Cedar Rapids, Linn County | featured news

CEDAR RAPIDS — Music teachers in the Cedar Rapids Community School District are combing through their curriculum to rid it of any historically racist songs or composers.

CEDAR RAPIDS — A judge Thursday denied a prosecution’s motion to have joint trials for two 17-year-olds accused of killing Malik Sheets last summer and two others accused of helping cover it up.

Sometimes these days, Nialle Sylvan is finding books for an 8-year-old “completely obsessed” with water. Other times, she’s seeking books for a fan of some — but not all — of fiction writer John Irving’s novels.

People who use medical marijuana are less likely to be “aging hippies” trying to get high than people wanting to avoid opioid addiction, according to a University of Iowa researcher planning a study of Iowans registered for the state’s medical marijuana program.

The Cedar Rapids Public Library has been named the sole beneficiary of an estate that exceeds $1 million, left by a centenarian who once said that “books have kind of been my life.”

CEDAR RAPIDS — Taft Middle School paraprofessional Paige Barber won the state-level Educational Support Professional Award this year for her positive impact on her students, positive attitude and willingness to go above and beyond at work.

CEDAR RAPIDS — Residents and visitors to the City of Five Seasons can now use My CR, a new online reporting tool where they can request services, ask questions and report non-emergency issues to the city.

Spectators, start your engines.Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. is the public’s chance to drive around the Hawkeye Downs racetrack in southwest Cedar Rapids and see this year’s St. Patrick’s Day parade entries. But don’t expect to be revving or racing.

Let me tell you a story ... .I bet those six words got your attention. As overwhelmed human beings, we are, in short, story machines. We consume stories in many forms throughout our day and write stories of our own to explain the world around us.

IOWA CITY — With a third of its members having resigned in the past week, the Iowa City Council on Tuesday will weigh temporarily suspending the city’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.