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Iowa COVID-19 update for 6/2/21: 7 day positivity rate falls below 2%; 204 additional cases; 2 additional deaths

News

June 2nd, 2021 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Public Health on Tuesday had not reported any new positive COVID-19 tests or additional deaths over the previous 24 hours (10-a.m. Monday to 10-a.m. Tue). It is unclear if the results were a reporting or website issue, but the IDPH labs were and the State’s five COVID-19 test sites were closed Monday for Memorial Day. Today (Wednesday), the State reports 204 additional positive cases of the virus, for a pandemic total of 402,025, and two additional deaths, for a total of 6,057. Deaths at Iowa’s Long-Term Care facilities amount to 2,367. There are also 361,203 total recoveries from the virus. Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate remains 2.3%. The 7-day positivity rate fell below 2%, at 1.9% as of Wednesday.

State health officials say 95 people are hospitalized with COVID-19; 21 patients are in an ICU; 10 patients with COVID or its symptoms were admitted to a hospital, and 10 patients are on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western & southwest Iowa), there are: two patients hospitalized with COVID or symptoms of the virus; one person with COVID in an ICU; There were no new admissions or persons on a ventilator to report in Region 4.

There are once again three long-term care facilities reporting active COVID-19 outbreaks, instead of just two reported on Tuesday. There are a total of 20 positive cases among residents and staff at those LTC’s, and one person who has recovered. The facilities include:

  • The Great River Klein Center, in Des Moines County
  • The Clarion Wellness and Rehabilitation Center in Wright County
  • and, Heritage Care and Rehabilitation Center in Cerro Gordo County.

Health department data shows over 1.36-milion people have completed a vaccine series in Iowa, and there have been nearly 2.8-million total doses administered.

In the immediate KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County (since the beginning of the pandemic) and the total number of deaths (Since the beginning of the pandemic) in each county to date:
Cass, 1,472 cases; 54 deaths
Adair, 992; 32
Adams, 354; 4
Audubon, 536; 10
Guthrie, 1,314; 32
Harrison County, 1,932; 73
Madison County, 1,783; 19
Mills County, 1,796; 23
Montgomery, 1,111; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,298;171
Shelby County, 1,373; 37
Union County, 1,375; 34

Hot weather is returning, Iowa’s drought conditions may worsen

Ag/Outdoor, News, Weather

June 2nd, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Forecasters say Iowa’s rollercoaster weather will see temperatures rocket back into the 80s and 90s this week after frosty lows dropped into the 30s just last week. The return to summery heat means more worries about drought as the recent rains weren’t enough to reverse months of dry weather. Adam Hartman, a meteorologist with the Climate Prediction Center, says the ground remains very arid, despite several downpours. “When you have heavy rainfall in a very short period of time, it doesn’t allow the soils enough time to absorb that moisture,” Hartman says, “Instead you actually get more runoff than absorption.”

The drought started last summer and the latest U-S Drought Monitor map shows most of Iowa remains in the categories of abnormally dry, moderate drought or extreme drought. Meteorologist Dennis Todey, director of the U-S-D-A’s Midwest Climate Hub in Ames, says even with the May rains, there just isn’t enough moisture in the soil for plants to thrive. “We are at greater risk of having problems with crops and other plants as the season goes along,” Todey says, “because there’s not as much moisture available for the crops to be able to grow.”

It’s hard to say how long the drought will continue, as summer often brings localized thunderstorms which can be difficult to forecast. Todey says long-term drought could create problems for water quality in Iowa. The amount of water flowing in the Raccoon River, the main source of drinking water for Iowa’s largest city, dropped down about 90-percent from normal during May.

(reporting by Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

Survey: Iowa’s economy is still growing, Midwest falters slightly

News

June 2nd, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Economic recovery from the pandemic further accelerated in Iowa during May, but the numbers fell slightly for the Midwest region, according to a survey of business leaders and supply managers in the nine states. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the April numbers showed record growth and while Iowa continued to display its momentum to dig out, the region’s progress slipped a bit. “While the trend is strong, we’re still not back to pre-COVID levels, but boy, we’re moving in that direction,” Goss says. “The overall readings are very strong, held back by supply bottlenecks. Nine out of ten supply managers reported supply bottlenecks, four out of ten reported significant supply bottlenecks.”

