Plymouth County Reports 5th Confirmed Case Of COVID-19
(Le Mars) — A fifth case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been confirmed in Plymouth County. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH), the individual is in self-isolation in their home. This individual is a female in the age range of 61-80.
As of April 14, there have been 1,899 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Iowa, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health. In total, health officials have tested 19,366 people in Iowa. There have been 790 Iowans that have recovered. There have been 49 deaths related to COVID-19.
Governor Reynolds Updates Daily Statistics And Announces New Dash Board Website
(Des Moines) — Governor Reynolds took the opportunity to update the latest statistics during Tuesday’s daily briefing.
During her daily briefing, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds talked
about a hot spot of COVID-19 cases from the Tyson Foods plant at Columbus Junction, Iowa, and why the plant was needing to be shut down temporarily.
Also during the Tuesday briefing, Governor Reynolds announced a new dashboard website created by state officials that will help answer questions people may have concerning the COVID-19 coronavirus.
The governor says the dash board website is now active and available.
Reynolds says the dash board will also feature information regarding the long-term care facilities that have been infected with the COVID-19 virus.
School Officials Creating Personal Protective Equipment Using 3-D Printer
(Le Mars) — During Monday evening’s Le Mars Community School Board meeting, School Superintendent, Dr. Steven Webner informed the board members of a good-will community project involving the use of the school district’s 3-D printer.
Webner says because several medical facilities are running short on the personal protection equipment or PPE, school officials have begun creating the plastic head bands used for face shields.
Webner says both Bill Dalton and Tracey Wingert have been working on the project.
Webner says the actual face shields are made some where else. However, the head bands for those face shields protective gear can be created at the school using the 3-D printer.
Check back to learn what Le Mars Community School District officials are doing to educate our students during this period of COVID-19 while schools are closed.
Minorities Have Highest Rate Of Infection Of COVID-19
(Des Moines) — New data indicates racial disparities in COVID-19 cases that have been reported in other parts of the country are also occurring in Iowa. Nearly 16-and-a-half percent of Iowa’s COVID-19 cases are among Hispanics, who make up about six percent of the state’s population. Blacks account for another four percent of Iowa’s population, but nearly nine percent of all the COVID cases here. Dr. Caitlin Pedati, the state medical director, says this data is on a new state website, along with information about when Iowans with COVID-19 first started showing symptoms of the illness.
Test results released by state officials yesterday confirmed nearly 19-hundred Iowans have COVID-19.
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Sioux City Authorities Report Fatal Stabbing
(Sioux City) — One woman is dead and another seriously injured following a stabbing incident Tuesday evening in the Morningside area. Sioux City Police say the incident occurred at 6:11 p.m. at an apartment located at 3811 Peters Ave. Responding officers found the two victims with stab wounds. Both women were transported to MercyOne Medical Center where one of the victims died as a result of the wounds. Police have arrested 30-year old Paul Belk from Beaufort, South Carolina. Belk has been charged with 1st Degree Murder and Willful Injury. He is being held in the Woodbury County Jail.
Buffalo City Clerk Charged With Theft
(Des Moines) — A special investigation by the State Auditor’s office has concluded a clerk embezzled more than 42-thousand dollars from a small eastern Iowa town. The Scott County Attorney has charged Riki Harrington, the former deputy city clerk in Buffalo, with first degree theft and ongoing criminal conduct. City officials first noticed discrepancies in bank deposits in mid-2018 and Harrington resigned a few days later. State Auditor Rob Sand says in one instance Harrington used checks Mediacom sent to pay city franchise fees to cover up some of the cash payments she pocketed.
Sand said, “So if a bigger check would come in that wouldn’t necessarily be as easily noticed if it was missing, she’d use the proceeds of that check, apply it to utility accounts, and then take the cash that came in that was actually for those utility accounts and misappropriate it.” Auditors reviewed more than two-and-a-half years of city records. They also found there was no documentation to indicate a few purchases Harrington made at Amazon and HyVee were for city business.
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Calhoun County Sheriff Is Suspended
(Fort Dodge) — A district court judge Tuesday granted a petition to suspend Calhoun County Sheriff Scott Anderson without pay.
The Calhoun County Supervisors on Tuesday met in a closed session and found that sufficient cause appears from the verified allegations to suspend Anderson for willful misconduct or maladministration in office and for intoxication pursuant to Iowa Code. The court order named deputy Jeff Feldhans as acting sheriff until a temporary sheriff can be appointed. A criminal complaint stated Anderson was arrested Saturday night by officers after he allegedly was pinning a woman to a bed in his home and holding her by the neck, choking her as she gasped for air. It took six officers about nine minutes to handcuff him and drag him to the patrol car after he refused to cooperate with the arrest. Anderson pleaded not guilty to assault on persons of a certain occupation on Monday. Another charge of domestic abuse assault was continued for 180 days. The 51-year-old Anderson has been the sheriff since 2018.
Transportation Commission Approves Road Construction Projects
(Ames) — The Iowa Transportation Commission has approved grants for six projects to help improve roadways for businesses and business development. D-O-T planner Stuart Anderson says Waterloo won a grant to improve the roadways in the area of the Lost Island Waterpark and the proposed new theme park.
“It’s associated with an expected increase of about 200-thousand visitors who would live over 100 miles away from this proposed new amusement park area. It also would almost 85-thousand visitors who would live less than 100 miles away. So, this is very important for local development,” Anderson says. The Transportation Commission approved up to three-point-two million dollars in what’s called RISE funds for Waterloo — and the city will match that for the various road improvements..
Anderson says there’s going to be a lot of circulation between the two parks and there is a need to improve the existing roadways and add some new. Mills County received funding for roadway improvements into an area located south of Council Bluffs.
“This is a project that is extremely important for an area that is for existing businesses as well as attracting new ones. Particularly and area that was impacted by the floods last year,” he says. He says it will give access to seven lots totaling more than 680 acres for industrial purposes.
He says the total cost is a little more than five million and the state funding is around half of that. This project is anticipated to be completed by July 2021. Pottawattamie County received half of the funding for roadway improvements south of Council Bluffs. This project will provide improved access to fourteen lots totaling more than 28 acres for industrial purposes.
“Its total cost is about one-point-six million, 50 percent would equal 580-thousand,” Anderson says.
The city of Des Moines is receiving one-point-four million dollars to help with roadway improvements to relocate the main Des Moines International Airport commercial terminal entrance. The city of Cedar Rapids is receiving money for two projects for a total of around one million dollars. One project will provide access to the West Cargo Expansion project at the Eastern Iowa Airport for airport purposes. The other project provides improved access to more than 25 acres for warehousing and industrial purposes.
