CEDAR RAPIDS — The Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, a national campaign and the largest one-day food drive, delivered thousands of pounds of food Saturday to the Hawkeye Area Community Action Program. The donated food items will help feed one in four kids throughout the program’s seven-county area who go hungry at least once [...]

Construction crews are completing work on the new Physicians’ Clinic of Iowa facility in Cedar Rapids, in advance of an open house Saturday. The $47 million, privately-funded facility provides one-stop-shopping for patients. A countless number of screws still need to be drilled into the walls of a massive medical mall that will see some 2,500 [...]

  CEDAR RAPIDS — Hundreds lined the streets Saturday of the New Bohemia District and Czech Village to celebrate St. Joseph’s Day with the annual parade. The sea of red marked the annual St. Joseph’s Day Parade through the Czech Village, an area that is proud of its heritage and says its stronger than ever [...]

  CEDAR RAPIDS — Linn County Auditor Joel Miller says regardless of the weather Tuesday, polling places for the casino vote will remain open. Miller said that includes locations, such as schools and churches, that might be closed for normal business because of the weather. Miller also spent part of Monday finding replacements as some [...]

Some parents of students at Novak Elementary School, 401 29th Ave., want the City Council to make the walk across the street at an intersection near the school safer. Students now use a crosswalk at the corner of 29th Avenue and Fifth Street, but parents like Dawn Christensen say heavy traffic there only gets busier [...]

Police want people in one Cedar Rapids neighborhood to watch out for a group of kids that may be responsible for blowing up mailboxes. Just this weekend, two people say their mailboxes were targeted.  The incidents were reported in the 400 block of Stoney Point Road NW and in the 500 block of Bezdek Road [...]

Family-owned businesses say big chains are bumping them out of downtown Cedar Rapids. Several new restaurants have opened in the downtown area in the past few months.  For most diners, that means many more food options.  But some businesses say the oversaturated market is cutting in on their profits. It’s been a roller-coaster for these [...]

CEDAR FALLS —  Two Iowa National Guard members who attend the University of Northern Iowa said Monday that an exam they missed during a training drill won’t count against their final grade in the course. Spc. James Roethler and Pvt. Dustin Hiller missed a psychology test because they went to their mandatory military training. “I [...]

About 50,000 Iowa families will have less help paying for groceries come Nov. 1, after the federal government changed how they calculate the food assistance program, or food stamps. Calculating someone’s eligibility for food assistance takes into consideration many factors: income, medical expenses, utility costs and other amounts.  For the first time in many years, [...]

“Chaos” probably best describes the scene at a multi-vehicle accident. There’s debris from the wrecks, possible injuries and plenty of uncertainty. That’s why a couple dozen emergency responders participated in an afternoon training exercise Tuesday in Cedar Rapids.  The Cedar Rapids Fire Department and Area Ambulance respond to the same emergency calls together.  For veterans [...]

A 20-year street construction project in downtown Marion, in its first year, is already behind schedule. The city’s $11 million Uptown Streetscape Plan will eventually shift through traffic in Marion from Seventh Avenue to Sixth Avenue. The project’s goal is to clear up heavy congestion and make downtown Marion more pedestrian friendly. Marion city engineer [...]

VINTON — Volunteers helped move old, outdated seats out of the Vinton Palace Theater on Saturday as part of a $125,000 renovation. The theater, which first opened in 1915, underwent a digital conversion two years ago, which upgraded the sound and added the capability to show 3D films. “It’s just another step forward for the [...]

OXFORD –A couple who left New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina was keeping close tabs on Hurricane Isaac on Tuesday. “I think the whole city has PTSD when it comes to storms,” said Jeri Halperin, who with her husband Ben lived in the Louisiana city for nearly 10 years. Halperin was keeping a close eye on [...]

Cafeteria workers at schools across the country, and in Eastern Iowa, are serving up food under new federal guidelines. The USDA has made sweeping changes that affect what kids eat at school.  The goal is to tackle the growing childhood obesity epidemic.  Now, students must take a half cup of fruit or vegetables with each [...]

IOWA CITY — Two Sikhs from India who now live in Iowa City said the weekend’s fatal shootings at a Wisconsin temple present an opportunity to teach people about their religion. Rita and Jasbir Arora said ignorance is the root of the temple shootings. “It’s really, really sad that in our country this ignorance still exists,” [...]

On Thursday, thousands of RAGBRAI riders will be in Cedar Rapids, where RAGBRAI will celebrate its 40th anniversary. And with thousands of visitors coming to town, what do you do?  You clean up.  And the city’s been doing that, while planning for this visit for months. Since the 2008 flood, Cedar Rapids has had a [...]

After decades on waiting, Lt. Col. Dennis Eilers’ loved ones came together Saturday to say goodbye. “There was always this lingering, wondering if he would come home.  I guess that’s now,” said Eilers’ son, Curtis Eilers. Eilers’ relatives received word on Christmas Eve 1965 that Eilers and five others had been shot down in an [...]

COGGON- Since 1912, the pews of Saint John’s Catholic Church in Coggon have been full of devoted followers.  Sunday marked the centennial celebration.  The church spent the day celebrating and pushing forward toward more growth. With voices strong and united toward the heavens a packed Saint John’s Catholic Church ushered in the 100th mass. “Celebrate [...]

COGGON- Since 1912, the pews of Saint John’s Catholic Church in Coggon have been full of devoted followers.  Sunday marked the centennial celebration.  The church spent the day celebrating and pushing forward toward more growth. With voices strong and united toward the heavens a packed Saint John’s Catholic Church ushered in the 100th mass. “Celebrate [...]

CEDAR RAPIDS- National economic news last Friday was disappointing.  The number of new jobs was down and the unemployment rate was up. But here in Eastern Iowa, several companies say they’re hiring which has helped the state’s unemployment rate drop to 5.1%.  In April last year, it was nearly 6%. As an unemployed Iowan, the [...]