“I am really happy with where we’re at,” Gov. Kim Reynolds told reporters on Thursday, explaining that Iowa doesn’t need to follow the example of other states and create lotteries or other incentives to persuade people to be vaccinated against COVID-19. In April, the governor announced a goal of having 65 percent of eligible Iowans […]
Rob Sand
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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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Iowa is spending $10m in federal pandemic aid on state police salaries
After insisting for two months that spending $21 million in federal pandemic aid on a new computer system unrelated to COVID-19 was a legitimate use of that money, Gov. Kim Reynolds reversed her position on Monday and ordered those funds returned to the state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund. Iowa Auditor Rob Sand first informed the Reynolds […]
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Gov. Reynolds returns $21 million in misspent federal aid to state’s Coronavirus Relief Fund
On Monday afternoon, Gov. Kim Reynolds gave up trying to claim she could use $21 million in federal pandemic relief funds to pay for a computer system upgrade that wasn’t related to COVID-19. In a written statement, the governor’s office shared that “Governor Reynolds has directed the Iowa Department of Management to return $21 million […]
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Reynolds’ use of CARES Act funds to pay for software contract came after the Iowa House rejected her request for the money
Gov. Kim Reynolds’ decision to use $21 million of federal COVID-19 relief funds on a new computer system she awarded a no-bid contract last year came after the Iowa House of Representatives rejected her request to use $21 million in state gambling revenue to pay for the system, Iowa Capital Dispatch reported on Thursday. The […]
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COVID-19: Iowa sets new records for hospitalizations, deaths; Reynolds defends spending $21 million in federal pandemic aid on pre-pandemic projects
The surge in the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients continued on Wednesday, with the Iowa Department of Public Health reporting 534 patients. This is an increase of 33 patients over the total on Tuesday, which was the first day Iowa ever reported more than 500 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. One hundred and thirty-four of those patients […]
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Auditor: Reynolds administration has misused at least $21 million in federal funds meant for COVID-19 programs
The Reynolds administration has misused at least $21 million in federal funds meant to help pay for expenses related to COVID-19, according to Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand. In a letter to Dave Roederer, director of the Iowa Department of Management, dated Oct. 16, Sand said the Office of the Inspector General of the U.S. […]
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Report: Some Test Iowa kits were damaged and cannot be processed
An unknown number of Test Iowa test kits cannot be processed because they were damaged, Barbara Rodriguez of the Des Moines Register reported on Thursday. According to a spokesperson for Gov. Kim Reynolds, only a “very small percentage” of test kits were affected. “A very small percentage of individuals are going to receive a direct […]
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Iowa Auditor Rob Sand launches effort to help restaurants hurt COVID-19 and workers who lost their jobs
Iowa Auditor Rob Sand launched an online effort to help both the state’s beleaguered restaurants and those who have lost their jobs due to COVID-19. “Local restaurants need customers. Unemployed Iowans need support. You need the feeling of knowing you helped both with one gift,” is how Sand explained the Help Iowans initiative he launched […]
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State Auditor: ‘Bad data’ from Iowa DHS make it impossible to assess state’s Medicaid home health program
A new report from the Office of the State Auditor was supposed to summarize the results of an 18-month-long attempt to audit the Medicaid program administered by the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) that provides health services to patients in their homes. But that proved to be impossible, because repeated attempts to get accurate information
