Police in Red Oak, Saturday evening, arrested a woman on a charge of vandalism (a serious misdemeanor). Authorities say 41-year-old Christina Lyn Dalrymple, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 7:12-p.m.  She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Eddyville, Iowa) – An accident Saturday afternoon in Eddyville has claimed the life of a toddler. The Iowa State Patrol reports a pickup driven by 43-year-old David Eugene Gordon, of Eddyville, was backing north in a driveway at 7209 148th Street at around 1:24-p.m., when a one-year-old who resides at the residence, exited the home.

Gordon didn’t see the child approaching the backing pickup. The vehicle struck the toddler in the driveway. The child died at the scene. The State Patrol was assisted in its investigation by the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office and DCI.

(DES MOINES, Iowa/KCCI) —Iowa Department of Public Health data released Friday shows positive COVID-19 tests are up slightly in the state, while hospitalizations have dipped below 500 for the first time in two months. On Friday, IDPH reported 6,484 positive tests in the last seven days, up from 6,340 at the last report on Monday. Iowa’s 14-day test positivity rate remains at 8%.

There are currently 494 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, down from 531 on Wednesday. Of those hospitalized with COVID-19, 68.5% are unvaccinated, while 82.8% of those listed in intensive care with COVID-19 are unvaccinated. The number of long-term care facilities with a virus outbreak in the state is now at 27, down from 30 on Wednesday.

There have been 3,690,242 COVID-19 vaccine doses administered in Iowa, with 67.7% of those 18 and older fully vaccinated and 70.1% of those 12 and with at least one dose.

(Audubon, Iowa) – A Special Session of the Audubon School District’s Board of Education will be held 7-p.m. Monday (11/1), in the High School Board Room.

On the agenda is a review of the Oct. 20, 2021 bids received for the Audubon Middle School/High School Interior Renovation Re-bid, and approving the Issuance of Contracts for Bid Packages 1-through 4, with Alternates.

The Board may also take action on: “Approximately $7,600,000 [$7.6-million] School Infrastructure Sales, Services and Use Tax Revenue and Refunding Bond, Series 2021 – A Resolution to Authorize the Sale and Issuance of School Infrastructure Sales, Services and Use Tax Revenue and Refunding Bonds and Approving the Official Statement.”

(Radio Iowa) – This weekend marks the 30th anniversary of what came to be known as the 1991 Halloween Ice Storm in Iowa. National Weather Service Meteorologist Andrew Ansorge says the storm approached the state from the southwest and started as snow.

Very cold air poured into the state after the storm.

The storm knocked out power to about 80-thousand homes in Iowa and a state of emergency was issued for 52 of the state’s 99 counties.

(Radio Iowa) – The application period for the state’s Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) begins on Monday. Iowa Utilities Board spokesman, Donald Tormey, says the program provides a payment to help you with part of your heating bills.

Tormey says if you are behind on your bill, you should always reach out to the utility company.

He says you can sign up anywhere in Iowa.

There is also a weatherization program available. Iowa law protects those in the LIHEAP program who are the head of a household from being disconnected from natural gas or electric service from November 1st through April 1st.

(Radio Iowa) – It’s been an exceptionally rainy week in Iowa, with some communities reporting record precipitation, breaking rainfall records that have stood for more than a century. State climatologist Justin Glisan says the new U-S Drought Monitor map for Iowa shows improving conditions, with fewer counties indicated as being abnormally dry or in drought.

The entire southern tier of counties is in the clear, along with wide areas of western and southeast Iowa. The worst of the dry conditions, D-2 or severe drought, remain in central and north-central Iowa, with a small patch in the northwest.

This past Sunday’s rainfall set records in several Iowa cities, including Ottumwa, Waterloo, and Des Moines — where nearly three inches fell, breaking a record set in 1908. The new drought map was just released but it’s based on data that’s a few days old, so it’s not taking into account all the rain from Wednesday and Thursday, which was considerable.

October is wrapping up to be the wettest month of 2021, so far, and we’re heading into the driest months of the year. May is typically Iowa’s wettest month of the year while February is the driest.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has signed the State of Iowa onto a lawsuit challenging one of the Covid-19 vaccination mandates President Biden has proposed.

Reynolds made her comments last week during a news conference inside a manufacturing plant in Adel. Iowa and nine other Republican-led states are challenging a requirement that workers employed by a company that’s a federal contractor be fully vaccinated. Reynolds says this requirement would affect one-fifth of the nation’s workforce.

Reynolds says thousands of Iowans would be forced to get a Covid shot against their wishes if the federal rule goes into effect. According to the lawsuit, most state agencies are technically federal contractors, so the vaccination requirement would force employees in Iowa’s state government to get vaccinated against Covid-19. Earlier this month, President Biden said vaccination mandates are a way to put the pandemic behind us and accelerate the country’s economic recovery.

Earlier today (Friday), Governor Reynolds signed a new law that lets workers facing the loss of a job over a vaccination mandate to claim a medical or religious exemption. The Iowa Association of Business and Industry calls the law misguided and says it means Iowa businesses are at risk of federal fines if they follow these new state regulations. The group says businesses will ultimately face higher taxes to cover the newly guaranteed unemployment benefits for workers who are fired for failing to get vaccinated.

One person was injured during a single-vehicle, rollover accident Friday morning, in Page County. Authorities says 25-year-old Alexis Kimberly Graham, of Essex, was driving a 2006 Ford Fusion east on 140th Street at around 6:40-a.m., when for reasons unknown, her car entered the south ditch, east of the intersection with Highway 48/H Avenue.  The vehicle rolled twice before coming to rest.

Graham was found out of the vehicle by a passerby, who called 911. Graham was transported to the Shenandoah Medical Center by Shenandoah Ambulance with unknown injuries. The Page County Sheriff’s Office was assisted at the scene by the Essex Fire and Rescue and the Shenandoah Ambulance Service. No charges have been filed at this time.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Cass Health in Atlantic say “Many individuals are eager for booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, especially before the holiday season. Based on the current CDC guidance, patients may have a preference, but you can get any booster shot regardless of what type of vaccine you have already had. There are several options on how to get the vaccine booster if you are eligible. All vaccination sites also offer first and second doses; adolescents aged 12 to 17 are only able to receive the Pfizer vaccine at this time.”

Pfizer & Moderna Booster Dose

• If it has been at least 6 months since you received your Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine series, then you may be eligible for a booster.
• Those eligible include:
  • 65 years and older
  • 18+ and live in a long-term care setting
  • 18+ with underlying medical conditions
  • 18+ who work or live in a high-risk setting

If you aren’t sure if you live or work in a high-risk setting, visit cdc.gov for more information.

Atlantic Medical Center, RHC offers Pfizer and Moderna vaccines by appointment beginning Monday, November 1. Also locally, HyVee offers Pfizer vaccines and Walmart offers both Pfizer and Moderna; both pharmacies accept walk-ins, but online appointments are preferred. Rex Pharmacy has Pfizer vaccines, and will also have Moderna next week; walk-ins welcome Monday through Friday from 8:30 am to noon, and 2 to 5:30 pm.

Johnson & Johnson Booster Dose

• If it has been at least 2 months since you received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine, you are now eligible for a booster shot. Cass County Public Health offers Johnson & Johnson vaccines by appointment; call 712-243-7551.

COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card

• For patients who need their second or booster dose, remember to bring your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card with you to your appointment.

Patients are always encouraged to talk to their primary care provider about their questions and concerns regarding vaccines. More information about booster shots can be found at cdc.gov, vaccines.gov, or casshealth.org/covidvaccine.