Three people from Marion County, one from Wapello County and one from Poweshiek County died from coronavirus over the weekend. They are among 41 deaths reported Saturday (2/6) and Sunday (2/7) by the Iowa Department of Public Health. Iowa’s death total from the pandemic is now 5108. There were also another 1088 new positive tests for COVID-19 reported as of Sunday morning for a pandemic total of 324,405. 17 new cases were reported in Jasper County, 16 in Wapello County, 13 in Marion County, nine in Mahaska County, eight in Monroe County, six in Poweshiek County and none in Keokuk County.
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Bettendorf police officer shoots and kills man in confrontation
Posted on by Rick Watts
Iowa authorities are investigating after a Bettendorf police officer shot and killed a man who was involved in a domestic dispute.
Bettendorf Police said officers were called to a home around 12:15 a.m. Sunday because of a dispute between a man and a woman but the couple left the area before officers arrived. About an hour and a half later, the man and woman were found in a vehicle.
Police say the woman exited the vehicle and told officers the man had threatened to kill her with a handgun.
Police said the man produced a handgun and refused to comply with officers’ commands. During the confrontation, an officer fired his or her weapon, and the man died at the scene.
The man’s name wasn’t immediately released on Sunday.
Police said one officer was treated for minor hand injuries after the confrontation.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation will review the shooting. The officer involved in the shooting has been placed on administrative leave.
Democrats criticize Iowa governor’s roll-back of pandemic precautions
Posted on by Rick Watts
Governor Kim Reynolds this weekend lifted the restrictions on businesses and limited face covering requirements outlined in her previous pandemic proclamation.
The public health measures Reynolds issued three months ago coincided with escalating numbers of Covid patients in hospitals. A record 1,527 Covid patients were hospitalized in Iowa on November 17. The patient count had fallen by nearly 80 percent as of Sunday.
“Not surprising, we experienced an increase in positive cases following Christmas and New Year’s gatherings, but they were minor in comparison to other parts of the nation and far from the surge that some predicted would occur,” Reynolds said during a late January news conference.
The news release announcing Reynolds had issued a new proclamation “that relaxes existing public health measures was released late Friday and the changes went into effect Sunday. All seating and gathering limits in bars and restaurants have been lifted.
Reynolds has recently described Iowa’s Covid situation as “stable.”
“Our goal continues to be keeping virus activity at a level we can manage over the course of our daily lives and I think we’re demonstrating that we can do that,” Reynolds said.
Democrats like Congresswoman Cindy Axne say the governor is sending the message that masks and safety precautions are no longer necessary. House Democratic Leader Todd Prichard of Charles City said Reynolds is being reckless
“The response has been ridiculous,” Prichard said during a news conference last week. “The lack of leadership on Covid from the governor’s office and since the Republicans have brought us into session has been non-existent.”
On Sunday, President Biden’s chief of staff criticized the governor’s decision, suggesting it’s not too much to ask people to wear a mask until more Americans can be vaccinated.
Court dismisses challenge to Iowa judge’s appointment
Posted on by Rick Watts
The 2018 appointment of an eastern Iowa district court judge by Gov. Kim Reynolds will stand, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled Friday (2/5), ending a three-year controversy over whether Reynolds had missed the legal deadline for appointing the judge.
Iowa law requires the governor to make an appointment within 30 days after a judicial nominating commission provides the names of qualified candidates, but Reynolds informed Judge Jason Besler of his appointment several days after the deadline. Reynolds said that she verbally picked Besler before the deadline by telling an aide but failed to call Besler or document the selection for days because she was busy with other matters.
The law says if the governor fails to make an appointment, that task falls to the chief justice of the Iowa Supreme Court. However, then-Chief Justice Mark Cady deferred to Reynolds, saying he believed her when she said she verbally made the appointment by the deadline.
Attorney Gary Dickey challenged the appointment in court, saying Besler was improperly appointed and potentially should be removed. After a judge in April 2019 found that Besler had been properly appointed, Dickey appealed.
Besler, of Cedar Rapids, has been on the bench for 2 1/2 years and was retained by voters in the November election.
Five members of the Iowa Supreme Court, three of whom were appointed by the Republican governor, found that since Reynolds and Cady were the only two officials authorized by law to make the appointment and they resolved the issue, the court shouldn’t intervene.
