WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A 56-year-old Iowa man has admitted that he threatened the life of U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York. Kenneth Dean Brown, of Waterloo, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to transmitting a threatening communication. He admitted that in December 2019, he called Nadler’s office in Washington D.C. and threatened to find someone to assassinate Nadler.

Brown remains in custody of the U.S. Marshal Service until his sentencing, which has not been scheduled. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

(Radio Iowa) – This year’s pandemic has made a bad situation worse for tens of thousands of Iowans who aren’t sure where their next meal may be coming from. The Food Bank of Iowa has launched its Hunger-Free Holidays fundraising campaign. Spokeswoman Emma Runde says the goal is to raise $1-million in order to purchase four-million meals.

“We set a lofty goal with the hopes we can reach it because there’s a lot of people in need right now,” Runde says. “Food insecurity, since January of 2020, has doubled and unfortunately, for households with children, food insecurity rates have tripled.” Runde says $600,000 has been raised so far, but there’s a ways to go yet before the goal is reached. “People can go to our website, HungerFreeHolidays.org, or the Food Bank of Iowa website and they can donate,” Runde says. “It really doesn’t take a lot to make a big impact. With one dollar, we can provide up to four meals.”

The Food Bank of Iowa serves 55 Iowa counties with mobile food pantries and aiding food banks in communities.

(Radio Iowa) – State officials, including the governor, are urging Iowans who’re stressed or depressed to go online for free help. The Iowa Department of Public Health reports that from March through September, 319 Iowans died of suicide, a rate slightly higher than the two previous year. Governor Reynolds says anectdotal information suggests people are waiting longer than usual to seek help and are often already in crisis mode when they do. The state has used a federal grant to hire more than 100 staff who provide free counseling through appointments scheduled on the “Covid Recovery Iowa” website.

Karen Hyatt is an emergency mental health specialist in the Iowa Department of Human Services. “We offer free personal counseling. We also have personal support, engagement activities. We are finding there’s been a lot of social isolation,” she says. “We know that there have been older adults, some in nursing homes who haven’t been able to get out of their rooms really since May, some since March, so we’ve put together a package of things.” But Hyatt says the pandemic has exacerbated already anxious times for many Iowans.

“We just came off a natural disaster along the Missouri River for the flooding. We have farmers who are in drought. We have the derecho and many, many counties affected by that,” Hyatt says, “and so what this really has become and what we’re hearing is the economic and mental health disaster on top of the physical.” The federal grant means every Iowan of every age is eligible for counseling.

The website is https://covidrecoveryiowa.org/.  There’s also a toll free phone number — 1-844-775-9276 — to call for help.

DES MOINES – Governor Reynolds Friday (today) announced that a total of nearly $9 million in assistance is available to assist eligible low-income Iowans who are at imminent risk of eviction and individuals who have lost housing to quickly regain housing stability. The funding will also provide support for homeless shelter operations. The funds are made available through a supplemental appropriation to the Emergency Solutions Grant program through the federal CARES Act.

The Emergency Solutions Grant program will help to prevent households from becoming homeless due to eviction, assist Iowans who have lost their home to eviction regain rental housing as well as provide homeless shelters with financial support to assist with operations and outreach as they work to serve Iowans in need and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

To be eligible for eviction prevention assistance to avoid homelessness, Iowans must have an income of 50% of the area median income or less and be at imminent risk of eviction in addition to meeting other eligibility criteria. To be eligible for assistance in rapidly regaining housing, Iowans must be currently experiencing homelessness.

Examples of assistance available to eligible individuals include rent and utility payments, including in arrears, legal assistance, application fees, security and utility deposits, moving costs, case management and credit repair. All financial assistance is paid directly to landlords and service providers.

Individuals in need of assistance must apply through the Coordinated Entry help line in their area, which is available along with additional eligibility and program information at iowahousingrecovery.com. Thirty-five agencies were awarded a total of $8.8 million in Emergency Solutions Grant Program funds. The full list of awards is available here. The assistance will remain available until all funds are exhausted or September 30, 2022.

The Emergency Solutions Grant program is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Iowa Finance Authority in partnership with participating Iowa service agencies.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Deaths from the coronavirus in Iowa have reached their highest level since the beginning of the pandemic. The Iowa Department of Public Health said Friday that 84 more residents were reported dead from the virus, a one-day high for the second straight day after recording 70 deaths Thursday.

Before Friday, the state of 3.1 million people has been averaging between 25 and 30 daily virus-related deaths for weeks. Their total since the beginning of the pandemic surged past 2,600 on Friday. The rapid rise in deaths comes after the state’s caseload peaked in mid-November, overwhelming hospitals.

Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber, along with school nurse Laura Freund have issued a video statement with regard to COVID-19. View the video here: