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Iowa reports 52 additional cases of COVID-19, two more deaths
The Iowa Department of Public Health has identified 52 additional positive cases of Iowans with COVID-19 for a total of 549 positive cases in the state. The department also reported two additional deaths, both involving Iowans age 81 or older. One was a resident of Polk County and one was a resident of Washington County. […]
Iowa youth in group homes face high risk of infection, advocates say
The state of Iowa isn’t doing enough to protect children in the juvenile-justice and child-welfare systems from COVID-19, advocacy groups say. Disability Rights Iowa and Drake University’s Center for Children’s Rights have written to Gov. Kim Reynolds and other state officials to share their concerns about the safety of Iowa youth now living in detention […]
Federal judge says state ‘tortures’ children at Eldora home
A federal judge issued a strongly worded rebuke to Iowa state officials Tuesday, saying they were “torturing” the youth housed at the Boys State Training School in Eldora. In a 116-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Stephanie Rose held the state liable for violating the constitutional rights of children at the school, which houses troubled youth […]
Nursing home infections spread while state inspectors lack PPE
The COVID-19 pandemic continued to spread in Iowa nursing homes Monday, even as state inspectors relied on the facilities themselves to provide them with personal protective equipment. Gov. Kim Reynolds said Monday that an outbreak of COVID-19 has been confirmed in a Cedar Rapids nursing home. She said 21 of Linn County’s 71 confirmed cases […]
Governor’s temporary abortion ban triggers lawsuit
The ACLU of Iowa, along with Planned Parenthood and the Emma Goldman Clinic, are suing Gov. Kim Reynolds and other state officials for blocking access to surgical abortion services during the COVID-19 pandemic. The lawsuit alleges Reynolds’ action “flagrantly defies clear and binding constitutional precedent recognizing that patients have a protected liberty interest in terminating […]
Reynolds grows emotional at the toll of COVID-19 on Iowans
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds grew emotional at a press conference Friday as she discussed the impact business closings are having on the state due to the growing COVID-19 pandemic. “The last thing I want to do is impact families and individuals and our businesses that are the backbone of our economy,” she said, adding that […]
Inspections halted at Iowa’s food processing plants
The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals has indefinitely suspended all routine inspections at the state’s food-processing plants. The agency is under contract with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to handle the inspection of Iowa’s food processing and manufacturing plants. Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA recently issued an order instructing all states […]
As COVID-19 hits Iowa nursing homes, feds suspend fines and penalties
With COVID-19 now confirmed at several Iowa nursing homes, the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has suspended selected fines and other penalties against long-term care facilities. Iowa Health Care Association President and CEO Brent Willett said Wednesday the organization is “aware that four long-term care providers have reported a combined total of five […]
Almost two-thirds of Iowa’s COVID-19 cases not hospitalized
Iowa reported 21 additional positive cases of COVID-19 Wednesday morning, for a total of 145 positive cases. The Iowa Department of Public Health says that of the 107 cases now being tracked, 71 have never — at least yet — been hospitalized; 23 are currently hospitalized; 12 have been discharged from the hospital and are […]
Reynolds rejects calls for a stay-at-home order, citing Iowa infection data
Gov. Kim Reynolds pushed back Tuesday against suggestions from Iowa mayors that she issue a shelter-in-place order for Iowa. Earlier this week, Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie urged Reynolds to issue a statewide order keeping Iowans in their homes to minimize the spread of COVID-19. Officials in Cedar Rapids have said Iowans are not doing […]
Lawsuit: Iowa’s biggest credit union is charging improper fees
Iowa’s largest credit union is facing a potential class-action lawsuit alleging it has collected millions of dollars in improper overdraft fees. The lawsuit, filed in Johnson County District Court, seeks class-action status and unspecified damages from GreenState Credit Union, which has more than $5 billion in assets and branches throughout Iowa. The credit union has […]
Iowa ‘not quite’ in need of a stay-at-home order
Iowa officials said Monday that an analysis of the latest data on the spread of COVID-19 indicates the state is “not quite” at the point where a stay-at-home order is needed. At a press conference Monday, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and public health officials said they’re relying on hospitalization data to indicate if, and when, […]