Civil Service Commission To Meet Again Today
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Civil Service Commission will meet again this afternoon (Wednesday) at the city council chambers. The civil service commission is expected to adopt a formal ruling on the appeal of former Le Mars Police Officer, Jeremy Singer. Singer was dismissed from the Le Mars Police Department in September due to posts thought to be negative and a determent
to the Le Mars Police Department were attributed to Jeremy Singer. Just last week, the civic service commission upheld the termination of Singer and found that Le Mars Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte was not arbitrary in the dismissal of Singer. It is expected the civil service commission will approve the attorney’s prepared written decision.
Reynolds Says State Has A Strategy In Place For Vaccine Distribution
(Des Moines) — Governor Kim Reynolds talked about the state having a strategy in place for when a vaccine for the COVID-19 virus is made available to the public. Speaking at her news conference, the governor says a vaccine will reduce the number of deaths, hospitalizations, and positive rates with the coronavirus. Reynolds says it appears as though there are now three pharmaceutical companies ready to launch a vaccine.
Reynolds says whenever, and how, the vaccines will be distributed to the public, Iowa stands ready.
Governor Reynolds then explained the strategy for the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines.
Reynolds says some of the details won’t be available until such time the Food and Drug Administration gives its approval for each, or any, of the potential COVID-19 vaccines.
Reynolds Reports COVID-19 Numbers Starting To Drop
(Des Moines) — Although admitting the state needs to continue to make additional improvements with the reduction of positive COVID-19 cases, Governor Reynolds informed the media on Tuesday, that the state has begun to see some lowering of the number of COVID-19 cases.
Reynolds reports that young adults comprise of the most positive COVID-19 cases detected within the last week.
The Iowa governor also says there have been fewer patients with COVID-19 at the state’s hospitals.
Reynolds says many national models predict a slight increase in the number of patients with coronavirus at our nation’s hospitals over the next four weeks.
Iowa Turkeys Find Their Way To White House
(Ames) — This time of year our thoughts often turn to turkey, since it is traditionally the centerpiece and entree for a Thanksgiving meal. Morgan Minnehan serves as the Director of Communications and Membership Services for the Iowa Turkey Federation, based in Ames, Iowa. Minnehan says Iowa has a
prominent position with turkey production and turkey processing.
While our neighbors to the north, Minnesota, ranks first in the nation with turkey production, Minnehan says Iowa has increased its production over the past few years. The Iowa Turkey Federation official says the demand for turkey meat has increased with consumers, and although you may not find an
Iowa turkey for your Thanksgiving meal, Minnehan says it is very likely you will find Iowa turkey products featured on your favorite deli sandwich.
Two turkeys, Corn and Cob, originating from an Iowa turkey farm made their way to Washington D.C. at the White House this year with President Trump offering an official pardon of the famous birds. Minnehan explains how it was that Iowa turkeys were selected for the White House.
Minnehan reminds cooks when preparing the famous bird for this year’s holiday feast, its always best to make certain the turkey is completely thawed.
The Iowa Turkey Federation official says in order to avoid fires, never, ever, attempt to deep fry a turkey that is still frozen.
(photos contributed.)
Hospital Officials Warn Of No Open ICU Beds
(Des Moines, IA) — It would be terrible to be sick and getting worse – and find that there are no beds available. Central Iowa hospital officials are saying there have been times in the last week there all hospitals together were down to two or three intensive care unit beds as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The lack of available beds and shortages in staffing have forced some of the hospitals in Polk, Dallas, Warren and Story counties
to transfer patients elsewhere – when they needed treatment.
Other regions of Iowa are experiencing something similar. At midday Tuesday, there were about 350 I-C-U beds available statewide.
