“This is serious,” Dr. Pramod Dwivedi, health director of Linn County Public Health, said of the impact of the Delta variant in Linn County. “Last week, 605 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in our county,” Dwivedi said during Wednesday morning’s news conference with Linn County Supervisor Stacey Walker and Leslie Wright, chair of the […]
COVID-19
Posted inCommunity/News
Linn County Treasurer’s Office closes to the public because it’s short-staffed due to COVID-19 (Updated)
Update: The Treasure’s Office announced it will reopen to the public on Friday, Sept. 3. The office “continues to encourage residents to conduct business online, by drop box, mail, or phone when possible to avoid waiting in line at the Treasurer’s Office,” according to a news release from the county. People who want to use […]
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‘It’s simply unacceptable’: U.S. Department of Education launches investigation of Iowa’s ban on mask mandates in schools
The U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) has launched an investigation into whether Iowa’s prohibition on mandating face masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 put students at risk in a way that violates their rights. “Specifically, OCR will examine whether, in light of Iowa’s prohibition on local school districts and schools […]
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Mask mandate issued for all Iowa courthouses by Chief Justice Susan Christensen
Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court Susan Christensen issued a face mask requirement for all of Iowa’s courthouses on Friday afternoon, which requires everyone entering a courthouse to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status. “This requirement applies statewide and does not depend on a particular county’s or area’s positivity rate or transmission status,” […]
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COVID-19: Reynolds sued over ban on masks in schools; more than 7,000 new cases reported in latest update
One day after a lawsuit was filed against the state over the new state law barring school boards from requiring face masks in schools, IDPH published an update showing another 7,112 Iowans tested positive for COVID-19 during its most recent seven-day reporting period. The new cases included in the Wednesday update pushed the total number […]
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The Iowa City Latino Festival returns to the Ped Mall on Saturday
Iowa City Latino Festival is returning, after a year off due to the pandemic. This year’s festival kicks off on the Ped Mall at noon on Saturday. “We are excited to come back,” Manny Galvez, the festival’s founder and organizer, told Little Village. “We started the festival 10 years ago, but we had to cancel […]
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Linn County doctors warn of upcoming COVID surge as hospitalizations rise
Linn County health officials are urging residents to get vaccinated and to practice mitigation measures to ease the burden on the local healthcare system, which has been seeing an increase in hospitalizations, as the Delta variant fuels an increase in COVID-19 cases. “COVID cases have increased in the preceding two weeks at a pace that […]
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The conspiracy-theory influence on Iowa’s laws and lawmakers
Donald Trump was not welcomed back into the Oval Office on Friday, Aug. 13, as some MAGA loyal predicted. But the failure of such Trumpian prophecies usually does little to dull the fervor of right-wing conspiracy theorists. Encouraged by online influencers and politicians who stand to benefit from the spread of misinformation, an array of […]
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Iowa City mask mandate: UI and ICCSD say they can’t require masks; Mayor Teague discusses enforcement
The University of Iowa will not change its policy of encouraging but not requiring mask-wearing on campus, despite the mask mandate issued by Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague on Thursday night. As a state agency it is bound by state law, a UI spokesperson said shortly after the mayor announced the mandate. On Friday, the […]
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Iowa City issues new mask mandate for schools, restaurants, UI campus and more
Mayor Bruce Teague issued a face mask mandate for Iowa City on Thursday evening, due to the ongoing surge in cases of COVID-19 driven by the spread of the Delta variant in Iowa. “The Delta variant has reached our community, and as the number of positive cases continue to grow, we are now also faced […]
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Gov. Reynolds condemns President Biden’s push to lift school mask ban in Iowa
With only a few days left before schools across Iowa reopen, Gov. Kim Reynolds denounced efforts by President Biden to prevent state governments, including Iowa’s, from prohibited face mask requirements in schools. Briefly speaking to reporters after participating in an event promoting Hy-Vee’s Indy-car racing team at the supermarket chain’s West Des Moines office complex, […]
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Getting to know Iowa (and Midwest music) at Grey Area festival
The last time I went to a music festival was two years and two months ago, AthFest in Athens, Georgia, the town I called home until a few weeks ago. And while I’ve seen live music here and there during the pandemic, I have really missed the festival atmosphere: the food trucks, the ambient music […]
