At the Tuesday, March 16, 2021 City Council meeting, Council approved the renaming of Creekside Park to James Alan McPherson Park. The recently updated park is located at 1856 7th Avenue Court.

The unanimous vote from council changes the park's name to honor the legendary career and life of McPherson, a longtime Iowa City resident, professor at the University of Iowa's prestigious Writers' Workshop, and the first African-American writer to win the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.

Best known for his essays and short stories, McPherson's 1977 short story collection "Elbow Room"...

The Friday, March 26, 2021 deadline for the the City's Public Art Matching Fund Program is quickly approaching.

The City of Iowa City Public Art Advisory Committee (PAAC) would like to remind local artists of matching funds up to $2,000 for public art projects including, visual, audio, or performance-based art. Projects can include sculptures, murals, performances, readings, interactive exhibits, video projections, soundscapes, spoken word, and other mediums.

To be eligible, proposals must be for projects created by Iowa City artists, they must be publicly accessible and...

The Iowa City Farmers Market is returning to an in-person format on Saturday, May 1 from 7:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. with COVID precautions in place. Customers, vendors, and staff will be required to wear masks while attending the market. Customer access to the Chauncey Swan parking garage will be limited to both the north and south entrances.

The market will feature some new and returning vendors. There are still opportunities to become a 2021 season vendor on Wednesdays, Saturdays, or both. If you or someone you know is interested in selling locally grown, home-made, or artisan products...

Iowa City Transit employees were given the chance to get behind the wheel of an electric bus that will be added to the City’s fleet later this year.

“We’re going to be receiving four Proterra ZX5 buses later this year, likely in the fall,” explained Transportation Director Darian Nagle-Gamm, “which will replace four of our older diesel buses with brand new, all electric technology.”

This purchase is in part due to a $3 million DOT grant. The buses will be able to travel over 300 miles on a single charge. They also run much quieter than a diesel bus, drastically reducing...