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(Radio Iowa) — Republican Senator Joni Ernst posted a short video online this (Monday) morning, challenging Democratic opponent Theresa Greenfield to half a dozen debates before the November election.  “You know, I haven’t heard Theresa Greenfield say one thing that Chuck Schumer hasn’t told her to say and that’s not what Iowans expect in a leader, so I’m challenging Miss Greenfield to six debates, two each month, starting in August,” Ernst said. “Let’s let Iowans hear what we have to say.”

Schumer is the Democratic leader in the U.S. Senate. A spokesman for Greenfield’s campaign says after a new poll shows Ernst trailing Greenfield, Ernst is following Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell’s desperate playbook for failing senators around the country. One of Ernst’s top advisors amplified the senator’s message on Twitter when the man who founded Iowa Starting Line commented on Ernst’s video, suggesting that once again, a man was stepping in trying to speak for Greenfield.

Sam Newton, a spokesman for the Greenfield campaign, says Greenfield participated in three televised debates and six public forums prior to this month’s primary and looks forward to debating Ernst this fall.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa D-N-R is offering a course again this year designed to teach all you need to know about hunting deer from start to finish. The D-N-R’s Jaime Cook oversees the “Field to Fork” program. “It’s a program designed for adults who have very little or no hunting experience to get a chance to get out and try it in the field,” he explains.  You are taught how to use a compound bow to hunt deer and are also taught how to dress the deer and prepare the meat to put in your freezer. Cook says the shows on T-V make it seem like a simple thing to do. “Looks can be very deceiving, you can watch a ten-minute YouTube video and feel like you are ready to take it on,” Cook says. “I am relatively new to deer hunting myself — just been hunting about five years — you know it’s tiresome by the time you get your animal down, you find it you trail it and then you start to field dress it.”

He says the course takes you through the whole process with experts. “As we approach the fall they are going to have some study at-home lessons, we’ll be providing some printed material as well as some online video supplements,” according to Cook. “They’ll all need to make sure they have hunter education requirements satisfied her in the state as well. We’ll have some online zoom meetings or video chats to have some Q&A as well.”  The D-N-R will also provide some in-person instruction in how to best prepare the venison for storage and eating. “We will have someone on hand that will walk them through how to field dress, how to butcher, how to prepare their meet for freezer storage, and then we are going to be working with a local chef,” Cook says.

He says the idea is to get more people into hunting and also fill the need for those who want to bring home their own meat. “Quite the freezer filler I should say in terms of being able to go out and do it yourself. And that’s also a bit thing, people are really concerned about where their meat comes from these days and they want to have an active part in procuring it and bringing it home,” Cook says. The Ames classes for the Field to Fork program have already filled, but they are accepting applications for Waterloo classes.

The program is limited to ten people at each site, and you can learn more details online or fill out an application at IowaDNR.gov.

(Radio Iowa) — Former Vice President Joe Biden will be the keynote speaker at the Iowa Democratic Party’s “virtual” fundraiser next week. Due to the pandemic, the annual event will be livestreamed. The Hall of Fame dinner honors Iowa Democratic Party volunteers and elected officials. This year’s dinner will be held on Sunday evening, July 26th. Biden will formally be named the Democratic Party’s 2020 presidential nominee at the party’s national convention, which has been delayed until mid-August.

In early June of LAST YEAR, the Iowa Democratic Party’s Hall of Fame dinner featured 19 of the party’s presidential candidates. Biden was not among them. He attended a grandchild’s graduation that weekend.

The Iowa Department of Public Health, today (Monday) said the number of positive COVID-19 cases has topped 26,000. In the latest data for the 24-hour period ending at 10-a.m., officials confirmed 183 additional COVID-19 cases, for a total to-date of 26,048. There was also one additional COVID-19 death since Sunday, for a total 686. The State’s website said 479 of the deaths involved Iowans with preexisting conditions, one more than Sunday.

The number of Iowans testing negative is 232,584 out of 259,002 tested, or one out of every 14 persons. Officials say 16, 101 persons have recovered from the virus. Polk County reports the most cases in the state, with 5,513.

COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care facilities account for 356 of the state’s total deaths. Iowa DPH reports 169 hospitalizations, of which 51 patients are in intensive care. Six patients with COVID-19 symptoms were admitted to hospitals Sunday, eight fewer than the day before.

There were no changes to the RMCC Region 4 data, which show eight persons hospitalized, 5 are in an ICU, none admitted and 1 on a ventilator. In Cass and surrounding counties, here are the total number of positive COVID-19 cases being reported, and (in parenthesis) the number of patients who have recovered from the virus.

• Cass 16, or 2.4% tested positive; (15 recovered); 663 tested negative
• Adair (11)
• Adams 7 (5)
• Audubon 15 (10)
• Montgomery 10 (6)
• Pottawattamie 620 (388)
• Shelby 79 (41)

The Adair County Sheriff’s Department report the arrest Sunday afternoon, of 20-year old Payton Allyssa Hill, from Greenfield. Hill was taken into custody on an Adair County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. She was initially held without bond on the warrant. She plead guilty during an initial court appearance, and was released a few hours later.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests. Saturday morning, Deputies responded to Road L-34 and Interstate 880 for an adult male passed out behind the wheel of a Chevy Impala. 35-year old Lamar Harris was subsequently arrested for OWI/1st offense. Thursday morning, 37-year old Joseph Daniel McNeal, of Council Bluffs, turned himself-in to the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office. McNeal was arrested on a warrant and booked into the jail, for Violation of a No Contact/Protective Order. And, Thursday afternoon, 21-year old Alexis Stata Huffey, of Omaha, turned herself-in on a warrant for Probation Violation. She was booked into the Pott. County Jail.

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

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Creston Police are reporting five recent arrests, one incident of theft and one incident of vandalism.  Authorities say Friday afternoon, 36-year old Clay Pettit, of Creston, was arrested for Driving while license suspended, and possession of a controlled substance/1st offense. He was later released on a $1,300 bond. Early Saturday morning, 44-year old Jeffrey McAlexander, of Tingley, was arrested for OWI/3rd or subsequent offense, Driving While Revoled, and Failure to provide proof of insurance. He was later released on bond amounting to slightly more than $5,866.

Saturday afternoon, 22-year old Taylor Giles, of Creston, was arrested for Harassment in the 3rd Degree. He was later released on a $300 bond. 34-year old Trel Peterson, of Creston, was arrested Saturday night in Creston, for Interference with official acts, and on a Mills County warrant for Violation of Probation. Peterson was issued a Promise to appear on the local charge, and was being held pending transfer to Mills County. Sunday morning, 30-year old Kenny Cunningham, of Creston, was arrested on a Clarke County warrant for Failure to appear for fingerprinting, on an original charge of Theft in the 5th. Cunningham was transferred to the custody of Clarke County.

Creston Police said also, a woman residing in the 500 block of S. Maple Street, reported Friday morning, that sometime within the past few days, someone stole multiple items out of her garage. They included two round-point shovels, a round-point Trunk Buddy, a square-point Trunk Buddy, a square shovel, garden fork and ice chopper/ lawn edger. The loss was estimated at $105. And, a woman residing in the 400 block of S. Division Street, Friday, reported to police someone threw a rock through the window of her residence. The incident happened between 5- and 5:30-a.m., Friday. The loss was estimated at $250.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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