(Des Moines, IA) The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has confirmed 38 additional cases of the COVID-19 variant, SARS-CoV-2 B.1.1.7. in Iowa. The variant is often referred to as the U.K. variant because it was first detected in the United Kingdom.

This increase in the number of detected variants comes in part as a result of increasing the number of tests being sequenced by the State Hygienic Lab (SHL) for the B.1.1.7 variant. This increase further supports that we know this variant is circulating here in the state of Iowa, in addition to being found across the United States.

IDPH and local public health have initiated contact with these cases to understand their exposures and recommend mitigation measures. The process includes notifying anyone with whom these individuals have been in close contact. The individuals will be advised to isolate in accordance with IDPH and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance.

“Because current evidence shows the current vaccines are effective against the B.1.1.7 variant, it’s absolutely critical for Iowans to get the vaccine when one is made available to them. As viruses are known to change a bit over time and
variants can sometimes be more easily transmissible, reaching herd immunity will be very important in reducing virus activity. Public health will continue to work with our partners at SHL to monitor these trends and it is very important that we all keep practicing good public health protective measures,” shared Dr. Caitlin Pedati, State Medical Director and Epidemiologist.

For more information on vaccine eligibility and to find a provider, visit: https://vaccinate.iowa.gov/

The emergence of new variants underscores that it remains critical for Iowans to continue the mitigation efforts that we know work to slow the spread of COVID-19:

• Wear a mask or face covering
• Practice social distancing with those outside your household
• Clean your hands frequently with soap and water
• Stay home if you feel sick
• Get tested if you are exposed to, or have symptoms of COVID-19
• Get a COVID-19 vaccine when it’s available to you

Updates to Iowa’s B.1.1.7 cases will be shared on the CDC’s website here. These case counts only represent the variant strains that are confirmed through genomic sequencing, and may not accurately reflect the true number of variant cases.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A groundbreaking effort to document and dismantle institutional racism in Iowa’s most liberal city has been paused after weeks of conflict among leaders derailed its work. The City Council in Iowa City voted late Tuesday to suspend the Truth and Reconciliation Commission until April 15, after new members can be appointed to replace three who resigned from the nine-member commission. The council also plans a special meeting with the commission then to iron out how to move forward.

The vote came after hours of public comment that recounted the personality conflicts, generational divides and tactical disagreements that had erupted over the commission. Mayor Bruce Teague says it saddened him to suspend the commission but that it had become an unsafe space for some people.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports numerous arrests dating back to March 3rd, and one, single-vehicle double injury accident. Authorities say at around 4:40-a.m. Saturday (March 13), Deputies responded to a reported single-vehicle accident on Marne Road. A 2013 Buick Verano owned and driven by 21-year old Maycee Jane Shaner, of Shelby, was northbound on Highway 83 (Marne Road) when the vehicle left the roadway, struck a sign and flipped onto its top. Shaner and her passenger, 20-year old Katlyn Marie VanScoy, of Avoca, were transported to Cass County Memorial Hospital via EMS Ground. Damage to the vehicle is estimated at $8,000, and damage to the sign is estimated at $800. The accident remains under investigation.

• Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies,Tuesday, arrested 49-year old Stanley Oral Rossell, of Lewis, for Violation of a No Contact Order. Rossell was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on $300 bond. *Rossell was arrested also on March 8th (See below)
• On Monday, deputies arrested 50-year old Sandy Paulline Coburn, of Griswold. She was taken into custody for Driving While Barred, and later released on $2,000 bond.
• On March 12th, 40-year old Phillip Jay McClish, of Clarinda, was arrested on a Cass County Sheriff’s Office warrant for Theft 4th Degree and a Mills County warrant. McClish was taken to the Cass County Jail and later released to Mills County authorities.
• March 11th, Cass County Sheriff’s Deputies arrested 41-year old Kantauo Siwiter Mark, of Atlantic, on a charge of Driving While Barred. Mark was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance.
• On March 8th, 49-year old Stanley Oral Rossell, of Lewis, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order and Interference with Official Acts. Rossell was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on $300 bond.
• On March 6th, 20-year old Shawn Michael Schlake, of Anita, was arrested in Cass County on a Felony charge of Criminal Mischief 2nd Degree. Schlake was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance.
• And, on March 3rd, Cass County Deputies arrested 22-year old Maximilian Elwood, of Atlantic, on a Cass County Sheriff’s Felony warrant for Sex Abuse 3rd Degree (C Felony). Elwood was taken to the Cass County Sheriff’s Office and released later that day on $10,000 bond.

The Harlan Police Department, Wednesday, issued a report on arrests made over the past week. There were two arrests on Sunday:

• Troy Dakota Weelborg, age 37, Council Bluffs, was arrested following a call for service. Weelborg was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with violation of a no contact order.
• Tamara Leigh Dryer, age 33, Harlan, was arrested following a call for service. Dryer was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with violation of a no contact order.

