Two people were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday, in Creston. Authorities say 42-year old Brandie Whitney, of Creston, was arrested at around 1:10-a.m. in the 600 block of S. Maple Street, for Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Whitney was transported to the Union County Jail, and later released on a $2,300 bond.

And, at around 5:30-p.m. Tuesday, 28-year old Steven White, of Creston, was arrested for Public Intoxication. White was being held in the Union County Jail on a $300 bond.

The State of Iowa’s COVID-19 dashboard today (as of 10-a.m., Wednesday), shows 15 more deaths attributed to the virus have occurred since 10-a.m. Tuesday, for a total of 1,414, including one more in Guthrie County. Deaths attributed to a pre-existing medical condition number 960. There are also 919 new, Positive cases, for a total of 94,342. In the KJAN listening area, there are: four new cases in Cass, Adams & Union Counties; 27 more positive cases in Pottawattamie County; eight additional cases in Guthrie County; seven more cases Harrison County; six each in Adair and Mills Counties; three in Audubon & Shelby Counties; two cases in Montgomery County, and one more case in Madison County.

The IDPH says there have been 3,213 lab results returned since 10-a.m. Tuesday, with 2,873 coming back Negative for the virus, and 329 being positive. The total number of tests administered to-date, amount to 832,909, with 736,998 total Negative results. The 14-day rolling average is 8.6%. Health officials say 73,237 Iowans have recovered from the effects of COVID-19.

Hospitalization data due to COVID-19 show: 444 are hospitalized (compared to 413 Tuesday); 104 patients are in an ICU; 97 people have been admitted to a hospital (previously 61), and 42 COVID patients are on a ventilator. In western/southwest Iowa, 23 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, seven are in an ICU, three were admitted since Tuesday, and one person remains on a ventilator.

There are currently 54 long-term care facilities with coronavirus outbreaks, in Iowa (one less than yesterday). IDPH reports 1,104 positive cases and 613 recoveries within those facilities. There have been 723 deaths in Iowa’s long-term care facilities, six more than reported Tuesday.

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, 198 cases; 173 recovered; 2 deaths
• Adair, 85; 55; 1
• Adams, 47; 28; 0
• Audubon, 110; 40; 1
• Guthrie, 305; 186; 12
• Harrison County, 340; 185; 5
• Madison County, 273; 189; 2
• Mills County, 239; 144; 1
• Montgomery, 115; 95; 5
• Pottawattamie County, 2,395; 1,863; 41
• Shelby County, 291; 264; 1
• Union County,  159; 108; 3

A Red Oak man was arrested on drug charges at around 1:05-a.m. today (Wednesday). According to Red Oak Police, 58-year old Michael William Biggerstaff was taken into custody in the 900 block of Senate Avenue, for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Bond at the Montgomery County Jail was set at $1,000.

A man from California was arrested Tuesday night on drug charges, in Montgomery County. The Sheriff’s Department reports Terry Cook, of Escalon, CA, was taken into custody in the 200 block of Highway 34 at around 8:24-p.m., and transported to the Montgomery County Jail. He faces charges that include Possession of Drug Paraphernalia and Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana – 1st offense. Bond was set at $1,000. Red Oak Police and the Glenwood Police Dept. K-9 assisted Montgomery County Deputies in making the arrest.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:37 a.m. CDT

