Officials with the Creston Fire Department said Friday, there were no fatalities following an explosion that resulted in a fire at an apartment building. KCCI reports firefighters were called to 122 Manor Dr. at about 9 a.m. Friday. Authorities confirmed three people were injured during the incident. Two of the injured were taken by air to a local hospital. An early theory Creston Fire officials have presented, is that a person living in the apartment was on oxygen and smoking at the time.

Firefighters told KCCI they helped residents evacuate through exits and windows.

DES MOINES, Iowa – In partnership with the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office, the Division of Criminal Investigation’s Iowa Missing Person Clearinghouse is seeking the public’s assistance in locating missing and endangered person Xavior Harrelson. Xavior is a 10-year-old boy who went missing from Montezuma, Iowa, and was last seen on Thursday, May 27, 2021. At the time of his last sighting, he was wearing a red T-shirt, blue pajama pants and black high-top shoes. Please see Xavior’s description below:

The Atlantic Fire Department responded to Atlantic Specialty Care (1300 E. 19^th Street), Friday morning, following a report of smoke inside the building. The fire page went out at 8:28-a.m. Atlantic Firefighter/EMT Gene Schmelling told KJAN News that a fan belt on a roof-top air handling piece of equipment got hot and the rubber started to smoke, but there was no fire.

No one was injured.

(Atlantic) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors held their regular weekly meeting Friday morning,in Atlantic, during which Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken reported the Secondary Roads Department is finished hauling contract rock for the fiscal year, they have received their first delivery of project pipe, and the new excavator has arrived and is at the shop to be prepped for use. In other business, the Supervisors voted to appoint Trevor Becker, of Cumberland, to fill a position on the Cass County Zoning Board of Adjustment. His term will conclude December 31^st, 2025.

Supervisor Steve Green discussed Cyber Security Services designed to protect the County’s digital infrastructure from hackers, ransomeware and malware attacks, in light of recent attacks on the State of Iowa’s software, and other government agencies around the country.

Thursday night, Green said, “The U-S Government got attacked through Microsoft e-mail.” Green says he spoke with the County’s insurance agent, Kip Harris, who warned “It’s not a matter of if [an attack will occur], it’s a matter of when.

The two-part service he spoke of about cost $16,570 per year. The Board approved an appropriation for the package, which includes the providers working with Microsoft for an enhanced license.

They also agreed to accept funds that will be made available through the American Rescue Plan Allocation. Across the country, the ARP will deliver $350 billion for eligible state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments to respond to the COVID-19 emergency and bring back jobs. The funds may not be used to reduce property taxes, but are intended to provide substantial flexibility for each government to meet local needs—including support for households, small businesses, impacted industries, essential workers, and the communities hardest hit by the crisis. The funds can also be used to make necessary investments in water, sewer, and broadband infrastructure.

The Board, Friday, passed a Resolution increasing operating transfers and amending expense appropriations for FY 2021, following a review of the FY 21 Cass County Budget. Auditor Dale Sunderman read the resolution as approved.

Cass County Emergency Management Director Mike Kennon reported to the Board the final allocation of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for law enforcement, first responders, public health, and the hospital and long-term care facilities, will be available for pickup by him in Council Bluffs this coming Tuesday.

The Board’s next meeting is 9-a.m. June 8^th.

The Iowa Department of Public Health, as of 10-a.m. today (Friday), said there were 158 new COVID-19 positive tests reported over the previous 24-hours, and three additional deaths. The health department reported 401,590 total positive tests, and 6,047 total deaths since the start of the pandemic, including 2,364 at Long-Term Care facilities. Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate is 2.6%. The 7-day average is down to 2.2%.

The number of Iowans hospitalized with COVID-19 is at its lowest level in more than a year. IDPH reports there are 111 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. That’s the lowest number reported since early April of 2020. Iowa reports 25 patients in ICU, also the lowest number reported since early April. 19 COVID patients were admitted, and 12 patients are on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western & southwest Iowa), there are: seven patients hospitalized with COVID or symptoms of the virus; two people with COVID are in an ICU; There were two people admitted, and once for the second day in a row, no one on a ventilator.

There remain three long-term care facilities that are reporting active COVID-19 outbreaks, with a total of 22 positive cases among patients/staff at the those facilities, and six persons who have recovered from the virus. Health department data shows 1,342,686 people have completed a vaccine series in Iowa. There have been 2,743,101 total doses administered. The five state-operated Test Iowa drive-thru sites and the State Hygienic Lab will be closed on Monday, May 31, for the Memorial Day holiday.

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, 1,473 cases; 54 deaths
Adair, 991; 32
Adams, 353; 4
Audubon, 537; 10
Guthrie, 1,307; 32
Harrison County, 1,932; 73
Madison County, 1,781; 19
Mills County, 1,795; 23
Montgomery, 1,113; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,299;171
Shelby County, 1,372; 37
Union County, 1,371; 34

The Iowa State Patrol has identified a woman killed after she was struck by a vehicle while walking on Interstate 80 Thursday. The State Patrol crash reports show 32-year-old Cara Gethman, of Des Moines, was killed at approximately 4:16 a.m.   She was struck by a 2006 Pontiac G6 that was merging onto westbound I-80 near mile marker 142 in Altoona.  Sgt. Alex Dinkla told KCCI “After the driver merged and was onto the travel portion of the Interstate, he unintentionally struck a female pedestrian that was walking on the interstate.”

