The Year in Photos: Favorite images of 2020
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It was a hot July day and I was driving home from a morning assignment when I passed a group of kids patiently waiting while an adult aimed a spray of water for them to stand under. It was just before noon and already sweltering, so I was secretly hoping for some relief as well. Timoni Angel (from left), 10, Tannyn Gibson, 8, and Eriyah Gibson, 11, cool off under a spray of water at a home in Wellington Heights in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, July 9, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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In August, I celebrated my 20th anniversary as a photojournalist with The Gazette. The job has always been about capturing moments in people’s lives and sharing them with our readers. I’m grateful to people like Starr and her children who’ve let me into their lives to tell a wider audience their stories. The moment between Starr and her son drew my eye to pick this frame. I didn’t notice that I included Starr’s daughter at the bottom of the frame, which was a bonus.
Alistair Wheeler, 3, holds a fork full of pasta for his mother Starr Wheeler as they eat supper in their apartment in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, Nov. 4, 2020. Wheeler also has a daughter Amalia seven months. Fellow National Guard members helped Wheeler find an apartment for her and her children. The Central Furniture Rescue helped Wheeler furnish her apartment after her belongings were destroyed in the Aug. 10 derecho. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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Fia, 4, (left) and Kaia McCormick, 2, (right) play on a bounce pad at Colony Pumpkin Patch in North Liberty on Sunday, Sept. 20, 2020. Photographing a pumpkin patch is a sort of seasonal landmark for a photojournalist. It’s one of those things you’ll end up doing at least once a year. It’s never been a bad way for me to spend my afternoon, though. In fact as an intern for The Gazette in 2015 I was sent to Colony Pumpkin Patch. I spent so much time wandering around meeting people to photograph and chat with that I lost track of time and completely missed an assignment I was due for back in Cedar Rapids (I felt awful, but it did work out). This year I didn’t know what to expect. Should I be making the same photos of smiling faces? Will I even see smiling faces? In a year so much defined by all that is different and new and strange, it was almost surreal to see a few moments like this. Two young sisters without a care jumping around and playing together. This was of course a selective view of the moment — to the right you’d have seen parents keeping their distance from others and corralling their kids to do the same. Behind me the line to enter the patch was a bit shorter than expected and certainly hand sanitizer stations and face coverings were new to this year. But there was that moment. For a moment looking through my lens everything was fine and it was just about two kids having a great time. That counted for something.
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Throughout the year, photographing the ‘new normal’ meant acknowledging the ways everyday activities have changed, even as simply as wearing masks to day camp. Photographing a bike camp for kids might seem pretty straightforward, but as I talked with the adult leaders a thread of self-sufficiency, empowerment and independence emerged. With that in mind, I made an effort to photograph in a way that captured those elements. After she learned how to tighten her bike helmet for a proper fit, Aisha Bikwesi, 5, used all her strength to pump up the tires on her bike with help from Emily Petersen, an environmental education AmeriCorps member, during Bike Club, a bike education program offered by the Iowa City Bike Library, at the Broadway Neighborhood Center in Iowa City on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. The club focuses on mechanics, riding skills and self-sufficiency as new riders learn by experience. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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Hannah Wagner, courier from the Reading Public Museum, inspects Marine — Green and Gold by Henry Ward Ranger after its arrival at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art in Cedar Rapids on Monday, Jan. 13, 2020. Paintings are removed from crates, unwrapped and inspected before installation. 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)
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Education director Erin Thomas reads a story during pajama story time as Cecilia Bertram, 8, and Greyson Young, 8, of Cedar Rapids crawl forward to look at the pictures at the Cedar Rapids Museum of Art on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020.
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A bicyclist pedals along Third Avenue over the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Friday, Jan. 17, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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Emily Hast and Roger Struble of Iowa City dance in front of the Old Capitol on the University of Iowa campus as snow falls in Iowa City on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020. The newly engaged couple was in the midst of an engagement photo session. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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A fair amount of my job is just being ready for when stuff starts happening. We were waiting for Tabitha Day’s 12-year-old daughter Emily to come home from school. The Gazette’s reporter Erin Jordan and I were making small talk with Tabitha to pass the time when one of Tabitha’s other daughters Bella, 7, came into the living room trying to get her mother’s attention. The story wasn’t about Bella but I like the body language of Bella, just being a kid, and the quiet interaction between the two as Tabitha tells her not to put her feet on the furniture. The room was pretty dark, with the only light coming from the open front door.
