From the Associated Press:
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Hospitals in Iowa’s second-largest city are limiting elective procedures because of increased numbers of patients driven partly by a surge in COVID-19 admissions. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that both UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital and Mercy Medical Center confirmed Friday their facilities are preserving capacity because of high patient counts in recent weeks. Cedar Rapids hospitals had not delayed or postponed elective surgeries and procedures since last fall. St. Luke’s is limiting surgeries that require a hospital stay to 10 per day. Mercy officials confirmed that it also is temporarily reducing the number of elective procedures that require hospital stays after surgery.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A state court judge has declined to halt enforcement of an Iowa law that prohibits school boards from enacting mask requirements, saying there is no evidence that any school board would immediately impose a mask mandate if the law wasn’t in effect. The ruling came Friday in a lawsuit filed by Frances Parr of Council Bluffs. She is the mother of twin boys. She sued the state, Gov. Kim Reynolds and several state officials last month in Polk County District Court. She sought an order halting enforcement of the law, arguing the law Reynolds signed in May violates her constitutional rights..
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Thousands of people lined the procession route along Omaha streets to pay tribute to a local man and Marine who died in a suicide bombing in Afghanistan. The body of 23-year-old Cpl. Daegan Page was transported Friday afternoon from Eppley Airfield to Braman Mortuary in southwest Omaha. Page was one of 13 U.S. service members killed Aug. 26 in the bombing at the Kabul airport, which also killed at least 169 Afghans. Page was born in Omaha and lived his first five years in Red Oak, Iowa, before moving back to Omaha with his family. He graduated from Millard South High School in 2016 and enlisted the following year. A memorial service will be held Sept. 17.
EAGLE GROVE, Iowa (AP) — A worker has been killed in an industrial accident at an Iowa pork processing plant. Prestage Foods of Iowa says the incident happened early Friday morning at its plant in Eagle Grove. The company says in a statement that 57-year-old company mechanic Jeffrey Leonardi was “performing routine maintenance duties” when he was killed. Company officials did not give details of the fatal accident. Prestage Foods CEO Jere Null says in the statement that Occupational Safety and Health Administration officials have been notified and the company will cooperate in that investigation, as well as conduct their own internal investigation.
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) — Fire officials say a body was found inside a burning home in Mason City this week. The Globe Gazette reports that firefighters were called to the home around 5 a.m. Tuesday. Arriving firefighters began putting out the flames, and once they were able to enter the house, crews discovered a person inside who had died. Officials have not released the person’s identity. An autopsy was ordered to identify the victim and determine the cause of death. The Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office is investigating to determine the cause of the fire, which destroyed the home.
WALFORD, Iowa (AP) — The Linn County Sheriff’s department has identified a man and woman from Cedar Rapids who died in a crash shortly after a deputy called off a pursuit of their car. The department said officers received a call Wednesday about a domestic dispute involving a woman trying to jump out of a car. A deputy saw the car speeding and tried to stop it, but it fled. The deputy eventually stopped the pursuit, but the car continued and hit a dump truck nearly head-on about a minute later. Police say the driver, identified as 35-year-old Leo Alan Ray, and the woman, identified as 35-year-old Stacey Lynn Watts, were thrown from the car and died at the scene. The dump truck driver was not injured.
