The 8:05-a.m. newscast w/Ric Hanson.

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The Iowa Department of Public Health today (Saturday) reports 242 new positive COVID-19 tests and one additional death. The health department reported 399,316 total positive tests, and 5,998 total deaths since the pandemic began. State data show more than 2.56-million vaccinations have been given in Iowa, and nearly 1.24-million vaccination series are completed.

Iowa’s COVID-19 positivity rates continue to mostly decline. In the last 24 hours, the 14-day average dropped from 3.4% to 3.3% and the 7-day average dropped from 3.0% to 2.9%. COVID-19 hospitalizations are down, from 151 on Friday to 147 on Saturday. There are 42 patients in ICU, 23 were admitted, and 19 patients are on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western & southwest Iowa), there are: Six patients hospitalized with COVID or symptoms of the virus; three people with COVID are in an ICU; No new admissions to area hospitals were reported, and no one was on a ventilator in the latest report.

There remains a single long-term care facility with a COVID-19 outbreak. The Risen Son Christian Village, in Pottawattamie County, reports 10 positive cases among residents and staff. There have been 2,335 deaths reported in Iowa’s care facilities.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:
Cass, 1,468 cases; {+0}; 54 deaths
Adair, 985; {+0}; 32
Adams, 349 {+0}; 4
Audubon, 529 {+0}; 10
Guthrie, 1,300 {+2}; 30
Harrison County, 1,933; {+3}; 73
Madison County, 1,764; {+0; 19
Mills County, 1,792; {+0}; 22
Montgomery, 1,109;{+0}; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,241; {+5}; 168
Shelby County, 1,369 {+0}; 37
Union County, 1,364; {+0}; 33

The Cass County Conservation Board is holding a “Movie in the Park” Campground Program! Cass County Naturalist Lora Kanning says they will be showing “The Secret Garden”. The public program will be held at the Campground Shelter at Cold Springs Park in Lewis, on Friday May 28th 2021, beginning at 9:00 pm. There is no charge. In the movie, Mary Lennox , a young orphan, living with her domineering uncle stumbles upon a whimsical garden tucked away on the far reaches of the estate. Mary then experiences a series of fantastical adventures in her newfound playground. It’s based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Bring a blanket or chair, Dress for the weather. The movie may be rescheduled to a later date if it rains, and You DO NOT have to be a registered camper to attend the program.

And, the Cass County Conservation Board is holding “Stand Up Paddleboard” Demonstration. The public demonstration will be held on Saturday May 29th from 1 until 4 pm at the Cold Springs Park Beach. Again, there is no charge to participate. SUP is the fastest growing sport in the paddling community not only across the country, but especially right here in land-locked areas like Iowa. It’s fun, healthy as a total body work-out and offers a unique perspective when it comes to being on the water. After a quick demonstration try out the boards for yourself.

If you do not bring a life jacket, one will be provided to you. Children must be 16 years or older. Paddler must weigh LESS than 250 LBS. The Stand Up Paddleboard programs will be on the last Saturday of every month, Ending Labor Day Weekend on Saturday September 4th. Programs will be cancelled if there is unsafe weather conditions on the Lake.

Saturday May 29th

1PM- 5 spots

2:30PM- 5 spots

June 26th

1pm- 5 Spots

2:30pm- 5 Spots

Cold Springs Park- Beach

You MUST CALL to get your spot! 712-769-2372.

Linn County Attorney Jerry Vander Sanden, on May 12th, released the results of an investigation into a fatal, officer-involved shooting incident that occurred on Feb. 20th. Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has said earlier, that Kyzer Moore was the officer who shot 39-year-old Arnell States, of Cedar Rapids, as States ran from a hotel where two women had been attacked. Police say States was believed to have been the attacker who killed 34-year-old Katrina Latrese Brinson and injured another woman.

Vander Sanden concluded that based on information obtained during the DCI’s investigation, Officer Moore was legally justified in using deadly force against Arnell States, and that such force was necessary to avoid injury or risk to the Officer’s live or safety. He said also, the evidence shows States was armed with a knife and had ignored clear and repeated directives to drop his weapon. He was shot when he raised the knife in a threatening manner.

No criminal charges will be filed against Officer Moore. The shooting was classified as a”Justifiable Homicide.” Moore is a 3 1/2-year veteran of the Cedar Rapids Police Department. He was on paid administrative leave pending the results of the shooting investigation.

The 7:05-a.m. newscast from Ric Hanson.

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Officials with the Audubon Community School District, Friday, said “Starting immediately – mask usage is a personal choice for all students, staff, and community members at all school events and during the school day. Students exposed to a positive case of COVID 19 will no longer be required to quarantine. Only the positive individual will be required to quarantine.

