DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has extended a restraining order for 14 days that prohibits Iowa officials from enforcing a law that bans school districts from enacting mask mandates. The order issued by Judge Robert Pratt Monday extends the order until Oct. 11 which means school districts may impose mask mandates and the state cannot stop them. Information filed Monday in a lawsuit challenging the law indicates nearly a quarter of Iowa public school students are in districts that have experienced significant COVID-19 outbreaks this year. It indicates 11 school districts have reported more positive cases in the first month of the school year than during the entire previous year.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Faculty at Iowa public universities are demanding the right to require masks in their classrooms regardless of state law or policies against them. Biology professor Steve O’Kane Jr. has pushed a resolution among colleagues at the University of Northern Iowa saying faculty should be allowed to manage their classrooms. O’Kane told The Cedar Rapids Gazette that he’s already imposed a mask mandates for his students and lowers their lab grades if they refuse to comply. Northern Iowa, the University of Iowa and Iowa State University sent petitions last month to the state Board of Regents signed by hundreds of faculty asking for the ability to require masks and vaccines.
FAIRFAX, Iowa (AP) — Officials in eastern Iowa say two people are dead after their vehicle was hit by a train at a private railroad crossing in Linn County. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says in a news release that the crash happened around 4:15 p.m. Sunday west of Fairfax. Investigators say the vehicle was traveling south when it was hit by the Union Pacific train. The vehicle’s two occupants — a male driver and a female passenger — were both pronounced dead at the scene. Officials did not immediately release their names. Officials are still investigating the cause of the crash.
MOLINE, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois man unexpectedly won the Quad Cities Marathon this weekend when the two Kenyan runners who had far outpaced him were disqualified after being diverted off the course by a race volunteer bicyclist. The Quad-City Times reports that Tyler Pence crossed the finish line in 2 hours, 15 minutes, 6 seconds to become the first U.S. runner since 2001 to win the race. The head track and cross-country coach at the University of Illinois-Springfield, Pence logged his fastest time ever with the win. It came after Elijah Mwangangi Saolo and Luke Kibet diverted from the course a little more than halfway to the finish line when the bicycle rider leading them mistakenly went straight when he should have turned.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The companies working to build pipelines to capture carbon dioxide produced by ethanol plants and transport it as a liquid under high pressure to permanent storage deep underground may face opposition from farmers and environmental groups in Nebraska and Iowa. One of the companies, Summit Carbon Solutions, has already started contacting landowners about the $4.5 billion project. Supporters of the projects, which include the Nebraska Ethanol Board, say the pipelines will be safe and would lower the carbon impact of producing the corn-based fuel. That would help it meet goals California and Oregon have adopted for reducing greenhouse gas emissions to combat global warming.
PHOENIX (AP) — A judge has struck down Republican-passed Arizona laws that block schools from requiring masks and restrict the power of local governments to impose COVID-19 requirements. The ruling Monday could clear the way for cities and counties to enact mask requirements if it withstands a promised appeal. It comes as the fight over school masks and other COVID-19 restrictions has moved into courtrooms across the U.S. Lawsuits have been filed in at least 14 states either for or against masks in schools. The sweeping Arizona ruling also struck down a number of non-virus provisions that were slipped into the state budget and an entire measure that had served as a vehicle for a conservative policy wish list.
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