(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa Department of Public Health administrator says the state is shifting its strategy for distributing COVID-19 vaccines as demand for the shot continues to decline. Ken Sharp says the department is now advising vaccine providers to prioritize vaccinating individuals over wasting doses. That’s based on federal guidance. “Waste has become more acceptable and, in fact, a necessity, so that we can ensure the ongoing progress in getting individuals vaccinated,” Sharp says.

The state accepted less than one-third of its COVID-19 vaccine allocation from the federal government this week. Sharp says counties have largely stopped mass vaccination clinics.  “And we’re transitioning really to kind of focused small, we’ll call micro clinics, that are going into communities where they are meeting people where they are. And we’re seeing some very good progress there,” according to Sharp.

He says the state will also begin offering the Pfizer vaccine to all Iowa counties so they can vaccinate kids ages 12 to 17.

(reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a woman from Clarinda was arrested May 5th, on an active Montgomery County warrant. Ashley Argo was taken into custody for Contempt of Court, for failure to pay child support. Argo was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held without bond.

(Radio Iowa) Officials say over 400-thousand Iowans are food insecure and demand at Iowa food pantries and the six food banks around the state remains 50 percent higher than it was before the pandemic. Linda Gorkow, executive director of the Iowa Food Bank Association, says food banks provided 60 million meals to Iowans last year — almost double the volume of food provided in 2019.

“The impact of Covid-19 continues as food insecurity is expected to be a part of reality in Iowa and nationwide,” Gorkow says. “…One unfortunate life situation or unexpected disaster could put most any of us in the need of food assistance.” The governor established a Feeding Iowans Task Force in April of last year and the group issued a final report yesterday (Wednesday) to provide a tally of the food it rounded up and the government funds spent on the effort. Lieutenant Governor Adam Gregg was the group’s leader.

“I want to be clear. We’re not saying we’ve solved hunger in Iowa forever more, but instead we want to use the relationships we’ve built and the connections that we’ve made to continue this conversation in other forums,” Gregg says. Some task force members will be added to the state team that develops plans for emergencies. “So we can continue these conversations in other forums to improve our response,” Gregg says.

Lori Williams of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management says, for example, the task force arranged for volunteers to take bulk purchases of rice, oatmeal and pasta and repackage it for distribution at food pantries. That effort was expanded in August to repackage food that didn’t have to be refrigerated for victims of the derecho. “We often say in emergency management that during the disaster is not when we want to exchange business cards,” she says. “We to build those relationships ahead of time and so we’re going to continue the momentum from this task force and its relationships to support disaster feeding activities in the future.”

The lieutenant governor says the state will soon distribute another five-and-a-half million dollars to the state’s smaller food pantries.

CLARINDA – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports 80-year-old Ronald Harris Brown, an inmate at the Clarinda Correctional Facility, died Wednesday morning, from complications related to his suspected suicide. His death took place at 9:35 a.m.

Brown had been serving a life sentence for the crime of Murder 1st Degree from Black Hawk County. His sentence began on October 31, 1983. All suspected suicides are investigated by the department.

Officials with Connections Area Agency have announced that the state is continuing the Farmers Market voucher program for older Iowans.  With this program, seniors meeting income requirements can obtain vouchers that they can use at participating area Farmers Markets to buy $30.00 worth of fresh, locally grown produce.  This year since  senior centers and offices are currently closed to the public, officials will be asking individuals to call-in beginning June 1st, to 800-432-9209 x8888 and leave a message with their name and phone number.

All calls will be returned within five business days.  The staff person who returns your call will then fill out your application on the phone and vouchers will be assigned and mailed out on Thursdays of each week.

Program Criteria:

• Must be at least 60 years of age or older
• Annual income must be less than

$23,828              Single

$32,227              Married

• When a staff member returns your call please indicate whether you are applying as an individual or a married couple.
  

Outline of Process: 

• Connections Farmers Market line open for applicants to leave their name and number for an application call back.
• PLEASE LEAVE ONLY ONE MESSAGE PER INDIVIDUAL OR COUPLE. DO NOT LEAVE MORE THAN ONE MESSAGE.
• All calls will be returned within five business days.
• Vouchers will be mailed out on Thursdays of each week.
• Due to COVID-19 we will not accept any walk-in applicants at our local offices or meal sites; this method is the only way to obtain Farmers’ Market vouchers in 2021.

