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According to Cedar Falls Patch, the pipe bomb was discovered by public works staff while they were working on manhole covers. The immediate area was evacuated and the bomb squad was on the scene about an hour ago:
"I could see it laying on the lawn. Just a PVC pipe with duck tape on the end," said Jim Smith, 52, who said he lives at 908 Royal Dr. He was among the residents who had been evacuated. He said he'd watched sewer truck outside his house that morning. "They were all standing around looking at something. I thought they were just taking a break," he said. "But then the police came by and said they think it is a pipe bomb that's been laying there for several months and to stay away from the windows. Then a while later they came back and said we have to evacuate."It sounds like the pipe bomb is being taken care of and most likely the residents of this neighborhood will be able to return safely to their homes later today. But you gotta wonder why anyone would want to build a pipe bomb (or fake pipe bomb) and drop it off in a residential neighborhood within a small city in the middle of Iowa.
Updated later on 04/16/13: The Cedar Rapids Patch offered updates throughout the afternoon. A bomb squad robot was used to detonate the pipe bomb right around 1:30 PM today. The detonation apparently "made a small boom and smoke."
Cedar Falls Police Chief Jeff Olson did a press conference later in the afternoon. He noted that the pipe bomb was down in the storm drain. It was unclear when exactly the pipe bomb was placed there. It was definitely a pipe bomb and not a fake. They will now analyze the remains in an attempt to track down the bomb-maker.