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Grassley won’t be tested for Covid, Ernst test negative

News

October 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Three Republicans in the U.S. Senate have tested positive for Covid, but Senator Chuck Grassley’s spokesman says the 87-year-old senator will not be tested. Grassley and Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who has the virus, were both at a Judiciary Committee meeting last Thursday, but Grassley spokesman Michael Zona says Grassley’s doctors do not recommend that he be tested because Grassley wasn’t seated next to Senator Lee.

Zona says Grassley hasn’t had close contact with anyone suspected or confirmed to have the virus. Grassley is the president pro tempore of the U.S. Senate, which makes him third in the line of succession to the presidency, behind the speaker of the House and the vice president. Grassley issued a statement via Twitter, saying he regularly prays for President Trump and others in authority, but added an additional prayer that Trump and the first lady get well soon from the coronavirus.

Iowa’s other U.S. Senator, Joni Ernst, did take a Covid test and found out this weekend it was negative.

Scholten says next Covid relief package should include aid to small businesses, biofuels plants

News

October 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – J.D. Scholten, the Democrat running for Iowa’s fourth district congressional seat, says he’s hoping President Trump’s Covid diagnosis raises awareness about what health experts recommend to combat the spread of coronavirus. “First of all, my prayers go to the president and first lady and hoping for a speedy recovery,” Scholten says. “What it shows is this pandemic and this virus doesn’t discriminate.”

Scholten stops short of calling for a national mandate that everyone wear face coverings in public, but Scholten says he’s hoping the president’s case raises awareness about the importance of wearing a mask and social distancing. “I think there should be a national plan. I mean we were all willing to commit in March to stay home and there was never that next step,” Scholten says, “and so we have this ‘one foot in, one foot out’ approach that just continues to prolongs it.”

Scholten says the next coronavirus relief package should include funding for more robust testing as well as grants for small businesses and biofuels plants. Scholten made his comments this weekend on the “Iowa Press” program on Iowa P-B-S. He faces Republican nominee Randy Feenstra of Hull in this year’s General Election. Scholten came within three points of defeating Republican Congressman Steve King in 2018.

All-night stand-off in Fort Dodge ends with suspect jumping out of window, being arrested

News

October 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – A man has been taken into custody after a standoff with the Fort Dodge Police over the weekend. The man identified by police as Christopher Smith, faces multiple charges from the incident. There were warrants for Smith’s arrest issued prior to this incident. He barricaded himself in a bedroom of a residence.

Officers eventually deployed a chemical into the room, forcing Smith out. After he jumped out of a bedroom window officers were able to take him into custody.

Iowa early News Headlines: Monday, Oct. 5, 2020

News

October 5th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

UNDATED (AP) — Iowa election officials will begin mailing out absentee ballots Monday (today), and it’s the first day voters can go to their county auditor’s offices or a satellite locations to vote early in person. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says as of Friday that 632,549 voters have requested an absentee ballot. Democrats requested more than 335,000 ballots, Republicans requested nearly 187,000 and no-party voters asked for about 108,000 ballots. County officials are saying the pace is far ahead of previous elections. In Polk County, for example, Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald said he received 111,462 ballot requests as of Oct. 1, compared with 45,191 requests at the same time in 2016. Election Day is Nov. 3.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa continues to have one of the nation’s highest rates of coronavirus infections, and the state reported 684 new cases and four new deaths on Sunday. The state said Sunday that as of 10 a.m. there had been 92,545 cases of COVID-19 and 1,381 deaths related to the virus in Iowa since the pandemic began. Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that the seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate in Iowa has risen over the past two weeks from 15.34% on Sept. 19 to 18.17% on Saturday. That was the fifth-highest positivity rate in the nation on Saturday.

IRETON, Iowa (AP) — A body was found inside a burned vehicle in a northwest Iowa cornfield. The Sioux County Sheriff’s office said the burning vehicle was reported around 9 p.m. Friday in a cornfield about 1.5 miles north of the northwest Iowa town of Ireton. The 2007 Jeep Commander was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived. The sheriff’s office said the body was found inside the Jeep after the fire was extinguished. An autopsy will be performed on the body. Authorities didn’t immediately release the name of the victim.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds is allowing bars in Iowa’s two largest college towns to reopen next week after a five-week closure helped stop coronavirus outbreaks among young adults. Reynolds signed an order allowing bars to reopen Monday in Johnson and Story counties as long as they follow social-distancing rules. Breweries, wineries and distilleries are allowed to reopen almost immediately, on Friday at 5 p.m. The venues are often packed with University of Iowa and Iowa State University students. The order says all customers must consume their food and drinks while seated at a bar, booth or table, and must be at least 6 feet apart.

Cass County Supervisors to act on tax certificate sale & continue road closing discussion

News

October 4th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, will continue an ongoing discussion with regard to the Iowa DOT’s proposed closing of 570th Street at the Interstate 80 underpass. The Board has held two previous discussions on the matter. The DOT proposes making I-80 six-lanes, which would require the elimination of some underpasses across the state for the purpose of widening the road.

During last week’s meeting, Cass County Supervisor Steve Green said he has visited with several people currently using the underpass for farming operations and other travel. All persons affected by the DOT plan would like to see the underpass remain open, according to Green, but if that’s not possible, would request compensation for the resulting increased business operating expenses.

Green said at the last meeting, he wanted more research into arrangements that were made (back in the 1950’s, when the Interstate was first proposed and planned for), when the current right-of-way was transferred to the State, and he wanted to arrange a meeting with DOT officials either in-person, or electronically.

