Anyone who tries to tell you that the COVID-19 pandemic, and its associated social, political, and economic panics, are good things is  an idiot, or trying to sell you some kind of snake oil, or both. Society-wide disasters are always net negatives, or we wouldn't think of them as disasters in the first place. Silver linings are never as shiny as the clouds they run through are large. That doesn't mean silver linings don't exist, though. They do, and some of them are significant.

DES MOINES, IOWA (April 6, 2020) — On April 4, Governor Kim Reynolds received word from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) that more than $44 million has been obligated to the State of Iowa for reimbursement of expenses related to the COVID-19 response.

DES MOINES, IOWA (April 6, 2020) — On April 3, Governor Kim Reynolds today announced her appointment of Matthew McDermott as a justice of the Iowa Supreme Court.

“Matt is a talented, smart, and astute lawyer with deep Iowa roots,” said Gov Reynolds. “His commitment to the rule of law and passion for service will now benefit all Iowans as he joins the Iowa Supreme Court.”

IOWA FALLS, IOWA (April 3, 2020) — The Iowa Health Care Association (IHCA) recognizes Iowa trade associations who are encouraging businesses that may have excess personal protective equipment (PPE) supplies — face masks, gloves. and gowns — to donate or sell those supplies to Iowa's long-term care providers. IHCA works with nursing facilities, assisted-living communities, and home health agencies that care for the state's elderly and most vulnerable residents.