Tabitha Day talks to her seven-year-old daughter Bella as they watch for the school bus carrying 12-year-old daughter Emily at her school bus in front of their home in northeast Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020. Day has filed a lawsuit in federal court. In the suit, Day claims that the Cedar Rapids Community School District is claims the district has discriminated against Emily with a policy that says Emily cannot come to school after having a medication that stops seizures and must leave school for the day if school staff has to administer the drug at school. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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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)
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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 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)
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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)
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Jack Pedron plays during his trumpet lesson at McKinley STEAM Academy in Cedar Rapids on Thursday, March 12, 2020. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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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)
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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 canceled due to concerns about the spread of COVID-19. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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All of our normal ways of covering stories have pretty much evaporated along with everything else that used to feel normal. What’s been fun, however, is getting to do some feature hunting in our neighborhoods, and you don’t have to go very far right now to find people spending time outside — alone together — trying to make the most of a strange time. Seeing kids just be kids and having fun did me some good, and it seemed to do their parents some good, too.
Priya Basnet, 6, (from left), Ashwin Basnet, 6, and their dad, Suresh Basnet hop around outside their Wellington Heights home in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, March 25, 2020. The Basnet family joked that this was the kids’ physical education class. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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Laura Claps (center) waves to adults and children in their houses and yards as she and friends skate through neighborhoods in Iowa City, Iowa, on Monday, March 30, 2020. Claps’ partner Sara Montgomery had the idea to bring some happiness to their fellow Iowa City residents, especially the children, by dressing in the inflatable costumes and skating through neighborhoods. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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Jayden Miller, 9, waves to community members and members of the Fairfax Fire Department as they “parade” past his home in celebration of his ninth birthday in Walford, Iowa, on Thursday, April 2, 2020. Members of the volunteer fire department started doing the “parades” March 27th. They have done eight “parades” and have 13 more scheduled, including five this weekend. The department has a crew of about 10 people that are currently volunteering to coordinate and do the parades. Members of the department wanted to let children know that celebrating their birthday is important. “They are missing out on so many things because of the virus. We want to acknowledge they are missing out on things and make sure they know people care about them on their big day,” said volunteer firefighter Marc Magers. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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Mabel Soenen, 7, picks up trash along Willowood Creek in Marion on Thursday, April 23, 2020. The family began picking up trash in the creek while home due to school closures, and after realizing it was unnamed, petitioned to have it named after the nearby city park. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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An injured pelican tries to get away as Chris Watts of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, uses a kayak paddle to block its path as volunteers work to coax the injured bird to wildlife rehabilitator Tracy Belle of Wildthunder Wildlife & Animal Rehabilitation & Sanctuary in Independence, Iowa, on Cedar Lake in northwest Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, May 6, 2020. The pelican was taken to an Iowa City veterinarian for an exam and X-rays. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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Senior Sadie Schmidt, 17, leans out of her car to watch as senior photos are displayed on the video board over the football field during the Friday Night Lights event at Cedar Rapids Prairie High School on Friday, May 8, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)
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Jaydon Vaughn, 17, and Hanaa Rowe, 16, of Dubuque settle into the cargo area of their car before a movie at the 61 Drive-In movie theater in Delmar, Iowa on Friday, May 15, 2020. The single-screen theater, which has been in operation since 1950, uses FM radio to transmit sound. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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Dr. Scott Bounds, president of the Cedar Amateur Astronomers, is photographed at the Palisades-Dows Observatory near Ely on Thursday, May 21, 2020. The observatory is operated by the Cedar Amateur Astronomers, who hold public events throughout the year. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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Chase ‘Hazel Sanchez Belle’ Walles (left) and. A.J. ‘Hollywood’ Adorien (center, sitting) cool off after performing in the ‘Quarantine and Chill’ virtual drag show at Studio 13 in Iowa City on Friday, May 22, 2020. ***Published June 28***
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Volunteers Sophia Webster, 16, (left) and Jodi Moffitt of Anamosa place a flag at the headstone of a veteran while working their area of Cedar Memorial Cemetery in Cedar Rapids on Saturday, May 23, 2020.
