(Radio Iowa) – Lawmakers hit pause on the 2020 Iowa legislative session eight weeks ago and leadership has set June 3rd as the date for returning to the capitol for votes. The primary duty of the legislature is to establish a state budget, but lawmakers face uncertain state tax collections in the midst of a pandemic. The governor and top legislative leaders have asked a state panel to provide a better prediction of the tax-related consequences of COVID-19 closures and job losses. House Speaker Pat Grassley of New Hartford says he and other Republicans hope to confine state spending plans to projected revenue, rather than dip into the state’s emergency cash reserves.

“Trying to make sure we’re leaving ourselves some room,” Grassley says. “Not spending every penny that’s available to us.” Grassley says the goal is to complete the work of the 2020 legislature over a three-day period. Senator Joe Bolkcom, a Democrat from Iowa City, agrees that the legislature should stick to a short, agreed-upon agenda, and adjourn quickly. “The legislature is a risk group,” Bolkcom says. “We have a lot of members that are 65 years of age and older. We have members with pre-existing conditions that are vulnerable and the virus is deadly.”

Grassley says lawmakers will be able to spread out in the House and Senate, as only lawmakers will be allowed on the floor. “We are taking a lot of precautions that are going to be very unprecedented that’s never been seen I would say, well, at least not in my time in the legislature to make sure that we’re giving as many opportunities for folks to feel comfortable,” Grassley says. Legislative staff and anyone from the public will have their temperature checked BEFORE they’ll be allowed in the building.

The legislature’s business — from committee meetings to full debates — will be conducted in the House and Senate chambers, and the public may watch a live-stream of all proceedings.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds says only 4,000 people have gotten results under Iowa’s $26 million coronavirus testing contract but that will increase now that the equipment has been validated. Reynolds said the the State Hygienic Lab has determined that the machines purchased for the TestIowa program are 95% accurate in detecting the virus in samples and 99.7% accurate in determining its absence. She says the validation will allow TestIowa to soon process 3,000 tests per day as originally envisioned. She said it would also allow the tests to be processed faster and the state to broaden the criteria of who can qualify for a test.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 16,700 Iowans filed unemployment claims last week in the wake of efforts to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. A report released Thursday by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed 16,735 new claims filed between May 3 and May 9. That was drop from the previous week, when nearly 25,000 Iowans filed unemployment claims. The new report came in the same week the state began to allow the reopening of some businesses that had been closed to limit the spread of COVID-19. Nationally, nearly 3 million laid-off workers applied for U.S. unemployment benefits last week.

MERRILL, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified a man found shot to death this week in a northwestern Iowa home. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office says 51-year-old Kevin Leroy Juzek died from shotgun wounds to the abdomen and chest. The Sioux City Journal says Juzek’s death has been ruled a homicide. Deputies were called to a Merrill home late Monday morning for a report of a domestic dispute, and arriving deputies found Juzek dead inside the home. The sheriff’s office says another man in the home, 81-year-old Thomas Jordan Knapp, was arrested and is being held at the county jail as a suspect in the case. So far, Knapp has been charged only with domestic assault.

LENEXA, Kan. (AP) — Federal regulators have reached settlements with two agricultural storage and supply businesses to resolve alleged violations of clean air regulations. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said in a news release Thursday that it inspected Midland Marketing Co-op Inc. and Troy Elevator Inc. in response to accidental releases of anhydrous ammonia that injured workers. Anhydrous ammonia is corrosive to the skin, eyes and lungs. Exposure may result in injury or death. Midland owns a facility in Palco, Kansas. Troy Elevator owns facilities in Bloomfield and Blakesburg, Iowa.

Officials with the Pottawattamie County Public Health Department today (Thursday), reported 25 new positive cases of COVID-19. PCPH says 20 of the new cases are residents of Council Bluffs, four are from Carter Lake, and one is from Oakland. Four of the cases are children (age 0-to 18), nine individuals are 18-to 40 years old, nine are 41-to 60 years old, one ranges in age from 61-to 80, and two are elderly adults (persons age 80 or older). Those individuals were tested between May 2nd and May 13th.

The total of COVID-19 cases in Pottawattamie County is now 131. Officials say as of the latest report, 77 individuals were self-isolating, one was hospitalized, 50 have recovered, one has moved out of state, and there have been two deaths. Based on Pottawattamie County Public Health contact tracing investigations, officials say 46 of the Pottawattamie County COVID-19 cases, are the result of community spread.

