Coronavirus

Wisconsin’s No. 1 mink farming industry now seen as a COVID-19 risk

State officials knew little about the secretive industry until the pandemic struck; now they are scrambling to keep mink farmers and their animals safe

By Kate Golden for Wisconsin Watch

/ 1 Feb 2021

Wisconsin’s No. 1 mink farming industry now seen as a COVID-19 risk

COVID on Campus: Tracking and isolating students was hit-and-miss

Students report a wide variety of experiences after testing positive for COVID-19 on Midwest campuses. Some were held in university facilities where food was scarce; others were placed in hotels with regular meals. Some said their personal contacts were notified; others say no one even asked who the

By Hali Tauxe, Danielle Duclos, Chris Martucci, Gavin Good and Julia Morrison, Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 26 Jan 2021

COVID on Campus: Tracking and isolating students was hit-and-miss

COVID on Campus: Containing hot spots a difficult challenge

When universities across the U.S. reopened and welcomed tens of thousands of students back to campus this fall, students partied in apartments, at pools and on the lawns of Greek houses — celebrating as if COVID-19 did not exist. Local public health departments and universities alike received thousa

By Gavin Good, Julia Morrison, Hali Tauxe, Danielle DuClos, Chris Martucci and Dylan Tiger/For The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 25 Jan 2021

COVID on Campus: Containing hot spots a difficult challenge

COVID on Campus: Unprecedented challenges, mixed results

But an analysis of the efforts at four major Midwestern universities shows that no matter what schools tried — whether it was Illinois’ much-touted testing program or Missouri’s lack of comprehensive or random testing — the results were much worse than predicted. At those campuses and the flagship u

By Danielle DuClos/For The Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 24 Jan 2021

COVID on Campus: Unprecedented challenges, mixed results

Building Trust Is Key To Ensuring Farmworker Access To COVID Testing, Vaccine

The rollout of coronavirus vaccines provides hope that the end of the pandemic is near. But the virus is still spreading across the U.S. and efforts to expand access to testing and build trust with the farmworker community are still needed, Tellefson Torres says.

By Christine Herman, Illinois Newsroom and Dana Cronin, Illinois Public Media

/ 22 Jan 2021

Building Trust Is Key To Ensuring Farmworker Access To COVID Testing, Vaccine

Rural schools battled bad internet, low attendance in the pandemic. Will spring semester be better?

Andy and Amy Jo Hellenbrand live on a little farm in south-central Wisconsin where they raise corn, soybeans, wheat, heifers, chickens, goats, bunnies, and their four children, ages 5

By Peter Cameron / Wisconsin Watch

/ 21 Jan 2021

Rural schools battled bad internet, low attendance in the pandemic. Will spring semester be better?

The Trump Administration told an Illinois health department to leave Rochelle Foods alone. Then a second COVID-19 outbreak struck the plant.

A May 1 conference call with federal, state and local health officials sent one message: Despite a COVID-19 outbreak amongst it workers, Rochelle Foods was to remain open. This fall, a second outbreak at the plant wasn’t publicly reported.

By Derek Kravitz, Brown Institute for Media Innovation, Georgia Gee, Stabile Center Investigative Journalism, Columbia Journalism School, Madison McVan, Investigate Midwest and Ignacio Calderon, USA TODAY Network Agriculture Data Fellow, Investigate Midwest

/ 17 Jan 2021

The Trump Administration told an Illinois health department to leave Rochelle Foods alone. Then a second COVID-19 outbreak struck the plant.

COVID-19 deaths go uninvestigated as OSHA takes a hands-off approach to meatpacking plants

OSHA has not inspected 26 out of the 65 meatpacking plants where reporters found at least one worker died of COVID-19.

By kyle-bagenstose-and-rachel-axon-usa-today-sky-chadde-midwest-center-for-investigative-reporting, Kyle Bagenstose, USA TODAY, Rachel Axon, USA TODAY and Sky Chadde, Investigate Midwest

/ 12 Jan 2021

COVID-19 deaths go uninvestigated as OSHA takes a hands-off approach to meatpacking plants

The people behind a rural Iowa school district enduring the coronavirus

Gusty winds blew corn husks through the school’s parking lot on November 16 at South Hamilton Schools. It was another day of the staff trying to keep up with

By John Naughton / IowaWatch

/ 4 Jan 2021

The people behind a rural Iowa school district enduring the coronavirus

South Hamilton, like other rural Iowa schools, takes on what-ifs of learning in COVID

Jewell, Iowa – At 3:20 p.m. on a Monday, a voice booms through the public address speakers at South Hamilton School. “Everybody mask up.” A reminder of how much

By John Naughton / IowaWatch

/ 4 Jan 2021

South Hamilton, like other rural Iowa schools, takes on what-ifs of learning in COVID

How we did it: ‘They think workers are like dogs.’ How pork plant execs sacrificed safety for profits

With support from the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, we deeply examined the outbreak at Triumph Foods, which sickened hundreds of meatpacking workers and killed at least four. Here's how we did it.

By Midwest Center for Investigative Reporting

/ 29 Dec 2020

Front-line workers on COVID's severity: 'We've never seen anything like this'

Despite all of the reporting, public announcements and warnings from health care professionals, community leaders and elected officials, health care workers IowaWatch spoke with as 2020 drew to a close said many people still don’t understand the severity of suffering that the people hit hardest with

By Suzanne Behnke, IowaWatch and Lyle Muller, IowaWatch

/ 23 Dec 2020

Front-line workers on COVID's severity: 'We've never seen anything like this'