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Iowa early News Headlines: Wed., June 24 2020

News

June 24th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s workplace safety agency says an inspection didn’t uncover any violations at Tyson Foods’ largest pork processing plant, which employed several people who died after contracting the coronavirus. The Iowa Occupational Safety and Health Administration closed its investigation into the Tyson plant in Waterloo earlier this month without sanctioning the meat company.County officials and workers have alleged that in March and early April, Tyson workers did not have adequate personal protective equipment to stop the spread of the virus and were not social distancing. The company says it has taken numerous safety steps since then. Black Hawk County has said more than 1,000 of the Waterloo plant’s 2,800 workers had tested positive for the virus or antibodies by early May.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Within weeks of Gov. Kim Reynolds agreeing to allow bars and restaurants to open to customers, Iowa’s two major college towns are seeing spikes in coronavirus cases among young adults. The trend is raising concerns among local health officials and prompting some businesses to again close their doors. Business owners in Iowa have welcomed the governor’s move to end most restrictions that had been imposed over the spring to slow the spread of the coronavirus, but some in Ames and Iowa City now are unsure what to do as cases rise. The cities are home to Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, the state’s largest colleges.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two organizations filed a lawsuit that seeks to stop a 24-hour waiting period for abortions that was approved by Iowa lawmakers in the closing hours of the legislative session. Planned Parenthood of the Heartland and a doctor represented by Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed the suit Tuesday in state court. The suit seeks to block the measure and to impose a temporary injunction to stop it from taking effect July 1. The groups filing the suit expect the bill to be signed into law by Gov. Kim Reynolds, who is an outspoken opponent of abortion rights. The waiting period was approved on the last day of a shortened legislative session.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Food and Drug Administration has recalled bagged salad distributed to a dozen Midwestern states by Hy-Vee, Aldi and Jewel-Osco grocery stores after 122 people in seven states were sickened. Nineteen have been hospitalized. The salad mix is contaminated with cyclospora, a parasite that can cause severe diarrhea. The salad mix is packaged as Hy-Vee Brand Garden Salads, Jewel-Osco Signature Farms Brand Garden Salads ALDI Little Salad Bar Brand Garden Salads. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the most people sickened are in Iowa with 54 and Illinois with 30. Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and Wisconsin also have reported illnesses.