From the Associated Press:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal appeals court has ruled that Tyson Foods can’t claim it was operating under the direction of the federal government when it tried to keep its processing plants open as the coronavirus spread rapidly within them during the early days of the pandemic. So a lawsuit filed by several families of four workers who died after contracting COVID-19 while working at Tyson’s pork processing plant in Waterloo will be heard in state court. The families allege that Tyson’s actions contributed to the deaths. Tyson spokesman Gary Mickelson said the company is disappointed in the court ruling, but he defended the steps Tyson took to keep workers safe during the pandemic.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Fire officials say a man died in a New Year’s Day fire at a Waterloo home. Fire Chief Pat Treloar said the cause of the fire at the two-story, single-family home is still under investigation. Treloar says one person was able to escape the home when the fire broke out Saturday morning but a second person remained inside. The blaze was too intense for firefighters to enter the home for about an hour. When firefighters were able to get into the home, the victim was found dead upstairs.
MONROE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana federal judge has ruled that President Joe Biden cannot require teachers in the Head Start early education program to be vaccinated against COVID-19. The decision hands a victory to 24 states that had sued the federal government. U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty wrote Saturday that the Biden administration unlawfully bypassed Congress when ordering that workers in Head Start programs be vaccinated by Jan. 31. Head Start is a federally funded program that promotes education for children under the age of 6 who are from low-income families. It was not immediately clear whether the federal government would appeal the decision to the 5th Circuit in New Orleans.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Polk County authorities continue to investigate a crash that killed a 77-year-old pedestrian. The sheriff’s office identified the man killed in Thursday night’s crash as Jack Waters, of Des Moines. Investigators say Waters was walking across Northeast 14th Street in northeast Des Moines Friday when he was hit by a Chevy Tahoe. He died at the scene. The sheriff’s office said the Tahoe’s driver stopped and is cooperating with authorities.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Attorneys for the man accused of fatally shooting an Iowa State Patrol trooper earlier this year have asked a judge to toss out statements he gave to investigators. KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids reports that Michael Lang was charged with first-degree murder after authorities said he shot and killed Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Jim Smith on April 9. Lang is accused of shooting Smith at his home in Grundy Center after a fight during a traffic stop. Lang was injured in the shootout but later spoke to authorities. His attorneys argue in court papers that Lang was under duress and too medicated to waive his Miranda rights during four days of interviews that followed the incident.
