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Judge: State failed to investigate worker’s complaints about sexually charged incidents
A disease specialist with the Iowa Department of Public Health was fired for sexual harassment earlier this year after complaining about sexually charged incidents in the workplace. One of the man’s complaints stemmed from a game, allegedly concocted by state employees, that awarded plush toys to contestants who used their mouths to put condoms on […]
COVID-19 hospitalizations climb to near-record levels in Iowa
The number of Iowans hospitalized with COVID-19 is continuing to climb and is close to breaking the record set in early May. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 have been growing steadily over the past 12 days. On Thursday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported a near-record number of Iowans hospitalized with the virus: 407, which is the highest […]
New claims for unemployment benefits drop in Iowa after a recent spike
Iowa workers filed 5,018 initial unemployment claims in the week ending Sept. 26, a decrease from the previous week’s total. The reduction is good news for Iowa, which last week reported 6,601 initial unemployment for the week ending Sept. 19. That number represented a 42% increase from the 4,652 new claims filed the previous week. […]
Two Iowa taverns fined $1,000 for violating governor’s COVID-19 orders
The Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division has reached settlement agreements with two tavern owners accused of violating Gov. Kim Reynolds’ orders on social distancing. Edin Sahinovic, owner of Edo’s Sports Bar in Waterloo, and Sophia Martinez, owner of Jalapeno Bar & Grill in Eagle Grove, have each agreed to a $1,000 civil penalty. In the past, […]
White House calls for action in ‘red zone’ Iowa as Reynolds relaxes COVID-19 guidelines
As Iowa moves to relax its quarantine guidelines in defiance of CDC guidelines, the White House Coronavirus Task Force is warning that the state remains in the “red zone” for new cases of COVID-19. Red-zone states have had at least 101 new cases per 100,000 population. Iowa had 197 new cases per 100,000 population last […]
COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to rise in Iowa
An additional 632 cases of COVID-19 were reported Monday in Iowa, along with eight more deaths, according to the New York Times’ COVID-19 tracker. Over the past week, there has been an average of 893 new cases per day in Iowa, an increase of 38 percent from the average two weeks earlier. The number of Iowans […]
Iowa’s COVID-19 hospitalizations climb to their highest level since May
The number of Iowans hospitalized with COVID-19 is continuing to trend upward and has reached its highest level since late May. The upward trend in hospitalizations began about 10 days ago. On Monday, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported there were 353 Iowans hospitalized with the virus — the highest number since May 29, […]
Iowa’s nursing homes have recorded 4,096 COVID-19 infections
More than 4,000 people living or working in Iowa nursing homes have been infected with coronavirus during the 2020 pandemic, newly disclosed state records show. The data from the Iowa Department of Public Health shows that as of last week, 4,096 nursing home residents and staff members have been infected with COVID-19. Those infections are […]
Planned Parenthood of Iowa reacts to Barrett nomination
The executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa said Saturday that the nomination of Amy Coney Barrett for the U.S. Supreme Court could have “a lasting effect on our rights for generations to come.” In a written statement issued shortly after Trump’s announcement of Barrett as his nominee, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Iowa noted […]
Governor extends closure of bars in Johnson and Story counties
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has extended the closure of bars, taverns in Johnson and Story counties. The governor’s order also applies to wineries, breweries, distilleries and night clubs in the two counties for one additional week, until 11:59 p.m., Oct. 4. Those establishments can continue to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption off premises. Restaurants in […]
Iowa nurse is fired after a patient’s family calls COVID-19 a ‘hoax’
An Iowa nurse was fired from her job after arguing with a patient’s family who said COVID-19 is a “hoax.” State records indicate that in April, Lisa Dockery was fired from her job as a home-health nurse for Recover Health Services, an agency with offices throughout Iowa. For the previous eight years, Dockery worked with […]
As ISU plans to host 15,000 football fans, new COVID-19 infections soar in Iowa
As Iowa State University announced plans Thursday to play a football game before 15,000 fans in Ames, the state’s single-day tally of new COVID-19 infections soared to 1,282. Wednesday’s daily total of new infections is roughly double the number of new infections reported each of the previous three days. Since the beginning of the pandemic, […]