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, […]
COVID-19
Posted inArts & Entertainment
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 […]
Posted inCOVID-19
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 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
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. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘I’m not a scientist’: Gov. Reynolds on face masks; the Iowa State Fair opens as COVID cases keep climbing
The Iowa State Fair opened its 11-day run on Thursday with limited COVID-19 precautions, even though new data from the Iowa Department of Public Health showed new cases of the virus are continuing to increase rapidly and the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patient took a dramatic jump. In its weekly update issued on Wednesday, IDPH […]
Posted inCommunity/News
‘Give it to the people’: Iowa City holds public discussion on how to spend $18 million in pandemic relief
Advocates for immediate action to assist marginalized members of the community made their voices heard in Mercer Park on Wednesday evening, as city officials held a public input session on how to spend the $18.3 million dollars in federal aid being provided to Iowa City under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). President Biden signed […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Masks and vaccines ‘strongly recommended’ for Cedar Rapids students and teachers
The Cedar Rapids Community School District (CRCSD) is “strongly recommending” students wear masks when returning to school this fall and is requiring masks on district buses. School districts in Iowa can no longer require mask-wearing in their schools, due to a law Gov. Kim Reynolds signed in May. Students and staff who test positive for […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Coralville and North Liberty will require face masks in city buildings
Coralville and North Liberty are joining Iowa City and Cedar Rapids in requiring everyone entering city-owned buildings to wear face masks, regardless of their vaccination status. The requirements will take effect Wednesday, the two cities announced in written statements on Tuesday. Because of the rapid spread of the highly infectious Delta variant, the CDC updated […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Sit-in planned at Iowa Capitol to push Gov. Reynolds to allow school COVID-19 mandates
A sit-in at the Iowa State Capitol is scheduled for Wednesday to protest Gov. Reynolds’ refusal to allow school districts to require face masks or have the Iowa Department of Public Health monitor COVID-19 in schools. The “Safe at School” sit-in is being sponsored by Safe at School and the Disability Caucus of the Iowa […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Masks will be required in Linn County buildings starting Monday
Linn County employees and visitors will be required to wear face masks at county-owned facilities starting Monday, regardless of their vaccination status. A divided Board of Supervisors passed the mask mandate during a meeting on Friday morning. The ideological division between supervisors on masks was visible even before the resolution was introduced. Supervisor Stacey Walker […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa City is requiring face masks in city buildings again, as COVID-19 rates rise in Johnson County
Face masks will be required in all city-owned buildings in Iowa City starting on Friday, regardless of visitors’ vaccination status. “The decision to require that masks be worn in City facilities was made for the health and safety of visitors to public facilities and for the staff who serve them,” the city said in a […]
Posted inCOVID-19
Cedar Rapids requires mask wearing in city-owned buildings
The City of Cedar Rapids is requiring all visitors to city-owned buildings to wear a mask, regardless of vaccination status. The change is in line with the most recent guidance issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week, the city said in a news release. The CDC’s pivot about fully vaccinated individuals […]
