712 Digital Group - top

Iowa early News Headlines: Monday, April 27 2020

News

April 27th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:33 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s three major public universities are planning to resume in-person classes in the fall, but they are still working out the details of what that will look like during the coronavirus outbreak. Iowa Board of Regents President Mike Richards said the schools will follow state and federal guidelines to protect health as they develop plans for thousands of students to return to the campuses of the University of Iowa, Iowa State University and Northern Iowa University. The number of coronavirus cases continues to rise in the state. Health officials said Saturday the number of confirmed cases in Iowa had increased by 648, to 5,092, though the actual number of sick is thought to be much higher because of many people haven’t been tested.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa firefighter whose family has been devastated by the coronavirus says he wants people to know how easily the virus can spread. Twenty-nine-year-old Omar Martinez said Friday that his mother first tested positive for the virus on April 3. Then his 22-year-old sister Evelyn, who is the mother of a toddler, contracted the virus and has been in the hospital since April 10. On April 15, Omar says his 58-year-old father, Jose Gabriel Martinez, was hospitalized. He died on Tuesday. The family shares a home in West Liberty, Iowa, where they settled after immigrating from Mexico in the 1990s. Omar Martinez says, “I don’t wish this upon anybody.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The medical director at a state-run institution for people with intellectual disabilities has resigned amid questions about the care residents received at the Glenwood Resource Center in southwest Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports that documents from the Iowa Department of Human Services show that Dr. Mohammamd Rehman resigned Friday from the Glenwood facility. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating allegations that the former Glenwood superintendent was planning to conduct human sexual arousal experiments and had begun questionable hydration therapy on patients. The department also is looking into a death rate that concerned employees.

CHARLES CITY, Iowa (AP) — One person is dead after fire broke out at a home in northeastern Iowa. The Charles City Fire Department said the blaze was reported about 2:20 a.m. Saturday. Arriving firefighters found heavy smoke and determined the fire was confined to the kitchen area. The victim was found during a search of the home. Fire officials say the victim was alone in the home. An investigation determined that the fire was likely caused by cooking materials overheating.