The Iowa Department of Public Health reported on Sunday that another 188 residents of Johnson County had tested positive for COVID-19 during the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m. The department’s official 14-day average positivity rate for the county also increased to 22.3 percent. In its Sunday analysis of the spread of COVID-19 in metro […]
COVID-19
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Iowa City school board votes to start the year fully online amid COVID-19 spike in Johnson County
The Iowa City Community School District Board of Directors voted unanimously on Saturday to start the school year with two weeks of all online instruction. The decision was made possible by a waiver freeing the district from the 50 percent in-person instruction minimum Gov. Reynolds has mandated every school district in Iowa — except for […]
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COVID-19: Iowa City ranks high on list of surging U.S. cities as more than 500 UI students report testing positive
The surge of new COVID-19 cases in Johnson County continued on Friday, with the Iowa Department of Public Health reporting 258 new cases in the 24-hour period ending at 10 a.m., and the New York Times ranking Iowa City second on its list of cities where cases of the virus are have risen fastest on […]
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Judge orders Linn County to void 50,000 absentee ballot request forms
A district court judge has ordered Linn County Auditor Joel Miller to nullify about 50,000 absentee ballot request forms, siding with Republican groups that alleged Miller overstepped his authority by sending out request forms with pre-filled voter information. The Trump campaign, Republican Party of Iowa and two national Republican campaign committees filed three separate lawsuits […]
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Local and state leaders in Iowa continue to clash over use of absentee ballot drop boxes, ballot request forms
The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office is saying Iowa law does not allow county auditors to use drop boxes for absentee ballots, but Linn County is pushing back. Kevin Hall, a spokesperson for Secretary of State Paul Pate, told the Des Moines Register that “auditors do not have authority to establish a ballot drop box […]
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Reynolds: Bars in Johnson and Linn County must shut down due to COVID-19 spike
Downtown Iowa City bars that saw dozens of college-age patrons line up outside their doors just days ago must close up by 5 p.m. this Thursday, by order of the governor. In a new proclamation of disaster emergency Gov. Kim Reynolds signed on Thursday morning, the state is requiring “bars, taverns, wineries, breweries, distilleries, night […]
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Iowa City schools granted waiver by state to start classes all online as Johnson County COVID-19 cases soar
The Iowa City Community School District has received a waiver from the Iowa Department of Education (DOE) that will allow it to begin the year with two weeks of all online instruction. The district had applied to DOE for a waiver to exempt its schools from the 50 percent in-person instruction standard Gov. Kim Reynolds […]
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Johnson County has confirmed more than 300 new COVID-19 cases in four days
“Over the past four days we have seen a surge of [COVID-19] cases reported to us, totally over 300, and primarily in younger persons,” Johnson County Public Health Director Dave Koch said in a written statement on Wednesday. “We anticipate this trend to continue.” Koch stressed the importance of social distancing and other simple mitigation […]
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Hy-Vee offering a limited number of self-administered COVID-19 tests for free
Hy-Vee announced on Tuesday it will be offering self-administered COVID-19 tests at five of its Iowa pharmacies, including the Hy-Vee Drugstore on N 1st Ave in Iowa City. The tests are free and will be performed in a drive-through format. Anyone wanting to be tested will need to register online in advance at the Do […]
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COVID-19: ISU reports 130 cases during its first week of classes; 78 more Johnson County residents test positive
Iowa State University started classes on Aug. 17, and on Monday, ISU reported 130 students and staff members had tested positive for COVID-19 during the first week of classes. The positives accounted for 13.6 percent of the 957 test results the university reported between Aug. 17 and 23. ISU had previously confirmed 175 cases of […]
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COVID-19: UI discloses 111 cases, IDPH reports the first death of child and Indianola schools confirm new case
As classes resumed at the University of Iowa on Monday, the university’s administration published its first COVID-19 case count of the new semester: at least 107 students and four staff members have tested positive so far. “These numbers reflect only self-reported positive or presumed positive COVID-19 tests from UI faculty, staff, and students on the […]
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Hearing date set for ICCSD, educators’ lawsuit against Gov. Reynolds’ school mandate
A hearing has been scheduled for the lawsuit challenging Gov. Kim Reynolds’ authority to order schools to have 50 percent in-person instruction even if local school boards believe COVID-19 conditions make that too dangerous. The Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) and the Iowa State Education Association (ISEA), which represents more than 30,000 educators in […]
