Photos: August 2020 Favorite News Photos

Laurie Berdahl stands in her front yard beginning to clean up downed limbs around her home in southwest Cedar Rapids on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Berdahl's home suffered only minor damage but like most of the city she was without power. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Jared Langton helps son Jackson with his backpack as he prepares to start kindergarten at Prairie View Elementary on the first day of school in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Aug. 31, 2020. Langton also attended Prairie View as a student, and was dropping off (from left) first grader Peyton and his twin brother Brayden and second grader Eli. College Community students in the A block started class on Monday, and the B block will begin Thursday. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

A barn owl stands on its perch at the Iowa Raptor Project at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area near Solon on Friday, July 10, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

From a window surrounded by a tarp protecting where siding was blown off, Lizbeth Santos Guadalupe, 13, reaches for a comb tossed to her after her brother Omer, 1.5, dropped it out the window at the family's apartment in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. The family came to Iowa about six years ago from Mexico. People are still cleaning up and without power since the Aug. 10 derecho storm. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Passing drivers stop to help the driver of a tractor trailer after it overturned laying down in the northbound side of Interstate 380 near 76th Avenue SW in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Two men worked to remove the windshield and the woman, a registered nurse, made her way into the cab to check on the driver who had no apparent injuries. The woman then took the driver to her car to sit with her and wait for an ambulance to arrive. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Neighbor Robert Estabrook (left) fist bumps Phil Rogers after Estabrook along with other neighbors Jeremiah Hawkins and Patrick Marx worked to remove a large tree that fell on top of the house Rogers lives in at the corner of 8th St. SW and 8th Avenue SW in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. Using chainsaws, chains, cables, a winch and a pickup truck Estabrook, Hawkins and Marx were able to remove the tree so the roof could be tarped in preparation for storm that are forecast. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Victor Bondo of Cedar Rapids holds youngest son Rejoice Bondo, 2, while worshiping at an outdoor church service at First Assembly of God Church in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, Aug. 16, 2020. The Bondo family's home and car were damaged in Monday's storm. First Assembly held a joint outdoor worship service with River of Life Church on Sunday after both were damaged in Monday's derecho. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Naturalist Emily Roediger leads a family workshop about birds at Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2020. City officials are cautioning that organizations that benefit from Hotel Motel Tax funds may receive less money this year due to dropping revenue during the coronavirus pandemic. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Graduate student Jake Jacobs holds up a sign in protest outside of the Iowa Memorial Union before a press conference at the University of Iowa in Iowa City on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

John Malecek lays down in the grass alongside his niece, Molly, 15, while they volunteer with family to help Jeff and William McQuiston clear a tree from their property in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Christopher Strums encourages his dog Blue to cross the street in Cedar Rapids after a powerful storm with straight-line winds moved through Iowa on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Jesson Ngo, 13, of Cedar Rapids pushes a wheelbarrow of food and water followed by his brothers to take to their mom at the HACAP Mobile Food Pantry at Veteran's Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Mike Jacobis pushes a portion of tree trunk away as a neighbor helps on the ground in northwest Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Aug. 12, 2020. The tree, which fell in Monday's storm, fell and damaged Jacobis' porch and the roof over a second-floor bedroom and closet. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Randy Pettit looks looks around his damaged apartment where he and Krista Manos lived at Westdale Court Apartments, 2155 Westdale Dr SW, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. The two huddled at the bottom of the apartment's stairs as they waited for the Aug. 10 derecho storm to pass. People are still cleaning up and without power after the storm. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Volunteer Shane Hatch of Center Point, Iowa, cuts limbs from a tree along Second st. SW during a Community Storm Relief Effort location in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020. The effort is a clearinghouse where volunteers meet and are given assignments collected from residents in need. Supplies such as water, snacks, flashlights and batteries, diapers and other hygiene supplies are distributed, residents can obtain information on assistance. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Gina Leahy sits with her 18-month-old son, Paul, while taking a break from cleaning debris from her front yard in the 2000 block of Bever Avenue SE in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Dave and Diane Lobermeier of Amherst, Wis., take a break from cutting and hauling downed tree limbs and other debris at Oakhill Cemetery in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. The couple made the five-hour drive after they heard about the damage from friends who have friends and relatives in the area. People are still cleaning up and without power after the Aug. 10 derecho storm. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

A shagbark hickory is among the large trees that fell during the storm last Monday, Aug. 10. Photographed at Oak Hill Cemetery in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Justweetha Phillip packs belongings into bags outside her Cedar Terrance apartment in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. A group of Micronesian immigrants had moved into tents outside the unsafe buildings, and were packing to move to new lodgings on Monday. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Cody Schminke removes lumber from his damaged shop building at his farm property he owns with his wife Taylor in rural Van Horne, Iowa, on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

