Stories

Although few Iowa residents are unaware of the continued challenges facing Cedar Rapids in the wake of last year’s unprecedented flooding, people elsewhere are waking up today to news that the state’s second-largest city still has a long journey to recovery.
Betsy Rubiner, writing for Time Magazine, has provided those outside of Iowa an intimate look [...]

While the upcoming mayoral race in Cedar Rapids continues to take shape, one prominent potential candidate has decided not to run.

One of the most poignant moments of the flood commemoration ceremony held Saturday morning was when the five members of the Cedar Rapids City Council each took a bouquet of flowers and placed them into the Cedar River.
“These flowers, a symbol of hope, represent all that was lost: Homes, belongings, businesses, momentum and dreams — [...]

Lt. Gov. Patty Judge, who serves as Gov. Chet Culver’s point-person for disaster recovery efforts, said visiting Cedar Rapids evoked a mix of emotions.

One year after massive floods washed over Iowa’s second-largest city and surrounding areas, many Linn County residents believe too many government roadblocks remain on the road to full recovery.

A year ago, Iowa’s second-largest city was devoured by flood waters, claiming 10-square miles of Cedar Rapids, an area that included several residential neighborhoods as well as the downtown and cultural districts. While no individuals lost their lives during the floods, the economic damage remains staggering. Progress has been made in Cedar Rapids [...]

CEDAR RAPIDS — State and federal officials held a joint press conference Wednesday and pledged both to cut government red tape tangling flood recovery funding and to promote a new climate of natural disaster prevention.

CEDAR RAPIDS — A boisterous, if not out-right angry, crowd of about 100 people gathered in downtown today to protest government spending and high taxes.

Proponents say that Linn County must show state and federal officials that residents are willing to work toward their own recovery. Opponents believe that there aren’t enough restrictions on how tax revenue will be spent.

Pull up the palm trees and other tropical plants, and it would be fairly easy to mistake some of the hurricane-ravaged communities scattered along the Gulf Coast for flood-weary Cedar Rapids.