Cedar Rapids

For victims of the Cedar Rapids flood, the budget crisis is hitting home

Residents and officials understand that Iowa is working through a state budget crisis, but they also understand that rebuilding the lives shattered by devastating flooding must take priority. The difficulty of reconciling those two goals was not hard to miss at a forum with legislators Monday.

Local imam loses family members in Israeli airstrikes

The escalating conflict between Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza has directly impacted at least one Iowan already.  Cedar Rapids Imam Ahmed Elkhaldy said he has lost three members of his extended family in Israeli airstrikes.

Photos: Flags among flood damage in Cedar Rapids

Nearly six months has passed since I stood on the top of the 1st Street Parkade in downtown Cedar Rapids, feeling the fury of the Cedar River as it battered the concrete pillars of the structure below, and snapped photographs of the flood that surrounded me. To be honest, there are days now when I can almost forget the damage that has happened in Cedar Rapids, Linn County and in other parts of Iowa — almost.

Updated: Ballot problems in Cedar Rapids

While details remain sketchy there appear to be some ballot problems in at least one Cedar Rapids voting site. The name of Democratic candidate for the Linn County Board of Supervisors, Ben Rogers, does not have an oval next to it.
This apparent printing error showed up on ballots today at Cedar Rapids precinct 39 — [...]

Woman named to top Cedar Rapids Chamber post

The Cedar Rapids Area Chamber of Commerce has named a new chief executive officer, and its good news for women.
Shannon Meyer, who is currently serving as the chief executive officer of the Melbourne-Palm Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, has decided to return to her native Midwestern roots by accepting the position in Eastern Iowa. She [...]

McCain-Palin Liveblog

Iowa Independent’s John Deeth was at the Cedar Rapids airport Thursday liveblogging events at the John McCain-Sarah Palin rally. Anti-war protesters briefly disrupted the event and while John McCain adapted, Sarah Palin stuck to the speech.

After the flood, Iowa mental health providers eye ‘the tip of the iceberg’

“There are beginning to be increased calls from some of the service providers, but its still too early to even get a handle on what we think volume is going to be,” said Cindy Kaestner, executive director of Abbe Center for Community Mental Health.

Obama the closer?

Because for all the successes the Obama campaign had with its trip abroad, combined with the gaffes made by his Republican rival Sen. John McCain and the massive unpopularity of the current Republican administration, the race remains eerily close.

Displaced Auditor Helps Displaced Voters

Linn County voters flooded out of their homes find themselves in the same legal waters as students, with some discretion about their registration address, according to the Linn County Auditor’s Office.

State law defines a voter’s residence as the place to which they intend to return. College students can register at the dorm or at their [...]

Cedar Rapidians: Battered and Soiled, But Far From Beaten

With each passing day a few more blocks of Cedar Rapids homes and businesses are inspected and opened to property owners. With each passing hour, the mountains of flood debris pile higher and friendships grow deeper.