CEDAR RAPIDS - A program will give flood victims free furniture this weekend.

Sauder Furniture donated about 15 hundred pieces of new furniture to the Linn Area Long Term Recovery Coalition.

Flood-affected residents can pick up two pieces of furniture each between 9:00 a.m. and noon Saturday morning at The Cedar Rapids Science Station.

Residents must bring their FEMA number to qualify and pick up the furniture.

“It feels really good and the furniture is very high quality. But there is one catch, residents have to assemble the pieces themselves. So bring your hammer and bring your glue,” said Gail Kaplan with Emergency Disaster Services.

You’ll also need a way to take the furniture home yourself, because there is no delivery available. Organizers strongly urge people bring a truck because the items are heavy and oddly-shaped.

The furniture is available on a first come, first serve basis.

VINTON - All that’s left of 201 East Third street is rubble. Watch The Video

“The house just got done before the flood, brand new roof, fixing this and fixing that, it was just starting to look really nice,” said neighbor Jack Harris.

When the Cedar River poured through Vinton, the water was 5 feet deep around here.

Thursday the city started knocking down 16 flooded homes considered structurally unsound.

The same company that demolished the homes in Cedar Rapids is tearing these down too.

“It’s kind of a weird feeling that you are taking everything that somebody worked so hard for,” said George Heeren with D.W. Zinser.

The homes come down in less than an hour, it takes the rest of the day to clear out the rubble.

One by one, each home will come down, replaced with green space.

“Word is most of the homes on this block will get torn down, and neighbors say it will be weird looking across the street and only seeing this one house,” Harris.

Harris wishes it didn’t have to be this way.

For the last four years, Harris has watched this neighborhood start to come back and look good again.

Then the flood hit.

“I would like to see homes put back in, instead of having parks,” said Harris.

But, that’s not happening, and Harris says it will just take time to adjust.

And 201 East Third Street will just look different.

Email Justin Foss at Justin.Foss@kcrg.com

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids city council will reimburse businesses that had to pay high steam heating costs after the flood.

The flood destroyed Alliant Energy’s downtown steam plant. That caused heating bills to double or even quadruple for some downtown businesses.

On Wednesday night, the council approved using $21-million in federal funds to reimburse some of those costs.

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Cedar Rapids city council will reimburse businesses that had to pay high steam heating costs after the flood.

The flood destroyed Alli ant Energy’s downtown steam plant. That caused heating bills to double or even quadruple for some downtown businesses.

Wednesday night, the council approved using $21-million dollars in federal funds to reimburse some of those costs.

ANAMOSA - For the first time since the flood, the Anamosa high school baseball team played on its home field Wednesday night.

Congressman Braley practiced with the team before the game.

The last time Braley visited, the Anamosa baseball field was under ten feet of flood water. As part of the ceremony, the team gave Braley a jersey.

He plans to wear it in the Congressional Baseball Game in Washington next month.

“I’m going to remember the fun I had today and the look on the faces of these young men who couldn’t even play on this field a year ago. The energy and enthusiasm they shared with me today is going to carry me through the game in Washington D.C.,” said Braley.

“For him to wear it in their game is a tremendous honor for us and our kids,” said coach Kevin Barnes.

Before Wednesday’s game, Braley presented the team with an American flag that flew over the U.S. capitol.

CORALVILLE - Coralville plans to spend $300,000 dollars in federal grant money to repair flood damage along the banks of the Iowa River.

The city council approved the move last night. The city will also soon accept bids to remove asbestos from 10 residential buildings scheduled for demolition west of First Avenue and south of Fifth street, add another 12 to the list.

WATERLOO - Last June’s flood took down a Waterloo railroad bridge. But now it’s getting a boost from the federal government for rebuilding.

Union Pacific Railroad says this bridge was a major supply route for John Deere, Tyson, and a few ethanol plants in northeast Iowa.

But the floodwaters broke the center of the bridge, and without it trains in the area have to take a 300 mile detour.

Wednesday, the Federal Railroad Administration awarded a more than $2-million dollar grant for repairs.

Construction should start next month and end in September.

CEDAR RAPIDS - Students at Metro High School in Cedar Rapids plan to give away free treats Thursday to raise some money for flood victims.

The Career Connections class baked up a lot of cinnamon rolls Wednesday morning. The students will pass them out for free Thursday morning in downtown Cedar Rapids.

But there is a catch.

Students hope to sell lots of homemade “flood light” candles with the proceeds going for flood relief.

“We’re trying to make as much as we can. We don’t have a quota for it, we plan to get as much money as possible to help the city,” said student Jeff Ringold.

Students will sell the candles for $6 a piece. The “goodie giveaway” and candle sale takes place Thursday morning from 7:00a.m. - 9:00a.m. at the Armstrong Food Court downtown.

CEDAR RAPIDS - One flood-damaged business is making its comeback.

The June disaster forced the owners of Wild-side Tattoo at 413 First Avenue Southwest in Cedar Rapids to tear down its old building and rebuild.

It was in a temporary location for about 11 months.

Tuesday, the new tattoo shop reopened in its original location to customers.

Owner John O’Connor says a Small Business Administration loan helped him rebuild.

IOWA CITY - The University of Iowa’s flood-damaged Hancher Auditorium will soon have a presence in Cedar Rapids.

Earlier this month the Board of Regents approved re-building the performing arts center in a different location, away from the flood zone.

Until the new Hancher is built, the 2009-2010 season will include performances at 11 different venues in Iowa City, Cedar Rapids, Riverside, Des Moines, and Chicago.

One of those locations is the U.S. Cellular Center in downtown Cedar Rapids. But it’s a much bigger venue than Hancher Auditorium.

Executive Director of the U.S. Cellular Center Scott Schoenike said, “We’re trying to adapt the U.S. Cellular Center to more of a theatre feeling, so we’re using some cut down with some drapes to get a closer, more intimate feel.”

The historic Englert Theatre in Iowa City is also on the list of alternate venues.

The regents are expected to recommend sites for the new Hancher in June.

But it could be years before the new Hancher is open.

Click here for a full list of locations and performances.