2021
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Iowa Poison Control: ‘No Good Proof Ivermectin is Beneficial’
Ivermectin—a livestock dewormer some COVID minimizers falsely think can cure the disease—has become a recent mainstay on Google Trends for American internet users. Health agencies across the country warn Americans not to use the drug as a preventative measure or treatment option for COVID. This week, hospitals in Oklahoma reported being overwhelmed by emergency room…
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Texas Ruling Puts Iowa, US Abortion Rights in Uncertain Territory
Abortion rights are back to being uncertain in America and in Iowa. A majority in the US Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to stop the implementation of a Texas law, known as SB 8, that severely shortens the window during which women can seek abortions and includes broad citizen-enforcement elements that several justices speculated were…
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Doug Jensen Going Back to Jail After Violating Probation to Watch Mike Lindell Videos
Doug Jensen is going back to jail due in part to Mike Lindell after he violated his pre-trial release conditions to watch the pillow entrepreneur spout conspiracy theories about the 2020 presidential election. The Des Moines man, who stormed the US Capitol Building on Jan. 6 while clad in a QAnon T-shirt, had his home…
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Gov. Reynolds Remains Firm on Mask Mandate Ban But Champions COVID Vaccine
Gov. Kim Reynolds still refuses to step in to make real progress on conquering COVID-19 in Iowa. Reynolds held a press conference Thursday morning to talk about the recent increases in COVID cases in the state, while also refusing to commit to exercising any power other than encouraging people to get vaccinated. “With vaccines widely…
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Nikole Hannah-Jones Opening 1619 Freedom School in Waterloo
Waterloo native Nikole Hannah-Jones is launching a free, after-school program in her hometown aimed at improving literacy while also centering the Black experience as part of the curriculum. The Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist announced the 1619 Freedom School through her Twitter account on Tuesday. For the inaugural year, the program will focus on fourth-grade students at…
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Iowa’s Mask Mandate Ban Being Investigated by Feds
Iowa has been at odds with the federal government about COVID-19 mitigation and Monday that battle ratcheted up again. The US Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR) opened an investigation into Iowa’s ban on mask mandates. At issue is whether the ban violates the right students with disabilities have to an equal opportunity…
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Iowa Families With Children in Vaccine Trials Grateful for Opportunity
Desperate for more protection from COVID and its Delta variant, some Iowa parents are enrolling their children in vaccine trials in the hopes they’ll be vaccinated as soon as possible. And they’re relieved they did it. “It feels great,” said Leng Vong Reiff of Clive, whose two sons went through a Pfizer trial. “There’s that…
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Marcano-Kelly: Understanding the Importance of My Voice
Guest post by Vanessa Marcano-Kelly, who served as one of the Spanish-language interpreters for Gov. Kim Reynolds last year during her then-daily coronavirus press conferences. Since my informal community organizer/interpreter days, I was aware that my job as an interpreter and translator was important. People’s stories were heard because I was there to provide this…
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Bernie Sanders Visits Cedar Rapids to Talk About Dem Budget Proposal
US Sen. Bernie Sanders wants Iowans to know how Congressional Democrats are working to improve their lives. Reform ideas long championed by Democrats are planned for the budget resolution passed by the US House of Representatives on Tuesday. The budget resolution is a framework for total spending goals. The resolution for this budget is $3.5…
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Thrane: What it Feels Like to be in a Hospital During COVID
A few weeks ago, I had to take my husband to the emergency room in the middle of the night. Almost immediately the doctor said, “We have to intervene him right away.” I was instantly stressed. Not only was my husband on the verge of surgery, but we were in a hospital as COVID-19 and…