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Fellow firefighters lower the flag-draped casket of long-time volunteer firefighter Jim Miller from an Ely Fire Department truck after a processional of area volunteer fire trucks to St. John’s Cemetery in southeast Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Thursday, June 11, 2020. Miller, 87, served as a volunteer firefighter for over 40 years with the Ely department. Trucks from area departments including, Hiawatha, Fairfax, Center Point-Urbana, Anamosa, Alburnett and Palo joined in the processional. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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Jairo Torres, 8, of Aurora, aims a fire hose while competing in a waterball fight during the Fourth of July celebration in Aurora on Saturday, July 4, 2020. Some events, like tug of war, were canceled this year, but waterball allows for distancing between competitors. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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Fans watch the Cascade Semi-Pro Tournament from the stands at the American Legion field in Cascade on Friday, July 17, 2020. (Andy Abeyta/The Gazette)
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Valerie Shanley of Cedar Rapids rehearses with other horn players in Bever Park in Cedar Rapids on Wednesday, July 22, 2020. With the cessation of the community band’s performances due to COVID-19, various sections of the ensemble have been giving smaller performances online. The French horn section has been getting together in Bever Park to play together in the open air, and, most recently, to prepare for their own virtual concert. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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Lindsay Lee, orchard manager, holds a cockle pippin apple, which has pink flesh when it is ripe, at Seed Savers in Decorah on Thursday, July 30, 2020. The nonprofit seed preservation organization plans to grow two copies of each of its 1,200 apple tree species in orchards on the property. (Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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Izzy Barr, 4, of Atalissa, Iowa, holds a zinnia at Bloomsbury Farm, 3260 69th St., in Atkins, Iowa, Thursday, Aug. 6, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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Light shines from the windows of a home with restored power in southeast Cedar Rapids on Tuesday, Aug. 18, 2020. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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Jax Musser, 11, of Marion gives himself an eye hole to see through in a clay mask he’s forming during an Art in the Garden event at Brucemore in Cedar Rapids on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2020.
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Dancers perform among a light display indoors during Hancher Illuminated at Hancher Auditorium in Iowa City on Thursday, Oct. 15, 2020. Having been closed public performance, Hancher Auditorium held a light and performing art show where guests were able to walk around the auditorium in socially distanced groups to enjoy the show.
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Evan Weaver of Des Moines, Iowa, climbs on a rock face as he and friends work on their bouldering skills at Sugar Bottom Recreational Area in Solon, Iowa, on Sunday, Nov. 8, 2020. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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First-grader Vera Horsfield plays on the monkey bars at Lakeview Elementary School in Solon on Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020. Students are separated into five groups and rotate through a different recess zone each day in an effort to minimize exposure between classes at the school, which currently has full-time in-person learning. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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Gracelyn Springer, 8, greets her father Marty Tope as he arrived home from work at their Cedar Rapids home on Thursday, Dec. 3, 2020. Gracelyn had a craniotomy and was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma in November, and begins chemotherapy next week. Tope, a Linn County sheriff’s deputy, and his SRT members shaved their heads in support of her and held a parade Nov. 30. (Liz Martin/The Gazette)
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Keith Snoop of Marion, Iowa, takes a curve as he pedals down the 4,000-foot Trashmmore Trail during an out-of-season two-day access special at the Mount Trashmore Trails and Overlook at the former Linn County Solid Waste Agency A St. SW landfill site at 2250 A St. SW, in southwest Cedar Rapids, Iowa, on Wednesday, Dec. 9, 2020. The site’s 3,400- for Overlook Trail will be open Thursday, Dec. 10 for walking and bicycling as well as the Trashmore Trail downhill flow mountain bike trail. The trails will be open 8:30 a.m. — 4:30 p.m. The site’s Stumptown Trail remains closed after sustaining damage in the Aug. 10 Derecho storm. Visitors need to register at the kiosks in the 948’ building welcome center. According to recreation coordinator Zac Hornung at least 360 people took advantage of the favorable weather to trek up to the scenic overlook and/or ride down the mountain bike trail. (Jim Slosiarek/The Gazette)
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