UPDATE July 20, 2021, with comments from Roy Hesemann, utilities director for the city of Cedar Rapids. By Cindy Hadish CEDAR RAPIDS – Tara Farris worked hard to turn blight into beauty after Iowa’s hurricane-strength derecho downed one of the trees in front of her house and the city removed the other. As Farris and […]
Where have all the beetles gone
As usual, my first sighting of a Japanese beetle — on June 24 this year — coincided with the ripening of my raspberries, one of their favorite foods. Iowa has coped with this voracious invasive species since it was first recorded in the state in 1994, but at least in my backyard, 2021 is proving […]
Reconstructed railroad bridge connects t...
MARION, Iowa — A bridge that once shouldered cattle cars, passenger trains and more is now taking on lighter loads as part of the CeMar Trail through Marion. Community leaders, Linn County Trails Association members, railroad buffs and others celebrated the reconstruction of the former Milwaukee Railroad bridge over Indian Creek during a ribbon-cutting ceremony […]
Tour 30-plus gorgeous gardens this weeke...
Organizers canceled the 2020 Project GREEN Open Gardens Weekend in Iowa City due to the pandemic, but the event is back for 2021 with more than 30 gardens, free to tour. Gardens, which include 29 private sites in Iowa City and Coralville, as well as the historic Ashton House and Xtream Arena roof garden, will […]
Iowa eliminates reporting data as COVID-...
Iowa is no longer reporting COVID-19 outbreaks at nursing homes and other data, even as cases have been increasing. As of Wednesday, July 7, 2021, the state’s coronavirus dashboard eliminated long-term care facility tracking, as well as Test Iowa assessments, serology, occupation data and underlying conditions. The Iowa Department of Public Health has cited its […]
Before and after: Cargill cuts path of d...
Cargill made quick work of what had been a nature refuge in the city of Cedar Rapids, home to birds, bees, butterflies and other pollinators. Just this weekend, the 28-acre Prairie Pollinator Zone at Otis Avenue and Stewart Road SE was teeming with life. See final photos of the Prairie Pollinator Zone. On Monday, June […]
Gardeners encouraged to share a row with...
Gardeners unsure of what to do with their surplus bounty can participate in the Share A Row program, a community-wide effort to grow fresh produce for those in need. Sandy Rosenberger, Master Gardener Coordinator for Linn County Iowa State University Extension & Outreach, said the program’s goal is to increase the amount of fresh produce […]
Freedom Festival 2021: Rain on our parad...
The bane of outdoor events didn’t halt the comeback of the Freedom Festival Parade. Rain kept crowds at bay, but the parade returned to downtown Cedar Rapids after last year’s cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Prior years were staged through New Bohemia and Czech Village as construction was underway in downtown’s Greene Square. See […]
Pollinator Week celebrated in Cedar Rapi...
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – Destruction of a large-scale prairie pollinator zone in Cedar Rapids began this week, coinciding with international Pollinator Week. Dragonflies, bees, birds, skippers and swallowtail and monarch butterflies could be seen flitting among the native wildflowers blooming in the 28-acre prairie at Stewart Road and Otis Avenue SE on Thursday, June 24, […]
City Council overrides veto to allow chi...
By Cindy Hadish Chickens will have free range to roam in their own backyards after a mayoral veto was overridden by the North Liberty City Council this week. On a 4-1 vote, with Annie Pollack voting “no,” the council overrode Mayor Terry Donahue’s veto of the livestock ordinance amendment, passed on its third and final […]