Grassley, Ernst Support Resolution Ending COVID Vaccine Mandate For Businesses
(Washington, DC) — Iowa’s two U-S senators helped pass a resolution that would end the federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for large businesses. It passed Wednesday on a 52-48 vote with two Democrats and all Republicans voting “yes.” G-O-P Senator Chuck Grassley said, “I have always encouraged Iowans to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their families from the virus…But the Biden Administration thinks that Americans can’t be trusted to make an informed decision on their own.” Senator Joni Ernst said,”I encourage others to get vaccinated, but Washington shouldn’t force this decision on hardworking Americans.” The Democratic-controlled U-S House is not expected to consider the resolution. The U-S is averaging nearly 16-hundred COVID deaths per day.
Feds Say Iowa ‘Biased’ Toward Institutional Care for Those With Intellectual Disabilities
(Des Moines, IA) — Federal investigators say the State of Iowa has failed to provide the most appropriate setting for Iowans with intellectual disabilities who are residents at state-run facilities in Glenwood and Woodward. A report from the U-S Department of Justice concludes Iowa’s system is heavily biased toward placing Iowans with profound intellectual disabilities in an institution. About 300 adults with intellectual disabilities and behavioral disorders are residents at the state Resource Centers in Glenwood and Woodward. The report finds that with the right services, nearly all of them could live in a community setting instead and the cost of that care would be less. Iowa Department of Human Services director Kelly Garcia says Iowa has a long history of relying on institutional care and the findings are not a surprise. Garcia says her agency is working to build an array of services to help intellectually disabled Iowans live as independently as possible.
Iowa City Man Sentenced to Federal Prison For Tossing Gun and Crack From Car
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — An Iowa City man who threw a loaded gun and crack cocaine from a car during a traffic stop is going to federal prison for more than 15 years . Thirty-three-year-old Donte Kent was sentenced to 188 months after pleading guilty to drug and firearms charges. The U-S Attorney’s Office says Kent admitted to throwing a loaded pistol, 28 baggies of crack and a scale out the passenger window of a car in June of 2020. He had prior convictions for domestic abuse, cocaine distribution and being a felon in possession of a firearm.
