A record number of Iowans — nearly a quarter of the state’s population — have requested absentee ballots for the Nov. 3 election, according to the Secretary of State’s office. Secretary of State Paul Pate announced last Friday there had been 703,768 request forms submitted by voters across the state. The previous record of 693,000 […]
Linn County
Posted inCommunity/News
Advocates for Social Justice offering free Uber rides to the polls for Linn County voters
The grassroots group Advocates for Social Justice is trying to make it easier for people to vote in the upcoming general election. The group is offering free Uber rides for Linn County voters and is organizing various events near polling places. Early voting in Iowa began on Monday. County auditors began mailing out absentee ballots […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Linn County renames park to honor memory of Meskwaki artist and women’s rights advocate
The Linn County Conservation Board has changed the name of the county’s largest park to Wanatee Park to honor the memory of Jean Adeline Morgan Wanatee, an artist and advocate for the rights of Native Americans and women. The park located in Marion was formerly known as Squaw Creek Park. Although there is some debate […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Linn County hires Tamara Marcus as its first sustainability program manager
The Linn County Board of Supervisors has hired Tamara Marcus as the county’s first sustainability program manager. Marcus is a Ph.D. candidate in the Natural Resources and Earth System Sciences program at the University of New Hampshire. “Her research interests include using bioinformatic techniques to understand the impact of warming on microbial mediation of carbon […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Two-day appeal hearing for fired CRPD officer Lucas Jones scheduled to begin Tuesday morning
The two-day appeal hearing for fired Cedar Rapids police officer Lucas Jones is scheduled to begin Tuesday morning. Both days of the hearing will begin at 9 a.m. and will be streamed on the city’s Facebook page. The three-member Civil Service Commission will hear from lawyers and witnesses via Zoom. Jones’s lawyer Skylar Limkemann and […]
Posted inCommunity/News, COVID-19
Derecho relief: Survey asks Linn County residents about their needs; FEMA is closing Cedar Rapids center
Linn County agencies have created a questionnaire to identify what residents still need in the aftermath of the Aug. 10 derecho. County residents impacted by the derecho are encouraged to complete the questionnaire. Linn County Public Health, HACAP and Waypoint partnered with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach to create the assessment. The information provided […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds: Bars in Linn County can reopen on Wednesday, bars in Johnson County will remain closed
Bars in Linn County and three other counties closed by order of Gov. Kim Reynolds on Aug. 27 can reopen at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, according to a new public health proclamation signed by the governor on Tuesday. Limitations on restaurants serving liquor will also be removed. “Bars, taverns, wineries, breweries, distilleries, [and] night clubs” […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Appeal hearing for fired Cedar Rapids police officer Lucas Jones will be ‘all virtual’
The Cedar Rapids Civil Service Commission voted on Friday to keep the appeal hearing for fired police officer Lucas Jones all virtual in light of increased cases of COVID-19 in Linn County. The two-day hearing is scheduled to begin on Sept. 22. The Cedar Rapids Police Department fired Jones in June for turning off a […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa Secretary of State limits use of drop boxes for absentee ballots, leaving Linn County with only one
County auditors in Iowa are allowed to collect absentee ballots using drop boxes, as long as they follow the new guidance from the Secretary of State’s Office that limits where those drop boxes can be placed. The Secretary of State’s Office previously said Iowa law does not allow county auditors to use drop boxes to […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids Mayor Brad Hart issues face covering mandate
Nearly everyone in Cedar Rapids is now required to wear a face covering in public, according to a proclamation signed by Mayor Brad Hart on Wednesday. “For several months, I have been encouraging, even begging, for the voluntary use of masks by all residents in public in order to protect our residents and get us […]
Posted inCommunity/News
FEMA opens disaster recovery center in Cedar Rapids
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) opened a disaster recovery center in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday. Individuals impacted by the Aug. 10 derecho can submit documents for their disaster assistance application at the site. The disaster recovery center is located at the parking lot between Kernels Stadium and Kingston Stadium, 950 Rockford Rd SW. People […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Judge orders Linn County to void 50,000 absentee ballot request forms
A district court judge has ordered Linn County Auditor Joel Miller to nullify about 50,000 absentee ballot request forms, siding with Republican groups that alleged Miller overstepped his authority by sending out request forms with pre-filled voter information. The Trump campaign, Republican Party of Iowa and two national Republican campaign committees filed three separate lawsuits […]
