Dozens of Iowa prison inmates are working to expand the state’s stockpiles of personal protective equipment and hand sanitizer. According to the Department of Corrections, about 75 men and women in state prisons are making thousands of fabric masks and gowns, with plans to expand to face shields. … [Read more...]
March was a little wetter and warmer than average
March wrapped up being wetter than average across most of Iowa, according to state climatologist Justin Glisan. "Only sections of southwest Iowa were below average for precipitation," Glisan says. "If we look at the statewide average, we were at about three inches of precipitation, rainfall and … [Read more...]
Governor says livestock auctions part of food supply chain, may continue
A horse auction is underway today in Wayne County, with a large group of buyers from the Amish community gathering in person for the sale. The Corydon Times-Republican newspaper reports Wayne County Public Health officials strongly opposed the gathering. KCCI TV reports those who entered the … [Read more...]
State unemployment filings continue to skyrocket
Iowa saw a record number of people file for unemployment as the coronavirus pandemic continues. Iowa Workforce Development reports there were 58,435 COVID-19 unemployment claims filed between March 22 and 28th. More than 12,000 of those claims came in the food, hotel, and related services area. … [Read more...]
Pace of Iowa income tax refunds ahead of 2019
State tax collections dropped nine percent in March. That drop is not due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Legislative Services Agency. It happened because the State of Iowa sent out $70 million more in state income tax refunds this March compared to March of last year. The state … [Read more...]
Cedar Rapids Mercy hospital staff wearing masks all the time, asking public to follow
A major eastern Iowa hospital is asking residents in Iowa's second-largest city to wear face masks when they're outside their homes. Doctor Timothy Quinn, chief of clinical operations at Mercy Medical Center in Cedar Rapids, says cloth masks are a first line of defense in slowing down the spread … [Read more...]
Iowa Business Council survey sees drop in wake of coronavirus
A quarterly survey of the state's largest businesses released today predictably plummeted after months of positive news. Iowa Business Council executive director, Joe Murphy, says their overall economic outlook index fell to 37.5. "At the end of 2019, we were at just over 60 for our score for … [Read more...]
Iowa legislature’s top Democrats call for statewide shelter-in-place order
Iowa is among the five states which do not have some sort of a shelter-in-place or stay-at-home order within its borders. The top two Democrats in the legislature are urging Republican Governor Kim Reynolds to join change that. Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen of Des Moines and House … [Read more...]
Agreement averts Iowa court fight over surgical abortions
Iowa women will be able to have "essential" surgical abortions under an agreement between attorneys representing the state and those representing Planned Parenthood and the ACLU of Iowa. Governor Kim Reynolds issued an order last week that cancelled all elective surgeries through April 16th. … [Read more...]
Governor rejects UW estimate of 1,367 COVID-19 deaths in Iowa
Governor Kim Reynolds may issue restrictions related to the COVID-19 outbreak that are local and not statewide. "We are able to look at the metrics based on communities, based on counties, based on regions," Reynolds said today during her daily COVID-19 briefing. Reynolds, so far, has issued … [Read more...]