Fern Alling (they/them)
@fernjalling.bsky.social
I’m a general assignment reporter at The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, Iowa covering environmental health, healthcare access and the social safety net. Come say hi!
Iowa HHS officials have confirmed the first measles outbreak in the state this year. As of Sunday there are 12 confirmed cases in southern Iowa. Get the details here: www.thegazette.com/news/iowa-hh...
Iowa HHS identifies measles outbreak in central Iowa
Public health officials are monitoring an outbreak with 12 confirmed cases and evidence of person-to-person spread.
thegazette.com
Back in 2023, there were plans for a combination Dunkin' and Baskin-Robbins at the old Western Fraternal Life building. After obstacles to the project piled on, it's officially being scrapped & the building will be demolished by November. More here: www.thegazette.com/news/local/p...
Plans for combination Dunkin’ and Baskin-Robbins fall through
After being deemed “financially infeasible,” the planned project site at the former Western Fraternal Life Association Building will be demolished.
thegazette.com
Tuesday was the first time the Benton County Sheriff's Office deployed the new water rescue boat it bought in 2025, rescuing a stranded boater in less than 15 minutes. Get the full story here: www.thegazette.com/news/local/b...
Benton County Sheriff’s Office makes speedy boat rescue
In under 15 minutes, the Benton County Sheriff’s office retrieved a boater caught in a Cedar River log jam.
thegazette.com
Did you know hospitals spend some of their profits on community needs like reduced cost care or services Medicaid doesn't adequately reimburse them for? Spending on those community benefits is going up, but financial challenges could limit them in the future. www.thegazette.com/news/healthc...
Iowa hospital community benefit spending rises; cuts, cost increases loom
Linn County hospitals say they’ll continue to pay for benefits like charity care and health screenings, but Medicaid cuts and rising prices could change how much they contribute.
thegazette.com
The Creekside Pride committee in Marion is working to shift the city's view of Indian Creek from being a flash flooding nuisance to a recreation amenity. Learn more about their work here: www.thegazette.com/news/local/m...
Marion group promotes pride in Indian Creek waterway
A group of Marion residents is working to advance Indian Creek as an amenity in the city rather than it being considered an annoyance.
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I got to share Don Triggs' incredible story of surviving an out of hospital heart attack and 40 minutes without a pulse thanks in part to the effective CPR his wife and daughter performed. Give it a read — you'll be amazed what he went through! www.thegazette.com/news/healthc...
North Liberty man survives heart attack, thanks to CPR, AED
Don Triggs survived around 40 minutes without a pulse thanks to CPR from his family and a collective of dedicated teams at UnityPoint Health — St. Luke’s.
thegazette.com
I learned more about Herbert Hoover in the last 24 hours than I had in 27 years after attending the reopening ceremony of the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum. Learn more about that event here: www.thegazette.com/news/state/h...
Hoover museum reopening celebrates his legacy
Speakers at the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum’s reopening paid homage to Hoover as a humanitarian and hardworking Iowan
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Most Iowa beach advisories this year have been in counties with some of the highest livestock concentrations in the nation, according to a Food and Water Watch analysis. Get the details here: www.thegazette.com/news/environ...
Most 2026 Iowa beach advisories in counties with high livestock concentration
Environmental advocacy nonprofit Food and Water Watch tied high E. coli levels at state beaches to livestock production, but the Iowa Department of Natural Resources points to sand as a
thegazette.com
One of the first stories I covered was an interdisciplinary simulation at Kirkwood Community College. Last week, I got to return for an even more expansive simulation that brought in emergency response personnel. Learn what was different this time here: www.thegazette.com/news/healthc...
Partnerships boost Kirkwood healthcare simulation
Partnering with outside emergency response agencies gives students a richer education and strengthens relationships with potential employers.
thegazette.com
Elizabeth Wehrle is the first person in the U.S. to receive a quadruple organ transplant that includes a second set of transplanted lungs. Wehrle said her son Landen motivated her to get the surgery so she can be present in his life. Full story here: www.thegazette.com/news/healthc...
