Iowa to ease restrictions on amusement parks, casinos; allows bars to reopen
Sarah Watson, Editor
May 26, 2020
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced more steps to reopen Iowa businesses, including allowing bars to reopen on Thursday and easing restrictions on casinos and amusement parks beginning in June. At her daily press briefing Tuesday, Reynolds said bars, wineries, and distilleries would be allowed to op...
Johnson County Board of Supervisors extend building closures
Riley Davis, News Reporter
May 14, 2020
County buildings will remain closed until 7:30 a.m. June 8 as some businesses plan to reopen in a limited capacity statewide May 15. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced May 13 that retail stores, fitness centers, and restaurants, but not bars, could reopen with half capacity and social distancing guide...
Johnson County Fair cancels in-person entertainment
Sarah Watson, Managing Editor
May 14, 2020
The Johnson County Fair, slated for July, won't have grandstand or ground entertainment this year. In a press release Thursday, the Johnson County Agricultural Association and the Johnson County Fair Board announced they would be canceling all in-person entertainment for the fair to mitigate spread...
City of Iowa City expected to take $4.6 million loss in 2020 budget
Riley Davis, News Reporter
May 6, 2020
Two months since Johnson County confirmed its first positive COVID-19 case, the novel-coronavirus pandemic has created a “fluid and unpredictable” financial environment for Iowa City and caused negative impacts to revenue and expenditures, as local officials predicted at an Iowa City City Council me...
Johnson County parks seeing heavy visitor traffic, officials encouraging physical distancing
Sarah Watson, Managing Editor
May 5, 2020
Although Tuesday's skies remained gray and rainy, Johnson County parks officials are encouraging residents to remain at six feet apart while outdoors as temperatures warm into the summer and the parks experience heavy foot traffic. Like much of Iowa, parks, trails, and recreation areas remain open...
‘It was horrifying’: Revisiting the Kent State shooting’s impact on the UI campus 50 years later
Eleanor Hildebrandt, News Reporter
May 3, 2020
When Willard “Sandy” Boyd became University of Iowa president in 1969, he never expected to receive the news a year later that students just a few states over had been killed on a college campus. A demonstration at Kent State University against the Vietnam War broke out on May 4, 1970. At th...
On the county border: West Branch restaurants stay closed while Cedar County OK’d to reopen
Riley Davis, News Reporter
May 3, 2020
Fifteen minutes west of Iowa City, the city of West Branch straddles the divide between Johnson and Cedar Counties. Although Cedar County is one of 77 counties that were allowed to reopen May 1, local restaurants in West Branch, population 2,200, are opting to stay shuttered to the public amid COVID...
Local parks departments discuss fate of summer programs, safety measures amid COVID-19 spread
Kelsey Harrell, News Reporter
April 30, 2020
With summer around the corner, local Parks and Recreation departments have canceled summer sports activities, and are discussing options for other summer youth and recreation programs. Iowa City Parks and Recreation will still have its summer day camp program for school-aged children since it se...
Johnson County Board of Supervisors extend building closures, increase recommended minimum wage
Riley Davis, News Reporter
April 30, 2020
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors unanimously voted Thursday to extend the closure of county buildings and continued its 2015 ordinance to recommend employers in the county to increase the minimum wage to $10.63. The building closures will extend until 7:30 a.m. May 18, with the exception of th...
Johnson County Historic Poor Farm to add wellness trail
Riley Davis, News Reporter
April 29, 2020
Johnson County Historic Poor Farm will soon add a wellness trail, produce washing station, and temporary electric deer fence for the property, representatives presented to the Johnson County Board of Supervisors at a work session on Wednesday. The new quarter-mile wellness trail will move throu...
Johnson County leaders recommend still avoiding nonessential travel as other counties set to phase in reopening
Sarah Watson, Managing Editor
April 28, 2020
Even as the governor relaxes restrictions statewide on religious gatherings and farmers markets, some Johnson County organizations are hesitant to begin in-person gatherings next week, opting to continue with delays or no-contact operations to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. North Liberty Baptist...
Johnson County Board of Supervisors to discuss recommended minimum wage increase to $10.63
Riley Davis, News Reporter
April 28, 2020
The Johnson County Board of Supervisors will discuss raising the county’s recommended minimum wage to $10.63 at their 9 a.m. Wednesday meeting this week. If passed, its decision would fall in line with the phased increases that were established by vote in 2015, as previously reported by The D...