In other business, the Cass County Supervisors will act on a Resolution assigning a county-held tax sale certificate to the City of Atlantic, and to enter into an agreement to abate the taxes, if Atlantic acquires ownership of the parcel at 101 Cedar Street.  The meeting begins at 9-a.m., both in-person at the Cass County Courthouse, and electronically (Meeting ID: 138 870 131  Password: 012064).

 

Sidney man arrested after allegedly hitting a woman w/a hammer

News

October 4th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Deputies in Fremont County, Saturday, arrested a Sidney man, 43-year old Dave Allen Keeton, on charges that include Attempted Murder and Willful Injury with a Weapon.He was being held in the Fremont County Jail on a $25,000 cash bond.

His arrest came a little after 6-p.m., and was the result of a call about a woman being assaulted with a hammer, at a residence in the 100 Block of Main Street in Sidney.

When Deputies arrived on the scene, they found the victim, bleeding from the head. She said that she had been strangled and hit with the hammer. Keeton was taken into custody without incident. The woman was transported to the hospital for treatment of  non life-threatening injuries.

S.W. IA woman arrested on drug charges following accident investigation

News

October 4th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

A woman from Sidney (Iowa) was arrested Saturday in Hamburg on drug and other charges, following an investigation into an accident that took place in the 2100 block of Main Street, in Sidney. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Department reports 42-year old Jennifer Susan Akers faces charges that include OWI, Drugged Driving, Possession of a Controlled Substance and cited for Speeding.

Jennifer Susan Akers

She was being held in the Fremont County Jail, on a $4,000 bond.

Authorities say Deputies were advised as they were heading to the scene, Saturday, that the vehicle had been pulled from the ditch by another vehicle and was heading south on US Highway 275. A deputy observed the vehicle north of Hamburg traveling at 76 MPH and stopped it in Hamburg.

Body found after vehicle fire extinguished in northwest Iowa

News

October 4th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

IRETON, Iowa (AP) — A body was found inside a burned vehicle in a northwest Iowa cornfield. The Sioux County Sheriff’s office said the burning vehicle was reported around 9 p.m. Friday in a cornfield about 1.5 miles north of the northwest Iowa town of Ireton. The 2007 Jeep Commander was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived.

The sheriff’s office said the body was found inside the Jeep after the fire was extinguished. An autopsy will be performed on the body. Authorities didn’t immediately release the name of the victim.

 

Iowa absentee ballots go out Monday, early voting begins

News

October 4th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(A-P) – Iowa election officials will begin mailing out absentee ballots Monday, and it’s the first day voters can go to their county auditor’s offices or a satellite locations to vote early in person. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says as of Friday that 632,549 voters have requested an absentee ballot. Democrats requested more than 335,000 ballots, Republicans requested nearly 187,000 and no-party voters asked for about 108,000 ballots.

County officials are saying the pace is far ahead of previous elections. In Polk County, for example, Auditor Jamie Fitzgerald said he received 111,462 ballot requests as of Oct. 1, compared with 45,191 requests at the same time in 2016. Election Day is Nov. 3.

 

IA COVID-19 update for Oct. 4 2020

News

October 4th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The State of Iowa’s COVID-19 dashboard today (Sunday), indicates that from 10-a.m. Saturday through 10-a.m. Sunday, there were four more deaths attributed to the virus, for a total of 1,381, and 680 more Positive cases, for a total of 92,545. Deaths attributed to a pre-existing medical condition number 940. There have been 5,162 lab results returned since 10-a.m. Saturday, with 4,548 coming back Negative for the virus, and 576 positive. The total number of tests administered to-date, amount to 821,404, with 727,300 total Negative results. The 14-day rolling average remains 8.8%. Health officials say 71,580 Iowans have recovered from the effects of COVID-19.

Fourteen counties in Iowa report 14-day positivity rates above 15%, including Sioux, Lyon, Taylor, Page, Delaware, O’Brien, Fremont, Osceola, Chickasaw, Harrison, Crawford, Plymouth, Henry, and Woodbury counties.

In the KJAN listening area, Cass County has two new Positive cases of COVID-19, for a total of 194. Other new, Positive test results include: 31 cases in Pottawattamie County; nine additional cases in Harrison County; seven new cases in Mills County; four more cases in Guthrie, Madison & Shelby Counties; and one case each in Adams, Audubon and Montgomery Counties.

Hospitalization data due to COVID-19 show: 392 are hospitalized as of 10-a.m. Sunday (compared to 402 Saturday); 104 patients are in an ICU (compared to 100 previously); 58 people have been admitted to a hospital, and 39 COVID patients are on a ventilator.

In western/southwest Iowa, 21 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, eight are in an ICU, three were admitted since Saturday, and no one is on a ventilator.

There are currently 52 long-term care facilities with coronavirus outbreaks, in Iowa. IDPH reports 1,133 positive cases and 682 recoveries within those facilities. There have been 709 deaths in Iowa’s long-term care facilities, five more than yesterday.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases in each county, the number of persons recovered, and the total number of [deaths] (if any), since the pandemic began:

  • Cass, 194 cases; 163 recovered; 2 deaths
  • Adair, 76; 50; 1
  • Adams, 40; 28; 0
  • Audubon, 104; 39; 1
  • Guthrie, 291; 179; 10
  • Harrison County, 319; 181; 5
  • Madison County, 265; 186; 2
  • Mills County, 221; 143; 1
  • Montgomery, 109; 94; 5
  • Pottawattamie County, 2,345; 1,806; 41
  • Shelby County, 284; 254; 1
  • Union County,  152; 102; 3