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Des Moines’ chief pothole-fixer fired, accused of falsifying records
The plethora of potholes that Des Moines drivers had to dodge last year were partly due to a city employee who falsely claimed the holes had been properly patched, state records show. In 2019, the City of Des Moines fielded 16,000 pothole complaints from citizens, which was roughly 10,000 more than usual. The city’s public works […]
As infections surge, Reynolds lets food plants take the lead on mitigation
The spread of COVID-19 is surging in Iowa, with the state reporting an additional 189 infections, including 86 employees of a Tyson food plant in Louisa County. Six additional Iowans were reported Tuesday to have died as a result of the virus, bringing the total number of deaths in the state to 49. On April […]
Reynolds: Nursing home infections growing, with ‘devastating consequences’
Gov. Kim Reynolds said Monday that despite mitigation efforts in Iowa’s nursing homes, the COVID-19 virus “has still been introduced into some facilities, resulting in devastating consequences.” At her daily press conference, Reynolds said the spread of the virus in long-term care was a “big concern.” The staff and residents of long-term care facilities account […]
Iowa jail official: Muslims are ‘pawns of the devil’ aiming to kill Christians
The top administrator at one of Iowa’s largest jails says Muslims are “pawns of the devil” and will soon be hunting down and killing Christians. Muscatine County Jail Administrator Dean Naylor has placed online a lengthy treatise on the subject, as well as seven videos, all of which were produced five to six years ago […]
ACLU and Interfaith Alliance say Reynolds is promoting Christianity
The ACLU of Iowa says Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Day of Prayer proclamation promotes Christianity and “violates our country and state’s principle of religious freedom.” Reynolds issued a proclamation Wednesday declaring today a Day of Prayer in Iowa. She urged Iowans to “unite in prayer” regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and invited them to participate in the […]
DHS says it’s protecting youth in detention and group homes
The Iowa Department of Human Services says it has put in place “robust mitigation strategies” to reduce the risk posed by COVID-19 at a state-run home for juveniles, but has not tested any of the youth there. Last month, Disability Rights Iowa and Drake University’s Center for Children’s Rights wrote to Gov. Kim Reynolds and […]
Reynolds says she’s ‘somewhat optimistic’ about COVID-19 spread
A total of 122 Iowans are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and 431 Iowans have now recovered from the virus, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Wednesday. The number of patients who have already recovered is equal to 38% of all Iowans who have tested positive so far, Reynolds said, which gives her hope that Iowa’s mitigation efforts […]
Reynolds questions Fauci’s call for sheltering in place
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday questioned the information Dr. Anthony Fauci is relying on to call for shelter-in-place orders in all 50 states. Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas, South Dakota and North Dakota are the only states without a statewide shelter-in-place order in effect. Seven other states are subject to local or regional shelter-in-place orders. At […]
Iowa Board of Medicine calls for shelter-in-place order
The Iowa Board of Medicine voted unanimously Friday to recommend that Gov. Kim Reynolds issue a shelter-in-place order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The decision comes in the wake of a letter sent to the governor by the Iowa Medical Society, which represents 6,800 Iowa physicians. The IMS has recommended the governor issue a […]
Governor extends school and business closings through April 30
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday extended through April 30 the closing of schools and selected businesses, as well as the statewide ban on gatherings of more than 10 people. The governor’s order, made in response to the growing COVID-19 pandemic, also extends through April 30 the ban on all non-essential and elective medical and […]
Reynolds declines to say whether she’ll share COVID-19 data
Gov. Kim Reynolds declined to say Wednesday whether she will disclose the data and metrics she’s relying to make decisions on how to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Iowa. At her daily press conference, Reynolds was twice asked whether she’d be willing to share the numbers she says she is looking at each day […]
PR firm sued for defamation in long-running court fight
An eight-year, million-dollar legal battle involving stolen seed corn, fraud and claims of racketeering and bribery has resulted in a new round of litigation in Polk County District Court. Just six weeks ago, a series of long-running court battles involving one of Iowa’s largest farm cooperatives appeared to have finally drawn to a close. Since […]