Democrats are warning about the potential spread of Covid-19 in the Iowa Statehouse this week as the 2021 legislative session gets underway. Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, is accusing Republican leaders of acting like Covid is "no big deal." "Your lame reasoning about not … [Read more...]
Marshalltown veterans home residents getting COVID vaccinations
The 900 residents and staff at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown are now in the second of three days of getting vaccinated for COVID-19. A team of 14 pharmacists and assistants from Walgreens are doing the honors at the state’s largest nursing home. IVH compliance officer Rob Moore is in … [Read more...]
Governor unhappy with speed of vaccine deployment in Iowa nursing homes
Governor Kim Reynolds says the pace of Covid-19 vaccinations for Iowa nursing residents and staff is unacceptable. Under a federal agreement, Walgreens, CVS, and a regional chain called Community Pharmacy were hired to get the shots deployed to Iowa nursing homes. Some nursing home managers say … [Read more...]
Nonprofits trying to find ways to keep afloat in pandemic
The pandemic is straining Iowa non-profits and their donors with significant drops in fundraising and volunteers. While some groups found new ways to get resources to those in need, other shelters and food banks can’t meet demand. Kari McCann Boutell, president of the Iowa Council of Foundations, … [Read more...]
Luther College students ask for continued online classes
Hundreds of students, parents and alumni are asking Luther College in Decorah to wait longer before returning to in-person instruction. The college announced this week students must return to campus to attend classes in-person starting Monday, unless they have a documented condition that puts … [Read more...]
Omaha medical center testing third COVID-19 vaccine
While select groups of Iowans are now getting COVID-19 vaccines developed by either Pfizer or Moderna, a third company’s vaccine is now going into the third phase of testing in Omaha/Council Bluffs. Dr. Diana Florescu, an infectious diseases specialist at the University of Nebraska Medical … [Read more...]
ISU president says new semester will use lessons learned from pandemic
Students in K-through-12 classes and at the college level had to deal with a lot of changes in their routine this past year following the COVID-19 outbreak. Iowa State University president, Wendy Wintersteen, says they adjusted on the fly. "We certainly had some ups and downs during the semester. … [Read more...]
Senate Republicans aim for ‘aggressive’ tax reduction
The 11-week shut down of the 2020 Iowa legislative session due to the pandemic delayed a debate about tax policy that's likely to be front-and-center of the 2021 session. "I've said this many times, but as long as I'm the leader of the Senate and as long as we're in the majority, we're always … [Read more...]
Some Iowa nursing homes await word on vaccination schedule
Teams of Walgreens, CVS and Community Pharmacy employees began deploying Covid vaccinations Monday to the people who live and work in Iowa nursing homes, but it will be some time before the tens of thousands of shots are administered in all of Iowa's long term care settings. "We haven't heard … [Read more...]
Radio Iowa’s top stories of 2020
A pandemic that began here in March, a massive storm that struck in August, and the politics that started in February with Caucus chaos were the top stories in Iowa this past year. Here's a rundown of those stories: The Pandemic 2020: Pandemic report Matt Kelley's audio report on the … [Read more...]