CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Decades after artist Grant Wood’s 24-by-20-foot stained glass Memorial Window was installed in the Veterans Memorial Building, a custodian made a remarkable discovery. “These were found stuffed above the steam pipes,” said Teri Van Dorston, museum manager for the Veterans Memorial Building & Commission, pointing to full-scale original drawings the renowned […]
Holding on: Cedar Rapids couple battles ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Since the record 2008 flood inundated the Time Check area in northwest Cedar Rapids, Ajai Dittmar and Greg Vail have watched neighboring homes disappear one after another. More than 17 years later, they’re seeking to hold onto their home along the Cedar River after the city of Cedar Rapids sent letters […]
Cedar Rapids completes 50-plus Paving fo...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Cedar Rapids officials announced more than 50 street projects were completed during 2025, in the 12th year of the tax-funded Paving for Progress program. The program leverages a one-percent, voter-approved sales tax to invest in improving the city’s roadways, with a focus on local, or residential, streets. In all, the program […]
Lost teddy bear in Cedar Rapids finds it...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Britney Carroll knew it was a long shot. As office manager for Hobby Lobby in Cedar Rapids, Carroll was accustomed to seeing lost keys, credit cards and wallets come into the store at 180 Collins Rd. NE, but this was something different. “This is the first teddy bear,” she said of […]
Grocery store opens near vacant Hy-Vee i...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Customers stopping by the Hornbill Asian Market during its soft opening said they were excited to finally see the store open, just one block from a long-vacant Hy-Vee on First Avenue. “We’re excited, too,” owner Mang Pau said, as the store at 1445 First Ave. SE welcomed its first customers on […]
New bookstore honors vision of ‘Angel of
UPDATE: The coffee shop portion of the business is opening Friday, Dec. 19, 2025. The entire shop will have business hours of 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday and Monday and 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Mary Kay Novak McGrath didn’t live to see her vision for a […]
Christmas traditions celebrated in Czech...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Czech celebrations of Christmas carried into Czech Village in Cedar Rapids, with more to come this weekend. The Svatý Mikuláš tradition, known in the United States as St. Nicholas Day, was marked on Dec. 5, 2025, the day before it’s traditionally celebrated in the Czech Republic. Czech Village in Cedar Rapids […]
McDonald’s plan fries in initial step; n
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Even as neighbors quietly celebrated the initial rejection of a plan that would place a McDonald’s within feet of their homes, they looked to the next round in front of the Cedar Rapids City Council. “It’s not over yet,” Bruce Abernathy warned as more than a dozen residents left the Dec. […]
Final days for longtime Czech Village sh...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A decades-old business in Czech Village is soon closing its doors. Czech Village Antiques, 82 16th Ave. SW, owned by Pam and Ken Lewis since 1989, will end operations Sunday, Dec. 7, 2025, after the couple sold the buildings housing the business earlier this year. “Everything will be on sale and […]
Cedar Rapids neighbors oppose rezoning f...
Note: The City Planning Commission meeting is set for 3 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4, 2025, in the City Council Chambers on the third floor of Cedar Rapids City Hall, 101 First St. SE. CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Neighbors of a proposed McDonald’s along Mount Vernon Road SE are gathering signatures to oppose rezoning for the […]