Cedar Rapids, Linn County | featured news

CEDAR RAPIDS — A Mechanicsville man, who admitted Monday to attempting to hire someone to kill a witness in his case, was sentenced to more than 10 years in federal prison for distributing ice methamphetamine and being in possession of multiple firearms.

Iowa added 260 COVID-19 cases and two confirmed deaths Monday.The new numbers bring the state’s totals to 324,666 cases and 5,110 deaths, according to Iowa Department of Public Health data. The state’s seven-day average is 737.The 260 cases come from 1,300 tests reported in the 24-hour period that ended at 11 a.m. Monday.

CEDAR RAPIDS — The rules aren’t relaxing at the event sites managed by VenuWorks of Cedar Rapids.

Linn County is expected to receive triple its typical weekly COVID-19 vaccine allocation from federal officials beginning next week, allowing for better predictability for vaccine appointments and increasing local public health officials’ confidence the county will see a more consistent rollout of shots.

Even though Gov. Kim Reynolds has lifted a mask rule, requirements for social distancing in businesses and a limit on group sizes, dozens of restaurants in the Corridor say they’ll nonetheless maintain the pandemic safety protocols.

DES MOINES — Gov.

CEDAR RAPIDS — As a Black boy growing up in public schools, John Ross, now 21, said he felt “ignored.”Once as a student at Kennedy High School he was accused of cheating on a math test by his teacher after he earned an A. School guidance counselors suggested he enroll in “easier” classes, even after he earned a 4.3 GPA, he said.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Complaining about what he called indoctrination in schools, former President Donald Trump created a commission that promoted “patriotic” education and played down America’s role in slavery. Though he’s out of the White House and the commission has disbanded, the cause hasn’t died.

Peter Mbonabucha knows how it feels to come up short at the cash register and have someone step in to make up the difference. It’s happened to him.So when Sam Hammes, 33, of Cedar Rapids, came up $12 short on a day that he’d left his wallet at home and a work friend had already loaned him $100 to get groceries, Mbonabucha chipped in that $12.

I do not care what happens to the Iowa caucuses.Given Iowa’s looming battle to maintain its first-in-the-nation status, and some perceptions I’ve heard bandied about out there, I felt compelled to get that on the record sooner rather than later.