IOWA (IRN) – Lawyers for Gov. Kim Reynolds are arguing in court that she was too busy to respond quickly to public-records requests this year due to the pandemic, and that her decision-making process is shielded from disclosure by executive privilege. The governor’s office has made those arguments in recent weeks as part of an effort to dispose of two lawsuits alleging she and her staff have violated the Iowa Open Records Law.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – One hundred health care professionals are being contracted to work at over a dozen medical facilities across Iowa. The Iowa Department of Public Health says the health care providers will be nurses and respiratory therapists, a need during the pandemic. They will work at facilities across Iowa that provide 1, 2, and 3 trauma level care.

IOWA (IRN) – Deer hunters found a dead mountain lion with a broken snare around its neck in east-central Iowa. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said the nearly 120-pound cat was found Tuesday in Poweshiek County by a group of hunters.

SIOUX CITY, IA (IRN) – Sioux City is considering spending $250,000 in federal coronavirus relief funds to provide a $300 bonus to city employees a little more than a week before Christmas.