Pat Rynard

President Joe Biden’s competent handling of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout is earning him high marks in a state that supported his opponent in the 2020 election. A new Des Moines Reigster/Mediacom Iowa Poll released today showed that 57% of Iowans approve of the job Biden is doing to bring the pandemic to an end. Just…

Iowans are eager to receive the latest round of COVID relief stimulus checks following the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act by congressional Democrats and President Joe Biden. Fortunately for them, disbursement of those payments have come very quickly, some landing in people’s bank accounts the day after Biden signed the bill into law.…

The state’s coronavirus tracking website shows this afternoon that Iowa has officially surpassed administering one million doses of the vaccine. The count as of 12:30 stands at 1,031,962. It’s a notable milestone for the state in its effort to bring the pandemic to a close, even as residents continue to get sick and die from…

Iowa Republican legislators are frustrated that money for Iowa in the COVID-19 relief bill could interfere with their plan to provide big tax breaks for the wealthy. In a press conference with Statehouse reporters today, Speaker Pat Grassley said that provisions in the relief bill just signed today by President Joe Biden could impede their…

As Iowa’s supply of vaccines continue to increase from the federal government, many Iowans are searching everywhere they can online to find out where to acquire them. Last week, the state opened up vaccines to those under 65 years of age with a certain medical or health condition. Just today, Polk County announced that they…

The trial this week of Des Moines Register reporter Andrea Sahouri was a disgrace. It never should have happened, but it could occur again as long as John Sarcone remains the Polk County Attorney. The prosecution of a reporter for simply doing her job during a Black Lives Matter protest drew international attention, outrage and…

Des Moines City Councilman Josh Mandelbaum will be running for reelection this fall. The environmental attorney announced this morning he’ll seek another term on the council for his Ward 3 seat, which covers the southwest quadrant of Des Moines. In kicking off his reelection bid, Mandelbaum highlighted efforts he’s fought for on the council over…

While Iowa’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout started slow and has run into problems caused by poor planning, the state is seeing real results from the quickly researched and produced vaccines. The most noticeable difference between now and the worst days of the pandemic come from Iowa’s nursing homes, which have suffered the brunt of tragedy. As…

In another sign that Iowa and Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration was not prepared to distribute the COVID-19 vaccination, the Iowa Department of Public Health just this week is hiring up what appears to be key staffers for the task. On an online job posting board for Iowa government jobs, the IDPH is hiring at least…