(Updated 7:56-a.m.) (Radio Iowa) – A woman who’s been the Iowa Department of Public Health’s lead spokesperson for more than a decade has been forced out of the post. Polly Carver-Kimm says she believes she’s a casualty of the pressure the department’s been under in the midst of the pandemic and, as a former journalist, she felt her role was to be an advocate for openness and timely responses. “I felt that maybe that was part of the reason why I was let go because, you know, we kind of closed up a little bit,” Carver-Kimm says.

Carver-Kimm says her dismissal was not a surprise. “I have sensed that something was coming for several months now because I was just consistently relieved of duties and it started back in March not long after we had our first case of COVID-19,” Carver-Kimm says, “and at that time then I was told that I wouldn’t be handling media inquiries anymore.”

Carver-Kimm says her other job duties that related to COVID-19 were gradually reduced, then, about a month ago, Carver-Kimm was removed from her role as the officer in the agency who fulfilled public records requests from the media. She says the department’s director, who is leaving HIS job July 31st, called her yesterday (Wednesday) and gave her the choice to resign or be terminated. “I asked why,” Carver-Kimm says, “and he said they were doing a restructuring and that was all he offered.”

Amy McCoy, a lobbyist for the agency who was assigned to work with the media during the pandemic, says the department can’t comment on personnel matters, but has gone above and beyond to share up-to-date and comprehensive information about COVID-19. She said the agency values the role media plays in getting information to the public and intends to continue a strong partnership.

Carver-Kimm says the past few months have been a trying period for the agency. “All the people who work at IDPH have the best interests of the health of Iowans in mind. This is a situation that it’s no surprise to anyone that’s become a political football, too, and so all of the media is vetting by the governor’s office,” Carver-Kimm says. “..I’m not saying that the governor’s office changes our message because I believe the governor’s office has the best interests of Iowans in mind, too. It just makes it difficult to work independently.”

Carver-Kimm is married to Radio Iowa sports director Todd Kimm. She was a long-time reporter and morning talk show host at a Des Moines radio station before she was hired to work in the public health department in 2007.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has denied an Iowa drug kingpin’s requests to delay his execution, which is scheduled for Friday. U.S. District Judge Leonard Strand wrote Tuesday that he would not intervene to delay Dustin Honken’s execution date due to the coronavirus pandemic. He said the Bureau of Prisons was in the best position to weigh the health risks against the benefits of carrying out the execution. Strand also denied Honken’s motion to declare his execution void due to an alleged procedural error by the government. He affirmed the executive branch’s power to set the date for executions.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police found two bodies in a home after responding to a 911 call from a child who believed his mother had been injured. The child called 911 just after 1 p.m. Wednesday to report his mother had been hurt, prompting officers and medics to go to the home on the city’s south side. Sgt. Paul Parizek says the first-responders found the bodies of a woman and a man, and both had traumatic injuries. Parizek says a homicide investigation was underway but there didn’t appear to be a threat to the community. The names of those killed weren’t released so relatives could be notified.

NORTH PLATTE, Neb. (AP) — Sheriff’s officials in central Nebraska have identified two men killed in a head-on crash involving a car and semitrailer as Iowa residents. The Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office says in a news release that the crash happened Tuesday evening on U.S. Highway 83 about seven miles north of North Platte. Investigators say a northbound car crossed into the southbound lanes directly into the path of the truck, which tried but could not avoid a head-on crash. Deputies say both vehicles caught fire, and two men in the car died at the scene. Authorities later identified the driver killed as 32-year-old Robert Islas and his passenger as 59-year-old Gilbert Vasquez, both of Sioux City, Iowa. The truck driver suffered minor injuries.

BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — A federal appeals court has temporarily halted a judge’s order that the Dakota Access Pipeline be shut down in three weeks. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit on Tuesday issued an “administrative stay” of the judge’s order. But The Bismarck Tribune reports that the appeals court said its order “should not be construed in any way as a ruling on the merits” of the case. The stay will remain in place until the appeals court rules on whether developer Energy Transfer can keep oil flowing while the court decides its appeal of the shutdown order.

The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday evening, heard from City Administrator John Lund, who told them he’s been stressed out from crunching the budget numbers to make it work for the City. Lund said “We’ve had a really good run the past six-years of being basically on a property tax starvation diet, and not raising our utility fees, but the budget is really not fun for me anymore. It used to be…when I felt like if I spent all my time and creativity that there is a solution that is going to make a win-win for everyone, I actually enjoyed it no matter how many hours I spent working on it.”

