[Council Bluffs] Pottawattamie County Division of Public Health and their partners will be activating a Call Center today (Wednesday, March 11th), for residents with questions relating to COVID-19. The call center will be open from 8:00am to 4:00pm Monday – Friday. Call Center numbers are 712-890-5368 or 712-890-5369.

Outside of the county call center hours, questions can be directed to the United Way’s 2-1-1 Resource Hotline. For more information on Coronavirus visit https://pcema-ia.org/ or visit the IDPH webpage at https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus.

(Radio Iowa) — Hy-Vee is closing its Urbandale fulfillment center in May – impacting about 360 workers. Company spokesperson Christina Gayman says some fulfillment employees will be transferred to its grocery stores to continue filling online orders there.

“We’ll keep about 60 of those,” Gayman says, “but we know the other 300 will be either looking for other positions within Hy-Vee or will need to find something outside of Hy-Vee.” Hy-Vee will stop filling online orders at its fulfillment sites the week of March 23, but Gayman says workers can help with the transition through May 6.

“On HyVee.com, we have more than 1,200 job openings throughout our eight-state region,” she says. “There is potential for some of those people to find other roles within Hy-Vee…If there are employees who do not want to remain with Hy-Vee or we just can’t find the right fit for them, we’re working to help transition them to opportunities outside of Hy-Vee.” The company will also be closing fulfillment centers in Nebraska, Missouri and Minnesota.

“All four facilities will remain Hy-Vee facilities,” she says. “We don’t have details on what they might become in the future, but there will be some transition time.” Gayman is not sure if severance packages are included for those who do not stay.

(Reporting by Missourinet’s Alisa Nelson)

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — A man who was found guilty earlier this year of setting a fire that injured two people at his eastern Iowa home has been sentenced to 50 years in prison. Prosecutors say 45-year-old Shane Heins was sentenced Tuesday in Buchannan County District Court. A jury convicted him in January of arson and two counts of attempted murder.

He’d pleaded guilty before the trial to domestic abuse assault for shoving his stepdaughter. Investigators say Heins set the fire March 2, 2019, in Independence in an effort to kill his wife, Christina Heins, and her uncle, Nick Necker. Both were taken for treatment to University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics in Iowa City.

The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Tuesday, said there were four arrests over the past week or so. Last Saturday, deputies arrested 39-year-old Grabiel Garcia, of Perry, as a result of a traffic stop along Highway 44 in Shelby County.   Garcia was charged with a simple misdemeanor charge of driving under suspension.  Garcia also had a nationwide parole violation warrant from the State of Iowa, and was being held without bond pending transport, and an appearance before the Department of Corrections Parole and Probation services

On March 4th, 29-year-old Jeffrey Daniel Gamblin was arrested following a traffic stop along East Street, in Shelby. He was charged with driving while license suspended, failure to providing financial liability and operating a non-registered vehicle. Gamblin was transferred to the jail without incident and released a short time later after posting the required $566 cash bond.

March 1st, Shelby County Deputies arrested 30-year-old Nicholas James Erisman, of Council Bluffs, for OWI/2nd offense, possession of controlled substance 2^nd offense, possession of drug paraphernalia, prohibited acts, driving while license suspended, and improper registration plate lamp.  Erisman was transferred to the Shelby County Jail without incident and held under $6,566 cash or surety bond until appearance before magistrate the following morning, and then held under $2000 bond, which was posted a short time later. He was subsequently released from custody.

And, on February 28th, Deputies in Shelby County arrested 32-year-old Tamara Leigh Dryer, of Harlan, following a traffic stop. Dryer was found to have a barred driver’s license and had an active outstanding warrant out of Pottawattamie County.  She was transported to the Shelby County Jail and held under $2000 cash/surety bond for the charges of driving while barred:  Dryer was released the following day after posting both surety bonds in Shelby County.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Health officials say five more residents in eastern Iowa’s Johnson County have tested positive for new coronavirus. Officials said in a news release Tuesday evening that all of the new cases are people who had recently traveled on an Egyptian cruise. The new cases bring the total number of Iowa infections to 13.