There were two arrests last Saturday:

• Jennifer Rose Miller, age 39, Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop. Miller was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with driving while suspended, operating nonregistered vehicle, and no proof of insurance.
• Elizabeth Grace Christo, age 38, Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop. Christo was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

And, there were two arrests on March 11th:

• Julie Ann McManigal, age 46, Manning, was arrested on an active Ida County warrant. McManigal was transported to the Shelby County Jail to await transport.
• Randi Lynn Hess, age 19, Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant. Hess was transported to the Shelby County Jail.

(Updated)(Radio Iowa – Governor Kim Reynolds says projections indicate there will soon be a “significant” increase in the amount of Covid vaccine the federal government ships to Iowa. “Today, I’m announcing that all Iowans will be eligible for vaccinations starting Monday, April 5th, as long as the vaccine allocation increases as we’ve been told and as we are expecting.”

There are two-point-one MILLION adults in Iowa — and more than 413-thousand of them are fully vaccinated today according to the state website tracking how many shots of the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson and Johnson vaccines have been given. “If we’re able to ramp up in a the manner we’re projecting — and we’re ready to go — it’ll be good news for Iowans,” Reynolds told reporters today.

The governor says mass vaccination clinics are proving very worthwhile in Iowa as hundreds of people are getting the shots every hour at the events. “Iowans have demonstrated our ability to work together and ensure vaccine is administered efficiently and responsibly,” Reynolds says. “I’m confident that we’re prepared to open up even more.” Reynolds says a computer glitch that prevented Iowans who are administering COVID shots from registering that information in a statewide database has been fixed. Iowa and several other states were affected by the hardware problem that popped up on Tuesday.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — Sheriffs in two central Iowa counties say their offices are investigating after cattle were found slain and dumped along gravel roads in their jurisdictions. The Ames Tribune reports that two cows and a calf were found dead in Boone and Greene counties on March 10. Investigators said the calf, found in Boone County, had its front legs bound with twine. Boone County Sheriff Gregg Elsberry said a red shorthorn cow was found a short distance away in a creek with its throat slashed.

The carcass of the other cow, also a red shorthorn, was found in a Greene County ditch. Authorities say that scuff marks on the animals’ hides indicated they were dumped on the roads from a vehicle.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports a man from Missouri was arrested Monday night on Felony Eluding and other charges. 20-year-old Tyler Blake Miller, of Maryville, MO., was arrested on I-29 at Highway 34, following a traffic stop and pursuit. In addition to Eluding, Miller was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance, Reckless Driving and being a Fugitive from Justice. He was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

Today (Wednesday), 23-year-old David Patrick Robertson, of Lincoln, NE., was arrested at the Douglas County, NE., Jail, on a Mills County warrant for Contempt of Court. Bond was set at $7,500. And, 36-year-old Jeffrey Thomas Olsufka, of Wayne, NE., was arrested at around 6:50-a.m. on Hyland Avenue, for Unlawful Possession of Prescription Medication, and Failure to affix a drug tax stamp. His bond was set at $6,000.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A jury has convicted a man of first-degree murder for the 2019 shooting death of another man in a Des Moines home. Television station WHO-TV reports that that Stanley Wofford was found guilty Monday in the Aug. 31, 2019, death of 45-year-old John Belcher. Wofford was charged in the case nearly three weeks after the shooting. Police testified that Wofford called 911 about half an hour after the shooting and claimed to have found Belcher’s body. Police later determined it was Wofford who did the shooting. Wofford faces a mandatory sentence of life in prison when he’s sentenced on April. 23.

(Radio Iowa) – Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa says there’s a humanitarian crisis at the country’s southern border and the Biden Administration should no longer allow unaccompanied minors to stay after they cross into the United States. Miller-Meeks is among a dozen Republicans from the U.S. House who toured facilities in El Paso this week and met with Border Patrol agents. “I saw firsthand the crisis they are facing,” Miller-Meeks says, “and believe it is our job, as congress, to do everything in our power to address it.”

The number of immigrants illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border is at its highest level since 2019. “To put this in perspective, President Obama’s secretary of Homeland Security, Jeh Johnson, stated during his tenure that 1000 apprehensions a day was considered a bad day,” Miller-Meeks said. “We are at more than three times that now and, on top of it, we continue to face a global pandemic.” Miller-Meeks says it’s time to require Covid tests for migrants seeking asylum who are released to stay with family in the U.S. until their court hearings. “As a physician and the former director of the Iowa Department of Public Health, I know that the Covid-19 pandemic is not yet over,” Miller-Meeks said. “We must ensure that any individuals the Biden Administration insists on releasing into our communities do not have Covid-19.”

Border Patrol agents assess the health of migrants, but only those who show Covid symptoms are tested and treated before release from custody. Rapid tests of migrants buying tickets at the Brownsville, Texas, bus station are finding about six percent test positive for Covid. “Without proper testing and quarantine, they are likely to bring Covid-19 with them and the communities to which they are transferred are unaware,” Miller-Meeks says.

A Democratic congresswoman from El Paso accused Republicans of using the stereotype that immigrants bring diseases into the country to stoke fear and anger toward migrants. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says House Republicans are trying to distract attention from their unified opposition to the pandemic relief package Democrats enacted last week.