Cedar Rapids, Linn County | featured news

A 61-year-old Volga man was arrested earlier this month after he allegedly sexually abused a 13-year-old girl who was reported missing at the beginning of February. According to the criminal complaint, Charles D. Lockard faces a charge of third-degree sexual abuse.

On top of other challenges health care systems have faced as Iowa begins to emerge from the coronavirus pandemic, leaders at area hospitals say they are grappling not only with workforce shortages but also with what it means to support a health care team that has been traumatized by COVID-19 over the past year.

Former President Donald Trump’s second impeachment trial continues Friday for the fourth day, starting at 11 a.m. He is accused of “incitement of insurrection” after the deadly Capitol riot. Watch the live coverage in the video player above from The Washington Post starting at 10 a.m., with the Senate trial reconvening at 11 a.m. Central time.

CEDAR RAPIDS — An arbitration decision clearing a Cedar Rapids man, who is a former Florida sheriff’s deputy, of any wrongdoing in 2004 death of a Florida man, will prevent a lawsuit from going to a jury, a judge ruled this week.

The number of people being treated for COVID-19 in Iowa’s hospitals Friday is the lowest seen in the state since August. According to data from the Iowa Department of Public Health, hospitalizations dropped from 274 to 249, marking the first time hospitalizations have dipped below 250 since August 12, when the count was 243.

IOWA CITY — Just days away from its soft opening, the GuideLink Center drew praise Thursday from Gov. Kim Reynolds for the collaboration that made it and its integration of mental health and crisis intervention services possible.“This is amazing,” Reynolds said after her tour. “It’s incredible ... It’s really done well.”

Iowa manufacturers who do not adapt quickly to the changing manufacturing environment could lose their “competitive edge,” according to a 120-page report commissioned by Iowa Economic Development Authority.

CEDAR RAPIDS — The city is looking to residents for input on repurposing Jones Golf Course, a flood-prone venue in the southwest quadrant that had long been a drag on revenue in the city’s four-course municipal golf system.

IOWA CITY — In a matter of weeks last March, Riley Eynon-Lynch saw use of his company’s product increase by 1,000 percent.

CEDAR RAPIDS — Public school boards across the state are voicing their opposition to a bill backed by Gov. Kim Reynolds that would allow public funds to be used for private schools through a voucher program.