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Iowa early News Headlines: Sunday, Nov. 1st 2020

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November 1st, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:55 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man has been indicted for illegally possessing an assault rifle during a racial injustice protest this summer. Authorities say 20-year-old Brandon Tumause Owen of Cedar Rapids was indicted by a federal grand jury on Thursday. He faces one count of unlawful drug user in possession of a firearm. The protest was June 7 in Iowa City. Court documents say a police officer saw Owen carrying an AR-15 rifle and later stopped him for a traffic offense. The document says an investigation revealed Owen was under the influence of marijuana and the rifle was found in the vehicle. Federal law prohibits an unlawful drug user from possessing firearms.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Kanzi, who is almost certainly the world’s most famous bonobo, is celebrating a milestone birthday. The Des Moines Register reports that Kanzi turned 40 on Wednesday. He resides at a research center in Des Moines. Kanzi can use abstract symbols to communicate with people, and understands some spoken words. He has played piano with Paul McCartney, interacted with CNN’s Anderson Cooper and appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Bonobos are closely related to chimpanzees and are found in the wild only in the Democratic Republic of Congo in Africa. Genetically, they are among humans’ closest relatives.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus continues to rise in Iowa, with more than 2,800 additional cases reported Saturday. The Des Moines Register reports that in addition to the 2,823 new cases of COVID-19, the state reported 10 more deaths. All told, Iowa has reported 127,357 confirmed cases and 1,715 deaths since the pandemic began. The state also reported alarmingly high positivity rates in dozens of counties. The statewide 14-day positivity rate of 13.4% is nearly three times higher than the World Health Organization recommends as a benchmark for reopening. Nine counties have 14-day positivity rates higher than 20%.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Des Moines say they’ve made an arrest after a shooting killed a man and injured a woman. Police say the shooting happened around 7:30 p.m. Thursday near the grounds of East High School. Officers called to the scene found a 29-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her leg and learned that a 21-year-old man had been taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest and later died. Police identified him as Alston Troy Edwards, of Des Moines. Minutes after the shooting, police arrested a suspect with the help of information from witnesses. Police say 27-year-old Wesley Marquise Bekish is charged with first-degree murder and a weapons count in the shooting.