Good morning, Cedar Rapids.

October brings Cedar Rapids a busy lineup of events including RoughRiders Hockey at ImOn Ice Arena on Oct.

2, Recovery Music Festival at NewBo City Market on Oct. 3 from 4 to 9 p.m. and Swan Lake at the Paramount Theatre on Oct. 4.

Horizons East Central Iowa is building the 14,000-sqft B.

Young Center at 819 5th St. SE — a new dedicated space for adults 55+ featuring a library, game room, fitness studio, café and outdoor courts. The center will open in spring 2027, nearly 20 years after the previous facility closed.

Cedar Rapids has opened registration for the 2026 Paint a Plow program, inviting schools, day cares, and community groups to decorate snowplow blades.

The project will run weekly from Sept. 29 to Oct. 31 (Public Works supplies provided) to brighten winter streets.

Bread and Buttered Bakery co-owners Nikki and Amber Lynn, who once helped feed SNAP customers during the shutdown, now call on Cedar Rapids residents for support after a house fire and equipment failures caused losses of about $6,000+$7,000 in product; donations are welcomed via their GoFundMe page.

Iowa high school students can register for the 2026-27 Poetry Out Loud competition to build public-speaking skills.

Local winners will compete in the State Finals on Feb. 28 in Iowa City and have a chance at awards plus an all-expenses-paid trip; registration is open until Dec. 1 (via Humanities Iowa).

Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird joined 19 other state attorneys general in urging the federal government to crack down on counterfeit GLP-1 drugs made with ingredients from Chinese warehouses (linked to alleged fentanyl production) to protect Iowans.

Johnson County Judge David M.

Cox reversed the state's plan to close the State Historical Society's Iowa City facility, keeping historical collections available after plans to consolidate them in Des Moines. Mary Bennett of Save Iowa History said the ruling was made without a hearing & legal challenges may follow.

The 3rd Fire District acquired new paramedic equipment that enables on-scene treatments like IVs + an advanced 12-lead EKG, reducing wait times.

It serves over 90 sq mi in rural Linn County after securing funds through donations, grants, and fundraising.