Category: State News

IOWA (IRN) – Iowa students and teachers will not return to their classrooms this spring. Governor Kim Reynolds announced Friday that schools will remain closed the rest of the school year due to COVID-19. Schools will be required to continue offering online programs. There will be no spring sports seasons. They will further assess the situation on summer sports as things progress. Reynolds said Iowa’s COVID-19 cases have not yet peaked. Reynolds also waived the August start date for schools so districts can make local decisions.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – More than 60 employees at the University of Iowa Health Care campus in Iowa City have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Gazette. Of the 64 employees infected to date, four tested positive Thursday.

TIFFIN, IA (IRN) – Authorities have obtained search warrants as they investigate the suspicious death of a 15-year-old boy whose body was found over the weekend in a lake near Iowa City. The Gazette reports that the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is not commenting on what led authorities to look in Coralville Lake for Noah Herring, who was last seen in nearby Tiffin on April 7.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health released new COVID-19 statistics today. There have been four deaths and 191 new cases in Iowa. The increase in positive cases is the largest single-day increase yet. That brings the total to 2,332 confirmed cases, and 64 deaths.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds refused to say Thursday whether she was asked to join with other Midwest governors in coordinating the reopening of their state economies. The governors of seven Midwestern states announced they had agreed to work together to restart their economies amid the coronavirus pandemic, following similar pacts in the Northeast and West Coast. The Midwest agreement includes Illinois, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kentucky. Five of the governors are Democrats and two are Republicans.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Tyson Foods in Waterloo is a new hotspot for COVID-19 cases. KGAN-TV reports city and county leaders in Black Hawk County are frustrated. Sheriff Tony Thompson, who is also the Black Hawk County Emergency Management Director, says leaders took their own tour of the plant in recent days, and claims not enough was being done to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

IOWA (IRN) – U.S. Sen. Joni Ernst will release a memoir, titled “Daughter of the Heartland: My Ode to the Country that Raised Me,” on May 26. The Des Moines Register reports Simon and Schuster, the publisher, bills the book as a “candid, down-to-earth memoir” that recounts Ernst’s life from farm girl to her time in Kuwait as an officer in the Iowa Army National Guard to serving as Iowa’s first female U.S. senator.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health reported four deaths and 96 new COVID-19 cases in Iowa Wednesday. That brings the total number of deaths to 53, and the total number of positive cases to 1,995.

COLUMBUS JUNCTION, IA (IRN) – Tyson has confirmed that two of its Columbus Junction plant employees died due to COVID-19. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced her efforts to provide resources for food plants Wednesday afternoon. The governor said the state is sending enough materials to test 900 more people this week at the plant, which has suspended operations for two weeks after more than 160 workers tested positive.

CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – An Iowa Department of Corrections worker is under quarantine after becoming the first person connected to the state’s prison system to test positive for the novel coronavirus. The staff member, a correctional officer at Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville, tested positive last week after experiencing symptoms April 8 and 9.

IOWA (IRN) – Creditors have been garnishing Iowans’ income and freezing their bank accounts during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Des Moines Register. As one example, in Iowa City, a health care worker on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic had her bank accounts frozen because of student loan debt.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health reported four deaths and 96 new COVID-19 cases in Iowa Wednesday. That brings the total number of deaths to 53, and the total number of positive cases to 1,995.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines International Airport will receive millions of dollars from the federal CARES Act as it faces the COVID-19 downturn. KCCI-TV reports on Monday, the airport closed Concourse A due to a 95% drop in passengers. The airport will receive over $23 million to help offset losses. The airport is down to less than 210 passengers each day — about as many passengers as a single Boeing 737 jet can fit.

IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The staff at CommUnity in Iowa City are working remotely to provide mental health services. KCRG-TV reports CommUnity answers text messages through the National Disaster Distress Hotline. Since COVID-19, they have seen over 17 times as many contacts through that text service. To better serve the public CommUnity has added about 10 temporary positions.

DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – The group that owns the Hotel Blackhawk in downtown Davenport is making sure their furloughed employees don’t go hungry. Each employee can get a meal every night for themselves and their families. There is a weekly menu and staff can call in and take up to six meals home.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health reported six deaths and 189 new COVID-19 cases in Iowa Tuesday. That brings the total number of deaths to 49, and the total number of positive cases to 1,899. Gov. Kim Reynolds attributed the highest single-day spike in new positive cases to the Tyson plant in Louisa County, where an additional 86 positive cases were reported.

TIFFIN, IA (IRN) – The public’s assistance is requested by the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office in the investigation of the death of 15-year-old Noah Herring. KCII-Radio reports the teenager from Tiffin was last seen on April 7th and his body was recovered from the Coralville Reservoir four days later. The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident. They are asking the public to help locate anyone who was boating or fishing on the Coralville Reservoir near Scales Pointe Campground or near the area known as Diving Rock on April 7th.

WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Construction crews escaped safely Monday after flames engulfed a retirement home under construction in West Des Moines. KCCI-TV reports fire crews were still at the scene early Tuesday morning. West Des Moines Fire Marshal Mike Whitsell said it is unclear what started the fire, but the flames spread fast. Whitsell said strong winds made it difficult to stop the fire from spreading. He called it “a firefighter’s nightmare.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds said Monday that she is beginning to plan out how and when Iowa will reopen despite stating that the state’s peak for COVID-19 infection remains weeks away. The governor said she is balancing efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 with the need to help Iowa’s economy and schools. She has formed an Iowa economic recovery task force that consists of state leaders and will likely include private business leaders.

WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Police in Waterloo have charged a man with arson following a fire at the Wishbone Restaurant. KCRG-TV reports police have charged Kevin Josue Cruz Soliveras, 29, with second-degree arson. He had already been in custody for an attempted armored car robbery on March 11.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Due to the COVID-19 pandemic the entire 2020 Indoor Football League season has been canceled. WHO-TV reports the Iowa Barnstormers will have a 16 game regular season in 2021. Barnstormers President Jeff Lamberti says, “While we are disappointed that we will not be having the 2020 season for our Barnstormers fans, we feel this decision is in the best interest of the safety of our players, staff, and fans.”

IOWA (IRN) – Two more Iowans have died from COVID-19, the Iowa Department of Public Health announced Monday. An additional 113 cases have been confirmed in the state. A total of 43 Iowans have now died from the virus. There is now a statewide total of 1,710 cases in Iowa.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The city of Des Moines estimates an $18 million loss of revenue for the next 60 days, and it’s all attributed to COVID-19. With the city at a stand still, it’s projected that there will be little revenue from sales tax, permits, and licenses.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines Public Schools are starting their first day of distance-learning today, and will continue through the rest of the school year. They are also prepared to implement the same plan for this fall if a second wave of COVID-19 hits.

JOHNSTON, IA (IRN) – Easter celebrations were very different this year, with no in person church services, fewer large family gatherings, or community Easter egg hunts. WHO-TV reports Johnston resident Heather Comfort had a different idea–she asked her neighborhood to put together a door decorating contest. Bunnies, butterflies, and flowers were common decorations, and so were family photos. One door had flowers and bunnies, and at the top said, “some bunny loves you.”