Clayton County Attorney candidate Anne Loomis said she’ll file a complaint with the sheriff over the appearance of a deputy in an ad for opponent ALan Heavens. “He should be aware there’s a legal violation in his ad,” Loomis, a Democrat, said this afternoon. Republican candidate Alan Heavens said he cleared Deputy Shawn Boeke’s appearance...
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A ballpark next to the county landfill? “It’s a little out of the box,” said Richard Bice. Bice, 78, of Marion, is a member of  Eastern Iowa Complex Inc., a new nonprofit looking to build a 16-field baseball facility  - “the largest sports complex in the Midwest” -  on 78 acres next to the  Cedar Rapids-Linn County Solid...
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Television commercials for candidates for two Linn County offices meet the state’s legal and ethical standards. County Recorder Joan McCalmant and Deputy Treasurer Sharon Gonzalez, both Democrats, both shot their spots at their respective offices at Linn County West in the Lindale Mall. McCalmant is seeking re-election, Gonzalez her first term as treasurer. Supervisor Brent Oleson...
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While Iowa gun enthusiasts celebrate a landmark liberalization in state law New Year’s Day, Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner and some colleagues are bracing for it, and gearing up to lobby for adjustments. “The general public is going to freak out when they see people walking down the street with guns strapped to their hip,”...
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Linn County supervisors signed off on a plan this morning to acquire about 70 acres of property along the planned route of a new Highway 100 west of Cedar Rapids. Under the agreement, the county will maintain the land in its undeveloped state, a key part of the state Department of  Transportation’s plan to...
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Linn County is set to take over 70 acres of undeveloped property along the planned Highway 100 extension west of Cedar Rapids to provide habitat for species that would otherwise be displaced by the project. The agenda for Wedneday’s formal session includes a memo of understanding between the county and the state Department of...
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The first train won’t arrive for about five years, but supporters of rail passenger service were excited by today’s announcement of $230 million in federal funding to reinstate service between Iowa City and Chicago. “We have a big celebration planned” for Tuesday’s formal announcement by Gov. Chet Culver, said Nancy Quellhorst, president and CEO...
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TODDVILLE – It was a quiet Friday morning at Wickiup Hill until 44 third- and fourth-graders showed up. “We’re learning about Native Americans and plants in social studies and science, so this was perfect,” said Springville Elementary School teacher Mel Carnahan, who said it was the first time she’d brought a class there. “We...
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Linn County residents who receive an incorrectly addressed campaign mailer needn’t worry their identity has been stolen: It was a computer glitch. “I got a letter from a woman in Central City who was quite upset” she didn’t recognize the name on the address label, Linn County Recorder Joan McCalmant said. On Tuesday, McCalmant mailed campaign brochures to 11,878 county residents....
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UPDATED 12:09 p.m. Oct. 21 with IDOT’s latest timeline, ridership estimates, in bold.   UPDATED 11:57 a.m. to include total grant amount for Iowa-Illinois application, shown in bold. Supporters of a Chicago-Iowa City passenger rail route are optimistic the project will receive federal funding in the next week or so. “It’s all kind of...
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