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. […]
Linn County
Posted inCommunity/News, COVID-19
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 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
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 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
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 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
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 […]
Posted inCOVID-19
‘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, […]
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Cedar Rapids school district requests to move to all-online instruction due to COVID-19 surge in Linn County, increase in staff quarantine
The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) applied for a waiver from the Department of Education (DOE) on Tuesday to move to district-wide remote instruction for two weeks. If granted, students would begin remote learning on Thursday. The request comes as Linn County is experiencing a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. The country reported […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Linn County Supervisors again consider issuing a mask mandate after surge in COVID-19 cases
The Linn County Board of Supervisors is revisiting issuing a mask mandate after recent spikes of confirmed COVID-19 cases in the county and a surge in hospitalizations. The three supervisors first discussed a face-covering resolution in late July after Iowa City and Johnson County issued their respective mandates that required individuals to wear face coverings […]
Posted inCommunity/News, COVID-19
Linn County health officials warn COVID-19 hospitalizations will reach an ‘unsustainable level’ if the surge continues
More than 700 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Linn County this week. This is the highest number of cases the county has seen reported in a single week since the pandemic was first confirmed in the county on March 21. Linn County has 6,142 confirmed cases of COVID-19 as of 10 a.m. on […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Advocates for Social Justice offering free Uber rides to the polls for all voters and childcare reimbursement
Iowans who need transportation to their polling place can use a free Uber voucher provided by the Advocates for Social Justice. The Cedar Rapids group announced on their Facebook page Wednesday evening that they are partnering with Democracy Defenders Iowa to expand their free Uber voucher to all Iowa voters. The group has already been […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Drop off old or unwanted prescription drugs as part of Take Back Day on Saturday
Law enforcement agencies in Johnson and Linn counties are again partnering with the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for this year’s nationwide Take Back Day. Individuals with expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs can use the agency’s online search tool to locate a collection site near them. All sites will be open from 10 a.m. to […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Derecho recovery: Cedar Rapids to begin tree replanting with an Arbor Day event in October
The city of Cedar Rapids announced three events in the coming weeks aimed at replacing its lost tree canopy. The city lost about 65 percent of its trees after the Aug. 10 derecho. The first is an Arbor Day celebration on Friday at Cedar River Academy at Taylor Elementary. The celebration is usually in April […]
