On the afternoon of May 21, 2024, a tornado tore across Iowa. It formed in the state’s heartland, gray and wide above the cornfields. Then it began to barrel directly […]
Derecho
Posted inCommunity/News
Peak Iowa: Storm names coined in the state
It’s probably best not to dwell on what it says about life in Iowa that the names of two fearsome types of weather originated here. But in 1870, a northwest […]
Posted inCommunity/News
As one Cedar Rapids food pantry holds emergency fundraiser, another closes after almost 20 years
The Cedar Rapids food pantry Together We Achieve (TWA) launched an emergency fundraiser on Wednesday, explaining in a Facebook post that it is facing the possibility of shutting down before […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Nonprofit Matthew 25 has the tools to serve Cedar Rapids — and they’re happy to loan them out
“Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me,” reads Matthew 25:40 in the NIV Bible. “For I was hungry […]
Posted inCommunity/News
From going net-zero to replanting post-derecho, Indian Creek Nature Center is ready to celebrate 50 years of history in Cedar Rapids
If it’s your first time driving on Otis Road, you might be taken aback at the sight of a large modern building nestled among the trees. The building, aptly named […]
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Once Iowa storm chasers hunt down a supercell, there’s no turning back
As soon as Mark De Bruin had a car and a license, he was chasing storms. “Since I was a little kid, I would always go out on the porch […]
Posted inCommunity/News
There is no bad weather
Brother Snow. Sister Rain. Auntie Sunshine. Uncle Cloudy. Grandfather Cold. Grandmother Warmth. Cousin Storm. Mother Earth. Welcome to the family of weather — our kin. Ecological understanding is about wholeness, […]
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CR’s Willie Fairley is heading to Kentucky to feed tornado victims
Another storm has ravaged the United States, and Cedar Rapids barbecue-master Willie Ray Fairley is on the move again. An outbreak of tornados Friday left a path of devastation through […]
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A year after the derecho, advocates reflect on how to better assist immigrant and refugee families in times of disaster
After the August 2020 derecho, Nabintu Baguma was most concerned about her four kids. Baguma, who is originally from Congo, has lived in Cedar Rapids for eight years and used […]
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Cedar Rapids commemorates the devastating August 2020 derecho and a year of recovery
“When the storm passed through Cedar Rapids and we could venture back outside, we all saw our beloved trees laying across lawns, streets, on homes. So many homes were devastated. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids and Marion will celebrate recovery efforts one year after the derecho
Nearly a year ago, the word “derecho” became a regular part of the vocabulary of Linn County residents. The powerful wind storm wrecked havoc through Iowa on Aug. 10, 2020, […]
Posted inCommunity/News
To hell and back: Three stories of derecho resilience
Home of Katrina Benning and Jeremiah Hopkins When Katrina Benning and Jeremiah Hopkins bought their 1959 home on the edge of Bever Park in Cedar Rapids six years ago, both […]
