Photos: February Favorite News Photos

Larry Rawson (right) of Cedar Rapids pours coffee for his wife, Sharon Rawson at Tommy's Restaurant in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020. The Rawsons credit the friendly staff as the reason they have been coming to eat at Tommy's for decades. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

A bald eagle flies above the Mississippi River keeping an eye on the shoreline alongside LeClaire Park in Davenport on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. Tuesday morning I traveled to Davenport to photograph the trial concerning the 1979 stabbing death of Michelle Martinko, a Kennedy High School student, for which Jerry Burns is charged with murder. I arrived to the Scott County Courthouse and discovered jury selection was going to continue the rest of the day, a process I of course cannot photograph. Senior visual journalist Liz Martin suggested I make some photos of Davenport and the Mississippi River to have on file. A bit frustrating, I admit, since I thought I'd already made just about every photo the riverfront had to offer having lived and worked in Davenport for three years prior to joining the Gazette staff. As if intent on proving me wrong, this eagle appeared the moment I pulled my car into a spot adjacent to LeClaire Park. I assure you, I never had that kind of luck while living just a few blocks away. I walked closer to the river and within about five minutes had this frame of the eagle and about an hour later circled back for two sunset photos. It couldn't have gone much better for me that evening. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Workers from BCI Concrete follow along using a rake and a concrete vibrator to remove air bubbles and level during installation of the concrete floor of the future Xtream Arena in Coralville on Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. Four hundred cubic yards of concrete were poured continuously Friday morning to complete the floor of the ice rink. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Terriana Harris, the sister of Tyrice Douglas, is comforted by friends and family after the sentencing of Ezekiel Phillips at the Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, Feb. 21, 2020. Phillips was convicted of of first-degree murder in the death of Douglas, attempted murder of former girlfriend Mone Dotson, going armed with intent and willful injury causing serious injury. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Fabio is available for adoption at the Animal Care and Control Center on the Kirkwood Community College campus in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. Before adopting any animals, shelter workers encourage people to have a clear idea of what they're looking for in a housepet: from color to size and energy level. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Hershey is available for adoption at the Animal Care and Control Center on the Kirkwood Community College campus in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Feb. 11, 2020. Before adopting any animals, shelter workers encourage people to have a clear idea of what they're looking for in a housepet: from color to size and energy level. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

You could see the confidence in eight-year-old Moise's face as he flipped through photographs showing what he looked like before surgery. Moise Irakiza, 8, flips through photographs, and prints of x-rays and various scans of his medical condition and surgical treatment as he stands with his mother Nyamamyana Natutsi as he has an appointment with pediatric neurosurgeon Dr. Arnold H. Menezes at the University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City, Iowa, on Wednesday, Jan. 29, 2020. Moise had surgery to correct a condition where his skull was fused in places where it shouldn't have been as an infant where his brain began growing into his nasal cavity. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Saoirse Hermann-Wickham, 9, of West Liberty holds a sign in support of Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren while dressed as Lady Liberty at the precinct two caucus site at the community center in West Liberty on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Lila MacInnis-Baumert, 9, of Iowa City holds up a sign she made earlier in the morning at the kitchen table while waiting to be let in the room to see Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speak during a community event at the Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders takes his podium during the Caucus Concert event in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Melissa Fath of Iowa City celebrates the three delegates won for Amy Klobuchar at precinct 1 at the caucus sites at City High School in Iowa City on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. Precincts 1 and 17 caucused at the school. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

The majority of the caucusgoers move into position to show support for Bernie Sanders during a multilingual caucus at Hoover Elementary School in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. The satellite site was the second of its kind in Iowa and after an introduction in English, instructions were translated into French, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, Kirundi, Nepali, Swahili and Spanish. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Bhim Magar collects preference cards from Bishnu Gurung and Phul Gurung, all of Hiawatha, during a multilingual caucus at Hoover Elementary School in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. Magar helped educate and organize around 40 members of the Bhutanese community to participate in the caucus. The satellite site was the second of its kind in Iowa and after an introduction in English, instructions were translated into French, Kinyarwanda, Lingala, Kirundi, Nepali, Swahili and Spanish. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Precinct captain for the Andrew Yang campagin Joelle Tessari of Los Angeles tries to appeal to Steve Poulsen of West Liberty, a Biden supporter, after seeing that candidate Biden will not be a viable candidate at the precinct two caucus site at the community center in West Liberty on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

The lone Andrew Yang supporter Shanel (cq) Slater waves at Elizabeth Warren supporters as she comes to join their numbers during the Democratic satellite caucus at the Cedar Rapids Public Library in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Precinct volunteers tabulate the delegate count for precinct 1 at the caucus sites at City High School in Iowa City on Monday, Feb. 3, 2020. Precincts 1 and 17 caucused at the school. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks to reporters following a town hall at the Early Bird Cafe, 333 First St. SE, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, Feb. 28, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

This was for a story about these two Leap Year birthday sister and brother. I wanted to get a portrait of the two of them together but the boy wasn't having any of it. I did get the two of them sittig next to each other on the couch. But, even with all the coaxing and bribery, the photos werent what I was looking for. I was happy when older sister started helping little brother with his tablet. It's an active portait, of sorts, that conveys their closeness. Gia Birker, 8 (2 in leap years) helps her younger brother Owen, 4 (1 in leap years) navigate his tablet at their family home in Vinton, Iowa, on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. The two were born on Feb. 29 four years apart. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

BrentLee Fumia, 3, of Cedar Rapids smiles after letting go of his bowling ball while bowling with his mom at May City Bowling in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, Feb. 26, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

I like the expression on the girl and the moment between the two kids. Serenity Pryor (left) laughs as she colors with Nolan Trask in Sherri Koch's class at the Linn County Child Development Center, 1020 6th Street SE, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. The agency is celebrating its 50th anniversary offering child development services to families with low incomes. The center also offers full and half day early childhood programs. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

I was just about to leave the center when one of the classes was headed to the gym for recess. I'm glad I decided to tag along. I had to wait for this moment since most of the kids were running all over the gym. Just a quiet moment of kids playing and showing off the gym in the new center. Clockwise from bottom left: Emmanuella Banshima, Marcielle Day, Jessica Egide and Louise Lubosha play as students in Alida Kolthoff's class have recess in the gymnasium at the Linn County Child Development Center, 1020 6th Street SE, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, Jan. 31, 2020. The agency is celebrating its 50th anniversary offering child development services to families with low incomes. The center also offers full and half day early childhood programs. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Lead teacher Ashlea Hemphill organizes a classroom in preparation to move at KidsPoint in downtown Cedar Rapids on Monday, Feb. 10, 2020. A burst water main under the Waypoint building last Thursday caused a floor to bow and walls to shift. The child care and preschool was already scheduled to move to a temporary location this spring for a planned KidsPoint renovation. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Judy Frauenholtz, preparator at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art, opens a crate during the delivery and inspection of paintings for a multi-gallery exhibit of Impressionist works at the museum in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. Across the Atlantic: American Impressionism through the French Lens opens Feb. 1 and features Impressionist art from the Reading (PA) Public Museum. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Members of the Pawnstormers chess club practice at Prairie Point Middle School in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Competitors gather at the edge of the Cedar River during the Sutliff Bridge Classic in Sutliff, Iowa, on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2020. The annual event, in it's 35th year, is a fundraiser for scholarships for students from are school including West Branch, Tipton, North Cedar, Lisbon, Solon and Mount Vernon. At least $40,000 has been raised. Initially, proceeds went for bridge planks and maintenance. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)