Almost one-third of supply managers identified soaring input prices as the greatest economic challenge of the year for their firms. Even with a surging manufacturing sector, Goss says Midwest manufacturers added jobs at only a modest pace. “We had shortages of qualified workers,” Goss says. “We’re still about 4.2% below pre-COVID levels. The U.S. number’s about 5.4% below pre-COVID levels.”

As pandemic restrictions begin falling, Iowans are starting to make travel plans, though many of them may be stunned by the airfares they’re seeing as high demand is quickly driving up prices. “Vacation travel is going to be very, very strong this year,” Goss says. “Transportation prices, that would be airline prices, are moving upwards. We’re seeing some very high increases in prices for vacation traveling. Business travel is not as strong. That’s going to remain weak throughout 2021.”

The survey points to very strong growth for the next three to six months and Goss projects the Midwest region’s economy will be back to pre-COVID levels in the first quarter of 2022.

Red Oak woman arrested on a drug charge Tue. night

News

June 2nd, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Police in Red Oak report the arrest at around 11:30-p.m. Tuesday, of 18-year-old Morgan Jo Bissell, of Red Oak. She was taken into custody for Possession of Marijuana/1st Offense, and, Interference with official acts. Bissell was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, and held in $1,000 bond.

Authorities said Tuesday, no injuries were reported following a collision that took place at around 8:50-a.m., Tuesday, at the intersection of N. 2nd and E. Maple Streets. Police said a 2004 Chevy pickup driven by 75-year-old Carroll Eugene Thuman, of Red Oak, was traveling south on N. 2nd Street and approaching the uncontrolled intersection with E. Maple, at the same time a 2002 Ford pickup driven by 25-year-old Jacob Daniel Orr, of Ft. Wayne, IN, was traveling eastbound on E. Maple. The Ford was registered to Lisa Gross, of Red Oak.

Police say Thuman failed to see Orr’s vehicle until it was too late. His pickup hit the Ford on the driver’s side rear door, causing Orr’s pickup to be pushed into the curb, where it broke off a large chunk of concrete before coming to rest partially in a yard. The Chevy pickup jumped the curb and hit a guy wire for a light pole, breaking the cable and the light pole wire. Thuman was cited for Failing to Yield to a vehicle on the right.

Both pickups were totaled in the crash.

IDPH director says Iowa has reached ‘significant milestone’ in Covid hospitalizations

News

June 2nd, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – For three consecutive days, the number of Covid patients in Iowa hospitals has dipped below 100. The last time Iowa had fewer than 100 hospital patients being treated for the virus was in early April of last year. On Tuesday night, the state website indicated 95 Covid patients were hospitalized in Iowa. Department of Public Health director Kelly Garcia says having fewer than 100 Iowans hospitalized with Covid-19 is a significant milestone.

The pace of vaccinations in Iowa has been lagging for several weeks. Garcia says her agency will continue to work with local partners to educate and answer any questions Iowans may have so they can feel confident about getting vaccinated.

About 58 percent of eligible Iowans have had at least one Covid shot. Infectious disease specialists warn if Iowa’s vaccination rate doesn’t rise, more contagious variants of Covid may take hold here as is the case in Britain.

State tax revenue over past 11 months grew by about a billion

News

June 2nd, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – After the pandemic hit to the Iowa economy a year ago, state tax receipts now are soaring. The state’s fiscal year ends June 30th. Net tax revenue for the state of Iowa in the past 11 months is more than seven-point-three BILLION dollars. It’s about a billion dollars more than same 11 month period in the previous fiscal year. Consumer spending is up. Sales and use tax payments to the State of Iowa jumped 10 percent from July through the end of last month.

Corporate income tax payments to the state more than doubled and personal income tax payments were up nearly 16 percent. Iowa’s unemployment rate has fallen by about two-thirds of what it was at the height of Covid-related shutdowns. In April of 2020, the state unemployment rate hit its pandemic peak of 11-point-one percent.

