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Iowa early News Headlines: Tue., March 17, 2020

News

March 17th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

Des Moines, Iowa — Iowa has another confirmed positive case of COVID-19. Governor Kim Reynolds said Monday afternoon a test came back positive on a person in Dallas County, bringing the total in Iowa to 23. It’s not clear if the virus was associated with one of the cruise ships or if it was another case of “Community spread.” The State can only provide information on positive cases in a county of residence, but will no longer be able to provide information regarding any known risk factors or contact information related to those cases, due to changes in the information being presented to the State Hygienic Lab and the Iowa Dept. of Health.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Dozens of Iowa school districts are following the governor’s guidance and suspending classes for four weeks to stem the spread of the new coronavirus.And after legislative leaders made a similar decision to suspend the legislative session, lawmakers began the process Monday of at least temporarily shutting down their work at the Capitol. For schools, the rush to cancel classes came after Gov. Kim Reynolds on Sunday recommended such closures for four weeks after she learned of more cases that indicate the coronavirus is spreading in the state.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A worker at a center for disabled Iowans will be reinstated with years of back pay after a board ruled that he did not intentionally kick a resident in 2017 as alleged by its then-superintendent. The order to overturn Aaron Cole’s firing is the latest setback for management at the Glenwood Resource Center, which is facing investigations into allegations of substandard care and improper medical experimentation. It could also be an expensive one for taxpayers. Cole must be made whole under the Public Employment Relations Board ruling issued earlier this month. That means he’ll receive his roughly $60,000 annual salary and benefits for the past 2 1/2 years, minus any other earnings he received in the meantime.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have released the names of a woman and her 5-year-old child who died in a Des Moines residential fire. They were identified Monday as Tharassa Page, 40 and her son, Red Eagle Thundercloud Page. Firefighters were sent around 10:45 a.m. Sunday to a duplex, where they found flames coming out of windows on its north side. Three other people inside the residence escaped to safety. No other injuries were reported. The fire cause is being investigated.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate for January was 2.8%. Iowa Workforce Development reported Monday that the rate was unchanged from the revised rate for December. The number of unemployed residents rose slightly in January to an estimated 49,500. The number of people with jobs also increased, to about 1.7 million. Iowa’s rate is tied for the 10th lowest in the nation. The U.S. unemployment rate for January was 3.6%.