Iowa mother undergoes historic surgery for her son
Elizabeth Wehrle became the first quadruple organ transplant receiving new lungs for the second time so she could watch her 11-year-old son grow up.
thegazette.com
Yesterday I had the honor to attend the first in-person reunion of the three Iowa families who lost someone in the same World War II plane crash in California. It's a follow-up on a previous story -- learn more here: www.thegazette.com/news/local/c...
Cedar Rapids families united by World War II plane crash
Almost 85 years after three Iowans died in the same crash, members of all three families met in person for the first time.
thegazette.com
How are the Medicaid work requirements that start next year going to affect the more than 640,000 Iowans who are insured through Medicaid? Joe Lock of the Eastern Iowa Health Center shares his take: www.thegazette.com/news/healthc...
CEO: Medicaid work requirements will hurt Iowa healthcare
The Gazette spoke with Joe Lock, president and CEO of the Eastern Iowa Health Center, to understand how the new rule will impact the clinic and its patients.
thegazette.com
Alliant Energy has started all three of the applications it needs to get its natural gas-fired Morgan Valley Energy Center electricity plant approved. Learn what's next here: www.thegazette.com/news/alliant...
Alliant Energy applies to county for electric plant approval
The company needs to complete three application processes for approval to build, and all have officially begun as of Wednesday.
thegazette.com
There haven't been unusually high case numbers of cyclosporiasis in Iowa yet. While this doesn't mean there's no threat, public health expert Heather Meador says keeping yourself safe can be as simple as washing your hands. www.thegazette.com/news/cyclosp...
Cyclosporiasis seen across country, but not in Linn County
The national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has confirmed more than 840 cases of cyclosporiasis, a stomach bug caused by the microscopic parasite cyclospora, across 31 states, according to
thegazette.com
Data center company QTS announced $5 million in funding for apprenticeships, scholarships and other strategies to increase the skilled trades workforce yesterday. www.thegazette.com/news/data-ce...
Data center company grant to support local scholarships, apprenticeships
Data center company QTS is giving the Iowa Workforce Development Foundation $5 million to support training in the skilled trades
thegazette.com
The UI water sensor network has the funding to continue for another year -- but the future beyond that is still uncertain. Get the latest here: www.thegazette.com/news/environ...
University of Iowa water sensors will continue this year
Director of Hydroscience and Engineering Larry Weber said donations from counties will support the network for a short time, but questions about the sensors’ future persist.
thegazette.com
A bill signed into Iowa law last month would grant physicians 60 and older special licenses to keep them practicing while they teach. Critics say it wouldn't help the existing workforce and would hinder the next generation of Iowa doctors. www.thegazette.com/news/healthc...
Iowa to try out ‘emeritus’ licenses for older doctors
While more educators are needed to train the next generation of Iowa doctors, some raise concerns about the quality of education the new measure will provide.
thegazette.com
The Palo City Council will hold the second of three votes on its proposed data center ordinance next Monday. www.thegazette.com/news/local/p...
Palo City Council to hold second vote on data center Monday
The initially scheduled second vote was delayed to give Council members more time to review the measure. Public comment at the first reading was mostly oppositional.
thegazette.com
Property development firm Oppidan will build a data center in Cedar Rapids starting in the fall of 2026 or spring of 2027. It's smaller than the Google and QTS projects. Learn more here: www.thegazette.com/news/local/3...
3rd Cedar Rapids data center ready for construction
A new data center is coming to Cedar Rapids this fall, but it won’t be quite as big as the other projects.
thegazette.com
If you're looking for Colombian food in Iowa City, Que Chimba's got your back. It's a brick-and-mortar spot with big dreams of expansion after just four months of operation. Get the scoop here: www.thegazette.com/lifestyles/f...