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education, Wednesday evening, held a Public Hearing with regard to the 2020-21 Amended, Certified Budget. There were no comments written or spoken from the public. Later on in their meeting, the Board approved the Budget, as amended. They also approved the resignations of: Emma Bireline, High School English Teacher/Play Director/Mentor Teacher; Jeremy Blake, High School Special Ed Teacher/Freshman Volleyball Coach/ J.V. Basketball Coach/Assistant Track coach; Jim Mullenix, Bus Route Driver, and Special Education Para’s, Susannah O’Dette and Ashley Updike.

There was some discussion with regard to Blake and Bireline’s request for approval of their resignations. Superintendent Steve Barber said Bireline’s reason was “to go to a school that is more conducive to her family life.” Blake has been offered an opportunity not available to him in the Atlantic District, and he has a “passion to pursue that advancement.” The Board had the option to accept both reasons as “unforeseen circumstances,” or hold them to their contract until a “suitable replacement” is found.

Board President Jenny Williams said “I feel like it’s a tough call. I hate to say no…I know one explains why, the other one I don’t know what the circumstances are, but it puts us in a situation at the end of the year that’s difficult for our administrators to find teachers.” She acknowledged there “Is a teacher shortage, especially for some positions.” Mr. Barber noted that, since the district has already hired an extra Special Ed Teacher for the coming school year, it would essentially break-even with the loss of Jeremy Blake. In the end, the Board approved the resignations based on Mr. Barber’s recommendations.

In other action, the Board approved contracts and/or letters of assignment for:

• Katie Hedegaard, Middle School English Language Arts
• Angela Behrens, Lori Namanny, and Melissa Balch – Summer Lunch Program
• and Mikalya Schuler, Kindergarten.

The Atlantic School Board, Wednesday, approved: the 2019-20 Audit report; the 2021 list of graduating Seniors; the approved Superintendent Steve Barber’s 2021-22 contract, which calls for a 2.5% total package increase, that amounts to a little more than $4,873; They approved 2021-22 Substitute Employee Pay rates, which Mr. Barber noted haven’t been changed for a couple of years.

In other action, the Board approved a 2021-22 milk bid from Anderson-Erickson, and a 21-22 bread bid from Pan-O-Gold, along with an AEA purchasing agreement, which will save the district money. They also approved 2021-22 Club/Activity Sponsor contracts.

(Radio Iowa) – The main source of drinking water for Iowa’s largest city and the surrounding metro area is down about 90-percent from normal due to the extended drought. Des Moines Water Works C-E-O Ted Corrigan says most longtime residents have never seen the river levels this low. “The median flow in the Raccoon River during May is 4,000 CFS (cubic feet per second) and today the river’s flowing at about 400 CFS,” Corrigan says, “so it’s quite a bit lower than it would typically be at this time of year.” While the river is far below its normal level, Corrigan says it’s no reason to panic.

“There’s currently no issue. We have plenty of water to supply all of our customers,” Corrigan says. “Conditions are dry. The grass is green and there’s plenty of water but the river is low and it’s not cause for concern but it’s cause for awareness and communication.” Residents are -not- being warned to stop watering their lawns, filling swimming pools or washing their cars. “We are not recommending that anyone cut back on anything at this point in time,” Corrigan says. “We always ask that people use water wisely. Make sure that as they’re setting up their irrigation systems that they’re not watering the sidewalk and the driveway and those kinds of things, that they’re not wasting water.”

Corrigan was asked if he sees this as a being a short-term situation. “Hard to say, honestly,” Corrigan says. “There’s forecast rain for the next several days. If we get that, that will certainly help. If we don’t, it will be cause for additional awareness.”

The Des Moines Water Works supplies drinking water to about a half million residents in the capitol city area.

Mills County Public Information Officer Nick Johnson reports, in their regular meeting on Tuesday, May 11th, the Mills County Board of Supervisors adopted updated procedures for county offices, effective as of 8-a.m., May 13th. The updates include:

1. The Mask Mandate has been lifted. Employees and visitors to county offices who wish to continue to wear a mask, may do so, but it is no longer required.
2. Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, Susan Christensen, has ordered that masks and/or face coverings shall be worn in ALL Court-controlled areas, until further notice. This does not include the top floor of the Mills County Courthouse. Anyone conducting business or attending court on the upper level of the courthouse, will be required to wear a mask.
3. Social distancing should be maintained in the common areas by all persons in the courthouse.
4. Any person with COVID-19 symptoms should refrain from entering a public building. Stay home if you are ill.
5. Good handwashing is essential, and hand sanitizers will be available at all entrances and in all offices.
6. Should you have any questions specific to your business, contact the appropriate department directly.

