On Wednesday, interim director of the Iowa Department of Public Health Kelly Garcia confirmed the B.117 variant, the so-called U.K. variant, has become the dominant strain of COVID-19 in Iowa. On Thursday, IDPH announced the first case of the P.1 variant, known as the Brazilian variant, in Iowa. The Brazilian variant was detected by the […]
Articles by Paul Brennan
Board of Regents decides not to require COVID vaccinations for UI, ISU and UNI; Grinnell announces it will

Iowa’s three public universities will not require students or staff to be vaccinated against COVID-19, Iowa Board of Regents President Michael Richards announced at the board’s meeting in Ames on Wednesday. “I’d like to make it clear that while we continue to strongly encourage members of our campus community to get vaccinated, the regents universities […]
Iowa City Hy-Vee to hold a vaccine clinic Saturday

Hy-Vee will host an vaccination clinic in Iowa City on Saturday. The event is open to those 16 and older, and there will be 1,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine available, according to the company. “The clinic will be held Saturday, April 17 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. inside the former North Dodge Hy-Vee […]
ICCSD changes its COVID-19 quarantine policy amid rising rates

The Iowa City Community School District Board of Directors voted during its meeting on Tuesday to relax the district’s standards for when students need to quarantine due to potential exposure to COVID-19. ICCSD had been using the standards recommended by the CDC and Johnson County Public Health and the directors voted 6-1 to switch to […]
IDPH tells vaccine sites to temporarily stop using J&J one-shot vaccine after CDC and FDA advise ‘pause’ for safety review

The Iowa Department of Public Health has advised all vaccine administrators in the state to temporary cease using the one-shot Johnson & Johnson following a joint statement on Tuesday morning from the CDC and FDA calling for “a pause in the use of this vaccine.” The CDC and FDA called for the pause in response […]
Linn Street closed from Market to Bloomington, as outdoor dining on the street returns
Student arrested for allegedly pushing state trooper’s arm during protest of ‘racist bills’ at State Capitol

An 18-year-old high school senior was arrested at the Iowa State Capitol after allegedly tapping a state trooper on the arm during a peaceful protest on Thursday. Josephine Mulvihill was part of a group of Black Lives Matter supporters from around the state protesting a series of bills that would grant expanded immunity to law […]
Iowa Senate Republicans pass an anti-abortion amendment to the Iowa Constitution

Republicans in the Iowa Senate approved an amendment to the Iowa Constitution that would undermine a woman’s right to an abortion on Tuesday. Senate Joint Resolution 2 passed on a party-line vote, with all Senate Republicans voting in favor and all the chamber’s Democrats voting against it. “Everyone deserves the freedom to make medical decisions […]
Megan Alter kicks off her campaign for the Iowa City Council

Despite a cold wind, more than 30 people gathered in front of the brightly colored mural at Pepperwood Plaza on Friday evening for the kickoff of Megan Alter’s campaign for an at-large seat on the Iowa City Council. Alter, a resident of the South District and a board member of the South District Neighborhood Association […]
Gov. Reynolds signs bills eliminating gun permits, giving new legal protection to gun manufacturers and sellers

On Friday afternoon, as the Easter holiday weekend was beginning, Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office sent out a news release stating that the governor had signed into a law a bill eliminating the requirement for a person to be licensed to buy or carry a gun. The bill, HF 756, was passed by the Iowa House, […]
Gov. Reynolds doesn’t answer question about political divide on vaccines, announces college vaccination programs

As Iowa prepares to for its largest expansion of eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination — everyone 16 and older for the Pfizer vaccine, and those 18 and older for both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — Gov. Kim Reynolds was asked at her weekly news conference if she any insight into why many people in a […]
Rita Hart drops her challenge of Mariannette Miller-Meeks’ election, citing the GOP’s ‘toxic campaign of political disinformation’

Rita Hart announced on Wednesday afternoon she is withdrawing her challenge to the 2020 election results in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Hart, a Democrat, lost the race for the district’s open seat to Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks by six votes, according to the results certified by the state canvassing board. “After many conversations with people I […]