The release says 14 other tests have come back negative. Officials announced Iowa’s first COVID-19 cases on Sunday, as three individuals from Johnson County who had been on the cruise tested positive.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness.

Local producers have had several opportunities to discuss and learn more about marketing grain, thanks to a series of workshops hosted locally this winter by Patrick Hatting, Farm Management Specialist for Southwest Iowa with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. These meetings have been held monthly throughout the winter, beginning in December. The final meeting is set for this Thursday, March 12 and will feature Justin Newman and Brandon Barron of Gavilon, utilizing their market simulator for hands-on experience with contracts and options.

Doors will open at 6 PM and the program will begin at 6:30 PM. There is no cost to attend thanks to local sponsorship from First Whitney Bank and Trust in Atlantic, Cass County Extension and Cass County Farm Bureau. Pre-registration is not required, but will help plan for materials. Walk-in registrations are welcome on the night of the event.

For more information or to pre-register, or call the Cass County Extension office at 712-243-1132 or email Lori Anderson at lander@iastate.edu. You can also visit the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass for information and a flier on the program.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest Tuesday of a Red Oak man on a New Jersey warrant. At 1:00pm Deputies arrested 32-year-old Brandon Michael Houghtaling of Red Oak on a Fugitive from Justice charge for a valid New Jersey warrant for Probation Violation. Houghtaling was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held pending extradition back to New Jersey.

The Audubon School Board will meet this Wednesday evening in their Boardroom at the Audubon High School. Prior to the start of their regular meeting at 7-p.m., the Board will hold a Work Session at 6:30. On their regular Board meeting agenda, is a Public Hearing with regard to the proposed FY21 School Year Calendar, followed by action later in the session on approving the calendar as presented.

Other action items include approval of: The Canvass of votes from the March 3rd Bond Election; Sanitation bid(s); a Bargaining Agreement with the Audubon Education Association, and approval of a plan to make up Snow Days. The Board will also set the date and time for a Budget Hearing.

Officials with the Pottawattamie Public Health Department issued a statement Tuesday afternoon, with regard to concerns about Covid-19 exposure to the general public who may have eaten at the Council Bluffs Panera restaurant:

(Radio Iowa) — Many Iowans are putting their travel plans on hold until the coronavirus situation is resolved, but one expert says this may be an ideal time to buy tickets. Some companies are halting business travel as spring break vacations are being cancelled along with concerts and festivals of all sorts. Rose White, spokeswoman for Triple-A Iowa, says concerns about outbreaks of the illness are impacting the entire travel industry.

“While the number of confirmed cases globally has grown to nearly 116,000, of those, 104,000 are in the countries currently on the U.S. government’s ‘avoid travel’ list. This includes China, South Korea, Italy and Iran,” White says. “Certainly, follow the recommendations posted by the U.S. State Department.” One of the State Department’s latest warnings urges all U-S citizens, especially those with underlying health conditions, not to travel by cruise ship.

“Certainly, the latest recommendations will hurt the cruise industry,” White says. “What we expect to happen though is they are going to take all precautions necessary to help insure a safe travel adventure. We can also encounter or expect to receive some substantial discounts as cruise lines adjust their itineraries and make plans for this additional change.”

Cruise lines have enacted policies denying boarding to anyone who has recently traveled in certain countries, while doing enhanced illness screenings on passengers and boosting sanitation practices. Some airlines are slashing fares to entice travelers, while offering more flexible return policies. Since the situation changes from day to day, White encourages all travelers to consider purchasing travel insurance.

“Coverage options can vary based on the type of policy you purchased, when you bought it and your trip’s departure date and destination,” White says. “However, there are some travel insurance providers that are changing their policies to include coverage for claims related to the virus.” If you have a trip already booked, White says to check with your cruise line, airline or hotel to see what waivers they have in place.