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a suburban Des Moines educator has died from complications of COVID-19, but it’s unclear if she contracted the virus at school or elsewhere. Shane Christensen, the principal of Indian Hills Junior High School, says special education assistant Jennifer Crawford, died Monday. She was 53. The school is in West Des Moines. Iowa has the fourth-highest coronavirus positivity rate in the nation. Only 10 of Iowa’s 99 counties are below the 5% threshold at which public health experts recommend measures to slow the spread of the virus, including mandatory masks and limits on gatherings.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has swiftly granted a request from Republican groups to stay a judge’s ruling that blocked enforcement of an order that’s been used to invalidate tens of thousands of absentee ballot requests. The Republican National Committee, President Trump’s campaign and other GOP groups argued in an emergency petition filed Tuesday that Iowa’s election administration could be thrown into “chaos” if the ruling was allowed to stand. Within hours, Chief Justice Susan Christensen released an order saying the full court had granted their request to put the ruling on hold pending further proceedings. She said the court will consider the merits of the case in the coming days.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Cedar Rapids hospital says it will demolish part of an historic building because of significant damage caused by this summer’s derecho. UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s says the Resource Center on its main campus sustained $400,000 in damage during the August storm. Hospital officials said the building will be demolished by the end of the year because of significant structural problems. The original wing of the Resource Center dates back to 1917, when it was built as the St. Luke’s Nursing Education Building. Demolition is expected to begin Oct. 26.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Cedar Rapids hospital plans tear down part of a building that sustained significant damage in a derecho that tore through the community in August. The Des Moines Register reports that Resource Center at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital sustained $400,000 worth of damage in the storm. Demolition is expected to begin Oct. 26. Two of the three wings of the Resource Center will be demolished entirely. The top four floors of the third wing will be demolished as well, but the wing’s lower level classrooms, auditorium and tunnel system to the main hospital will remain intact.

Rescue crews and law enforcement were dispatched to the scene of a rollover accident east of Atlantic, Tuesday night.

The vehicle was seen on its roof in a field just west and south of 650th/Highway 71 and Whitepole Road/Highway 6, at around 9:25-pm. At least one person was trapped and extricated by mechanical means. They were transported to the Cass County Memorial Hospital.  LifeNet launched and was enroute to CCMH at last report.

No other details are currently available. The accident was under investigation, but initial reports indicated alcohol may have played a role in the crash.

(Radio Iowa) – A Boston man has been sentenced to 15 months in prison after an Iowa-based company raised suspicions about a life insurance policy. The investigation began nearly two years ago after Kellerman Jason Zheng made a claim on a one-million dollar life insurance policy. Investigators in the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau discovered Zheng had posed as his dead brother to buy more than two dozen life insurance policies around the country.

He then filed more than 20 claims with a fake death certificate claiming his brother drowned in China in August of 2018. His brother actually died of a heart attack in 2015. Three of the life insurance policies had been issued by Iowa-based companies. The potential pay-out of two MILLION dollars.

A federal judge has ordered Zheng to pay 49-thousand dollars in restitution. He’ll be on probation for three years once he’s released from federal prison.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Supreme Court has issued what’s called a “stay” — so a district court judge’s recent ruling on absentee ballot request forms sent to voters in Woodbury, Linn and Johnson Counties is unlikely to into effect before the election.

On Monday, a district court judge issued a temporarily ruling that could have meant thousands of absentee ballot request forms in those three counties might have been valid for this year’s election. The Iowa Supreme Court’s action sets that ruling aside, but the court will consider responses through the close of business Thursday from the Democratic groups that filed that lawsuit. The auditors in Woodbury, Johnson and Linn Counties mailed forms that included the voter’s address and voter I-D number.

Other district court judges sided with Republican groups and ruled the forms sent by auditors in those three counties violated the Secretary of State’s order that only blank forms be mailed to voters. The auditors in Woodbury, Johnson and Linn Counties have been notifying voters to re-submit their absentee ballot requests if they used the forms that have been the subject of these lawsuits.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Tuesday of 28-year-old James R. Castillo of Clarinda on a charge of Driving While Barred. Castillo was taken into custody on 125th Street west of Highway 71 following a brief investigation. Castillo was booked in to the Montgomery County Jail and later released on bond.

Multiple fire departments are battling a field fire south of Oakland, in the area of 320th and Highway 6 in Pottawattamie County. A tractor and some small buildings have reportedly been destroyed by the flames. Additional fire fighting units are being called-in.

No other information is currently available.