Local government

Johnson County Supervisor Janelle Rettig is resigning her position. Rettig made the announcement over the weekend, citing personal health concerns that stem from Lyme Disease. Rettig also stated she wanted to step down as the coronavirus crisis was “concluding."

Iowa City’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission resumed its operations Thursday night, after a temporary suspension put in place by city officials was lifted. At the same time, local Black Lives Matter activists held an organizing meeting for their own Peoples Truth & Reckoning Commission.

Following three hours of debate and public comment, the Iowa City Council voted to temporarily suspend the city’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission Tuesday night, following a string of resignations and complaints of persistent dysfunction during the group’s meetings.

Mass clinics in counties including Cerro Gordo and Woodbury vaccinate hundreds to at least a thousand people each time. At the end of the day, they work to get any leftover doses into the arms of people who weren't initially at the clinic, so that no dose goes to waste.

A former employee of the juvenile court system in northeast Iowa is facing criminal charges for allegedly racking up more than $130,000 in improper and unsupported credit card charges. A state investigation found Nicole Foelske used department funds to buy hundreds of gift cards which she routed into her personal bank account.

City councilmembers in Iowa City are considering next steps following an independent review of the use of tear gas against racial justice protestors last summer. The report includes dozens of recommendations, which they hope to get public feedback on.

Gov. Kim Reynolds and Department of Human Services Director Kelly Garcia heralded a new mental health access center soon to open in Iowa City. Designed as a mental health urgent care center, the facility is meant to serve patients who all too often wind up in emergency rooms or jails.

Six months after the derecho carved a path of devastation across Iowa, the city of Cedar Rapids is moving forward with a reforestation plan. The city estimates that some 70 percent of the public tree canopy has been lost since the storm.

A Keokuk County emergency management official apparently shorted the agency a few thousand dollars when purchasing a new county vehicle, according to an investigation by State Auditor Rob Sand. The report also identifies some $900 in other purchases that may have been improper.

The Sioux City Council approved changes to the city fireworks code, making property owners liable if fireworks are discharged illegally from their land.