In the course of one hour, Cedar Rapids lost half of its tree canopy in the Aug. 10, 2020, derecho, with an estimated 75 percent of street and park trees sustaining at least some form of damage from the hurricane-force straightline winds. Similar scenarios played out in neighboring Marion and other communities across the state. […]
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Year: 2020
First child death from COVID-19 confirme...
The Iowa Department of Public Health confirmed Iowa’s first death of a child from COVID-19. Few details were provided, other than the child was under the age of 5 and had “significant underlying health conditions.” The death, reported Aug. 23, 2020, happened in June. The case investigation was completed Aug. 6 by the State Medical […]
Humanitarian crisis continues in wake of...
CEDAR RAPIDS — Pacifique Mushishi survived refugee camps in the Congo and has been living a similar existence since the Aug. 10 derecho hit Iowa with winds estimated at 140 mph. The Cedar Terrace apartment complex where he had been living in southwest Cedar Rapids was decimated in the hurricane-force storm, and while he and […]
Trump makes brief stop in storm-ravaged ...
Note: The Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation created a disaster fund for derecho recovery. If you can, please donate at: www.gcrcf.org CEDAR RAPIDS — A small crowd of both Trump supporters and protesters never saw a glimpse of him Aug. 18 at the Eastern Iowa Airport. Air Force One touched down at the airport about […]
Iowa’s slow road to recovery after derec
UPDATED 6:45 p.m. Aug. 17 and Aug. 19, 2020, with National Weather Service information and Aug. 17, with a statement from congresswoman Abby Finkenauer regarding Trump’s failure to approve federal disaster declaration for individual assistance. Iowans still waiting for assistance a full week after a devastating derecho tore through the state can’t be blamed for […]
Force of Nature: photos from Iowa’s dere
(NOTE: Story/photos will be updated as electricity/Internet become available) UPDATED: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 14, with more photos; comments from Stacey Walker Dutch elm disease and invasive pests such as emerald ash borer change landscapes over time, but the Aug. 10, 2020, derecho windstorm that swept through Iowa with hurricane-force winds dramatically altered many parts of […]
Facebook called me an impersonator; here...
UPDATE: July 9, 2021 — One year after Facebook “unpublished” Homegrown on Facebook, still no answer as to why and no reply from them. Original Post: One month ago, on July 9, 2020, I found that my Homegrown Facebook page had been “unpublished.” No reason was given and there was no recourse. I thought it […]
Mistaken identity in Iowa: Cicada killer...
Donald Lewis, entomology professor at Iowa State University, reported this week that the department has been busy responding to reports of large wasps in Iowa, after extensive publicity about Asian giant hornets, also known as “murder hornets,” in Washington state. “As expected, and after abundant publicity about Asian giant hornets in the Pacific Northwest earlier […]
Naked Ladies: a flower out of sync?
Among the most reliable perennials in the Midwest are surprise lilies, also known as Naked Ladies and a host of other names. But, 2020 — a year full of unwelcome surprises — seems to have spawned another twist. Typically, the flowers are like clockwork. See them in one yard across town and you can be […]
“This is not the end” neighbors vow afte
CEDAR RAPIDS — Homeowners near a prairie where Cargill wants to build an industrial railyard are considering their options after a judge ruled against them. “We are extremely disappointed with Cargill’s plans to ruin this prairie to the public’s detriment and the property damage that it will inflict on surrounding neighborhoods,” Jeremiah Kenny, president of […]