A young Amish man works in a barn to salvage lumber from a farm damaged by the derecho in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. The farm structures were already set to be demolished by the new owner and the Amish men were welcomed to salvage what they wanted when the storm hit causing extensive damage to the farm. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

The roof is missing from an apartment building at Cedar Terrace in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020, the result of the Aug. 10 derecho. Some families living in the complex were sleeping in tents outside. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Iowa Department of Transportation workers help with tree debris removal as grain bins from the Archer Daniels Midland facility are severely damaged in Keystone, Iowa, on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Carmen Baker of Cedar Rapids stands in front of her trailer as her mom, Karen Quinnell, extinguishes a cigarette on the front steps at Edgewood Forest mobile home park in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. Baker's trailer was rendered uninhabitable by the Aug. 10 derecho storm. Storm winds and fallen tree limbs exposed her roof allowing water in causing extensive internal damage. She and her mom have been staying with Baker's boyfriend, who has a trailer next door to theirs but Baker now worries that repair costs may exceed the value of the 1971 two-bedroom trailer she is renting to own. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Christoper Brown, 11, of Marion uses a grabber tool to pick up debris from the street and sidewalk to clear the way around his neighborhood in Marion on Friday, Aug. 21, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Richard Ortega (right), a firefighter with the volunteer Keystone Fire Department, moves a tarp as he and his son Aiden, 13, cover a large hole in their home in Keystone, Iowa, on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. Part of their neighbor's house was blown over their home, hitting it and severely damaging it. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

LaNisha Cassell (right) executive director of the African American Museum of Iowa shows some clothing that belonged to her son to a resident of an apartment complex in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. The complex is home to refugees from African countries including Democratic Republic of the Congo. People are still cleaning up and without power after the Aug. 10 derecho storm. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

The Stars & Stripes is caught in tree branches after a severe storm as Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds tours the storm damage at Marion Square Park in Marion, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. Reynolds and Lt. Gov. Adam Gregg saw the damage from Monday's inland hurricane as they visited communities across the state. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Cedar Rapids Wayne Jerman (left) and Mayor Brad Hart confer with Maria Johnson, Communications Division Manager, and Greg Buelow, public safety communications coordinator, in the Incident Command center in advance of a press conference at the Central Fire Station in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Aug. 13, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

President Donald Trump walks down the steps from Air Force One as he arrives at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

A visitor watches a video art piece by Tony Orrico in the main gallery during August's First Thursday open gallery reception at CSPS Hall, 1103 Third St. SE, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Kasey Jurgensen, a school bus driver for 15 years, makes notes as she goes through the daily vehicle inspection record before driving the bus off the parking lot for a driver evaluation session at Iowa Central School Bus, in Iowa City, Iowa, Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. Drivers perform two DVIRs, a pre-trip inspection and a post-trip. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Chris Noble of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, charges all of his devices and uses the free wifi internet connection to find disaster recovery information at the U.S. Cellular Center in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, Aug. 15, 2020. This is the first day the arena was open for residents to come in and charge their mobile phones and other devices as well as use the internet. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Jeremy Kepler passes a pile of debris as he rolls a newly patched tire to a vehicle in the parking lot at Westdale Court Apartments, 2155 Westdale Dr SW, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday, Aug. 17, 2020. Kepler has been patching tires for residents at the complex after they get flat tires from roofing nails and other debris in the parking lot. He borrowed a magnetic sweeper and plans to walk the parking lot with it. People are still cleaning up and without power after the Aug. 10 derecho storm. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Kristi Schuler gives a thumbs up after hearing her donated generator power up as volunteers with Iowa Derecho Storm Resource Page site visit her home in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. Organizer Raymond Siddell saw a need in the community following the Aug. 10 storm to provide food, supplies and volunteer help to residents affected by the storm that wasn't being met. By traditional aid organizations. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Volunteer Hayden Cronin of Marion, Iowa, shops for breakfast cereal as she fills a list of items needed by a resident at the Iowa Derecho Storm Resource Page site, 5001 First Avenue NE in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. Organizer Raymond Siddell saw a need in the community following the Aug. 10 storm to provide food, supplies and volunteer help to residents affected by the storm that wasn't being met. By traditional aid organizations. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Willie Ray Fairley hands a hamburgers and chips to a resident of Hawthorne Hills Apartments as he distributes meals at the complex in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2020. Fairley has become a community hero by cooking and distributing meals to people in neighborhoods affected by the Aug. 10 storm. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Amber Theisen (right) asks an Iowa Department of Transportation worker if he wants lunch as she hands out the meals along with water or soda to people she sees in the Time Check neighborhood in northwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020. Theisen and her friend Kelsi Risk distributed 100 hamburgers and 30 fries Monday, 50 pizzas from Leonardo's on Tuesday, in addition to the 100 brat meals Theisen distributed today. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Bridgette Williams-Robinson (left) reacts as Jane Carson of Swisher, Iowa, wants to make a monetary donation where Williams-Robinson is set up under Interstate 380 along Eighth Avenue SW in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. Williams-Robinson and her family have been providing free meals to anyone in need since Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020, the day after the derecho storm hit Cedar Rapids and many other cities and towns. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Karrissa Peal-Klitzka, 12, smiles as she gets a fruit cup as she carries the family's sloppy Joe sandwiches under Interstate 380 along Eighth Avenue SW in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 25, 2020. Brigette Williams-Robinson and her family have been providing free meals to anyone in need since Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020, the day after the derecho storm hit Cedar Rapids and many other cities and towns. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Gov. Kim Reynolds stands in the Performing Arts Center while meeting with Cedar Rapids school officials at Cedar Rapids Kennedy High School in Cedar Rapids on Friday, Aug. 14, 2020. The school has water damage from multiple holes in the roof, and the roof over the stage was significant. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Linn County Auditor Joel Miller listens to an argument by attorney Alan Ostergren during a hearing in Linn County District Court in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. A lawsuit filed by the Trump campaign and state and national GOP groups, represented by Ostergren, against Linn County Auditor Joel Miller seeks to invalidate absentee ballot requests after pre-filled forms were sent to registered voters in the county in July by the Linn County Auditor's Office. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

