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

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Amid surging virus case numbers in Iowa, Gov. Kim Reynolds is evoking President Donald Trump in saying, “We can’t let COVID-19 dominate our lives.” Reynolds acknowledged Wednesday that Iowa is seeing surging numbers of coronavirus cases and record hospitalizations. But she insists the health care system can handle the increase and no further action is needed to reduce infections. Reynolds argued that she must balance safety precautions against moves to open businesses, schools and return to normal life. There were 444 people being treated for the coronavirus in hospitals as of Wednesday morning. In the past 24 hours, the state had 919 new confirmed positive cases and 15 more deaths.

VAN METER, Iowa (AP) — A central Iowa coach and teacher has been charged after police say he assaulted one of a group of students trying to toilet-paper his house. Police say Joel Bartz stopped a truck carrying a group of teens near his home around 10 p.m. on Sept. 17. A criminal complaint says that when one of the students got out of the truck and approached the teacher, Bartz grabbed the student and pulled him down while punching him in the back and head. Bartz is charged with assault and criminal mischief. He is Van Meter School District middle school science teacher and coach on the high school football and basketball teams. The district says he has been placed on leave.

UNDATED (AP) — Microsoft has announced plans to build two more data centers in the Des Moines area. The Des Moines Register reports that the tech giant confirmed that its land purchases last month are for the development of more space for servers that bolster its cloud computing operations. West Des Moines Community and Economic Development Director Clyde Evans said he expects developers to break ground on the new projects next September and open the first buildings in the fall of 2022. Evans said the projects typically cost between $1-2 billion, occupy about 1.2 million-1.8 million square feet and employ 50-75 workers.

WYOMING, Iowa (AP) — A prosecutor has determined that a deputy was justified in shooting and wounding a man who fired into a home in eastern Iowa and waived a firearm at law enforcement. The Jones County Attorney’s Office said in a news release Wednesday that the determination was reached after an investigator interviewed witnesses about the Sept. 21 shooting of 51-year-old James Orval Bartram and reviewed body camera and dashcam video.