“We conclude that judicial relief is unavailable in these circumstances. As a matter of respect and comity, our chief justice deferred to and accepted the Governor’s decision that the appointment had been made by her on the thirtieth day. There is not reason to second-guess the chief justice’s act of statesmanship,” the court said in its ruling dismissing the case.
Cady died in November 2019.
One justice didn’t participate in the case, and Justice Brent Appel, the only member of the court appointed by a Democratic governor, said it should have been sent back to a lower court for further consideration. Appel chastised the majority for passing on it, saying the case is a controversy that the court can and should decide.
“We have a job to do. Unlike political branches of government, courts cannot simply refuse to consider matters brought before it by citizens because the matter is controversial or unpleasant,” he said. “We have the obligation to decide cases whether the case is attractive or unattractive, somewhat odd or very odd, controversial or uncontroversial, comfortable or uncomfortable. That is the way we do our job. And I would do it in this case.”
Judge rejects motion to quash subpoena of Mollie Tibbetts’ bank records
Posted on by Rick Watts
A judge has rejected a motion to quash a subpoena seeking the bank records of Mollie Tibbetts. Prosecutors in the first-degree murder case against Cristhian Bahena Rivera made the motion, calling the subpoena by Behena Rivera’s lawyers for Mollie Tibbetts’ bank records a “fishing expedition.” Prosecutors accused defense attorneys of flouting the law by failing to notify prosecutors and the court of the subpoena until after it had already been served. The Des Moines Register reports that the judge ruled the challenge was moot, as the subpoena had already been served and the bank provided no relevant information. Prosecutors say Rivera stabbed Tibbetts to death in her hometown of Brooklyn in the summer of 2018.
Scam in Jasper County
Posted on by Rick Watts
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office says it has received several reports of an ongoing scam. The people trying to scam you are pretending to be one of your grandchildren. The grandchild was in an accident or in jail or needs help….and then they turn you over to a “bondsman” or “lawyer.” You’re told to withdraw cash from the bank and await further instructions. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office says if you get a call like this, just hang up. If you have any information about this scam, call the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office at 641-792-5912.
Senate OKs fast-track of COVID aid, Harris casts tie-breaker
Posted on by Rick Watts
By JOSH BOAK
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Senate early Friday approved a measure that would let Democrats muscle President Joe Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief plan through the chamber without Republican support. Vice President Kamala Harris was in the chair to cast the tie-breaking vote, her first.
Democrats in the chamber applauded after Harris announced the 51-50 vote at around 5:30 a.m. The action came after a grueling all-night session, where senators voted on amendments that could define the contours of the eventual COVID-19 aid bill.
The budget now returns to the House, where it will likely be approved again Friday to reflect the changes made by the Senate. Final passage will unlock the next phase in drafting of the virus relief bill, with the work divided among several congressional committees.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer D-N.Y., called passage of the resolution the “first big step to putting our country back on the road to recovery.”
By moving on a fast track, the goal for Democrats is to have COVID relief approved by March, when extra unemployment assistance and other pandemic aid expires. It’s an aggressive timeline that will test the ability of the new administration and Congress to deliver.
The push for stimulus comes amid new signs of a weakening U.S. economy. Employers added just 49,000 jobs in January, after cutting 227,000 jobs in December, the Labor Department said Friday. Restaurants, retailers, manufacturers and even the health care sector shed workers last month, with state and local governments also letting go of non-school employees.
The unemployment rate fell to 6.3% from 6.7%, but there was a decline in the number of people who were either working or looking for a job in a sign that some people are dropping out of the labor force. The U.S. economy is 9.9 million jobs shy of its pre-pandemic level.
Biden, who has been meeting with lawmakers in recent days to discuss the package, will talk Friday at the White House with the House committee chairs who will be assembling the bill under the budget process known as “reconciliation.”
Biden also plans to make remarks Friday on the economy as he keeps up the pressure on Congress to “act big” on his relief package.
With a rising virus death toll and strained economy, the president’s goal is to have COVID-19 relief approved by March, when extra unemployment assistance and other pandemic aid measures expire. Money for vaccine distributions, direct payments to households, school reopenings and business aid are at stake.
The Senate passed an amendment 99-1 that would prevent the $1,400 in direct checks in Biden’s proposal from going to “upper-income taxpayers.” But the measure, led by Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, is ultimately symbolic and nonbinding and does not specify at what level a person qualifies as upper income.
