Author
Feds: One-fifth of nursing homes not reporting COVID-19 data
One-fifth of the nation’s nursing homes are failing to comply with federal regulations requiring them to report COVID-19 data to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. As of May 24, only 12,500 nursing homes — approximately 80% of the 15,400 Medicare and Medicaid nursing homes in the nation — had reported the required pandemic […]
Insurers deny claims from businesses forced to close by pandemic
Does COVID-19’s impact on air quality and surface contamination constitute “physical damage” of a business? That’s one of the central questions judges and juries may have to decide as insurance companies summarily deny claims filed by business owners hoping to recover lost income caused by the pandemic. The Iowa Insurance Division says it has received […]
Phony robbery claim results in probation for Cedar Rapids woman
A Cedar Rapids woman has been sentenced to probation for filing a false insurance claim related to a robbery at her home. Jessica Ann Marie Hartwig, 27, pleaded guilty this week to second-degree fraudulent practice and felony insurance fraud. The Fraud Bureau of the Iowa Insurance Division alleges that Hartwig filed a fraudulent renter’s insurance […]
Hogg calls Polk County ‘a coronavirus hotbed’ and questions timing of session
When the Iowa Legislature reconvenes on June 3, Sen. Rob Hogg might be spending much of the day in his car. Hogg, a Cedar Rapids Democrat, says he’s not entirely sure he’ll sure he’ll even come to the Iowa Capitol given the current spread of COVID-19 in Polk County, but he wants to represent his […]
Reynolds: We can’t prioritize Iowans’ lives over their livelihoods
Declaring that Iowa can’t “prioritize” lives over jobs, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Tuesday that casinos, racetracks and outdoor concert venues will be allowed to reopen on June 1 after being shuttered for weeks due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “For our state, recovery means striking a balance between getting life and business back to normal while […]
Iowa election officials say they’re ready for pandemic-era voting
Iowa election officials say they expect no major problems in the June 2 primary, despite the issues caused by COVID-19. The pandemic has dramatically reduced the number of in-person polling sites throughout Iowa, but it has also caused an enormous increase in the number of absentee ballots requested. Polk County Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald says Iowans […]
Capital Dispatch files public-records complaint over email request
The Iowa Capital Dispatch has filed a formal complaint with the Iowa Public Information Board seeking access to emails and other records that were requested in February. On Feb. 14, the news organization asked the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals for access to the most recently completed annual performance review of the department by […]
Iowa-licensed physician loses ability to prescribe narcotic pain killers
The Iowa Board of Medicine has suspended one Iowa doctor’s ability to prescribe narcotic pain killers and restored the privileges of another Iowa physician. The board has fined Dr. Ted P. George, a 65-year-old physician who practiced family medicine at the UnityPoint Clinic in Pocahontas, $2,500 as a result of a settlement reached with the […]
Iowa’s jobless claims appear to be leveling off
The number of Iowans collecting unemployment benefits, while still at a historically high level, now appears to be leveling off. The number of continuing, weekly unemployment claims in Iowa is now 187,375 — a 2% decrease from the previous week’s total of 191,257, according to Iowa Workforce Development. Unemployment benefit payments totaled $50.9 million for […]
Reynolds says virus ‘is not going away’ and reopens more Iowa businesses
Telling Iowans “we’ve got to learn to live with this, it is not going away,” Gov. Kim Reynolds rolled back COVID-19 mitigation efforts and announced plans to reopen the state’s movie theaters, taverns and other establishments. “Iowa’s recovery is underway,” Reynolds said at her daily press briefing, “and our collective work as Iowans to mitigate, […]
Reynolds considers additional business openings while defending Iowa’s OSHA office
Gov. Kim Reynolds defended state workplace-safety regulators Tuesday and said she is considering adding to the list of businesses that will be allowed to reopen. Speaking at her daily press briefing, Reynolds said she plans to make an announcement Wednesday about the Iowa businesses that remain shuttered in an effort to help slow the spread […]
Grassley asks Trump to explain the latest firing of a government watchdog
Amid a growing chorus of protests over President Trump’s decision to fire several government watchdogs, Sen. Chuck Grassley on Monday called on the president to explain the most recent firing. Grassley, an Iowa Republican and senior member of the U.S. Senate, wrote to the president Monday and asked him to explain why he fired State […]