It already feels like winter in Iowa, so why not just “lose” an hour of daylight as soon as possible to go along with the darkness of 2020. Daylight Saving Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 1, the earliest date possible, as Standard Time begins on the first Sunday in November. Remember to “fall back” and […]
Iowa continues spiraling out of control ...
Another update Oct. 23, 2020: Iowa set a record for COVID-19 hospitalizations, with 536 reported, and another new high on Oct. 24, with 545 hospitalized. Also on Oct. 24, Iowa set a record for hospital admissions, with 101 patients admitted to hospitals during the past 24 hours. Further update Oct. 22, 2020: Iowa has again […]
Iowa surpasses 1,500 coronavirus deaths,...
Iowa had experienced an uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations even before Donald Trump appeared before a crowd of many maskless supporters Oct. 14 at the Des Moines International Airport and is now reaching new highs. Related: Trump plans rally as Iowa reaches somber coronavirus milestone The state, where Gov. Kim Reynolds has never implemented a face […]
Shiver me timbers! Tiny “pirate” bugs pa
Iowans spending time outdoors on warm fall days may experience a piercing bite from a nearly invisible foe. Minute pirate bugs, whose scientific name, Orius insidiosus, gives rise to its other moniker, the insidious flower bug, can inflict painful bites relative to its size. Entomologist Donald Lewis, of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, notes […]
Iowa hits somber coronavirus milestone a...
Less than two weeks after claiming he had tested positive for COVID-19, Donald Trump plans a presidential campaign rally in Des Moines, even as Iowa surpasses 100,000 cases of the deadly virus. Trump, who received medical care unavailable to most Americans after saying he tested positive for COVID-19 earlier this month — including a treatment […]
Bracing for an early frost in Iowa
UPDATE Oct. 15, 2020: If you escaped the frost so far this fall, take heed tonight, as temperatures are expected to dip below freezing for much of the eastern third of the state. Forecasts this week call for possible frost in Iowa from Thursday night, Oct. 1, into Friday morning. According to Iowa State University […]
Iowa chainsaw artist keeps busy with der...
CEDAR RAPIDS — Clint Henik’s artwork went viral with a chainsaw carving giving the “finger” to 2020, but his work goes beyond that customer-requested design. His most current carving is in the Czech Village neighborhood, where Shear Confidence, 117 16th Ave. SW, is having a pair of shears carved from a tree downed by the […]
Fall colors in post-derecho Iowa
Iowa’s fall foliage landscape will take on a decidedly different look in parts of the state hit by the Aug. 10 hurricane-strength derecho. Cedar Rapids, for example, lost an estimated 65 percent of its tree canopy in the storm, with winds up to 140 mph that uprooted century-old trees, twisted off treetops, bent tree trunks […]
Iowa nursing home outbreaks and deaths r...
UPDATE Sept. 25, 2020: Iowa now has reported a record high 50 nursing home outbreaks, with 1,306 deaths statewide, including 679 deaths connected to long-term care facilities. In less than two months, coronavirus outbreaks at Iowa nursing homes have nearly doubled, as Gov. Kim Reynolds continues to resist recommendations to issue a statewide mask mandate. […]
Cedar Rapids vigil honors legacy of Supr...
CEDAR RAPIDS — One day after her death, a crowd of nearly 100 people gathered to honor the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg in front of the Federal Courthouse in Cedar Rapids. Ginsburg died Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, of complications from pancreatic cancer after serving since 1993 as the second woman on […]