The marathon Senate session brought test votes on several Democratic priorities, including a $15 minimum wage. The Senate by voice vote adopted an amendment from Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, opposed to raising the wage during the pandemic. Ernst said a wage hike at this time would be “devastating” for small businesses.
None of the amendments to the budget are binding on Democrats as they draft their COVID plan, but passage of a wage increase could prove difficult. Even if a $15 wage can get past procedural challenges in the final bill, passage will require the support from every Democrat in the 50-50 Senate, which could be a tall order.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, a vocal proponent of the wage increase, vowed to press ahead. “We need to end the crisis of starvation wages,” he said.
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This story has been corrected to reflect that the U.S. economy is 9.9 million jobs shy of its pre-pandemic level.
Iowa receives $4.68 million in national opioid settlement
Posted on by Rick Watts
Iowa will receive nearly $4.7 million over five years as part of a multi-state settlement with a firm that worked with opioid manufacturers to promote addictive painkillers, according to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office.
Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller said Thursday (2/4) that the $4.68 million settlement will be used to address problems caused by opioids, including paying for substance abuse treatment services for Iowans.
Iowa is part of a coalition of 53 attorneys general who collectively won $573 million in a settlement with McKinsey & Company, one of the world’s largest consulting firms. The settlement will be split among 47 states, five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. It’s the first multi-state opioid settlement to result in a substantial payout to states.
In addition to the money, McKinsey must prepare, as part of the settlement, tens of thousands of its internal documents detailing its work for Purdue Pharma and other opioid companies for public disclosure online.
“This database sets a new precedent of accountability and transparency to the public,” Miller said.
I-80 Pileup
Posted on by Rick Watts
A snowy section of Interstate 80 was closed Thursday afternoon (2/4) in Jasper County after a massive crash involving roughly 40 vehicles.
Iowa authorities closed the eastbound lanes of the interstate west of Newton after the chain-reaction crash happened shortly before noon. The Iowa State Patrol said two troopers were in the middle of assisting with several multicar crashes in the area when the larger pile-up happened.
Several serious injuries have been reported in the crash but no deaths, Iowa Transportation Department spokeswoman Andrea Henry said. The State Patrol said neither trooper was injured in the crash.
Pictures of the crash show several semitrailer trucks sideways across the highway and at least six semi trucks that slid off the road.
Iowa lawmaker protests lack of a mask mandate
Posted on by Rick Watts
A state lawmaker wore jeans on the floor of the Iowa House to draw attention to Republicans’ refusal to mandate masks in the chamber even as they ban members from wearing jeans.
Democratic Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell of Ames wore jeans Tuesday (2/2) during House debate. When the chief clerk asked her to change, she declined.
“I told the chief clerk, jeans aren’t hurting anybody but all the people wandering around without masks on, they are,” Wessel-Kroeschell said Wednesday.
Neither the House nor the Senate allows members or staff on the floor of the chambers to wear jeans or T-shirts, and men must wear a jacket and tie. Republican leaders have encouraged members to wear masks to prevent the spread of the coronavirus but have refused to require face coverings.
Democrats have increasingly pointed to the apparent contradiction between enforcing a dress code but not a mask requirement as five people associated with the House have now tested positive for the virus. That number could be higher because Republicans also don’t require people to report a positive test.
House Speaker Pat Grassley has said he couldn’t enforce a mask mandate, arguing his only recourse would be to have an officer remove a member refusing to comply. Grassley said he’s unwilling to do that.
When Wessel-Kroeschell tried to speak during debate Tuesday, Grassley refused to recognize her, saying she had violated House rules. She was allowed to vote.
Wessel-Kroeschell said she’d succeeded in making her point that there is an enforcement mechanism for a mask requirement if leadership chose to use it.
She said at least six Republican House lawmakers are not wearing masks and many others have them underneath their nose. She must attend committee meetings with some of them since Grassley has required members to attend committees in person if they want to speak. She said microphones used in the meetings are shared, a practice she called very dangerous.
“Things are really tense. I’m very concerned and actually I’ve decided I’m going to go home this afternoon and work from home,” she said. “I will come back next week but I am going to be more and more cautious. I am double masking.”
A fifth person working at the Iowa Capitol tested positive for the coronavirus on Tuesday.
Rep. Amy Nielsen, a Democrat from North Liberty, has confirmed she was one of them, marking the first known case of an Iowa lawmaker contracting the virus during the legislative session. She said she believes she was infected at the Capitol. She has developed COVID-19 symptoms and said Tuesday she was not well.
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