Last week, the White House Coronavirus Task Force advised Iowa to require face coverings in 48 of its 99 counties, and close bars in areas with a COVID-19 test positivity rate above 3 percent. The task force recommendations were included in its report dated Aug. 9, which was obtained by the Des Moines Register. “Iowa […]
COVID-19
Posted inCommunity/News
University of Iowa cuts swimming and diving programs, men’s gymnastics and tennis, citing COVID-19 losses
On Friday afternoon, University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld and Director of Athletics Gary Barta released a statement containing “some extremely difficult news.” Harreld and Barta said that due to COVID-19 financial losses in the Athletics Department, four of the university’s 24 intercollegiate varsity sports programs will be cut: men’s and women’s swimming and diving, […]
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IDPH knew for weeks it was misreporting COVID-19 data; Reynolds says it was a minor problem
The Iowa Department of Public Health knew for weeks it was publishing inaccurate information about the spread of COVID-19 in the state, IDPH Medical Director Dr. Caitlin Pedati said in an interview with the Gazette on Wednesday. Pedati told reporter Michaela Ramm she was aware by the end of July that IDPH’s data management system […]
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Viral post details harrowing experience of UI student who tested positive for COVID-19
Update:On Friday morning, the Press-Citizen published a profile of the anonymous student, identifying her as Annie Gaughan, 18, from Park Ridge, Illinois. Gaughan reportedly left the UI campus earlier this week and is staying in a hotel in Naperville, Illinois. The return of University of Iowa students to Iowa City is always a bittersweet time […]
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An Iowa City woman’s months-long fight against COVID-19 was marked by fear and frustration
When COVID-19 first took root in the United States, Iowa City resident Nora Boerner joined many nationwide in staying home as much as possible to keep her husband and four children safe. However, these precautions weren’t enough to prevent her from contracting the disease in mid-April. “Because of when I got sick and the journey […]
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El último potluck antes de la emergencia COVID-19
Todos estábamos felices aquel cuatro de marzo. Pues era nuestro último día de clases presenciales del programa de Inglés para adultos en el Kirkwood Community College de Iowa City. Y como última actividad hicimos un Potluck, es decir, una reunión informal en la que cada estudiante comparte con los demás un plato de comida o […]
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Iowa Department of Public Health has been misreporting COVID-19 data for months
The Iowa Department of Public Health has been misreporting COVID-19 test data for months due to a problem in its data management system. The error in the system has caused thousands of positive test results to be incorrectly backdated and reported as happening months earlier, according to a review of data published by IDPH. This […]
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‘Vote by mail is tanked’: Under Trump’s new postmaster general, medications, worker safety and democracy are lost in the mail
The Wisconsin primary on April 7 was the first in the United States after the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the nation, leading to business and school shutdowns as people adjusted to limit in-person encounters to slow the spread of the virus. Requests for absentee ballots, also known as mail-in ballots, shot up to 1.3 million, […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
Fixtures, equipment from The Mill listed for auction
When The Mill announced its closure two months ago, the Iowa City community that the restaurant and music venue had served for nearly 60 years (48 at its current Burlington Street location) was aghast. Everyone knew that there would be institutional casualties of the COVID-19 pandemic, but “it couldn’t happen here” seemed like the prevailing […]
Posted inArts & Entertainment
The world’s in crisis, but poetry is more accessible than ever in Iowa City
“Poetry is somewhere between jazz and bird call and computer code and ornate lacquer box and hot wrought iron and prayer and primal scream,” said Lisa Roberts, founding director of Iowa City Poetry. For seven years, Roberts has collaborated with artists around one of the most prestigious (and arguably elitist) writing capitals in the world […]
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Test Iowa site in Cedar Rapids reopens
The Test Iowa site in Cedar Rapids reopened Wednesday afternoon, after temporarily closing due to damage from Monday’s derecho. Sites in Davenport and Marshalltown that closed because of the storm have also reopened for testing. The three sites had limited hours on Wednesday but will return to regular hours — 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. […]
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COVID-19: Cases increase at Eldora state school; another 452 Iowans test positive
The number of COVID-19 cases at the Boys State Training School in Eldora more than doubled during two weeks between July 28 and Aug. 11, the Iowa Capital Dispatch reported. On July 28, the school was reporting 23 students and staff members had tested positive for the virus. On Tuesday, the Iowa Department of Human […]
