Brock About Town

liKE MOST rEASONABlY content adults who were once painfully awkward teenagers, I prefer not to think about the first 16 years of my life, but I am reasonably sure that I spent them in Cedar Rapids. Immediately after high school graduation, I moved down to Iowa City, presumably to receive an education of some kind, and the strain of the move was so terrible that I decided never to do it again. This town is stuck with me. However, having recently taken a job in Cedar Rapids, I’ve had an opportunity to get both extremely familiar with Interstate 380 (Is there a more boring road to have to drive down twice a day?) and up close and personal with the city I’ve been too lazy to visit for the last six years, and I can report that hanging out there as an adult is super weird. Despite the fact that the two cities are only 27 miles apart, the people who live there have basically nothing in common. Therefore, I present my authoritative guide to the people on the north side of the CRANDIC.

• When it comes to choosing an outfit for a big night out, the girl from Cedar Rapids goes all out. She’ll run to the salon to have her chunky highlights freshened up and pay extra attention to her smokey eye. She may not still fit into her jeggings from high school, but that’s OK, because they always have more at Von Maur. A girl from Iowa City, on the other hand, prefers to play it cool. She wears a 20-year-old “Frankie Says Relax”

T-shirt with permanent pit stains, Birkenstocks and last week’s mascara. She knows she had a hairbrush once, but that was at least four apartments ago. All of her friends think this is fine.

• People from Iowa City have very strong opinions about which Korean restaurant is most authentic, despite the fact that they have never eaten

Korean food anywhere except Iowa City. All coffee tastes the same to them, but they know they’re supposed to have an opinion about it, so they go to perilous lengths to disguise their $5-a-day Dunkin’ Donuts habit from their friends. People from Cedar Rapids think this kind of behavior is ridiculous (and they’re right). They’re just glad to finally have a Mexican restaurant they can take first dates to that isn’t Taco Bell.

• Guys from Iowa City are well-read, articulate, erudite. They take you to see a horror movie in Malayalam at FilmScene and explain the whole thing to you, even though you’ve also been reading the subtitles. Recently, they’ve been really into Kabbalah, krautrock and growing their own opium poppies. Guys from Cedar Rapids know who is on the Iowa basketball team. They take you to the coolest bar in town, which is underneath the highway overpass. Recently, they’ve been really into upselling Yeezys, History Channel documentaries about Hitler and new flavors of chewing tobacco. It might be time to move to Illinois.

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HUD may sue iowa if bill allowing landlords to discriminate against federal housing aid recipients is signed into law (March 18)

Besides Iowa taxpayers paying for court battles over a record number of bills that actually violate laws already on the books, our larger communities could lose part of to their entire HUD monies. There is very little doubt in anyone’s mind (no matter which party) that the Iowa GOP is out to punish anyone who is not wealthy, white or a potential yes vote. —Tarrill A.

Vaccine appointments can feel elusive. This iowa Twitter account helps. (March 19)

So many friends were able to find a vaccine thanks to this Twitter account. He’s literally saving lives. Such a generous act of time and talent. —Brook E.

He provided the type of leadership and support we should have gotten from our elected state officials. —Carol E.

say they won’t get vaccinated for COViD-19 (March 22)

iowa poll: 41 percent of republicans

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“Not a single person is me and told me, ‘That’s being banned from any … not what I asked.’” —Des platforms for advocating Moines register reporter for [conservative] Andrea Sahouri on the stand positions. Not one. What during her trial for charges they’re being banned Zak Neumann stemming from a 2020 Black for is advocating for things like Lives Matter rally violent insurrection against the

United States.” —State Sen. Zach “I think when the pandemic hit,

Wahls (D-37) on SF 402 there were so many people for the very first time either willing to

“That is canceling reality. That discuss mental health or having is closing our eyes and trying that wave of something—‘I don’t to pretend that if we don’t say feel well, but it’s not physical.’”

