MONTEZUMA, Iowa (AP) — A judge has rejected a motion to quash a subpoena seeking the bank records of a slain University of Iowa student. Prosecutors in the first-degree murder case against Cristhian Bahena Rivera made the motion, calling the subpoena by Behena Rivera’s lawyers for Mollie Tibbetts’ bank records a “fishing expedition.” Prosecutors accused defense attorneys of flouting the law by failing to notify prosecutors and the court of the subpoena until after it had already been served.

The Des Moines Register reports that the judge ruled the challenge was moot, as the subpoena had already been served and the bank provided no relevant information. Prosecutors say Rivera stabbed Tibbetts to death in 2018.

WELLSBURG, Iowa (AP) — (Updated) Authorities say a hazardous materials team was called to a fatal pileup on Interstate 20 in north-central Iowa that involved a semitrailer hauling sulfuric acid. The pileup happened Thursday afternoon near Wellsburg and involved 15 vehicles, including several semitrailers and a tanker carrying 5,000 gallons of sulfuric acid.

Officials say the Haz-Mat team was called to help contain a leak in the wreckage. The Iowa State Patrol says one person was killed in the crash, but had not released that person’s name or other details by late Friday morning. Authorities say at least two other people were injured in the pileup, which occurred as blizzard conditions swept the state. The injured include 66-year old Christopher Thomas Triplett, of Kahoka, MO, who was driving a Lincoln Navigator, and 25-year old Jacob Riley, of Keokuk, who was driving a 2017 Dodge Charger. Both men were wearing their seat belts.

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s Coronavirus dashboard, (as of 10-a.m. Friday), indicated there were 804 new, positive cases of COVID-19 in test results since 10-a.m. Thursday, for a pandemic total of 323,317. The IDPH said there had been 34 additional deaths recorded over the previous 24 hours, for a pandemic total of 5,067. In western and southwest Iowa, there was one additional death reported in each of Adair and Shelby Counties.

Long-Term Care (LTC) facility data, Friday, show there are 43 current outbreaks among those facilities in Iowa. Those facilities account for 1,326 of Iowa’s positive cases, while 835 LTC patients have recovered from the virus. LTC deaths make up 2,071 of the State’s total number of deaths.

COVID-19 hospitalization levels are at their lowest in Iowa since September. There are now 348 patients hospitalized with the virus, down from 360 the previous day. There are 66 patients in ICU and 31 patients on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa),  21 are hospitalized with COVID symptoms, seven are in an ICU, one person was admitted since Thursday, and four people are on a ventilator.

Iowa’s statewide positivity rate continues to decline. The 14-day positivity rate dropped from 9.3% to 9.1%. The 7-day average dropped from 7.4% to 7.1%. Only three of Iowa’s 99 counties now report a 14-day positivity rate greater than 15%. During the spike in November, more than 90 counties reported a rate higher than 15%. Page, Howard and Clarke counties report the highest rates in the state. Worth County reports a 3.7% rate.

The Health Dept. reports also, 289,737 doses of the vaccine have been administered. Of those doses, 141,541 persons have received their first, or initial dose, while 74,098 have received their second dose.  A total of 291,531 Iowans have recovered from the virus.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

• Cass, 1,202 cases; {+5}; 46 deaths
• Adair, 718; {+1}; 25
• Adams, 311; {+1}; 3
• Audubon, 440 {+0}; 9
• Guthrie, 1,064 {+3}; 27
• Harrison County, 1,627; {+3}; 67
• Madison County, 1,331; {+9}; 13
• Mills County, 1,418; {+4}; 20
• Montgomery, 932; {+2}; 32
• Pottawattamie County, 9,439; {+21}; 130
• Shelby County, 1,109; {+3}; 31
• Union County,  1,156; {+3}; 29

Clarinda Police Chief Keith Brothers, Friday (today), said “With the weekend weather forecast predicting accumulating snow on Saturday and Sunday and winter weather advisory the Clarinda Police Department would like to remind the citizens of Clarinda about the snow ordinance. The ordinance states that; no person shall park any motor vehicle or other apparatus upon any street of the city that will obstruct the removal of snow when there has been an accumulation of two (2) inches or more. Any vehicle left parked on any street in violation of this ordinance may be impounded, and the registered owner of the vehicle will be subject to a $30.00 parking fine, and payment of all applicable towing and storage fee before the vehicle is released.”

The Chief says the parking ban remains in in effect until the snow ceases to fall and the streets have been plowed from curb to curb.