Lund said he’s not getting to that point anymore, and the stress level is getting to high for him. Councilman Gerald Brink said “This too shall pass,” and that “We’re not always going to be stuck in the situation that we are right now. We’re all aware of what the financial woes are going to be. We’ll be very supportive of what you do.” Councilman Pat McCurdy agreed they would help him all they can.

Mayor Dave Jones said compared to other cities of our size, “There are a lot of cities that are worse [off] than we are.” He said we can get by without all the “Bells and whistles” we’ve been doing. Lund said on the bright side, it appears the City’s Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenues will not be as drastically off as feared at the onset and height of the coronavirus. He said State calculations show a LOST decline of just 4.2-percent, which surprised him, and is in-line with the modest growth the City has experienced over the past 10-years.

He said “Atlantic’s incredibly stable and predictable. There’s very little that happens here that you can’t immediately point to… that explains any explosive growth.” He said recovery falls into the same pattern. Lund said an official with the Iowa Department of Revenue said Cass County has not been nearly affected as other areas of the State in terms of sales tax, and that there may actually be a reconciliation check in November, which Lund said he was not expecting, and there may even a been a slight amount of growth over the past fiscal year.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council approved the final readings of amended ordinances pertaining to:

1. A curfew for persons under the age of 18 (a change in wording from Midnight to 6-p.m. for the end of curfew instead of 6-a.m.)
2. The division of taxes levied on taxable property in the June, 2020 addition to the North Urban Renewal District (with regard to the Whitney Group’s Historic Hotel Whitney Building project).

The Council also approved the second reading of amended ordinances that include:

1. Licensing of Tree Trimmers (to include proof of Worker’s Comp Insurance [if applicable])
2. Peddlers, Solicitors and Transient Merchants (to include mobile food vendors & insurance requirements)
3. Truck and Large Vehicle parking (to allow boats, boat trailers, campers, RV’s or travel trailers to be parked on the front yard of a property, but behind a sidewalk on private property, and not projecting into the right-of-way).
4. and, an amended Ordinance requiring specific types of insurance and a dollar amount of coverage, for individuals and businesses who wish to perform work for the City.

They also approved an Order to close 9th Street between Plum and Cherry Streets on July 18th, for a Neighborhood Block Party. The street will be closed-off to vehicle traffic from 5-until 9-p.m. on that date.  They approved Mayor Dave Jones’ nomination of Neal Webb to the Board of Adjustment. Webb replaces Dave Knudsen, who has resigned from the Board. He will hold the position until at least February, 2023. His appointment also preserves the gender balance on the Board.

NEW YORK (AP) — Author Joanna Cole, whose “Magic School Bus” books transported millions of young people on extraordinary and educational adventures, has died at age 75. Scholastic says Cole, a resident of Sioux City, Iowa, died Sunday.

This handout photo provided by Scholastic shows author Joanna Cole, right, and illustrator Bruce Degen. Cole, whose “Magic School Bus” books transported millions of young people on extraordinary and educational adventures, has died at age 75. With the ever maddening but inspired Ms. Frizzle, based in part on a teacher Cole had growing up, leading her students on journeys that explored everything from the solar system to underwater, “Magic School Bus” books have sold tens of millions of copies and were the basis for a popular animated TV series and a Netflix series. Plans for a live-action movie with Elizabeth Banks as Ms. Frizzle were recently announced. (Annabelle Helms/Scholastic via AP)

With the ever maddening but inspired Ms. Frizzle leading her students on journeys that explored everything from the solar system to underwater, “Magic School Bus” books have sold tens of millions of copies and were the basis for a popular animated TV series and a Netflix series.

Ms. Frizzle was based in part on a teacher Cole had growing up. Plans for a live-action movie, with Elizabeth Banks as Ms. Frizzle, were recently announced.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Two bodies were found in a Des Moines home and police are investigating the deaths as homicides. Officers were called to the home on the city’s southside on Wednesday afternoon and found that those killed had suffered traumatic injuries. Des Moines police Sgt. Paul Parizek says a homicide investigation was underway. He says there didn’t appear to be a threat to the community.