Superintendent Eric Trager said “Because of this guidance, we will no longer be encouraging mask usage at school. We will, however, continue to fully support all staff, students, and community members who choose to continue the use of face coverings. We want school to be a safe and supportive place for all people.

(Des Moines) — The U.S. Drought Monitor released on Thursday showed some improvement for areas in the southern part of the Iowa, while other areas continue to deal with and worry about, drought conditions. State Climatologist Dr. Justin Glisan says many counties in southern Iowa were taken out of the Abnormally Dry (D-0) category. Currently, all drought coverage for Iowa is either in central or northern Iowa. He cited rainfall totals of one-to three-inches as the reason why southern area was removed from the D-0 category.

Glisan says Iowa farmers have had a great window to get crops planted at a solid pace, although there is concern for growers in northwest Iowa, specifically, where drought conditions have reached the D-2 (severe) level. He said “We would need normal and above-average rainfall moving forward to really keep drought conditions status quo, or to start chipping away at those precipitation deficits.”

The good news for the coming week, according to Glisan, is that rain and warmer conditions are in the forecast for much of the Iowa.

Police in Shenandoah report two suspects are in custody on felony sexual assault charges. Authorities says Shenandoah Police were dispatched Thursday to an undisclosed location for a possible sexual assault. Following an investigation, officers arrested 19-year-old Joseph Villegas and a 17-year-old male juvenile. Both were charged with lascivious acts with a child and third-degree sexual assault — both class C felonies. Their bonds were set at $20,000 each. Neither suspects was able to post bond. They were transported separately to the Page and Montgomery County Jails.

(Radio Iowa) – The Ankeny-based Casey’s convenience store chain today (Friday) announced the closing of its 580-million dollar acquisition of the Bucky’s Convenience Stores. The company says the Bucky’s acquisition gives them more presence in Nebraska and Illinois, and brings their total company-owned and operated stores to more than 23-hundred.

The company says in its announcement that the acquisition marks “the most significant transaction in Casey’s 52-year history.” Casey’s was required to get rid of six stores as part of the consent order the agreed to with the Federal Trade Commission.

(Des Moines, IA) Today (Friday) Iowa Dept. of Public Health Director Kelly Garcia sent the following letter to school superintendents, child care providers and local public health departments regarding updated COVID-19 guidance:

Dear Education and Child Care Professionals,

I write to you today to underscore the continued importance of supporting children as we navigate this recovery phase of our COVID-19 response. From the beginning, this response effort has been grounded in mitigating risk and protecting our vulnerable populations, realizing that completely eliminating risk was never an option. We appreciate the difficult position school administrators and child care providers, who are not necessarily health professionals, have had to navigate. Your efforts over the last year have required patience, grace, and flexibility. For that, we are tremendously grateful.

For the 2020-2021 school year—knowing that spread of disease in schools is minimal and can be mitigated with strong infection control measures—Iowa shifted to support safe, in-person learning. And for child care settings, Iowa’s child care providers remained open, supported by DHS. To successfully implement that strategy, Iowa issued guidance that allowed children exposed to COVID-19 while wearing a cloth face covering to avoid quarantine. This allowed kids to remain in school, with all of the benefits that in-person learning provides. Cloth face coverings have been one of the tools in mitigating the spread of COVID-19 and, along the way, additional tools to treat and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 have also come along, such as therapeutics and vaccines.

Our response today does not, and should not, look the same as it did a year ago. In fact, yesterday the CDC announced updated guidance rolling back mask usage for adults. Our guidance is also evolving as we learn more information. This evolution allows people to hone in on what is risky and what is not—which ultimately keeps our collective public health response strong.

With that in mind, and with acknowledgement that the goal of every educational institution and child care provider is to safeguard children from harm and foster inclusion, today, the Iowa Department of Public Health has adjusted its guidance to recommend that schools and childcare settings approach COVID-19 like other child illnesses. For ease of reference, please see this link for a detailed list of common child illnesses and exclusion criteria, which now includes COVID-19. This guidance comes in consultation with the Department of Education, and underscores that the overall health and well-being of children must be our primary focus.

We are concurrently revising our COVID-19 guidance for school and child care settings, including quarantine guidance, to recommend that while COVID-19 positive and symptomatic children should be excluded, exposed children should no longer be required to stay home, regardless of mask usage. Moreover, when there is a positive case, parents should be given information around exposure to COVID-19 in order to make their own informed decisions regarding risk. To that end, while we acknowledge that some parents may want their child to continue to wear a cloth face covering for reasons that make sense for their family or that child’s individual health condition, we urge schools and child care settings to provide parents and students with the option to make their own decision about mask usage.

As this school year winds down and summer school and camps begin, we must work together to continue to support a flexible approach. We stand ready to provide the support necessary to ensure our children’s success.

Sincerely,

Kelly Garcia

Director, Departments of Public Health and Human Services