VINTON, Iowa – Officials with the Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation report that at or about 9-a.m. Saturday, January 2nd, deputies with the Benton County Sheriff’s Office responded to a request for a welfare check at a residence  in the 2900 block of 28th Avenue, in rural Vinton.

Upon arrival, authorities located the body of a deceased male identified as 84-year-old James Howard Bright. Bright’s death is currently being investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, the Benton County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa State Patrol.

Authorities say, “At this time, it is believed there is no threat to public safety.”

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City police say one person was killed and four others were injured in a shooting at a New Year’s party. Police say several shots were fired Friday morning from multiple guns into a home where people were celebrating New Year’s Eve. An 18-year-old woman was found dead inside the home. Four others who were shot were treated at hospitals and are in stable condition. Police said many of the people at the party were underage. The investigation is continuing.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines attorney is suing several police officers and the city over their response to racial justice protests in May. The class-action lawsuit seeks to represent anyone arrested or assaulted by Des Moines officers during a protest May 31. Attorney Gina Messamer alleges in the lawsuit that officers illegally arrested and pepper-sprayed people protesting the death of George Floyd while he was in the custody of Minneapolis police. The lawsuit alleges the officers’ actions violated protesters’ free speech rights and were meant to deter future demonstrations. Des Moines officials did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — COVID-19 hospitalizations are continuing to drop in Iowa, while the positivity rate is edging upward after showing declines through the month of December. KCCI reports that the state’s 14-day positivity rate is 12.8%, up from 12.7% the previous day. The state’s 7-day positivity rate climbed from 11.5% to 11.7%. The number of counties reporting a 14-day positivity rate greater than 15% is also on the rise. Forty-three of Iowa’s 99 counties now report a rate at 15% or higher. That’s four more counties than the previous day. There are currently 572 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, a decrease of three over the previous 24 hours.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — U.S. farmers are expected to end the year with higher profits than last year and the best net farm income in seven years thanks to the government paying nearly 40% of their income. That’s according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest farm income forecast. Farmer challenges in 2020 included the impact of trade disputes, drought and wind damage, and low prices for corn, cotton, wheat, chicken, cattle and hogs. Farm cash receipts are forecast to be the lowest in more than a decade. But farmers are expected to receive $46.5 billion from the U.S. government. That’s the largest direct-to-farm payment ever. It lifts net farm income to $119.6 billion. And that’s the highest profitability since 2013.

w/ Chris Parks

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The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest of a Red Oak man for a driving violation on New Year’s Day. At 9:10 a.m. Officers witnessed 24-year-old Zachary Aaron Thomas of Red Oak operating a 2008 Chevy Impala and pulled into his residential driveway. Thomas was known to have a barred Iowa Driver’s License and was operating on a public highway. He was arrested for Driving While Barred- Habitual Offender and held at the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 cash bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Students in k-through 12 classes and at the college level had to deal with a lot of changes in their routine this past year following the COVID-19 outbreak. Iowa State University president, Wendy Wintersteen, says they adjusted on the fly.

She says the actions they took appeared to have stopped the spread of the virus.

Wintersteen says it was evident that the students would rather be together on campus in Ames instead of taking classes online.

She says they will take what they learned and use it in the spring semester.

I-S-U’s Spring session begins on January 25th.

(Radio Iowa) – As a crossroads for three major interstates, authorities say Iowa is a critical trouble spot for human trafficking — and problems are worsening in the pandemic. Megan Cutter, director of the National Human Trafficking Hotline, says the first month of COVID-related shutdowns brought a 40-percent increase in crisis calls, while requests for shelter nearly doubled. Cutter says recent federal funding sent to local communities to help victims find housing is vitally needed.

Cutter says any legislation, federal or state, that can help provide stable housing to those in need, will go a long way toward helping curb human trafficking. It’s estimated 40-million people are trafficked every year in an industry worth 150-billion dollars a year. Cutter says traffickers often prey on people who don’t have a secure place to live.

The 2019 investigative documentary, “Gridshock,” explored the human trafficking industry in Iowa and claimed people are being bought and sold for sex — every day — in communities across the state. The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 888-373-7888.

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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Des Moines attorney is suing several police officers and the city over their response to racial justice protests in May. The class-action lawsuit seeks to represent anyone arrested or assaulted by Des Moines officers during a protest May 31. Attorney Gina Messamer alleges in the lawsuit that officers illegally arrested and pepper-sprayed people protesting the death of George Floyd while he was in the custody of Minneapolis police.

The lawsuit alleges the officers’ actions violated protesters’ free speech rights and were meant to deter future demonstrations. Des Moines officials did not respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Sioux City police say one person was killed and four others were injured in a shooting at a New Year’s party. Police say several shots were fired Friday morning from multiple guns into a home where people were celebrating New Year’s Eve.

An 18-year-old woman was found dead inside the home. Four others who were shot were treated at hospitals and are in stable condition. Police said many of the people at the party were underage. The investigation is continuing.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has rejected Tyson Foods’ efforts to have a lawsuit over the death of an employee in Iowa moved to federal court. The family of Isidro Fernandez sued Tyson over his death April 26 from complications from COVID-19 after working at the company’s plant in Waterloo. The lawsuit was filed in state court but Tyson had sought to have it moved to federal court.

The company argued it was not liable because it was following federal guidance to stay open during the pandemic. A federal judge rejected that argument this week, sending the case back to state court.