CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — A long-standing highlight of the Freedom Festival will make a move this summer. The Freedom Festival Parade, typically held in downtown Cedar Rapids or in the Czech Village/New Bohemia District, is moving to Hiawatha. The parade is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday, June 27, 2026. A new event, Stars and Stripes […]
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Category: Cedar Rapids
With lone dissent, Cedar Rapids School B...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Change is coming to the Cedar Rapids Community School District, after the Board of Education voted on boundary changes and a “redesign” and consolidation that includes school closures and adding intermediate schools. About 40 community members attended the School Board’s meeting on April 27, 2026, with eight members of the public […]
Cedar Rapids joins nationwide protest of...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Demonstrators in Cedar Rapids rallied against the Trump administration’s expansion of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement warehouse detentions as part of a nationwide day of action. Dozens of people lined 12th Avenue near Third Street SE, across from NewBo City Market, on a sunny spring afternoon Saturday, April 25, 2026. The […]
Final days as beloved Cedar Rapids cafe ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Emmanuel Taylor is among the many loyal customers who will miss stopping in at the original location of the Salsa Guy Cafe. “I like the quaintness of it,” Taylor said, while picking up lunch on one of the cafe’s final days at 2874 Mt. Vernon Road SE, not far from where […]
Pro-life isn’t just for the unborn, ‘Dea
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Decades after first accompanying a death row inmate to his execution, Sister Helen Prejean is still full of life. “Can y’all handle southern?” the Catholic nun, who turns 87 next week, joked to an audience of more than 200 people who turned out to hear her speak April 13, 2026, at […]
Roses with symbolic meaning inserted in ...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Immigrant advocates gathered for the first time since a towering fence was erected outside of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Cedar Rapids. An estimated 200 people joined together early on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, in support of immigrants who attend check-ins at the building the Department of Homeland […]
Cedar Rapids School District boundary ch...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — The Cedar Rapids School District Board of Directors has yet to vote on future school closures, but proposed boundary changes signal the vote to come later this month. No public comment was allowed at a special School Board meeting to discuss those changes on March 31, 2026, but the public was […]
Towering fence nearing completion will a...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Advocates say a fence under construction that will block views of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Cedar Rapids will impede efforts to offer support to immigrants. The fence, at the building the Department of Homeland Security leases at 3351 Square D Drive SW, was nearing completion as of […]
Thousands join in peaceful ‘No Kings’ pr
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Several thousand demonstrators took to the streets near downtown Cedar Rapids as part of nationwide “No Kings” rallies against the Trump administration. Braving a brisk wind and temperatures that started near freezing, protesters held signs for more than an hour Saturday, March 28, 2026, along Eighth Avenue SE before marching to […]
ICE disregards Historic Preservation Com...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — Disregarding the Historic Preservation Commission’s objections, the Department of Homeland Security indicated it still intends to construct a tall fence around its U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Cedar Rapids. The commission will consider responding to the department’s reply regarding the proposed fence at 3351 Square D Drive SW, during […]