Iowa’s unemployment rate in April of this year was three-point-eight percent. Thousands of Iowans have dropped out of the job market. The latest figures indicate 90-thousand fewer Iowans are employed in non-farm jobs compared to February, 2020 — before the pandemic hit.

3 hurt in Mills County collision, Monday afternoon

News

June 1st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Both drivers and a passenger were injured during a collision Monday afternoon in Mills County, between a pickup and an SUV. The Iowa State Patrol reports the accident happened at around 1:35-p.m. at the intersection of Kidd Road and Highway 34, when 43-year old James Joseph Belt, of Glenwood, failed to yield.

Authorities say his 2007 Chevy Avalanche K1500, which was northbound on Kidd Road, struck a 2021 Ford Explorer broadside on the passenger side of the SUV, which was traveling west on Highway 34.Following the impact, the pickup went off the road northwest of the intersection and rolled into the ditch. The SUV also went off the road and came to rest in the ditch.

Belt, and the driver of the SUV, 63-year old Connie Sue Bowen, of Emerson, along with a passenger in the pickup, 14-year-old Elias Belt, of Glenwood, were injured.

Bowen was transported by LifeNet to the UNMC in Omaha, Joseph and Elias belt were transported to the hospital by private vehicle. All three of the accident victims were wearing their seat belts.

Search continues for missing Montezuma boy

News

June 1st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The search for a missing Montezuma boy who was last seen late Thursday morning continues in Poweshiek County. Hundreds of volunteers turned out Sunday on Xavior Harrelson’s 11th birthday to search in areas within one mile of the boy’s home and in rural areas around Montezuma. Iowa D-C-I assistant director, Mitch Mortvedt gave an update today (Tuesday) on FOX News, and was asked why an Amber Alert hasn’t been issued.

“What we concluded thus far is that it could probably be one of four avenues,” according to Mortvedt, “it could be a walk-away or runaway situation. Whether he was somewhere and had a horrible accident and we have not been able to locate him year. Or it could be criminal. With the criminal element and the Amber Alert in Iowa, his disappearance thus far has not met the criteria for an Amber Alert in Iowa.” He says investigators are going over their plan to be sure they cover all angles.

“Reviewing everything that we’ve done thus far — yet getting new information in and trying to find where Xavier is,” he says. Mortvedt noted many of the same people who searched for Mollie Tibbetts near Brooklyn three years ago helped search for Harrelson. He says they have brought in search dogs and have searched Diamond Lake.

“We’ve done everything possible, and anything we can think of,” Mortvedt says. Mortvedt says this is classified as a missing child case — NOT a kidnapping. Searchers have gone door-to-door in Montezuma and dive teams have searched Diamond Lake which is about a mile west of Montezuma.

Glenwood Police report: Flags stolen on Memorial Day & Tuesday

News

June 1st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

Police in Glenwood report three arrests took place over the holiday weekend, and the theft of several flags. Today (Tuesday), the Glenwood Library reported the theft of two American flags. And on Monday, the Loess Hills Funeral HOme and Glenwood Fire Department reported the theft of five and one American flag, respectively.

On Monday, 27-year-old Edward Parrott, of Council Bluffs, was arrested on a warrant for Domestic Assault. He was being held in the Mills County Jail without bond. And, 33-year-old Christopher Carbis, of Glenwood, was arrested Monday for OWI/2nd offense. His cash of surety bond was set at $2,000. On Sunday, 30-year-old Cody Perez, of Omaha, was arrested in Glenwood for being a Fugitive from Justice. He was being held without bond.

Motorcycle accident near Brayton, Tuesday

News

June 1st, 2021 by Ric Hanson

One person was transported to the Audubon County Memorial Hospital, following a motorcycle accident Tuesday afternoon, near Brayton. According to Audubon County Sheriff Todd Johnson, the accident happened at around 2:38-p.m. on the Highway 71 curves, north of Brayton.

A motorcycle failed to negotiate one of the southbound curves and went off the northwest corner of the road. The single male operator of the cycle was injured and transported to the hospital by Exira Rescue.

No other details were immediately available.