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Iowa early News Headlines: Wed., 7/22/20

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July 22nd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:38 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa City’s mayor is ordering people to wear masks in public to stop the spread of the coronavirus, defying Gov. Kim Reynolds’ claim that cities cannot mandate face coverings. Iowa has been one of the only states that does not have any enforceable local or state mask mandates. The Republican governor has said that she believes cities and counties can require masks only if she grants that authority, which she’s refused to do. But Iowa City Mayor Bruce Teague on Tuesday cited authority granted to cities in the state constitution and a law that gives mayors the power to govern by proclamation when an “emergency or public danger exists.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A judge has ruled that prosecutors must turn over body-camera footage and other material to a Des Moines Register reporter who was arrested while covering a protest in May. Judge Christopher Kemp on Monday ordered the Polk County Attorney’s Office to give body-cam footage and reports to reporter Andrea Sahouri by the next court date, which hasn’t been scheduled. Sahouri was arrested May 31 while covering a protest near a Des Moines shopping mall, less than a week after the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Prosecutors argued authorities didn’t need to provide evidence because the charges are misdemeanors and such cases are supposed to be handled quickly and inexpensively.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ office has ordered a sharp reduction in coronavirus testing at a site in Dubuque, where infections have been rising. The Test Iowa site in Dubuque will be allowed to offer only 100 tests per day, starting Tuesday. The Dubuque Telegraph-Herald reported the site had been testing between 400 and 550 people per day. The site will be open from 6 a.m. to 7 a.m. Tuesday through Thursday. Reynolds’ spokesman, Pat Garrett, said the tests were limited to ensure consistency and high quality performance at all Test Iowa sites. Dubuque County has seen daily coronavirus cases more than quadruple since June.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — A man has died after becoming trapped in a grain bin in northwest Iowa. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office says deputies and other first-responders were called Tuesday morning to a grain bin about five miles east of Le Mars. They were told a 65-year-old man had been loosening stuck corn when he became trapped. Even though there were safety measures in place, he sank into the corn when the crust broke. He had died by the time his body was recovered about an hour after rescuers arrived. His name wasn’t immediately released so relatives could be notified.