Cargill will be updating Cedar Rapids residents on Wednesday about the planned rail yard in the Rompot neighborhood. The company is also soliciting feedback from people in the neighborhood “on specific design elements of the rail yard,” according to a letter sent to Rompot residents in late December and posted on the city of Cedar […]
Linn County
Five Iowans share how forgiveness of student loan debt would impact them

About 420,000 Iowans owed a combined total of $12.8 billion in student debt, as of September 2020. The average amount for Iowans with student loan debt was $30,500. People in Iowa are more likely to have student loan debt but owe “significantly less on average” compared to individuals in other states, according to data and […]
Linn County has only received an ‘extremely limited’ supply of COVID-19 vaccine, health officials say

Doses of the COVID-19 vaccine are arriving in Iowa and Linn County “very slowly,” and supply of the vaccine is “extremely limited,” according to Linn County Public Health. County public health and medical officials from the local hospitals urged residents during a LCPH news conference to remain patient as it might take the county longer […]
Linn County introduces marijuana diversion program

Individuals charged with marijuana possession in Linn County who don’t have a criminal record may be eligible for the county’s new marijuana diversion program. However, it’s unclear whether or not the program will address the county’s racial disparities for marijuana arrests. Linn County announced the marijuana diversion program was on Dec. 28, and it went […]
Linn County climate czar Tamara Marcus reflects on derecho impact, lays out sustainability plans for 2021 and beyond

The Aug. 10 derecho showed why environmental justice and listening to the voices of those most vulnerable to climate change are important, said Linn County Sustainability Program Manager Tamara Marcus. Last month, the Linn County Board of Supervisors adopted a climate resolution that calls for the prioritization of the voices of vulnerable communities in Linn […]
Healthcare workers in Linn County begin receiving the COVID-19 vaccine

Two Linn County hospitals received their first allotment of the COVID-19 vaccine on Tuesday, Linn County Public Health (LCPH) announced in a news release. Mercy Medical Center and UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital each received 975 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine to distribute to frontline healthcare workers as part of the first phase of vaccine distribution. […]
Linn County expected to receive first COVID-19 vaccine doses next week

Linn County Public Health (LCPH) anticipates receiving the first doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine next week and plans to begin distributing the vaccine to healthcare workers and residents of long-term care facilities. More information about the county’s vaccine distribution will be shared next week, according to LCPH. Gov. Kim Reynolds said during her Dec. […]
Q&A: Two Iowa nurses share challenges, experiences of working during COVID-19 pandemic

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, Iowa hospitals have been overwhelmed, especially in recent months as hospitalizations due to the virus continued to reach record-breaking numbers. The dire situation facing Iowa’s hospitals and healthcare workers has been featured prominently in recent stories in The Atlantic and ProPublica. “In a lot of ways, Iowa is serving as the […]
Cedar Rapids Civil Service Commission affirms CRPD’s decision to fire Lucas Jones

The Cedar Rapids Civil Service Commission voted unanimously on Monday to uphold the firing of former Cedar Rapids police officer Lucas Jones, affirming the decision Chief Wayne Jerman made earlier this year. The three-member commission went into a closed session for deliberation prior to Monday’s vote. A written decision is expected to be ready next […]
Linn County Supervisors approve mask mandate, close most county buildings

On Wednesday, the Linn County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted in favor of requiring individuals in the county to wear a face covering when out in public. The regulation, which was approved by the Board of Health earlier this week, takes effect on Thursday. It requires residents and individuals visiting Linn County to wear face […]
Linn County Board of Health approves regulation requiring face coverings in public

The Linn County Board of Health unanimously approved a regulation on Monday that requires individuals in the county to wear a face covering when out in public. The Board of Health’s approval came just hours before Gov. Kim Reynolds announced a new emergency public health proclamation that included a limited statewide mask mandate. Various jurisdictions […]
‘We are hanging by a thread’: Cedar Rapids officials call on governor to issue mask mandate; CRCSD gets waiver to move classes online

“Everything is increasing — the spread, the positive COVID cases, the hospitalizations, the deaths,” State Senator Liz Mathis said at the start of a virtual news conference on Thursday, the same day Linn County surpassed 10,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19. Mathis’ district, which includes Cedar Rapids, Marion, Robins, Hiawatha, Bertram, Ely and southern Linn County, […]