Catch up on the biggest headlines, videos and photos published by Little Village in the past week.
Eddie Mauro becomes the second Iowa Democrat to announce a 2020 Senate run
Published on Monday, May 20
Democrat Eddie Mauro announced on Monday he is running for the U.S. Senate. The Des Moines businessman has long been active in progressive politics, and in 2018 he made an unsuccessfully bid for the Democratic nomination for Iowa’s 3rd Congressional District.
“We need a United States Senator that will fight for Iowa’s middle-class families, our family farms, the small businesses on Main Street, protect and improve access to affordable healthcare for all Iowans and invest in our renewable energy economy to create jobs and combat the climate chaos and challenge before us,” Mauro said in a press release. Continue reading…
Boston Fish will remain open
Published on Monday, May 20
Boston Fish, a staple of the Cedar Rapids restaurant scene for 77 years, announced last month it would be closing at the end of May. Manager Lenore Zell wrote on the restaurant’s Facebook page, “the Boston Fish real estate has been sold and will no longer house the Boston Fish establishment.”
But that changed after the property’s soon-to-be new owner came to Boston Fish for lunch, Zell posted on Tuesday. Continue reading…
Iowa man arrested for rude Facebook post files federal lawsuit
Published on Tuesday, May 21
On Tuesday, the ACLU of Iowa filed a federal lawsuit against Adams County in southwest Iowa, on behalf of Jon Goldsmith. Goldsmith was arrested for calling a deputy sheriff a “fucking pile of shit” and “STUPID sum bitch” in a July 2018 Facebook post. He was charged with third-degree harassment, which could have resulted in him being jailed for 30 days and fined $625.
The charges were dismissed by a judge in October, after Goldsmith’s attorney petitioned the court to do so, citing the free speech guarantees in both the U.S. and Iowa constitutions. The lawsuit also alleges the county violated Goldsmith’s First Amendment rights. Continue reading...
North Liberty Community Pantry to show ‘Period. End of Sentence’ for Women’s Health Month
Published on Wednesday, May 22
Throughout the month of May, the North Liberty Community Pantry (NLCP) has been running a campaign for National Women’s Health Month, collecting menstrual products, diapers, adult absorbent products and monetary donations. Their goal is to raise $2,000 — approximately one dollar for every woman served by the pantry.
NLCP, located at 89 N Jones Blvd, serves rural communities in Johnson County, excluding Iowa City and Coralville. Clients can shop for food, toiletries, children’s clothing, laundry detergent and other necessities. Continue reading…
Iowa City Downtown District selects new ‘nighttime mayor’
Published on Wednesday, May 22
The Iowa City Downtown District (ICDD) announced on Wednesday it’s hired a new “Nighttime Mayor,” the nonprofit’s “nightlife, arts and culture liaison.”
Joe Reilly will fill the vacancy created when Angela Winnike, the first person to hold the position, resigned in December, before moving to Los Angeles for a new job. Continue reading…
Cedar Rapids will start using its I-380 speed cameras again in June
Published on Thursday, May 23
Cedar Rapids will start using its speed cameras on I-380 to issue tickets again on Saturday, June 1, according to a news release from the city. Mayor Brad Hart had announced the city’s intention to this during his State of the City address in February, although he didn’t say when tickets would start being issued.
“If 50 people have talked to me about the cameras, 49 have said please turn the cameras back on,” Hart said in his speech. “And the one that doesn’t like them, doesn’t live in Cedar Rapids.” Continue reading…
Gov. Reynolds vetoes bill to expand medical CBD progam
Published on Friday, May 24
On Friday, Gov. Kim Reynolds vetoed a bill that would have allowed people diagnosed with “severe or chronic pain” to participate in the Iowa Medical Cannabidiol (mCBD) Program and would have raised the cap on the active ingredient in the cannabidiol currently available to patients in the program.
Reynolds waited until 5 p.m. to issue a press release announcing her veto. Politicians frequently announce controversial actions on Friday evenings, in hopes that news of those actions will be ignored by the public because of the weekend. Three-day holiday weekends, such as Memorial Day weekend, are traditionally considered an optimal time to bury news. Continued reading…
Current issue: Little Village issue 263
