. Kim Reynolds mentioned at her Friday afternoon press conference on the state’s response to COVID-19 may have been more surprising than any of the other figures cited during the half-hour event: It’s only been five days since the first person in Iowa was diagnosed with the disease. In that five days, […]
Posted inCOVID-19, Uncategorized
Grinnell College to close campus and shift to online learning amidst COVID-19 pandemic
Grinnell College was the first Iowa college to close due to growing concerns of the international outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by novel coronavirus. Students are expected to leave campus by March 23, and make the shift to online learning to complete their courses in an effort to keep the Grinnell community safe. The […]
Posted inCommunity/News
As they mark their first anniversary, Iowa City Student Climate Strikers turn down award, join ‘digital strike’
Every week since they began demonstrating outside of the Iowa City Community School District offices on March 15, 2019, the Iowa City Student Climate Strike has reiterated their message of climate action through social media, letters to the editor and, of course, in-person protests. Massimo Biggers, Alex Howe, Ian Martinez, Maddie Peterson and the other […]