(Radio Iowa) — Thousands of COVID-19 tests would have to be conducted before Iowa meets the goal set by the president’s coronavirus task force of testing ALL nursing home residents and staff in the next two weeks. Governor Reynolds says 26-thousand of the coronavirus tests conducted in the state since March were connected to long term care facilities.

“Since May 1st, more than 9000 tests have been sent to 94 facilities to test staff and residents,” Reynolds says. “Strike teams have been deployed to five counties to test more than 1300 long term employees across 40 facilities.” Reynolds says there’s been SOME testing of residents and staff in 95 percent of Iowa’s 444 nursing homes this spring. The most recent federal data shows more than 23-thousand Iowans are residents of a certified nursing facility.

According to Iowa Workforce Development 55-thousand Iowans work in nursing and residential care facilities. If all are tested this month, that would be a total of 78-thousand tests. After nearly 10 weeks of testing, the state just hit a total of 89-thousand tests processed. State officials have confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks at nearly eight percent of the state’s nursing homes and 57 percent of the Iowans who have died of the virus were residents of a long term care facility.

Police in LeMars, late Monday morning, arrested a Wisconsin man on a felony charge related to the enticement of a minor, following a traffic stop for an equipment violation. According to the news release, during the traffic stop, 24-year old Sean Matthew Williams, of Edgerton, WI., was questioned about the presence of a minor occupant in the vehicle. Police determined Williams had allegedly enticed the minor to meet him, after they conversed on social media.

Williams was arrested and charged with Enticement of a Minor (A Class-D Felony), dissemination of Obscene Materials to a minor, having no driver’s license, and no insurance. The LeMars Police Department was assisted by the Iowa DCI. The case remains under investigation.

MERRILL, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have identified a man found shot to death this week in a northwestern Iowa home. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office says 51-year-old Kevin Leroy Juzek died from shotgun wounds to the abdomen and chest. The Sioux City Journal says Juzek’s death has been ruled a homicide. Deputies were called to a Merrill home late Monday morning for a report of a domestic dispute, and arriving deputies found Juzek dead inside the home.

The sheriff’s office says another man in the home, 81-year-old Thomas Jordan Knapp, was arrested and is being held at the county jail as a suspect in the case. So far, Knapp has been charged only with domestic assault.

(Radio Iowa) — The coronavirus pandemic forced the court system to pause and created a backlog of cases and hearings for attorneys. Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden tells K-C-R-G T-V that they are gearing up to take on the extra cases and learn what the new norm will be. “The justice system is treading water but right now we’re waiting for the tidal wave of the backlog of cases to hit our shores,” Vander Sanden says.

Vander Sanden says there are hundreds of cases on his office’s plate right now. Many of those cases will be decided without a jury but he said about two or three percent of criminal cases will still need one. That’s means a lot more people would need to be in the courtroom. “We can’t ask people to come to the courthouse unless we can ensure their health and their safety,” he says. The date currently set to restart civil and criminal non-jury trials is sometime in June, with criminal jury trials expecting to start the following month.

The Iowa Supreme Court is currently working with several legal professionals to start rolling out a plan. Sixth Judicial District chief judge Patrick Grady, tells K-C-R-G T-V he expects it to be a slow restart. “My guess is we will start doing maybe one at a time to see how we do with structuring some social distancing,” Grady says. He says they will also possibly see how it works to wear masks. Grady said these plans have been in the works since the courts partially closed in March.

Attorney Peter Riley says they will have to figure out how to deal with the new situation to still allow for a fair trial. “The system is going to be changed to allow for more things to be done not in person,” Riley says. “But again, you can’t really try a trial where you have witnesses that have to be examined, particularly if you have the jury that has to listen to the evidence. ”

All the final details on getting the court system back up and running are still being worked out.

Atlantic, IA – COVID-19 is a new virus and many Cass County residents aren’t sure how to know if they have been infected, and if they have, what they should do about it. With so much information available on the internet, and not all of it accurate, Cass County Public Health reminds residents the statewide COVID-19 information line is available at 2-1-1 to answer these kinds of questions.

