Nikoel Hytrek is Iowa Starting Line’s longest-serving reporter. She covers LGBTQ issues, abortion rights and all topics of interest to Iowans. Her biggest goal is to help connect the dots between policy and people’s real lives. If you have story ideas or tips, send them over to nikoel@new.iowastartingline.com.
Nikoel Hytrek
Latest from Nikoel Hytrek
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Sioux City Now Has Highest Daily COVID Growth Rate In U.S.
Woodbury County saw its biggest spike in COVID-19 cases yet on Friday, indicating a worsening situation in Western Iowa. According to Siouxland District Health, the number rose by 129, bringing the total to 287. On Monday, that number was 75. The New York Times has been tracking the way outbreaks happen in cities across the…
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Sioux City Now Has Highest Daily COVID Growth Rate In U.S.
Woodbury County saw its biggest spike in COVID-19 cases yet on Friday, indicating a worsening situation in Western Iowa. According to Siouxland District Health, the number rose by 129, bringing the total to 287. On Monday, that number was 75. The New York Times has been tracking the way outbreaks happen in cities across the…
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Iowa Sees Biggest COVID Case Jump Yet; Reynolds Talks Reopening Plan
Iowa reported its biggest one-day increase in COVID-19 cases yet on Friday, with 521. Eleven people died, also the largest one-day number, increasing the state total to 107. Meanwhile, new outbreak centers are appearing in places like Sioux City, which locally reported its largest jump yet of 129, bringing the total for Woodbury County to…
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COVID Cases Grow In Iowa Factories Outside Of Packing Plants
While cases at meat packing plants and long-term care facilities make up the majority of cases in Iowa, clusters of positive cases at Iowa manufacturing centers across the state continue to pop up. These locations haven’t seen nearly the same surge or spread, with most only reporting one or two cases at a time. But…
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Iowa Still Doesn’t Have Predictive COVID-19 Model
Iowa still doesn’t have a model to figure out how the coronavirus will progress through the state as Iowa leaders increasingly discuss how its economy and people can go back to work. At her morning press conference, Gov. Kim Reynolds was asked whether the state has models for how the coronavirus will play out in…
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Ashton Kutcher Led Reynolds, Iowa To COVID-19 Testing Company
Iowa got help in their efforts to increase the state’s daily coronavirus testing capacity from an unlikely source: Ashton Kutcher. Earlier this week, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Test Iowa, a public/private partnership that will allow Iowa to increase testing for the coronavirus by thousands a day. It’s facilitated by a group of companies, many based…
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Ashton Kutcher Led Reynolds, Iowa To COVID-19 Testing Company
Iowa got help in their efforts to increase the state’s daily coronavirus testing capacity from an unlikely source: Ashton Kutcher. Earlier this week, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Test Iowa, a public/private partnership that will allow Iowa to increase testing for the coronavirus by thousands a day. It’s facilitated by a group of companies, many based…
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Reynolds: Iowa In “Pretty Good Place” For Reopening Discussion
Last week, Iowa broke its record for single-day increases in coronavirus cases nearly every day. The death toll also continues to rise. Despite that, Gov. Kim Reynolds has continued to say Iowa is rounding the corner, and talks about plans to reopen the state’s economy. A national modeling system developed by the University of Washington…
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Worker Absenteeism, Local Pushback Prompts Tyson to Close Waterloo Plant
Today, Tyson Foods announced the closure of its Waterloo plant. Local officials in Black Hawk County have been calling for this for weeks as plant workers continued to test positive for COVID-19 and the overall number of positive cases in the county has dramatically increased. One of the reasons is absenteeism. Workers have stopped showing…
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With 107 New Cases, Black Hawk Co BOH Calls For Tyson Shutdown
With another spike in local cases today, the Black Hawk County Board of Health voted on a proclamation urging Gov. Kim Reynolds and Tyson to temporarily close the plant. This morning, the state reported 107 new cases in Black Hawk County for a total of 366. The proclamation points out that Tyson and other companies…
