The Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously on Thursday to lift the county’s mask mandate. The mandate officially ends on Monday, May 31, following the publication of a public notice in “a newspaper of record.” “Today’s just the culmination of a lot of what is happening,” Supervisor Rod Sullivan said before the board voted […]
Gov. Kim Reynolds
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Gov. Reynolds signs bill making it illegal for schools to require face masks, further eroding authority of local governments
It is now illegal for schools in Iowa to require students or staff to wear face masks, even though the CDC recommends mask use in schools, because of a bill signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds on Thursday morning. HF 847 also strips cities and counties of their authority to create mask mandates that […]
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Iowa Legislature passes bill that increases penalties for some protest-related offenses, protects drivers who hit protesters from lawsuits
The Iowa Legislature has passed a bill that increases penalties for people engaged in protest, increases qualified immunity for police officers and shields drivers who strike protesters from civil lawsuits. SF 342, the so-called “Back the Blue” bill, passed the Republican-led Senate on a party-line vote on Monday, and passed the House on Tuesday with […]
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Iowa City and Coralville lift their mask mandates
Iowa City and Coralville announced on Tuesday an end to their city-wide mask mandates. In written statements, both cities cited the revised guidance issued by the CDC last week stating that people who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks or engage in social distancing even while indoors to mitigate the spread of […]
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Biden partners with Uber and Lyft to provide free rides to get vaccinated, as rates continue to slow
As the rate of COVID-19 vaccination slows across the country, President Joe Biden announced a new partnership between the country’s two largest ride-hailing services and the federal government to make it easier for people to reach sites where they can be vaccinated. The partnership was announced Tuesday as part of a set of new initiatives […]
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UnityPoint Health holding COVID-19 vaccine clinics this week in Cedar Rapids, as vaccination demand in Iowa continues to drop
UnityPoint Health in Cedar Rapids is holding a walk-in vaccine clinic this week on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. The clinic will be held at the MedLabs building, 717 A Ave NE, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on those three days. Individuals coming to the clinic are asked to enter from the lower level entrance. […]
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Gov. Reynolds boasts about returning $95 million in federal COVID-19 aid, rejecting migrant children during Fox News forum
Gov. Kim Reynolds boasted to an audience of Fox News fans in Orlando, Florida on Thursday night that she had rejected $95 million in pandemic relief funds from the CDC. The Iowa Department of Public Health informed the CDC of that decision on April 23, but the governor had not previously disclosed that she approved […]
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Republican-backed bill allowing charter schools to avoid local oversight goes to the governor’s desk
A bill preempting the authority of local school boards over publicly funded charter schools is going to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ desk for her signature. Reynolds named this sort of expansion of charter schools in Iowa as one of her top priorities in her Condition of the State speech at the beginning of this year’s legislative […]
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Hy-Vee offers walk-in jabs amid slump in Iowans’ demand for COVID vaccinations
Hy-Vee pharmacies are now offering COVID-19 vaccinations to everyone regardless of whether they have an appointment. The new walk-in vaccination policy was announced in a news release on Wednesday. “For those who prefer to make a vaccine appointment in advance, that option is still available by visiting www.hy-vee.com/covidvaccine, selecting ‘Find Appointments’ and completing the digital […]
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Ban on local governments, schools and businesses asking for proof of COVID vaccination advances in the Iowa Legislature
The Iowa House Judiciary Committee voted in favor of a bill intended to prohibit so-called “vaccine passports” on Monday. The bill was introduced on Friday, two weeks after Gov. Kim Reynolds called for such legislation. “I strongly oppose vaccine passports and I believe that we must take a stand as a state against them, which […]
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Transgender Iowan sues to overturn state’s ban on Medicaid coverage for medically necessary procedures
A lawsuit challenging Iowa’s ban on allowing Medicaid to pay for gender-affirming procedures deemed necessary by a doctor was filed in Polk County District Court on Thursday by the ACLU of Iowa and the national ACLU LGBTQ & HIV Project. The groups filed the lawsuit on behalf of Aiden Vasquez, a transgender resident of southeast […]
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Gov. Reynolds says vaccine hesitancy is a problem, but doesn’t acknowledge refusal to be vaccinated among Iowa Republicans
Gov. Kim Reynolds started her news conference on Wednesday by noting the progress the state has made getting Iowans vaccinated against COVID-19. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, 53 percent of Iowa residents 18 or older have had at least one dose of vaccine. But the state is also seeing people either refusing […]
