IOWA CITY – The Ponseti method of treating clubfoot will increase its worldwide expansion with the help of its organization’s largest grant to date. “It’s very exciting and we’re glad Iowa can help the world,” said Dr. Jose Morcuende, associate professor of orthopaedic surgery at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and Chief Medical Director [...]

Iowa ranked first in the percentage of adults aged 65 and older vaccinated against the flu last year, according to a new report that rates states’ preparedness. In the report released Tuesday, Jan. 15, the Trust for America’s Health noted that 75.9 percent of seniors were vaccinated in Iowa, more than any other state and [...]

A pregnant cat, which came from a family friend, soon led to a full house for Lee Mitchell. Mitchell, 50, of Cedar Rapids, was able to find homes for five of seven kittens, but kept two, along with “Mama,” the stray that showed up at her friend’s house. “No more babies, I promised her,” Mitchell [...]

Like the rest of the nation, Iowa is battling a high influx of influenza cases, with the peak not expected for several more weeks. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, the number of hospitalizations and percent of patients going to clinics for flu-like symptoms is already three times higher than in typical years, [...]

CEDAR RAPIDS — A more than century-old gymnasium and an area of southeast Cedar Rapids dubbed “automobile row” could earn their spots in history. Sokol Hall and Gymnasium, built in 1908 at 417 Third St. SE, and the auto district, in blocks spanning Second and Third avenues, from Sixth to 10th streets, will be considered [...]

As Iowa gardeners dream about the upcoming growing season, Linn County Master Gardener, Lisa Slattery, offers timely tips to keep in mind when ordering seeds and plants. I have received several seed catalogs for 2013 in the mail already.  The seed catalogs are full of beautiful pictures and luscious descriptions of plants that sound perfect…and [...]

Stained glass windows saved from a church that was demolished last year will find new homes at Kirkwood Community College and other sites in Cedar Rapids. “It’s thrilling news,” said Kirkwood art instructor, Arbe Bareis, who is in charge of the college’s art acquisition for new buildings and renovations. “Kirkwood is truly the community’s college and [...]

  Iowa scores right in the middle in a new report that grades states on preventing tooth decay. The state was given a C grade for providing children with dental sealants, according to the report released Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2013, from the Pew Center on the States. Those clear plastic coatings, applied to the chewing [...]

Iowa State University is offering an online course covering the production and management of vegetable crops. Web-based Vegetable Crop Production and Management (HORT 493) will be taught by Ajay Nair, vegetable specialist with ISU Extension and Outreach, and offered through the Department of Horticulture. The course runs Jan. 14 through May 10, 2013. The course [...]

  CEDAR RAPIDS — Brian Nowland chose the right place to “die.” The Australian man was visiting his son’s family in Marion when he suffered a cardiac arrest, in which the heart stops beating. Pushing cars out of the snow during December’s blizzard precipitated his heart attack, but Nowland, 57, credits a cooling therapy for [...]

  CEDAR RAPIDS – Elaine Hensen remembers walking to St. John’s Cemetery as a child, where her grandmother, Antonia Hac, regularly placed flowers on the graves of her late husband and a daughter, who died at birth. “I don’t think they even named her – just baby girl,” said Hensen, 71, of Cedar Rapids. Although [...]

  CEDAR RAPIDS — At first, Maggie and Lance Votroubek suspected humidity played a role when they couldn’t get their porch door to close, but in a sense, the opposite proved true. Rather than moisture in the air, a lack of moisture in the ground was the underlying problem for the couple’s southeast Cedar Rapids [...]

In 2003, I started writing a column I called “Homegrown” for The Gazette, as an outlet for my gardening obsession. The column has since been printed in various places online and in the newspaper, so I’m grateful to all of you who have followed along, as Homegrown marks its 10th anniversary this year. I also [...]

Following are gardening and eco-events happening in Eastern Iowa during January 2013: Tues., Jan. 1 – First Day Hikes: Begin the New Year rejuvenating and connecting with the outdoors by taking a healthy hike on Jan. 1, at a state park close to home.  The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hosting free, guided hikes in [...]

As two editors at The Gazette coped with uprooted trees during December’s blizzard, we wondered if the damage could be drought-related. Had the deepest roots died off, leaving shallower roots less capable of keeping trees upright? Linn County master gardeners Debbie Main and Sue Usher said if the drought continues, we can expect more tree [...]

  CEDAR RAPIDS — Flood waters forced the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library to move to higher ground, but a different type of water raised concern at the museum earlier this week. Gail Naughton, president and CEO of the museum at 1400 Inspiration Pl. SW, said 27 pieces of the 230-piece Alphonse Mucha [...]

IOWA CITY – Transportation alternatives are being explored as a free service offered to patients throughout Iowa for 80 years is ending. After Monday, Dec. 31, vans will no longer pick up IowaCare patients to travel to appointments at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. UI spokesman Tom Moore said the UIHC [...]

Linn County Master Gardener, Lisa Slattery, provides information on how to cope with winter damage in your landscape and some New Year’s resolutions for gardeners: Last week’s blizzard took its toll on our landscape, everything from minor branches littering the street to full size trees cracking and falling. Snow is a great insulator for ground [...]

CEDAR RAPIDS – Efforts to reconstruct the Riverside Roundhouse have run into a snag. The building, used for decades as a Cedar Rapids farmers market, was dismantled by volunteers after the Floods of 2008 so the land could be used for the relocated National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library. Alex Andersen, who is leading [...]

CEDAR RAPIDS – Driven by a group of volunteers and a new master plan, the major route through Cedar Rapids will take on a new look, with help from public support. Eye 380, which has overseen two landscaping projects along Interstate 380, will apply for funding through the Iowa Department of Transportation for its next [...]