Around 50 people “died” on the Pentacrest on Thursday to protest the University of Iowa’s COVID-19 policies. The die-in protest was organized by Campaign to Organize Graduate Students (COGS), the union that represents graduate student workers at the university. Protesters laid down on the Pentacrest’s sidewalk, as COGS members drew chalk outlines of their bodies. […]
coronavirus
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Reynolds says she wants to give ‘the public reliable information’ about COVID, before cutting off questions at news conference
“I believe the government’s role in a public health crisis is to provide the public reliable information, so that they can make and form their own informed decisions,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said during a news conference on Thursday. “I also believe that this approach is more effective than mandates that attempt to dictate other people’s […]
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A loophole in Iowa’s anti-mask law? Linn County Board of Health makes a suggestion as Delta spikes, especially among kids
“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 […]
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Guess who’s back: Sen. Bernie Sanders breaks down Democrats’ new New Deal in CR
There was much that was familiar about Sen. Bernie Sanders’ town hall event on the Bankers Trust Stage at NewBo City Market Sunday. The recorded soundtrack that played as people began to fill the open space in front of the stage was the same one used at Sanders’ rallies and town halls during the 2020 […]
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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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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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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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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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Linn County launches financial assistance program to help residents facing eviction or utility shutoffs
Linn County residents facing eviction or falling behind on rent can apply for financial assistance through the county’s Emergency Rental Assistance Program (ERAP). The county announced on Monday it is working with Waypoint and HACAP to administer rent and utility payments to those who are eligible for up to 18 months. Individuals must be able […]
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With COVID cases hitting ‘high’ mark, face masks are now required in Johnson County municipal buildings
Johnson County now requires anyone entering a county-owned building to wear a face mask in response to the surge in new COVID-19 cases in Iowa caused by the highly contagious Delta variant. The county joins Linn County, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Coralville and North Liberty, which had already enacted mask mandates for their municipal buildings. […]
