(Radio Iowa) – The pandemic has put extreme pressure on Iowa’s food pantries and soup kitchens and there’s no sign of it letting up as families continue to struggle. Michelle Book, president and C-E-O for the Food Bank of Iowa, says a COVID-19 vaccination won’t cure poverty in Iowa. “Before COVID, food insecurity was hovering right around 10%. COVID struck, and immediately, the demand doubled,” Book says. “We have seen things leveling off but still higher than pre-recession levels.”

In the past month, Barilla donated more than eight truckloads of pasta to the Food Bank, the equivalent of 166-thousand plates of pasta. Even with that generous donation, Book says there’s a constant demand for more food and more funds. “One in six Iowans and 20-percent of our kids, one in five Iowa children, suffers from food insecurity,” Book says. “We don’t expect those levels to decrease to pre-COVID levels for the next year or two.”

The Food Bank of Iowa rescues safe, edible food which would otherwise clog landfills and gets it quickly to food insecure Iowans through an established network of 650 smaller front-line, hands-on partners. Still, she says, the need is persistent, especially with the pandemic continuing to loom. “Folks that were already struggling with poverty or were hovering right there on the precipice of not being able to make ends meet,” Book says, “those folks are going to have a tough time for months and perhaps years to come.” Across Iowa’s 99 counties, 324 grants totaling more than three-point-four million dollars were awarded to Feeding America partner pantries and feeding sites. The money is being used to mitigate additional costs to front-line food assistance providers who stepped up to respond to unusually high demand during COVID.

On the web: www.foodbankiowa.org

The Creston Police Department reports the arrest on May 28th, of 29-year-old Amanda Steinbach. The Creston woman was taken into custody at her residence, on charges that include Driving While Barred, and Possession of a Controlled Substance 1st Offense, the bond for which $3,000. She was also being held on a Union County Warrant for Failure to Serve Jail her Sentence, on original charges of Burglary 2nd degree amended to Accessory After the Fact, and Violation of Probation. Steinbach was being held without bond on those charges, with the balance of her sentence to be served before she’s released.

At around 2:50-a.m. Saturday, Creston Police arrested 42-year-old Brady Richert, of Creston, on the charge of OWI 2nd Offense. He was released from the Union County Jail on a $2000 bond. And, Monday afternoon, 33-year-old Robert Johnson, of Banning, CA, was cited in Creston and subsequently released, on a Summons to Appear, on a charge of Theft in the 5th Degree for an incident that occurred at the Dollar General Store in Creston, on May 29th.

With News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Lottery went to a process requiring winners to make an appointment to pick up their prizes as a precaution during the pandemic. Lottery spokesperson, Mary Neubauer, says they’ve been evaluating things as restrictions are removed and will stay with that process. “We’re going to keep that by appointments process as we move ahead…folks are welcome to wear a mask if they want to, they certainly don’t have to,” Neubauer says. She says the appointment process has proven to be popular. “For the public, they like knowing that they have a specific time to come in and claim a prize,” according to Neubauer. “And it helps for us at the lottery just for a planning purpose.”

The Iowa Lottery follows the Iowa D-O-T — which has gone to an appointment-only process for driver’s licenses after a pilot program that the agency says was well received. Neubauer says they will continue to have stations with sanitizer and masks available. She says they are available near all the doors of offices and everyone is welcome to use them if they want. To make a prize-claim appointment, you should call the lottery office where you want to claim your prize to schedule a time and receive other details, including the documentation you will need to have with you.

Iowa Lottery prizes up to 600 dollars in lotto, InstaPlay and instant-scratch games may be redeemed at any lottery retailer location in the state if sufficient funds are available. All prizes of more than 250-thousand dollars must be claimed at lottery headquarters in Clive.

(Des Moines) – A major meat processing company in Iowa suffered a cyberattack over the weekend. According to KCCI, JBS USA confirms the attack hit some of its North American and Australian IT systems Sunday. The company suspended all systems that were affected. It’s not clear if the attack is having any kind of effect on production since the company’s backup systems were not hit.

JBS says it is not aware of any evidence that would indicate its data has been compromised. Company officials say there may be delays in some transactions. JBS has processing plants in Marshalltown, Ottumwa and Council Bluffs.

A man on a motorcycle who attempted to elude law enforcement Monday afternoon in western Iowa, crashed and was transported to a hospital. The Iowa State Patrol reports 22-year-old Matthew Valverde, of Omaha, was operating a 2003 Yamaha YZF6R, when he failed to negotiate a curve just north of County Road G-14 on L-20, in Pottawattamie County.

The cycle went off the road and into the west ditch before coming to rest. The accident happened at around 4:48-p.m. The Patrol says Valverde was transported by Missouri Valley Rescue to Bergan Mercy Hospital in Omaha. The Patrol was assisted by the Harrison County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri Valley Police and Mo. Valley Rescue.

(Radio Iowa) Lawmakers in the state of Nevada have passed a bill they hope puts a Nevada PRIMARY ahead of Iowa’s Caucuses in 2024. If Nevada’s governor signs the bill into law, it sets up a political fight. Iowa’s Caucuses have been the nation’s first test for presidential candidates for decades. New Hampshire law requires that state to host the nation’s first primary. Any change in the positioning of presidential primaries and caucuses requires approval from the two major political parties.

Iowa Democrats AND Republicans have fended off challenges from Michigan, Louisiana and Florida. Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump have favored keeping the primary and caucus system they traversed to get to the White House in place for their re-election campaigns. But delayed results from Iowa’s 2020 Caucuses and complaints about a lack of diversity in Iowa and New Hampshire have fueled a debate among Democrats about re-ordering events in the party’s presidential nominating process.

Some Iowa Democrats have argued the Caucuses are a distraction and the party would be better off if the Caucuses are cancelled. Iowa Republican Party leaders say the G-O-P has no plans to abandon the Caucuses. A handful of Republicans who are considering a run for the White House in 2024 have already made trips to Iowa this year or have announced appearances here this summer.

(Radio Iowa) As the rate of Covid vaccinations in Iowa slows, Hy-Vee is now offering ten-dollar gift cards to every individual who completes their Covid vaccination at a Hy-Vee Pharmacy. To qualify for the Hy-Vee gift card, a person must get the single shot of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine or a second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines from Hy-Vee. The incentive ends November 11th.

Governor Kim Reynolds has set a goal of getting 75 percent of Iowans vaccinated against Covid by the end of June. Iowa did not reach her goal of getting 65 percent of Iowans vaccinated by the end of May.

The state’s coronavirus website shows just under half of eligible Iowans have gotten at least one shot. About 44 percent of eligible Iowans are fully vaccinated.

Rescue crews and law enforcement responded Monday evening to an accident on I-80 westbound between mile-markers 49 & 50. Dispatch reports said the collision involved a semi and an SUV. Both vehicles were located in the north ditch, following the crash, which was reported at around 5:43-p.m.

Marne Fire and Rescue and Walnut Rescue were dispatched to the scene. Reports indicated at least one person was transported by LifeNet helicopter to the UNMC in Omaha. Additional details were not immediately available late Monday evening.