As 2024 draws to a close, the Iowa Hunger Coalition (IHC) is making one final push to persuade Gov. Kim Reynolds to participate in the USDA Summer EBT for Children program in 2025. That program, also known as SUN Bucks, provides $40 a month per child to a family’s SNAP benefit card during the three […]
Kelly Garcia
Posted inCommunity/News
Gov. Reynolds rejects millions in aid for food-insecure Iowa families (again), instead asking feds to fund her own ‘monthly box’ program
On Thursday, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced she is again refusing to allow Iowans to participate in a USDA program that provides millions of dollars in direct assistance to families with children to help cover the increased cost of food during summer months when kids aren’t in school. “In Iowa, our focus is on the comprehensive […]
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Iowa HHS pledges to boost voter registration access for Medicaid applicants, but vague on details
Three months after Iowa Capital Dispatch reported that the state’s health department is likely violating federal voting law and leaving thousands of low-income Iowans off the rolls, the department has publicly acknowledged the problem but remains vague on the plan for fixing it. Multiple voting advocates told the Capital Dispatch in January that application and […]
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Iowa will not receive $30 million in federal aid for child care
The state of Iowa is losing $30 million in federal money that would have helped families access basic child care services. The governor’s office says the loss of that money is the result of a deliberate decision to avoid having to commit $3 million in matching state funds toward child care. But a Democratic state […]
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Gov. Reynolds says Iowa will sue to stop federal vaccine requirements; more than 7,000 Iowans have died of COVID, IDPH says
Iowa “will take immediate legal action to challenge” new workplace standards on COVID-19 vaccinations issued by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Thursday, Gov. Kim Reynolds said. In a written statement after OSHA published the new standards, Reynolds called the effort to increase vaccination rates and protect workers in congregate settings from being exposed […]
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‘A very clear disability discrimination situation’: ACLU and 11 Iowa families sue over state ban on school mask mandates
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Iowa filed a lawsuit in federal court on Friday, seeking to overturn the ban on school mask mandates Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law earlier this year. The national ACLU and the Iowa affiliate were joined by Disability Rights Iowa and the Arc of Iowa, an […]
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Reynolds says she wants to give ‘the public reliable information’ about COVID, before cutting off questions at news conference
“I believe the government’s role in a public health crisis is to provide the public reliable information, so that they can make and form their own informed decisions,” Gov. Kim Reynolds said during a news conference on Thursday. “I also believe that this approach is more effective than mandates that attempt to dictate other people’s […]
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Gov. Reynolds doesn’t answer question about political divide on vaccines, announces college vaccination programs
As Iowa prepares to for its largest expansion of eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination — everyone 16 and older for the Pfizer vaccine, and those 18 and older for both Moderna and Johnson & Johnson — Gov. Kim Reynolds was asked at her weekly news conference if she any insight into why many people in a […]
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Sex offenders sue state after being denied leftovers from their Satanic feast
By Clark Kauffmann, Iowa Capital Dispatch A group of convicted sex offenders is suing the state of Iowa, claiming their right to worship Lucifer with a weeklong feast of fried chicken, doughnuts and ice cream is being violated. Lawsuits filed by prison and jail inmates are commonplace, and many of them allege violations of constitutional […]
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Gov. Reynolds assesses her pandemic performance ahead of Iowa’s COVID anniversary
Gov. Kim Reynolds began her news conference on Wednesday by noting that “almost 23 percent of eligible Iowans age 18 and up, and almost 70 percent — 69.5 — of older Iowans, age 65 and above, have received at least their first dose” of COVID-19 vaccine. The governor said she expects the rate of vaccination […]
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‘A place like this is needed now more than ever’: Johnson County’s GuideLink Center prepares to open
The GuideLink Center, a mental health access center in Iowa City that has been in the works for more than a decade, is just days away from opening its doors. The 18,000 square-foot facility at 300 Southgate Ave will provide rapid assessment, triage and stabilization for adults experiencing a mental health or substance abuse crisis. […]
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‘Absolutely mind-boggling’: Gov. Reynolds didn’t ask for the IDPH’s opinion before eliminating statewide mask mandate
Gov. Kim Reynolds did not consult with the Iowa Department of Public Health before eliminating the limited statewide mask mandate that had been in place since mid-November, according to state Sen. Claire Celsi. The Des Moines Democrat tweeted on Monday that she “listened in on a phone call” between interim Iowa Department of Public Health […]
