Marissa Payne

A $25,000 grant from CN Railway and America in Bloom will support the city’s “ambitious” partnership with Trees Forever to replant trees downed in the 2020 derecho.

The City Council has extended the Cedar Rapids Charter Review Commission members’ terms through September. A presentation was initially anticipated to take place Tuesday but is now planned for a council meeting next month.

With the school year already underway, the council’s vote ends a monthslong debate between city and school district officials over the presence of school resource officers mainly in middle schools.

The fate of a site that could present an opportunity to attract people downtown and shape the face of the urban core remains in limbo until a buyer steps forward. The prime piece of vacant land in the heart of Cedar Rapids is listed for sale for $2.5 million.

The group building a case for better elections in Iowa is expanding outreach to pave the way for lawmakers to authorize ranked choice voting. Here’s what Better Ballot Iowa’s director had to say about next steps.

In a walking tour of Cedar Rapids flood infrastructure with Iowa Republican U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst, city officials said they plan to seek $50 million through the DOT’s Bridge Investment Program to fund the reconstruction of the Eighth Avenue bridge.

The historic Guaranty Bank building and Old World Theater property is listed for sale as efforts to pursue a $50 million transformation of the site into two hotels and restaurants in downtown Cedar Rapids have faltered, the potential developer said.

The city of Cedar Rapids late Thursday night dropped the requirement that staff and visitors wear masks inside city buildings and vehicles to curb the spread of COVID-19.

The Cedar Rapids Charter Review Commission voted Thursday to recommend changes that would broaden ethics language for the city’s top officials and also keep the door open for ranked choice voting in the future.

After the iconic Cedar Rapids arts organization lost its tax-exempt status for failing to file three years of tax returns, the IRS’ decision to reinstate its status opens access to more funding as the group grapples with its long-term sustainability.

Tax incentives estimated at a $3 million value will support Altorfer’s creation of a 150,000 square-foot office, sales and service facility at 8400 Sixth St. SW that will serve as the company’s new headquarters.

“That's the best we could do as a council,” Mayor O’Donnell says after the school board declined the city’s offers to negotiate to keep the two additional school resource officers or to meet to discuss the program.

Nicole Andrew and her kids moved back into their home just 2 weeks ago after it was destroyed in the 2020 derecho. She’s among a number of property owners whose efforts to swiftly fix homes for various reasons stalled in the 2 years after the disaster.

About $800,000 remains for qualifying residents of single-family homes and mobile homes that sustained damage in the August 2020 derecho. As funds dwindle likely by the end of the year, officials urged anyone who may be in need to apply with urgency.

“I feel good knowing that so many people love me,” said Freda Long, whose historic Black-owned business needs exterior wall repairs. A GoFundMe seeks to raise money to help pay to fix the beloved community space in the Oakhill Jackson neighborhood.