IOWA (IRN) – Iowa will follow federal guidance in prioritizing health care workers and nursing home residents when distributing COVID-19 vaccinations, Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday. She said she expects the first distributions of the vaccine to start Dec. 13, with a shipment of 26,000 doses of a vaccine developed by Pfizer. Reynolds said more doses should come weekly, including a vaccine from Moderna, for a total of 172,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine by the end of December. The vaccines require two doses, and the limited qualities mean general distribution will not happen immediately. Iowa Department of Human Services Director Kelly Garcia said she expects that to start in mid-2021.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – More than 60 percent of Iowa’s rivers and streams are polluted or otherwise compromised, according to a report from the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The DNR says much of the problems with waterways across the state can be tied to Iowa’s agriculture industry, with manure and nutrients from fertilizer making their way into waterways.

IOWA (IRN) – A dispute in the nation’s closest congressional race in decades may be headed to a decision by the Democratically-controlled U.S. House. Former state senator and Democrat Rita Hart announced plans Wednesday to file a petition in the coming weeks under the Federal Contested Elections Act, challenging the outcome in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. The result has already been certified by the state, and officials declared Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks the winner — by just six votes.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The coronavirus pandemic is “severely” affecting the current Des Moines budget, subtracting a total of $25 million in expected revenues this fiscal year.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A University of Iowa student has been charged with Extortion. The 20-year-old woman is accused of threatening to go to the police and report she was sexually assaulted by the victim unless they paid her $1,000. She was released on her own recognizance and ordered not to have any contact with the victim.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – An Iowa City agriculture startup that uses drones to seed cover crops and apply herbicides and pesticides says it received $7.5 million in investment to expand. Rantizo, which provides precision in-field applications, said Wednesday it raised $7.5 million from investors, led by Leaps by Bayer, a unit of ag giant Bayer that helps finance new innovations and startups.