Get your Colombian food fix at Que Chimba in Iowa City
Colombian street food spot Que Chimba offers protein-forward empanadas, arepas and other favorites with a focus on fresh ingredients.
thegazette.com
The first Iowa measles case of the year has been confirmed. Get the details here: www.thegazette.com/news/first-c...
First case of measles reported in Iowa this year
Those exposed in central Iowa should look for symptoms like a fever, cough, watery eyes, runny nose and a rash.
thegazette.com
Check out the futuristic interior of St. Luke's new hybrid OR, a specialized room used for heart & vascular procedures that require advanced imaging in a surgical environment: www.thegazette.com/news/healthc...
St. Luke’s new hybrid operating room offers flexibility, improved tech
The larger operating room will give physicians greater flexibility to respond to potential complications that could arise during minimally invasive heart procedures.
thegazette.com
Isaac Newton Christian Academy's student population is growing and its facilities are expanding -- though the two aren't necessarily related, head of the school Dean Ridder said. More here: www.thegazette.com/news/educati...
Isaac Newton Christian Academy is breaking ground on a new facility — here’s why
While the student population is growing, school head Dean Ridder says the project was in the works before it picked up speed.
thegazette.com
A room in the Anamosa library houses an authentic Civil War flag -- but not everyone knows it's there. Hear from two women involved in its discovery in preservation why it's a point of local pride: www.thegazette.com/news/local/c...
Civil War flag at Anamosa Public Library: ‘A treasure’
The Anamosa Library and Learning Center has housed an authentic Civil War flag for nearly two decades — but some residents still don’t know it’s there.
thegazette.com
Two Cedar Rapids history buffs discovered they have an unlikely connection: both of their uncles died in the same plane crash during World War II. Now, they're looking for the third Iowan on the plane. www.thegazette.com/news/local/w...
World War II plane crash brings together two Cedar Rapids men
Bill Lahman and Jim Novak discovered their uncles were on the same plane that crashed during World War II. Now, they’re hoping to reach the family of the third Iowan
thegazette.com
Linn County passed a moratorium on data center development earlier today to make updates to the ordinance it passed earlier this year. Learn why here: www.thegazette.com/news/linn-co...
Linn County passes data center moratorium
The Linn County supervisors on Wednesday OK’d an 18-month moratorium on data center development in rural Linn County. It does not apply to cities in the county who are pursuing data center development...
thegazette.com
Iowa is down to one brick and mortar Planned Parenthood location in the entire state. Although virtual services are still available, Planned Parenthood leadership says ongoing attacks and funding cuts are forcing them to reduce in-person services. www.thegazette.com/news/planned...
Planned Parenthood shrinks to one Iowa location
Planned Parenthood North Central States is closing its Iowa City location effective July 31, leaving one Des Moines clinic and virtual care as the only other options for their services
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From Monday, but still relevant -- drink plenty of water and stay in the air conditioning if you can this week! www.thegazette.com/news/extreme...
Extreme heat could last until weekend in Eastern Iowa
Heat indices in Eastern Iowa are expected to climb above 100 degrees over the week, so stay hydrated and avoid going outside when you can.
thegazette.com
What does Pride mean to the people who came out for today's PrideFest in Cedar Rapids? Hear from parade participants, allies and drag performers in my story: www.thegazette.com/news/local/c...
Cedar Rapids PrideFest is about love, inclusivity
All kinds of people attend PrideFest, but they share an appreciation for the event’s emphasis on loving one another
thegazette.com
The Linn County Board of Supervisors held an informational meeting last night to answer questions about the air quality permitting process for Alliant's proposed gas plant. Attendees came with questions, not all of which were answered. Full story here: www.thegazette.com/news/local/l...
Linn County residents demand transparency on Morgan Valley Energy Center
Some questions for a Linn County Public Health staff and an Alliant Energy representative went unanswered at Wednesday’s informational meeting
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