ATLANTIC, Iowa  — The Atlantic Hy-Vee will give away more than 3,800 free apples to customers with a contactless, drive-thru event, this Thursday, July 23. The giveaway will start at 10 a.m. and continue until noon, or while supplies last. In partnership with its fruit supplier Stemilt, Hy-Vee is donating fresh produce to Hy-Vee customers as the coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to impact individuals and families across Iowa. Hy-Vee is giving away 10 apples to the first 380 customers. In total, approximately 1,150 pounds of fresh produce will be donated.

As more families continue to become financially impacted by the pandemic, Hy-Vee and Stemilt believe it’s important to provide access to high-quality produce during this time of need. Fresh apples will be distributed to customers for free on a first-come, first-served basis. Walk-ups will not be allowed.

The giveaway will take place along the south side of the store. Produce will be safely loaded into customer vehicles using a contactless method to minimize physical contact and enforce social distancing. All event helpers will be wearing masks and gloves for additional safety measures.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Creston Police Department reports 36-year old Amanda Jones, of Creston, was arrested Saturday, on a Theft charge. Jones was arrested at the Creston Wal-Mart, on a 3rd Degree Theft charge. She was later released from the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Information from air quality monitors showed several cases where the air quality exceeded the E-P-A limit for fine particles in the air during the Fourth of July weekend. The D-N-R’s Todd Russell says the state generally does not have such long-term periods where the air exceeds the federal standard. Russell says there was one in Davenport in 2012. “That one was pretty significant. I believe we have had maybe a couple of other exceedances at one or two sites over the last several years. But this was by far the largest and most extensive as far as area wise as well as the intensity or the levels,” Russell says.

He says air monitors saw issues in Des Moines, Davenport, and Muscatine on July 4th, and in Des Moines and Clive on July 5th. Russell says they don’t know for sure — but the problems were most likely created by people shooting off fireworks — NOT professional fireworks shows. He says that was particularly the case in the Des Moines area. “Just observations and what folks all around town saw. The smoke hanging at low levels and the spread of the smoke pretty much all over the city,” according to Russell. “I would guess it was much more local personal fireworks. But that is somewhat a guess on my part.”

Russell says the calm weather conditions likely contributed to the problem. “The smoke did not tend to rise as it normally would in normal conditions. The calm winds and the atmospheric inversion — or a capping layer over our ground-level air — held all that smoke, both down close to the ground, and allowed it to just spread out rather than being blow away in one direction or another.”  He says the air in Iowa this summer has otherwise been clean. Russel says less traffic on the roadways and businesses shut down by the pandemic may be contributing to cleaner air.

“Possibly our air quality has been better due to the decrease in economic activity. I would say that is more true possibly for ozone than particulate. It is not something that we can quantify,” Russel says. Ozone is created by cars and trucks on the roadways.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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In an update to our earlier reports, the Cass County Sheriff’s Office today released additional details about a pursuit, crash and stand-off that took place Sunday morning. At around 4:39-a.m., a Cass County Deputy stopped a vehicle on Interstate 80 at the Cass-Adair line. The vehicle was originally called in by a citizen as being an impaired or tired driver. The odor of marijuana was detected coming from the vehicle. When the deputy asked the driver, 26-year old Eric B. Fallah, of Brooklyn Park, MN., to exit the vehicle, Fallah took off from the stop in his vehicle eastbound on interstate 80.

He then pulled over after a short pursuit and would not exit the vehicle. The vehicle took off again and led law enforcement on another pursuit. The vehicle exited at the Adair 75 exit. Fallah wrecked the vehicle off the curve in the exit due to excessive speed. Authorities say Fallah again would not follow orders from law enforcement and a stand off with him followed. He began tossing numerous packages and containers of narcotics from the vehicle as law enforcement from surrounding agencies responded.

A Shelby County Sheriff K9 unit was deployed at the scene and the subject was taken into custody. Eric Fallah was transported to CCMH by Adair Fire/Rescue and later transferred to Omaha. Multiple charges are pending at this time, some of the charges include: delivery of controlled substance, drug tax stamp, prohibited acts, and eluding.