Gethman was pronounced dead at the scene. The Iowa State Patrol continues to investigate the crash.

Firefighters from Avoca and Shelby were responding at a reported SUV fire on the shoulder of Interstate 80 westbound, at about mile marker 37. The call went out at 9:04-a.m. for a fire involving a Ford Explorer. Initial reports indicated the fire started on the undercarriage of the occupied vehicle, and that other motorists were assisted the occupants out of the SUV. The vehicle was said to be fully engulfed in flames as of 9:14-a.m.

Additional details are currently not available.

DES MOINES, IA – State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald and College Savings Iowa are celebrating “529 Day,” by hosting a $529 giveaway in each Iowa county. In addition, one grand prize winner will receive a $1,529 College Savings Iowa contribution that will be drawn from all entrants across the state. Fitzgerald says “529 Day helps spread awareness about the benefits of saving for future education expenses with a 529 plan. The 529 Day giveaway gives us the opportunity to reach Iowa families and spread the word about the College Savings Iowa 529 plan while giving 100 families a boost to their education savings.” Those interested in the giveaway can visit Iowa529Contest.com to read the official rules and register for their chance to win by May 31, 2021.

One of the major benefits of 529 plans is the tax incentives. While 529 Day is celebrated nationally on May 29, the tax advantages are there for Iowans year-round. “When saving for their loved ones with College Savings Iowa, participants can also save on their taxes,” Fitzgerald added. “Not only are earnings federally tax-deferred and Iowa state tax-free, but if College Savings Iowa participants are Iowa taxpayers, they can deduct up to $3,474 per beneficiary account from their 2021 state income taxes.”*

Other benefits of saving with College Savings Iowa include ease and flexibility to use the funds. A College Savings Iowa plan allows participants to pay for education expenses such as tuition, books, supplies, certain room and board costs and more. The funds can be used at any eligible college, university, community college, technical training school or apprenticeship program in the United States or abroad.**

Since Fitzgerald launched the plan in 1998, College Savings Iowa has grown to more than $6 billion in assets and over $3.4 billion has been used for education expenses. Those looking to learn more about College Savings Iowa can find great resources about the plan by visiting CollegeSavingsIowa.com or calling (888) 672-9116. Iowans can register for the giveaway at Iowa529Contest.com. For more information about future giveaways and events, find College Savings Iowa on Facebook and Twitter.

*Adjusted annually for inflation. If withdrawals are not qualified, the deductions must be added back to Iowa taxable income.
**Earnings on nonqualified withdrawals may be subject to federal income tax and a 10% federal penalty tax, as well as state and local income taxes. The availability of tax or other benefits may be contingent on meeting other requirements.

(Des Moines, IA) – The five state-operated Test Iowa drive-thru sites and the State Hygienic Lab will be closed on Monday, May 31, for the Memorial Day holiday. The sites include:

• Black Hawk County — 4121 Alexandra Drive, Waterloo
• Linn County — Windstar Lines, 5755 Willow Creek Drive SW, Cedar Rapids
• Polk County — 4475 NE 3rd Street, Des Moines
• Pottawattamie County — 3236 Nebraska Ave., Council Bluffs  
• Scott County — North Park Mall, 320 W. Kimberly Road, Davenport

All sites will reopen for testing as usual on Tuesday, June 1, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Individuals who wish to be tested at any site must first complete an online assessment at testiowa.com, and schedule an appointment. Locations and hours of operation for all test sites can be found at testiowa.com or coronavirus.iowa.gov.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa is joining a growing number of states making it legal to use robots for deliveries in areas where foot traffic is allowed, like sidewalks and crosswalks. They’re called P-D-Ds — personal delivery devices. Representative Rob Bacon of Slater says under the new law, the maximum speed for a delivery robot is no more than six miles an hour on a sidewalk or pedestrian area. “If there are no sidewalks, the little PDD can operate on the left side of the road,” Bacon says.

A type of PDD robot

A delivery robot will be allowed travel 20 miles an hour on a street — but may only operate on street with posted speed limits of 40 miles an hour or less. The delivery robots can be no more than 500 pounds — before any cargo is added — and the robots must be operated or supervised remotely by a live person. Representative Dave Williams of Waterloo says P-D-Ds are being tested in a handful of U.S. cities before delivery robots would see wider use. “I expect we’ll be back here perfecting this before that happens,” Williams says, “and I hope it happens in Bondurant before anywhere else.”

An Amazon fulfillment center opened in the Des Moines suburb late last year. Amazon’s six-wheeled robot is called Scout. The FedEx delivery robot is called Roxo (ROCKS-oh). The companies envision driving a truck load of personal delivery devices to an area and releasing the robots to travel the final segment of the delivery route. Iowa cities and counties will not be allowed to impose regulations on delivery robots that are stricter than the new state regulations. Governor Reynolds signed the bill this month and the law goes into effect July 1st.