Please be advised also, that these precaution are in place to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other infectious diseases. However, these measures do not eliminate the possibility of contracting or spreading the virus.

Johnson says also, COVID-19 vaccines are now readily available in Mill County. Mills County Public Health has the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. HyVee Pharmacy in Glenwood has the Pfizer vaccine. Kohl’s Pharmacy in Malvern also has the Moderna vaccine. Appointments at all locations are available, and walk-ins are accepted.

(Radio Iowa/updated) – Governor Kim Reynolds says there’s no reason to fear Covid-19 any longer. She says Covid case numbers in Iowa are at a 10 month low, the number of Iowa hospital patients being treated for Covid is down 90 percent from the high point in November, and about half the state’s adults are fully vaccinated. “Life really is getting back to normal,” Reynolds says, “and all around us, there are more signs of it.”

Reynolds says it’s time to lean FURTHER into normal and that’s why she has declared that the three-hundred extra dollars in federal benefits for unemployment Iowans will end June 12th.  “Jobs are readily available and employers are eager to hire,” Reynolds says, “and it’s time to get back to work.” House Democratic Leader Todd Prichard says the governor’s move is heartless and shows Reynolds is willing to use vulnerable Iowans as a stepping stone for her own political gain.

Reynolds says regular unemployment will continue. And, to other critics who say more Iowans would join the workforce if businesses offered better pay, Reynolds says the market is taking care of that. “I love it when I have businesses tell me they’re having some of their best years ever and they’ve got orders that are waiting to be filled,” Reynolds says. “They just can’t find employees to help build the equipment, so I think these are great jobs, they have benefits, there’s opportunities for growth…and you’re seeing wages adjust accordingly.”

The governor says many state employees who’ve been working from home will be returning to their offices in the coming weeks. Reynolds says state agencies are assessing which jobs can be done remotely. “I’m excited about that because I think that opens up the application pool statewide,” Reynolds says, “and that gives people that don’t necessarily live in the metro areas the opportunity to be a state employee.” Reynolds says she plans to meet with businesses and organizations over the next few days to discuss how all can return to more normal work, business and entertainment experiences.

“There’s no reason for us to fear Covid-19 any longer,” Reynolds says. “We know how to manage it and individuals can be trusted to make decisions that will keep us on a path forward. I believe Iowans are ready to live our lives more fully again and I think we’ve earned it.” Reynolds made her comments late this (Wednesday) morning during a news conference to highlight the state’s response to increased demand at food pantries and food banks.

Officials say more than 400-thousand Iowans are food insecure and the need for food assistance is 50 percent higher than than it was two years ago.

(Radio Iowa) – The state Transportation Commission has approved the first draft of its updated five-year transportation plan. The plan include an estimated three-point-six billion dollars for road construction and improvement, which the D-O-T’s Stuart Anderson says includes some ongoing projects. “The Interstate 74 bridge replacement over the Mississippi River in the Quad Cities. We are in the last major year of construction on that project — hoping to see a second span open to traffic by the end of this calendar year,” he says. It also includes continuing work on the I-80/380 interchange west of Iowa City.”We have the final phase of that work underway now, so that should be wrapped up in the next couple of years,” according to Anderson. “And then out west in Council Bluffs, continuing a multi-year effort to reconstruct the interstate system in that area.”

He ways work will continue on expanding I-35 to six lanes from Polk County to Story County and Ames. The five-year plan is updated and new projects are approved in June. One new project ties into the work near Iowa City. “The commission is now wanting to prioritize the reconstruction and widening of Interstate 380 between Iowa City and Cedar Rapids. So they were able to add into this program the first phase of that work — which really builds on the reconstruction of the mixmaster at 80 and 380. So, they’ve added in this program the first phase of that work.,” according to Anderson.

The pandemic has cause delays in getting products and increased the prices of a lot of construction materials. Anderson says that hasn’t been an issue for roads yet. “So far our lettings for fiscal year 2021 which we are wrapping up now, have come out almost exactly equivalent to the amount we estimated for the five-year program. Which is great news,” Anderson says. “But the next months we’ll be monitoring very closely.” He says they don’t know how long supply chain issues will last and if they will eventually hit road construction. “There has been discussion about steel prices increasing, obviously a lot of steel goes into construction. Fuel prices — because of the supply issues they are having with fuel now — a lot of fuel goes into road construction projects — so that could have an impact,” Anderson says.

Anderson says the road use tax funding that fell off at the start of the pandemic, but that has rebounded and they’ve also gotten federal pandemic funds to help with any deficits.