A one-eyed Great Horned Owl stands on its perch at the Iowa Raptor Project at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area near Solon on Friday, July 10, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Director Ryan Anthony holds an American Kestrel at the Iowa Raptor Project at the Macbride Nature Recreation Area near Solon on Friday, July 10, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

A Rantizo DJI Agras MG-1P drone sprayer finishes a demonstration flight outside of Iowa City on Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

A swallowtail butterfly lands on a coneflower outside the public library during the West Liberty Plein Air festival in West Liberty on Saturday, Aug. 1, 2020. The annual event awards prizes to paintings made in and around West Liberty on Saturday and Sunday. Many artists choose to work 'en plein air,' or outdoors in front of their subject, while others draw sketches or take photos of a subject and work on the painting indoors. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Electrical workers repairing downed power lines along Highway 13 near County. Home Rd. in Marion, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. People are still cleaning up and without power after the Aug. 10 derecho storm. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Corn, except for a few heavily damaged stalks, lays nearly flat in a field south of Keystone, Iowa, on Monday, Aug. 10, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

We're officially in the season of abundance when it comes to food in Iowa. As the rhubarb was becoming plentiful this spring, I put a portion of mine toward a rhubarb cordial recipe from Deb Perelman's blog, Smitten Kitchen. After a bit more than a month of patience and routine shaking of the jar, I ended up with a fragrent, rose-colored, rhubarb-and-orange infused gin that I've been savoring slowly on hot days. This was my first taste of it and I was so excited by the flavor that I decided it was photo-worthy. To achieve this 'white line' look on the glass, which gives it definition, you want to illuminate one side of the glass against a dark background. I have a piece of black folded foamboard that I set up at a 90-degree angle to a window in my dining room. Then I used my smart phone and shot looking up slightly. I tapped the area where the stem meets the glass to bring the focus to that area, then dragged my finger down the screen a little to lower the exposure and add contrast. The result is that the glass nearly disappears against the background, except for the white lines along its edges. This brings more emphasis to the lovely color of the liquid. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Light shines from the windows of a home with restored power in southeast Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Jupiter (left) shines bright in the sky as the Milky Way is seen in Walford, Iowa, on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020. A good thing about the power outage following the Aug. 10 derecho storm was the lack of light pollution. I took a few minutes to stand in my driveway and photographed. It was kind of meditative as I counted the seconds in my head for when I needed to close the shutter. I got a bonus of an airplane streaking across the sky. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Workers come off the roof after securing tarps on the house at the farm of Lori and Eric Lang in rural Vinton, Iowa, on Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020. The Langs were covering damage from the Aug. 10 derecho storm in preparation for a forecast of severe weather. The Langs lost a 100-year-old barn, two grain bins, almost all of an 80x110 foot outbuilding, damage to numerous trees as well as severely damaged seed corn crop. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)