Photos: March 2020 Favorite News Photos of the Month

Claire Emery-Wootton and Alex Foster (right) celebrate Alex's match day placement during Claire's shift at New Pioneer Co-Op in Coralville on Friday, March 20, 2020. Foster, who will specialize in anesthesiology, has been placed at a health center at the University of Chicago, which was in the couple's top three choices. The annual Match Day celebration at Carver College of Medicine was cancelled due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Jaishawn Slatter, 9, runs to give an air-hug his second grade teacher Michele Dorrance while picking up a grab ‘n' go meal at the Johnson STEAM Academy in Cedar Rapids on Monday, March 23, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Jeanne Matthews, introduced to paradegoers as Irish Queen Jeanne Martini, hands out green beads while participating in the Wee Parade in Marion on Saturday, March 14, 2020. The parade, in its third year, features small floats that make their way down the Marion Uptown Artway from the front of Uptown Snug to the back, where Celtic band Wylde Nept performed. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Samantha Glass, 12, and Lorali Kidd, 11, with the Champagne Academy of Irish Dance perform during the 2020 Community Cultural Celebration and Expo at the Cedar Rapids Public Library in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, March 7, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Clare Allou, 12, (left) and Kayla Cariens, 12, run holding a tape measure enforcing social distancing in their neighborhood while waiting for the teacher parade to come down their street in Coralville on Monday, March 30, 2020. Allou attended Wickham Elementary School and Cariens is a current student. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Potique 'Tiki' Johnson (right) life care consultant at Cottage Grove Place smiles as she hands meals cooked by the Irish Democrat, 3207 First Avenue SE, to Louis Winchip (center, partially hidden) and his wife Jacqueline (left) at the restaurant in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, March 26, 2020. Johnson and marketing and sales director Brian Kramer also gave each resident getting a meal a gift bag containing a soup bowl, oatmeal, cookies, small note pads, a mouse pad/jar opener among other goodies. The retirement community plans to partner with other restaurants to provide unique meals for its residents as well as helping local businesses. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Hearts are displayed in the front window of a house in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, March 26, 2020. Neighbors across the nation are placing hearts and teddy bears in their windows both as a way to engage kids who are stuck at home and as a sign of solidarity during this time of social isolation. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Classic raised glazed, vanilla iced and vanilla iced donuts with sprinkles are among the varieties offered at Daylight Donuts, which recently reopened in Iowa City. Photographed on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Emmett Swartz, 6, (left) holds onto his younger brother Oliver, 3, while waiting for the Wickham Elementary School teacher parade pass down their street in Coralville on Monday, March 30, 2020. The boys are standing in front of a sign on their garage door that reads 'I love you Mrs. Holmes,' Emmett's first grade teacher. With school out, several schools have started doing teacher parades — in their cars and from a safe distance — to show students they're still here. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Tim Yuengel of Cedar Rapids kisses his wife of 14 years, Denise, while saying goodbye to her for the time being at the Fillmore Center in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, March 19, 2020. The two were staying together at the shelter run by Willis Dady Homeless Services but were separated as women were sent to a separate facility in an effort to better care for the area homeless population amidst concerns of the COVID-19 virus. Tim had been staying at the center for about a month. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Veterinary assistant Ashley Brockschink greets Crimson as her owner Brianna Cless (cq) of Marion, Iowa, arrives for an appointment at Petersen Pet Hospital, 1031 Kacena Rd., in Hiawatha, Iowa, on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. The veterinary practice has begun using tele-veterinary medicine for their clients through curbside service at the facility. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Crocuses open as the sun rises in Cedar Rapids on Monday, March 30, 2020. For this image I exposed for the white petals and pulled back slightly to show more of the garden as the sun had just begun to hit the flowers at the top of this frame. With a low position - nearly on the ground - I was able to layer flowers in the foreground and background. Exposure: ISO 200, f/6.3, 1/1250th of a second. Equipment: Canon EOS-1Dx, 50mm f/2.5 macro lens. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

