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 […]
Gov. Kim Reynolds
Posted inCOVID-19
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 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds tells two very different stories about derecho relief to Iowans, the RNC on Tuesday
Gov. Kim Reynolds’ Tuesday night speech to the Republican National Convention may have surprised anyone who listened to her news conference in Cedar Rapids earlier on Tuesday. During the news conference, Reynolds said she believes not all the federal aid she asked for to help Iowans recover from the Aug. 10 derecho will be approved. […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Disaster Unemployment Assistance now available for Linn County workers
Individuals who are unable to work or were temporarily laid off in Linn County due to the Aug. 10 derecho may be eligible for Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA). DUA is part of the major disaster declaration President Donald Trump approved on Aug. 17. Trump OKed federal assistance for Linn County on Aug. 20 but aid […]
Posted inCommunity/News
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 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds will speak to the Republican National Convention on Tuesday
Gov. Kim Reynolds will be a featured speaker at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday night. The governor has not indicated what she will be talking about, but all the convention speakers are expected to use their time to praise President Trump. Each night of the RNC is themed, and Tuesday’s theme is “Land of […]
Posted inCommunity/News
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 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
White House Coronavirus Task Force recommends Iowa mandate masks and close bars; Des Moines Public Schools will sue the state for right to keep classes online
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 […]
Posted inCOVID-19
President Trump approves federal aid for Linn County, but 26 other counties are still under review
On Thursday night, Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office announced President Trump had partially approved her request for federal aid for individuals and businesses affected by the Aug. 10 derecho. On Monday, the president approved the Public Assistance part of Reynolds’ major disaster declaration request. FEMA Public Assistance provides federal aid for the repair of public infrastructure […]
Posted inCommunity/News
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 […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Cedar Rapids schools will be able to start the school year with all online classes
School districts, like Cedar Rapids Community Schools, whose buildings were badly damaged by the Aug. 10 derecho will be able to start the school year with all online classes, Gov. Kim Reynolds said during her news conference on Thursday. “On Friday, we’ll be updating our existing disaster proclamation to accommodate the needs of those schools […]
Posted inCommunity/News
Iowa’s COVID-19 death toll surpasses 1,000 as problems with data reporting continue
COVID-19 has now killed more than 1,000 Iowans, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, IDPH reported another 16 deaths from the virus, bringing the state’s COVID-19 death toll to 1,003. The grim milestone comes just days after an IDPH official confirmed the data management system the state uses […]