• Purebred Poland China Champion:  Collin Harder  Reserve:  Brogan Allensworth
• Purebred Yorkshire Gilt Champion:  McKenna Sick
• Purebred Gilt Champion:  Collin Harder  Reserve:  Brogan Allensworth
• Commercial Gilt Champion:  Collin Harder  Reserve:  Caiden Goodman
• Overall Breeding Hog Champion:  Collin Harder  Reserve:  Caiden Goodman
• Market Gilt Champion:  Collin Harder  Reserve:  Collin Harder
• Market Barrow Champion:  Evan Harder  Reserve:  Evan Harder
• Overall Market Hog Champion:  Evan Harder  Reserve:  Evan Harder
• Pen of 3 Champion:  Evan Harder  Reserve:  Collin Harder
• Champion Senior Showman:  McKenna Sick
• Champion Junior Showman:  Evan Harder
• Champion Overall Showman:  Collin Harder

The Griswold School Board is set to meet 5:30 this evening in the Elementary School Library. On their agenda is discussion on: Estimated Facility Savings; The first reading of Board Policies, series 400 and 401, IASB Policy updates and an Annual Review of Board Policies in series 505 and 711.

Discussion and Action items on their agenda include (but not limited to) the following:

• Approval of Auditorium Sound System & MS/HS Intercom System repairs.
• The appointment of a Business Manager/Treasurer and Board Secretary, as well as District Attorney.
• Approval of bids for: Bakery; Trash removal; Dairy, and Snow removal.
• A review of the District’s Affirmative Action Plan & appointment of Affirmative Action Coordinator.
• Approval of a Foreign Language Waiver
• Approval of a Resolution: Appointing the Paying Agent, Bond Registrar and Transfer Agent, action on approving paying those person(s)/entities, and, authorizing the execution of an agreement.
• Approval of a Tax Exemption Certificate and,
• a Resolution Authorizing the: Terms of Issuance and Providing For and Securing [of] the Payment of School Infrastructure Sales, Service, and Use Tax Revenue Refunding Bonds.

The latest Iowa COVID-19 dashboard update shows Guthrie County currently has 103 positive cases of the virus (as of 10-a.m., 7/20), and Cass County has one more confirmed case. On Sunday, Guthrie County had 98 positive cases with 62 recovered, but Iowa health officials said a “significant number” of coronavirus tests had not been reported over the weekend due to a backlog in the department’s electronic reporting system. The Iowa Department of Public Health said its COVID-19 website will continue to update, and noted daily case counts from last week will be adjusted as it processes the backlog. In Cass County, the number of positive cases, which was at 30 last week, but then dropped to 29 over the weekend, was back up to 30, as of today (Monday), with one more recovered, for a total of 26.

Audubon County reported one new case, for a total of 21. The number of cases in Pottawattamie County continue to slowly climb, from 916 Sunday to 919 today. In Pott. County, the number of those recovered was unchanged this morning, at 696. Montgomery County reported one new COVID-19 recovery, for a total of 14. There was no recovery data available for Adams and Audubon Counties, and no change in the number of positive cases in Adair and Adams Counties.

Statewide, Iowa health officials report 343 new positive coronavirus cases, for a total of 38,907, and one additional death, for a total of 793.  A total of 419,267 individuals have been tested for COVID-19, to date. Of those, 379, 105 have tested negative for the virus, and 27,950 have recovered.

Iowa’s coronavirus hospitalization numbers have been on the rise since the beginning of July. IDPH report 221 patients hospitalized as of today (Monday), compared to 214 Sunday. There are 76 patients listed in intensive care, 21 patients were admitted to a hospital and 30 are on a ventilator. Region 4 data shows eight people are hospitalized for COVID-19 in western/southwestern Iowa, four are in an ICU, one was admitted to a hospital since Saturday, and one person remains on a ventilator.

There are currently coronavirus outbreaks in 16 of Iowa’s long-term care facilities. IDPH reported 421 positive cases and 92 recoveries within those facilities. There have been 421 deaths in Iowa’s care facilities.

(Radio Iowa) – Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is the latest Republican to speak at an annual gathering of Iowa religious conservatives that presidential candidates like Ted Cruz and Donald Trump have addressed in the past. Pompeo’s remarks to the summit sponsored by The Family Leader emphasized religious liberty concerns. “Right now, four out of five people around the world don’t enjoy full religious freedom,” he said, “and we’re fighting tooth and nail to change that.”

Sec. of State Mike Pompeo

Pompeo specifically criticized the Chinese Communist Party’s actions in Hong Kong and threats against Taiwan. “We’ve called out China’s war on faith, its mass detention of Uighurs,” Pompeo said. “Its godless decisions to replace church displays of the Ten Commandments with word from General Secretary Xi have not gone without being called out.”

Pompeo, a former Kansas congressman, told the crowd the Trump Administration also been focused on a critical mission to bring fairness into U.S. trade relationship with China.According to The Family Leader, Pompeo addressed a crowd of about 650 late Friday afternoon in West Des Moines. Pompeo also met privately Friday afternoon with members of the Iowa Farm Bureau and the Iowa Soybean Association.