IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Iowa City residents will be required to wear masks beginning Tuesday, as many local government officials in Johnson County advocate for consistency to show unified support against COVID-19. The Daily Iowan reports Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague will release a proclamation on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. mandating the use of masks, face shields, and facial coverings for all community members.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A lawsuit filed by a social worker alleges poor treatment for Polk County Jail inmates struggling with mental health issues. Michaela Jens is suing the county and Wellpath — the company she worked for that provides mental health care services at the jail. The lawsuit claims Jens was hired in February and fired in May because she spoke out about conditions in the jail. Jens claims inmates had limited access to showers and personal sanitary materials. She is also concerned with how the jail is handling coronavirus cases among inmates.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – A member of the Coralville City Council has resigned following backlash received for remarks he made about the Black Lives Matter movement. Tom Gill, who had served on the council for 29 years, notified the city of Coralville of his resignation on Friday. Gill called Black Lives Matter “a bunch of criminals” at a public meeting on July 13. Mayor John Lundell issued a statement condemning Gill’s remarks.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds announced last week she will override local school districts and require students to spend at least half of their education time in classrooms, despite concerns the move could endanger children and teachers as the number of coronavirus cases increase. Since the governor’s announcement, Iowa educators have been sharing their frustrations online with the governor. They are writing and sharing drafts of their own obituaries.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Symphony announced Monday it is canceling the Yankee Doodle Pops and Water Works Pops concerts scheduled for Labor Day weekend because of COVID-19.