Colleges Target Working Students Looking to Advance Careers

Casie Sparks is one of many Mount Mercy University students working toward a college degree. However, the 35-year-old is employed full time as a client relationship development consultant at AEGON in Cedar Rapids.
She is among a wave of non-traditional students that Eastern Iowa colleges have been targeting for training recently.

Affordable Housing Advocates Challenge, Stereotypes

At 53, Rose LaGrange is living her dream.
She became a first-time homeowner in November 2009 with the help of a program administered by the Housing Trust Fund of Johnson County, an organization that supports affordable housing by funding affordable home ownership, rental and transitional housing.

Exploring the Economic Advantages of Grouping Communities in the Corridor

The separation between Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and surrounding communities has been a hot topic for politicians and development officials for years. They have cooperated in some ways, like integrating the term “corridor” into the lexicon. But a divisive mindset still exists, as shown by the competition for economic recovery resources after the 2008 flood.

When students go missing

When University of Iowa student Jacques Similhomme, the son of a refugee Haitian preacher mysteriously disappeared on Sept. 28, 2009, his father pleaded with university, police and media officialdom to help find his son.
For the most part, he met silence.