By Cindy Hadish CEDAR RAPIDS — Residents of the Rompot neighborhood near Prairie Park Fishery made their case today in front of the City Planning Commission against designating a proposed Cargill rail yard as an “essential service,” but in the [...]
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Large-scale cicada emergence, with periodical broods crawling out of the ground every 13 or 17 years, capture widespread attention when tens of thousands can mob en masse onto a single tree. But even one cicada, emerging from its shell, is [...]
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CEDAR RAPIDS – Thousands of Iowans withstood sweltering heat to hear from nearly half of potential Democratic presidential candidates during the fifth annual Progress Iowa Corn Feed on Sunday, July 14. Though initially with 12 confirmed candidates, two didn’t make [...]
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By Cindy Hadish CEDAR RAPIDS — Residents of the Rompot neighborhood near Prairie Park Fishery made their case today in front of the City Planning Commission against designating a proposed Cargill rail yard as an “essential service,” but in the end it wasn’t enough. Commission members voted 5-1 in favor of the designation, which sends […]
Large-scale cicada emergence, with periodical broods crawling out of the ground every 13 or 17 years, capture widespread attention when tens of thousands can mob en masse onto a single tree. But even one cicada, emerging from its shell, is fascinating in itself. Related Cicadas: Sounds of summer The process can take an hour. Cicada […]
CEDAR RAPIDS – Thousands of Iowans withstood sweltering heat to hear from nearly half of potential Democratic presidential candidates during the fifth annual Progress Iowa Corn Feed on Sunday, July 14. Though initially with 12 confirmed candidates, two didn’t make the event: New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who left Iowa to address a […]
CEDAR RAPIDS — In its early years, the Czech School in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, ended sessions with an ice cream social, a tradition that continues today. Past students recalled the socials held along the banks of the Cedar River, behind the school on Second Street SE. The school building is no longer used for Czech […]
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa — The Spece family has held their Hosta and Dessert Social for nearly 15 years, but the event later this month offers up a different type of treat. “We’ve never brought in a famous speaker before,” said Josh Spece, co-owner of In the Country Garden & Gifts, in rural Independence, Iowa. “This is […]
The buzzing of cicadas provides the quintessential sounds of a midsummer’s night in Iowa. A bulk of periodical cicadas, which emerge en masse every 17 years, is scheduled to make an appearance in Iowa again in 2031, but annual cicadas can be heard every summer in many parts of the state. Entomologist Donald Lewis, of […]
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Sultry weather didn’t appear to diminish the crowds or spirits of the participants in Saturday’s Freedom Festival Parade. Temperatures that reached the 90s, teamed with high humidity, led some families to stake out shade along the route through New Bohemia and Czech Village as early as two hours before the parade’s […]
Pale purple coneflower, the bright yellow of oxeye sunflower and more muted yarrow bloom among native plants in a newly dedicated prairie at Squaw Creek Park in Marion. The 6.6-acre site was formally dedicated Tuesday, June 25, as the Orlan Love Prairie, named in honor of Love, a Gazette reporter and columnist for 24 years. […]
(UPDATE: A short-lived reprieve; first two Japanese beetles of the season spotted on our raspberry bushes on June 26.) The first Japanese beetles of the season are typically spotted around this time in east-central Iowa, but so far there appear to be no signs of the voracious invaders, at least in our Cedar Rapids gardens. […]
Both the Linn County Master Gardeners and Project GREEN have garden walks scheduled for July, with significant changes this time. The 2019 Linn County Garden Walk, set for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, July 13, will be free this year. Not only will there be no charge for admission, but tour-takers who visit all […]