‘implicit bias,’ it doesn’t exist. Or —Erin Foster, director of the new if we don’t say ‘systemic racism,’ Linn County Mental Health Access we can pretend we don’t have Center that.” —State Rep. Mary Wolfe (D98) on HF 482 “Today none of us can say with confidence who won this “As a lawyer, election. Our answer must be

I know that fair grounded in hard evidence, housing is the not bald assumptions.” —Rep. law … You cannot Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), about house people when Iowa’s disputed District 2 they are purposely A. Brown election between Mariannette making it more difficult for people Miller-Meeks and Rita Hart. to find housing. It is a violation of the law.” —HUD Secretary “We are Cr, Wellington Heights

Marcia Fudge on Iowa’s bill Neighborhood Association, allowing landlords to discriminate Advocates for Social Justice, against federal housing assistance neighbors and community recipients members came together to denounce hate and show support “I have no laurels on which I for the Black community after can rest / Some laurels look like a house at 2307 Bever Ave was a cig and a slinky dress / or big vandalized with hate language. fat benjamins / ... [T]he sense of community, rows upon rows that feeling that was present last of men.” —Penny summer after George Floyd’s Peach, “Laurelz” death, is still here. More people from the EP stopped to help than what was via Brain Gamez even needed. We hope that Penny Peach the perpetrators are caught

“I think it’s the right thing to and charged accordingly.” — do for the greater good. It’s a Advocates for Social Justice on personal decision, individuals Facebook will make that.” —Gov. Kim

Reynolds on COVID-19 “I am saddened vaccination that some Iowans’ votes will not

“I didn’t think it was a good count through idea to run from officers, no fault of their because I wasn’t doing anything own.” —Rita Hart wrong. I put up my hands and Zak Neumann after dropping said ‘I’m press, I’m press,’ and he her challenge to Mariannette grabbed me and pepper-sprayed Miller-Meeks anyone, for that matter) is the most ridiculous and potentially dangerous thing to say. There are tens of thousands of people who need guidance and facts to make the safest decision for themselves and those they come in contact with. She has clouded the facts and confused many people. Her tunnel vision has jeopardized the state of Iowa in far too many ways. —Meg C.B.

iowa Senate republicans push through bills eliminating gun permits and giving gunmakers new legal protections (March 23)

When you solve a non-existent problem you don’t get a solution, you just get a bigger problem... —Ben W.

The influence of massive amounts of outside money, by the Koch brothers for one, and the media flood that they can buy, has shown that you can take a one-time reasonable, tolerant, welleducated state and turn it into a paranoid, xenophobic, extremist, hate-filled mess. I was once kind of proud to be an Iowan, two parties, but not rabid dogs about it, solid, fair, hardworking, tolerant, top of the country in education.... Decent. Look at what we’ve become. —Edward K.

This beautiful state is making me sad. —Josh T.

Online students will have to return to school buildings for statewide standardized tests (March 29)

I received the email yesterday and right after it a notification that more students at the jr. high have tested positive and more were being quarantined. So, our family does the right thing and stays home for over a year only to be told they need to return to school for testing. Tests which don’t mean crap to my children’s future. And subjecting them to trauma and possibly illness in the last month and a half of school. WTAH. Nope! —Brooke E.

rita Hart drops her challenge of Mariannette MillerMeeks’ election, citing the GOp’s ‘toxic campaign of political disinformation’ (March 31)

Ms. Hart, thank you for all your efforts. You fought a good fight. —Tarrill A.

Wish they would have to count the 22 ballots even if MillerMeeks keeps the seat. Also the $ donated to Hart’s challenge by me and others will hopefully go to next years campaign to unseat MMM. —Jane L.M.

I am very disappointed that Rita did not go forward with what seemed a legitimate challenge. The heat in the kitchen may be what we will have to expect from here on. I was heartened by Rita’s challenge. I have faced up against Ostergren as an attorney when he was CA in Muscatine and I believed that Rita had made the best choice by taking this to the House. I do not have confidence in Rep Miller-Meeks count and am very sad that Rita folded. Even if she lost the House of Rep review, I would have been proud to support her in the future. At this point I will be looking for another candidate to go up against MM. —Sally P.