CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Alliant Energy will remove the massive switch boxes installed without warning earlier this month in northwest Cedar Rapids, after neighbors raised concerns. Spokeswoman Melissa McCarville said the equipment, called pad mounted switchgear, “was part of a necessary project to relocate energy assets, prompted by the growing needs of Cedar Rapids’ west […]
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Year: 2025
Teenage squirrel hunter dies after accid...
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) reported that a 17-year-old Iowan died after being shot while squirrel hunting in Washington County. In a report released Sept. 29, 2025, the DNR said the accident happened Saturday, Sept. 27. The squirrel hunting season runs from Aug. 30 to Jan. 31 in Iowa. Learn more from the […]
Czech festival photos in Cedar Rapids, I...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — An annual festival drew crowds during an unseasonably warm day, as Czech Goulash Day returned to St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. The festival, on Sept. 28, 2025, featured its namesake goulash — a type of beef stew — along with popular Czech kolaches handmade by the experienced bakers of St. Monica’s Circle. […]
Celebrating Hawkeye Marching Band legend...
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Lou Crist, the “Voice of the Hawkeye Marching Band,” was honored during Friday’s University of Iowa Homecoming Parade, along with the Alumni Band’s flagline, twirlers and drum majors. Crist is retiring this year after 44 years serving as the band’s announcer, and while his final football game was Iowa’s season opener […]
Neighbors protest massive electrical box...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Clint Lunden was shocked to watch the giant metal box installed next to his front yard this week in northwest Cedar Rapids. “We didn’t know anything about it,” he said of the Alliant Energy switch boxes, which span more than 7 feet wide and long, and nearly as high as Lunden, […]
Popular Czech festival returns in Cedar ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Kolache and polka-lovers can get their fill during the annual Czech Goulash Day at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church. The popular festival is set for 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28, 2025, on the church grounds at 1224 Fifth St. SE, Cedar Rapids. See photos from the 2024 festival A […]
Death of a queen: Heartbreaking end to i...
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — The “Queen of Hearts” mansion in Marshalltown met its end after a last-ditch effort to save the iconic home. While several individuals tried online fundraising in hopes of moving the early-1900s structure, owner Todd Hollingworth took out a demolition permit last week and the mansion was demolished on Sept. 23, 2025. The […]
Second death linked to Legionnaires’ dis
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — Iowa health officials have linked a second death to a Legionella outbreak in Marshalltown. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services reported Sept. 22, 2025, that an elderly adult with multiple underlying health conditions died on Sept. 18. To date, there have been 71 cases of legionellosis linked to the outbreak, […]
New Czech Village mural to be dedicated ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — “Moravian Madonna,” a larger-than-life reproduction of Joža Uprka’s painting, Girl in a Scarf, will be dedicated next week in Czech Village. Located on the historic Kosek Building, 87 16th Ave. SW, the mural will be dedicated at 10 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 18, 2025. Cedar Rapids Mayor Tiffany O’Donnell; Cecilia Rokusek, National […]
Final days of Iowa’s Queen of Hearts man
UPDATE: The mansion was demolished on Sept. 23, 2025. See more: Death of a queen MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa — The dusty floors, boarded windows and cracked porch spindles belie the opulence of the once-majestic mansion dubbed by locals as the “Queen of Hearts.” “It’s long past gone,” owner Todd Hollingworth said of the Marshalltown mansion. “It’s […]