The pandemic is forcing many Iowans to shake up their Thanksgiving traditions and while many of us won't be in the same room with loved ones tomorrow, virtual rooms are growing in popularity. After the big meal, many families play board or dice games, which can be easy through Zoom or Skype, … [Read more...]
Updated tally shows Miller-Meeks leads Hart by 35 votes
Updated results posted on the Iowa Secretary of State's website late last night show Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks leading Democrat Rita Hart by just 35 votes in Iowa's still-undecided second congressional district race. More than 394,000 votes were cast in the contest. Hart asked for a … [Read more...]
Governor urges Iowans to adjust holiday traditions during pandemic
Governor Kim Reynolds has announced she's cancelled her family's Thanksgiving gathering. The governor's current public health emergency proclamation limits the size of family gatherings to no more than 15. Reynolds made a direct appeal to Iowans during her news conference yesterday. "Consider … [Read more...]
10th inmate dies after getting Covid in Iowa prison system
A fifth inmate from the Anamosa State Penitentiary has died after contracting Covid during an outbreak at the prison. According to a news release from the Iowa Department of Corrections, 68-year-old Frederick William Lewis died in a hospital of complications related to Covid and other preexisting … [Read more...]
A third of Iowa nursing homes have Covid outbreaks
State officials report there are Covid outbreaks at 147 Iowa nursing homes, with 4,656 residents testing positive for the virus. With holidays ahead, Governor Kim Reynolds said her state agencies are reviewing federal guidelines for visitation policies with nursing home managers. "While the … [Read more...]
This weekend’s ISU graduates get a special ‘CY-lebration’ box of mementoes
More than 2,100 students will be graduating from Iowa State University this weekend and each of them will be given what's being called a Graduation CY-lebration Box. Since the commencement ceremonies and convocations will all be virtual due to the pandemic, university registrar Jennifer Suchan … [Read more...]
Northwest Iowa plant planned, to produce ‘CornBoard’
A new bio-manufacturing plant is planned in Sac County, near Odebolt, to make a product called "CornBoard." Corn stover -- the stalks, leaves, husks and tassels left over after the corn kernels are harvested -- will be turned into a wood substitute. The plant is a joint project of CornBoard … [Read more...]
Final field work wrapping up across Iowa
Farmers took advantage of good weather last week to wrap up some of the remaining harvest work. The U.S.D.A. crop report out Monday shows only scattered cornfields remain to be harvested across the state -- amounting to about two percent of the crop. Some of the derecho damaged cornfields … [Read more...]
Some Iowa towns see fatter year-end checks from the state
A top official in the Iowa Department of Revenue confirms some Iowa communities are getting early holiday gifts from the state in the form of much larger checks than expected from local option sales taxes. State chief economist Robin Anderson says it'll be a boom to the budgets in quite a few … [Read more...]
Ninth Iowa inmate died after contracting Covid
State officials say a 59-year-old inmate in the Anamosa State Penitentiary has died, likely from complications related to Covid. Timothy Christopher Bryant is the ninth inmate from the state prison system to die after contracting Covid. According to an Iowa Department of Correction news release, … [Read more...]