25 Percent Of Iowa Children Are Obese, Says Iowa Rep.

Rep. Bruce Braley (D-Iowa) states that the obesity rate for Iowans in grades 9-12 is 11.3 percent and that one out of every four Iowa children is obese or overweight, which leads to heart disease and Type 2 diabetes and will ultimately be a tremendous burden on the healthcare system. (00:32)

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Mississippi-Like Waters Flowed Through Downtown Cedar Rapids

Craig Harwood, an engineer at Rockwell-Collins, discusses the massive waters that flowed through downtown Cedar Rapids.  (0:50)


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Cedar Rapids Resident Talks Community Unity

Craig Harwood of Cedar Rapids discusses how the community came together to help each other during the floods. (2:26)
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Flood Damage to Cultural Institutions in Iowa

The floods of Eastern Iowa caused an estimated $1 billion of damage to crops, and another $350 million damage to personal property.  Often unreported is the damage to the cultural institutions to Iowa.  The bohemian neighborhood of Czech village was destroyed, many museums suffered significant damage, the library lost much of it's stacks, and the legendary and historic Paramount Theatre was gutted.  The Paramount, built in 1928, was home to the symphony orchestra, plays, and two historic Wurlitzer pianos.  These pianos, as old as the building itself, were destroyed in the floods.  (2:15)






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Cedar Rapids Resident Talks Recovery Effots

Cedar Rapids, Iowa resident Craig Harwood discusses the lengthy clean-up efforts in the city and surrounding areas.  (10:00)
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Business Owners Recover From Iowa Flood

Standing in devastated downtown Cedar Rapids, two local business owners discuss flood clean-up and recovery. (2:52)


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Using Humor to Help Flood Recovery

Like everyone in Iowa, Cedar Rapids commedian "Bustin' Dustin"  was seriously affected by the recent floods.  Dan Patterson met Dustin while the commedian helped a friend clean-up in downtown Cedar Rapids.  Dustin talked about the effectiveness of humor in recovering from tragedy.  (1:31)
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Sadness but determination in Cedar Rapids

Dan Patterson reports from his hometown of Cedar Rapids, Iowa. He says it is estimated a volume of water equal to the Mississippi River flowed through Cedar Rapids. The town is devastated, but the people are determined to rebuild. (2:05)
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Report after surveying Iowa flooding from the air

S. Dawn Jones reports on her observations of Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and other small Iowa towns from the air. She says that the further south she got, the fatter the Mississippi River appeared, making towns like Toolesboro into islands. Areas where the water had receded were obvious because they appeared like swampland rather than green. She also saw houseboats stuck next to a bridge, another type of "lost" home that wouldn't have been expected. (2:51)
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House Republican Radio Row: Rep. Steve King (R-IA)

Meredith MacKenzie speaks with Rep. Steve King (R-IA) about the recent flooding in Iowa and his view on energy legislation in the House of Representatives. (8:43)
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Interview with Cedar Rapids resident Kathy Alter

Kathy Alter, web content editor for The Gazette Newspaper in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, tells her personal story of being evacuated from her home and the resulting problems with going back in to her home (she says there are 12,000 people displaced), dealing with FEMA, her disabled mother (she got stuck in the bathroom in the hotel because it was not handicap accessible), and issues with needing dialysis available only on the other side of the river (Kathy is an end stage renal disease patient). “The stuff that was there was just stuff,” she says, “the important thing is that we both came out of it and we both came out of it relatively healthy.” (8:04)
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Interview of Cedar Rapids resident Ashley Sheda

Ashley Sheda, a resident of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, says that she has been let back into her home and has tried to start cleaning it up. However, all of her children’s things have been ruined, and they cannot actually been able to move back in the house. With her family, she said, they’ve been in a hotel room with three children, and all the things her neighbor had put in her garage to be safe from the flood had been lost. She had renter’s insurance but because the house was not in the “five hundred year plain,” they didn’t buy flood insurance. Upon learning that the house might go under water, she says they tried to call the insurance company to add flood insurance but was told it would take 30 days to activate it. (1:37)
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Flood Report From the Banks of the Cedar River

As the waters recede from the banks of the Cedar River, Dan Patterson - Cedar Rapids, Iowa native - reports on the extent of known damage. (2:44)
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Iowa flooding will lead to low corn yields, higher prices in many industries

S. Dawn Jones reports on what the farmers in Iowa are discussing. The flooding not only has delayed corn planting but also has removed nitrogen from the soil, both reducing corn yield. Not only will there be less corn on the market, but there will be less food for animals and therefore less fertilizer for other crops. (3:07)
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Devastation in downtown Cedar Rapids

S. Dawn Jones reports on devastation in downtown Cedar Rapids, including buildings with severe structural damage, and displaced fish swimming in the street. (2:01)
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Damaged homes, corn crop in Cedar Rapids

Dan Patterson reports on the water level, the status of homes, and estimated damages to the crops outside Cedar Rapids, Iowa. (2:45)
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Interview while cleaning out a flood-damaged retirement home

S. Dawn Jones interviews James Bell on the cleaning out of a retirement home in preparation for rebuilding. James says he sees devastation everywhere, with everyone throwing their possessions, now trash, on the curb. James explains that he is not able to even return to his home. (2:51)

A photo of the items cleaned out of the building can be seen on our Flickr page.
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Roads reopening but water remains in Cedar Rapids, Iowa

S. Dawn Jones reports from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, where roads are being reopened. Large pools of water remain, and road conditions are muddy. There is still a risk of levee breaches and more flooding. (1:51)
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The futility sandbagging in Iowa City

S. Dawn Jones speaks with an Iowa City resident about his sandbagging efforts over the last 5 days. (2:43)
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Dawn reports from flooded Iowa City

S. Dawn Jones reports on her coming upon the new "lakes" and water flows in Iowa City, Iowa. (1:43)
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