Good morning, Cedar Rapids.

Marion 14-year-old Charley Rasmussen will serve as Kid Captain when the Hawkeyes host Wisconsin on Saturday at the homecoming game, honoring her journey since a 2017 Addison’s disease diagnosis and daily steroid treatment.

Linn County picked eight winning names for its snowplows after more than 200 submissions and a public vote, and those names will appear on plows this winter.

Residents can track the named plows through Linn County’s Track-a-Plow system to see where crews are working & when roads are being cleared.

An explosion and fire broke out at the Quaker Oats plant Saturday on the north side of the building, and firefighters used exterior water streams, interior hose lines, off duty crews and mutual aid to account for all employees and maintain city coverage while the cause remains under investigation (no injuries).

10th Street near Mercy’s cancer center is closed while crews clean up garbage a private hauler dumped after thinking the truck was on fire (access to Mercy’s emergency room is available from 8th Avenue); the street will stay closed until cleanup is complete.

A garbage truck evacuated its load Monday morning near Mercy's Hall Perrine Cancer Center, blocking traffic while first responders confirmed there was no fire; 10th Street remained closed until crews cleared the debris and ER access stayed open from 8th Avenue.

Big Grove Brewery will transform its Cedar Rapids taproom into "A Very Merry Big Grove," a fully immersive holiday pop-up opening Thursday, Nov.

12 with seasonal decor, special food and drink menus, giveaways, and events; the four Iowa locations run through Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2027 (reservations recommended).

Corridor Artists and Actors will present the Iowa premiere of Women+ On The Edge of Democracy at 7 p.m. on Nov.

1 at the Marion Heritage Center, a free program of short plays about American democracy with limited seating and advance reservations available (organized by Claire Boston).

The ribbon was cut this week at Cedar Rapids Washington High School's new Freshman Academy, a space designed to help ninth-graders transition to high school, explore career pathways, and get hands-on experience before next school year.

Linn County is weighing a Google-funded study (up to $242,000) that would assess the Cedar River and area aquifers under average and drought conditions, with results expected in March; supervisors will vote on the county-selected, county-controlled agreement at a future meeting.

Foundation 2 Crisis Services named Erin Byers Langdon its permanent CEO, effective immediately; she became interim CEO in September after Emily Blomme left and joined the agency in 2021 as chief operating officer.

Nathan Williams and Brady Anderson won the Unified Doubles title at the USTA Intellectual and Developmental Disability National Championships in Orlando over the weekend, beating 24 other teams in the three-day event.

The longtime high school partners earned the top award at the first USTA tournament held in partnership with Special Olympics to expand accessibility in tennis.