“We are learning more about COVID-19 each day,” said Cass County Public Health Director Beth Olsen. “We want to provide the most accurate information we have to help slow the spread of the virus in our county and protect our most vulnerable residents.” Here are some of the most frequent questions public health has received:
What are the symptoms of COVID-19?
The most common symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, and shortness of breath. These symptoms may appear 2 to 14 days after exposure to another infected individual. Other symptoms include chills, muscle pain, sore throat, or new loss of taste or smell.
What should I do if I have these symptoms?
It’s important to know that 80% of people who get COVID-19 will have mild to moderate illness – similar to a bad cold, and some people may not have any symptoms. If you feel mildly ill, take these steps:
• Stay home. People who are mildly ill are able to recover at home.
• Treat your symptoms as you would any respiratory virus. Drink fluids, rest and treat your cough with over-the counter medication.
• Call your health care provider before you go into the office. Your provider will determine if you should be
tested.
• Separate yourself from others in your home. You can spread the illness, even when you’re mildly ill, so to
protect others in your household, try to stay away from others as much as possible. The majority of cases in
Iowa were due to household contact spread.
Who should be tested?
To learn if you have a current infection, viral tests are used. But not everyone needs this test. If you have symptoms of COVID-19 and want to get tested, call your healthcare provider first. You can also take an online assessment at testiowa.com to see if you qualify for testing at a Test Iowa site.

If you test positive for COVID-19 by a viral test, follow the instructions given to you by your healthcare provider. Cass County Public Health will also call you for the purposes of contact tracing, to investigate who you were in close contact with recently so that those individuals can be notified and self-isolate to help prevent further spread of COVID-19.

If you test negative, you probably were not infected at the time your sample was collected. However, that does not mean you will not get sick. The test result only means that you did not have COVID-19 at the time of testing.
Are people in Cass County being tested for COVID-19?
Yes. As of May 14, there have been 236 people tested at Cass County Health System. People may also be tested at other medical facilities, at a Test Iowa site, or at long-term care facilities and nursing homes.
Are other counties testing more than Cass County?
By looking at the available data from coronavirus.iowa.gov, as well as what is being reported at the county level, Cass County’s testing rates are comparable or slightly higher than other counties that have low levels of positive cases. Some counties have much higher testing numbers because of surveillance testing being done due to an outbreak at a meat packing plant or long-term care facility, or because they have a Test Iowa site.
Now that things are reopening, do I still need to wear a mask? I’m not sick.
Yes. We encourage you to wear a mask, practice good hand hygiene, and practice social distancing— keeping at least 6 feet of distance between people—whenever possible. Wearing a mask helps keep your germs away from others, which is really key to preventing spread because some people who get COVID-19 never develop symptoms but can still spread it to others. By wearing a mask, you’re demonstrating concern for those around you. The other advantage to wearing a mask is that it keeps you from touching your face. By keeping your hands away from your eyes, nose, and mouth, you are decreasing your risk of infection. Remember to wash or sanitize your hands before wearing and after removing your mask, too.
Where can I get a mask?
Cass County Public Health has some cloth masks that we are a happy to give to those who need one. Our office is located at 1408 East 10th Street, which is just across the street from the employee parking lot at CCHS. There are also sewing and no-sew instructions on cdc.gov if you want to make your own.
What are N95 masks? Should I get one and wear it?
An N95 respirator is a respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit. The N95 designation means that when subjected to careful testing, the respirator blocks at least 95% of very small particles. If properly fitted, the filtration capabilities of N95 respirators exceed those of face masks. For the general public, an N95 isn’t necessary because without proper fit testing, the respirator may not be as effective as intended. Even health care workers generally only use an N95 respirator during certain procedures; the rest of the time they would wear a standard surgical mask. And remember, wearing a mask is about keeping your germs away from others, so wearing any mask and practicing social distancing is the best way to protect those around you.
Who is at most risk for serious complications of COVID-19?
Based on currently available information and clinical expertise, older adults and people of any age who have serious underlying medical conditions might be at higher risk for severe illness from COVID-19. Based on what we know now, those at high-risk for severe illness from COVID-19 are:
• People 65 years and older
• People who live in a nursing home or long-term care facility
• People of all ages with underlying medical conditions, particularly if not well controlled, including:
o People with chronic lung disease or moderate to severe asthma
o People who have serious heart conditions
o People who are immunocompromised
o People with severe obesity (body mass index [BMI] of 40 or higher)
o People with diabetes
o People with chronic kidney disease undergoing dialysis
o People with liver disease

If you have additional questions, call the 2-1-1 COVID-19 information line. For up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit the IDPH webpage at https://idph.iowa.gov/Emerging-Health-Issues/Novel-Coronavirus and follow the department on Facebook at @IowaDepartmentOfPublicHealth and on Twitter at @IAPublicHealth.