A custodial worker is seen in a skywalk over Second Avenue Southeast in Cedar Rapids on Friday, March 27, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Cast members write the names of the children killed in the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting, during rehearsal for upcoming play 26 Pebbles at Giving Tree Theater in Marion on Tuesday, March 3, 2020. The play focuses on the effects of the 2012 Sandy Hook shooting on the town of Newtown. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Pastor Mike Morgan gives his message to his congregation through a livestream in the empty sanctuary at Marion United Methodist in Marion on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Jason Wilkerson wipes down the door to Local Craft Ale House in Cedar Rapids after a customer came in on Monday, March 16, 2020. Owner Jason Wilkerson decided to go to curbside to-go orders and growler fills in an effort to prevent spread of the coronavirus, and only employees wearing gloves are to use the doors. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Operations manager JJ Miller (left) and driver Bernie Prokop hang plastic sheeting in an NTS van in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Plastic sheeting was installed in the NTS buses and vans to help protect drivers and passengers from riders who may be ill. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Jared Clark straightens merchandise on the shelves at Gary's Foods, 715 First Avenue S, in Mount Vernon, Iowa, on Friday, March 27, 2020. The grocery store has special hours for senior citizens, pregnant women and others with difficulties. Workers also disinfect carts and common surfaces at checkout aisles. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

A passenger walks into the Ground Transportation Center in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday, March 23, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Emergency care unit nurse manager Kim Lopez opens the exit doorway from the temporary COVID-19 testing facility outside the emergency entrance at Mercy Iowa City in Iowa City on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Stephanie Silva (left) of Iowa City has her temperature taken by Lynn Rhinehart (right), a guest services staff member at a virus screening checkpoint outside the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City on Friday, March 13, 2020. Members of the public are asked whether they have been running a temperature, have a cough or have felt ill. They then have their temperature taken and receive a sticker letting staff know they have been screened. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Executive director Kaila Rome looks out ready to help the next drive-up client as they arrive at the North Liberty food pantry in North Liberty on Tuesday, March 31, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

A Cedar Rapids Transit bus driver wearing a mask and gloves sits in his vehicle at the Ground Transportation Center in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday, March 23, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Ethel Brown, mother of Royal Abram, looks into a framed photograph of her late son next to his urn while sharing memories about him at Redmond Park in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, March 4, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Nicholas Ehlinger (left) and Natalie Ehlinger of Maquoketa move Nicholas, a freshman, out of Burge Residence Hall during a scheduled move-out from the University of Iowa in Iowa City on Thursday, March 19, 2020. Students have been told to vacate their dorms and are required to sign up for two-hour time slots to remove their belongings. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Pastoral Intern Kirsten Wee uses hand sanitizer before greeting congregants arriving for the 9am worship service at First Lutheran Church, 1000 Third Avenue SE, in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Sunday, March 8, 2020. The church uses washable, glass cups to serve the Communion wine to worshipers as well as having only one server distribute the Communion wafers. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Students gather around a bottle of hand sanitizer before leaving choral class at McKinley STEAM Academy in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, March 12, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

A group of college students home because of COVID-19 cancellations and closures gather in their cars to catch up on a sunny day at Penn Meadows Park North in North Liberty on Monday, March 30, 2020. The four friends went to Iowa City West High School together and all attend Iowa colleges and universities. They took advantage of a warm day to hang out while practicing social distancing. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

An order pickup station is seen at New Pioneer Co-Op in Coralville on Friday, March 20, 2020. The grocery store has seen its daily online shopping orders jump from one or two to 18 in the last couple of weeks. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Bulk bins are closed at New-Pioneer Co-Op in Iowa City on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Fat quarters of fabric are arranged at Heritage Designs Quilting and Needlework in Amana on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. The store, which has been open 44 years, sells a wide variety of fabrics and supplies for sewing and needlework projects. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Rick Noggle of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and his son Luca, 4, sled down the hill at Roosevelt Creative Corridor Business Academy (RCCBA) Magnet School in northwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, March 14, 2020. The pair took advantage of the late season snowfall. Noggle remembers playing football for the school and running up the hill in full pads. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

An angler works a catfish on the Iowa River just below the Coralville Dam in Coralville, Iowa, on Saturday, Feb. 29, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Colors of sunset reflect off the water of the Iowa River at the Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area in Swisher, Iowa, on Monday, March 30, 2020.(Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

A golfer is reflected in a window of the clubhouse at St. Andrew's Golf Course in northeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Monday, March 30, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

A runner is seen framed in support piers of a railroad bridge over Indian Creek along the CeMar Trail in Marion, Iowa, on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Phase three of the trail project includes the removal of the existing rail bridge, and reconfiguration of the four existing spans into a single pedestrian bridge. Rehabilitation and preservation of the existing center pier is also part of this phase. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Priya Basnet, 6, rolls down a hill outside her Wellington Heights home in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. The Basnet family joked that the kids were having a physical education class. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Jack Pedron plays a game with classmates during free time in his first period class at McKinley STEAM Academy in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, March 12, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Nine-year-old Dylan Schroeder looks at his father Nathan both of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, as they look at the Piper Lance aircraft that will take Peter Teahan and John Ockenfels around the world during a Rotary International Fly-in/Drive-in Breakfast fundraiser for the Flight to End Polio at The Eastern Iowa Airport in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Saturday, March 7, 2020. Teahan and Ockenfels are planning a 20,000 mile, 51-day airplane flight around the world to raise awareness for polio eradication as they pilot a single engine Piper Lance to 17 countries. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

Alana McNutt, a veterenarian at Tipton Veterenary Services, closes a cattle chute before vaccinating cattle belonging to Brad Albaugh on a farm belonging to Nick Stines of rural Lisbon on Tuesday, March 10, 2020. McNutt works on both large and small animals at the veterenary clinic. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Owner and general manager Phoebe Charles spears an orange peel and Luxardo cherry for a to-go Grandad's Old Fashioned order at Rodina in Cedar Rapids on Friday, March 20, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)

Flowers from table settings are left for passersby to take outside of Cobble Hill in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, March 18, 2020. Iowa restaurants are closed for dining in, and Cobble Hill planned to start a takeout and delivery menu. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Assorted packages of meat are scattered in what is usually the poultry section at the Mount Vernon Road HyVee in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, March 19, 2020. Demand for staples rose as customers prepared for the possibility of isolation or quarantine due to the spread of the Coronavirus. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Third Avenue SE is empty on St. Patrick's Day, Tuesday morning, March 17, 2020. The annual SaPaDaPaSo parade was canceled this year due to concerns of the coronavirus. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Gerald Beranek, owner of BeraTek Industries compares different widths of elastic for face shields at NewBoCo in Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, March 24, 2020. Using 3D printers on loan from the Cedar Rapids school district and an open-source pattern, NewBoCo printed dozens of shields, while several other prototypes were developed and printed at BeraTek Industries. The design will be finalized after consultation with area medical professionals. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)

Caution tape is wound around the playground equipment at Thomas Park in Marion on Thursday, March 26, 2020. Playgrounds have been closed due to the risk of spreading the novel coronavirus, although parks remain open. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Akira Allen records a yoga session on his phone at Breathing Room Yoga in Cedar Rapids on Monday, March 16, 2020. Studio owner Sarah Driscoll moved quickly to begin preparing videos for clients to view online once it became clear that in-person classes would no longer be possible. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Shelves of nitrile gloves are seen at Harbor Freight in Iowa City on Thursday, March 19, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)

Etch-A-Sketch artist Tim Gallenbeck in his basement studio at his house in Marion, Iowa, on Wednesday, March 11, 2020. Gallenbeck has an exhibit up at the Cedar Rapids Public Library through the end of March. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)

I've seen the Alliant Energy building lit up in patriotic colors before but I've always been on my way to other assignments for the timing just didn't work. I thought now would be a good time. It was a pretty straight forward photo as far as exposure. If I were to do it again, I would wait for a clearer night as well as use a wider lens than 16mm. I would have been able to introduce the streaks of light from the headlights and tail lights of the vehicles driving along First St. SE. That would have added a nice foreground element. Photography is a continual effort in improvement. The Alliant Energy building is lit up in red, white and blue to show solidarity and support amid the coronavirus outbreak in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)