Department Of Corrections: 10th Inmate Dies Of COVID-19-Related Issues
(Anamosa, IA) — A fifth inmate from the Anamosa State Penitentiary has died after contracting COVID-19 during an outbreak at the prison. According to a news release from the Iowa Department of Corrections, 68-year-old Frederick William Lewis died in a hospital of complications related to COVID
and other preexisting medical conditions. Lewis was sentenced to two terms of life in prison in 1997. He had been convicted of kidnapping a woman from a Dubuque mall, assaulting and stabbing her, then driving her back to the mall parking lot, where he left her in the trunk of her own car. Lewis is the 10th
inmate to die after contracting the virus inside the state’s prison system.
Reynolds: One-Third of Iowa Nursing Homes Have COVID Outbreaks
(Des Moines, IA) — State officials report there are COVID outbreaks at 147 Iowa nursing homes, with four-thousand-656 residents testing positive for the virus. With holidays ahead, Governor Kim Reynolds said her state agencies are reviewing federal guidelines for visitation policies with nursing home
managers. Reynolds said, “while the numbers are increasing and the number of facilities are moving into outbreak status, it also gives us a heads up on how we can get in front of that and, hopefully, avoid some of the horrible outcomes that we know happen with this vulnerable population.” Federal officials have recommended testing nursing home residents weekly, but that
goal has not yet been met in Iowa. Five days ago, about one out of five Iowa nursing homes were listed on the state website as having outbreaks. Now, outbreaks are identified at one out of three.
3860 COVID-19 Cases in Iowa, 19 Additional Deaths
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting three-thousand-860 new positive COVID tests, increasing the state’s total to 215-thousand-582 cases. Nineteen more Iowans have died of coronavirus complications which brings the death toll to two-thousand-224. There are
currently one-thousand-351 people hospitalized with COVID. Two-hundred-75 of those patients are in intensive care and 155 are ventilators. Ninety-one counties have a 14-day average positivity rate of at least 15 percent.
Some Iowa Communities Getting Big Local Option Sales Tax Checks
(Des Moines, IA) – – An Iowa Department of Revenue official confirms some communities are getting early holiday gifts from the state in the form of much larger checks than expected from local option sales taxes. State chief economist Robin Anderson says it’ll be a boom to the budgets in quite a few towns and counties. She says some of the increase does have to do with
changes to how we collect sales tax revenue for internet sales. Anderson says estimates are made based on the first three quarters of the previous year, and changes to the economy and our buying habits during this year’s pandemic threw off those estimates. Some communities were anticipating state
checks of ten-thousand dollars, and they’re instead getting checks of between five and ten times that amount. But others are getting less than expected.
Worth County Authorities Investigate Deer Carcasses Found Without Heads
(Northwood, IA) — Authorities in Worth County are trying to figure out who may be shooting deer and removing their heads. Sheriff’s deputies have received two calls in the last few weeks of a deer carcass found with the head missing. Investigators couldn’t determine whether the first one found near Joice had been shot or hit by a car. The second deer was shot with a
rifle before its head was removed. The sheriff’s office said in a statement, “regardless both of these are a crime and a waste of a natural resource and gives hunting a black eye. We are asking for your help in any information about these events and or if you observe poaching, or a violation of Iowa’s wildlife laws.”
Professor Allowed To Return To Teaching With Restrictions
(Davenport, IA) — Catholic Church officials will allow a professor found to have misbehaved sexually in the 1990s return to teaching and ministry, with restrictions. The victim who came forward with information about the Reverend Robert “Bud” Grant was above majority age at the time. Grant won’t be allowed to touch and meet alone with anyone under the age of 24. He is
cleared to resume teaching at St. Ambrose University in Davenport in the spring semester. Prosecutors in Pottawattamie and Scott counties declined to open criminal investigations because the statute of limitations had expired years ago.
Cedar Rapids Gives Derecho Work Crews Time Off For Thanksgiving
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — Cedar Rapids has announced its derecho debris removal and tree trimming operations are suspended until next Monday. Those workers have been on the job since August 10th when the severe storm blew through the area. Thirty-five percent of Cedar Rapids streets have been swept of debris
as of Tuesday. About 73-percent of the tree-trimming work has been completed. City officials said they want to let the workers have time off for the holiday and still get the job completed before severe winter weather arrives.
