Week in Iowa: Recap of news from across the state

Lawsuit filed over ban on mask mandates: A group of parents of disabled students filed a lawsuit seeking to strike down Iowa’s law banning schools from requiring masks, arguing it endangers their health and denies equal access to education. The lawsuit involves children who are too young to be vaccinated and have disabilities that make them susceptible to potentially severe COVID-19 cases, including a rare organ disorder, cerebral palsy and asthma. Their parents argue the law effectively excludes them from in-person learning in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act.

Discarded doses: The state has discarded 127,333 doses of COVID-19 vaccines so far, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported. The doses were tossed because they expired or there were mishaps when being administered, such as a broken needle or dropped vial.

COVID’s costs: The “preventable hospitalizations” of unvaccinated people for COVID-19 cost an estimated $2.3 billion in June and July, according to a report from the nonpartisan Peterson Center on Healthcare and the Kaiser Family Foundation, which Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand highlighted in a news release.

Surge continues: Iowa saw 30 more deaths caused by the coronavirus in the past week as data showed more children and young adults were getting infected and more people were being treated in hospitals, according to the state Department of Public Health.

They said …

“I’m in Iowa, so we’ve got to talk about it, but I don’t like getting ahead of my committee.”

— Ronna McDaniel, chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, on Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucus status

“It is very, very rare for a court to overturn its own ruling only three years later.”

— Sally Frank, a Drake University law professor, on Republicans asking the Iowa Supreme Court to overturn its 2018 ruling that struck down an anti-abortion law

Odds and ends

Housing funding: Speaking to Iowa’s growing need for affordable housing to help meet workforce demands, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced a $100 million infusion to increase the state’s housing stock.

Education study: Students who take college credit courses in high school are more likely to enroll in postsecondary education after graduation and earn a college degree or credential, a new Iowa Department of Education report found.

Drought conditions: August was the first of the summer months to bring above-normal precipitation to the state, providing significant relief to ongoing drought conditions, according to the latest Water Summary Update.

The water cooler

Iowa pitch: Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration unveiled plans for a national TV ad campaign designed to encourage Americans to visit, live and work in Iowa. The 30-second spot will air on cable and streaming channels.

Nunes appearing: U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif., is scheduled to appear at an Oct. 3 fundraiser for Iowa state legislator John Wills, speaker pro tem of the Iowa House, according to a notice from Wills’ campaign.

Okoboji preservation: A preservation group has raised enough money to buy and preserve 50 acres on the East Lake Okoboji shoreline in northwest Iowa.

More in the news

Trump plans Iowa return: Donald Trump, the former Republican president, plans to hold a rally at the Iowa State Fairgrounds on Oct. 9. It would be his first appearance in Iowa since the 2020 election. Trump was runner-up to Ted Cruz in the 2016 Iowa Republican caucuses, then carried Iowa in the presidential races in both 2016, when he won the White House, and in 2020, when he lost to President Joe Biden. Trump has not yet said whether he plans to run again in 2024.

City defrauded: More than $222,000 in LeClaire city funds were directed to three fraudulent accounts through “cleverly disguised and modified emails that resembled legitimate emails from legitimate vendors,” the interim city administrator said.

Ex-coach arrested: A former Iowa high school coach living in Indianapolis has been arrested and charged with multiple felony counts of sexual abuse against a minor, the Iowa Department of Public Safety said. The charges against Aaron Koester, 36, are not the result of interactions he had as a coach, the department said.

Terrace’s 50th: The 50-year anniversary of the Hubbell family’s donation of Terrace Hill, where Iowa’s governors reside, to the state of Iowa was recently observed. The Hubbells donated the property to the state In August 1971. Every governor since has lived on Terrace Hill.