DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa reported that 37 people died of the coronavirus in the past day. The state Department of Public Health said Friday the additional deaths bring the total who have died of COVID-19 in Iowa to 2,349. In the past 24 hours as of Friday morning, there were 1,266 new confirmed cases. Iowa has long had some of the nation’s highest coronavirus infection rates, but in the past week its numbers have improved slightly.

The state now has the nation’s fourth-highest number of new cases per capita in the last 14 days. In the last week, one in every 145 people in Iowa was diagnosed with COVID-19.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce has announced Atlantic has been recognized as a Neighborhood Champion for the seventh year in a row by American Express. Atlantic will participate in the 10th Annual Small Business Saturday to support small businesses. Bailey Smith, Executive Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce said. “We’re excited to partner with Atlantic Area businesses to create safe shopping incentives to celebrate Small Business Saturday.”

Founded by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday® is a day to celebrate the small businesses that help support our community. American Express created the Neighborhood Champion Program to help rally communities around Small Business Saturday and is working alongside numerous business organizations to support local Small Business Saturday celebrations throughout the country. American Express recognizes communities that have strong participation. The on-going Shop Local Initiative, presented by First Whitney Bank & Trust, and overall community support has helped Atlantic achieve this national recognition.

November 28th marks the 10th annual Small Business Saturday, a day dedicated to supporting the local businesses that create jobs, boost the economy and preserve neighborhoods around the country. On Black Friday & Small Business Saturday this weekend, shop these participating retailers and receive additional savings:

• Aunt B’s & Bonnesens is offering 25% off all wines, 50% off fall décor (excluding silks), and 50% off all purses and wallets.
• Brown’s Shoe Fit is offering 20% off storewide, some exclusions may apply.
• Brymons Interiors is offering 25% off holiday décor, free pillows, and deliveries with qualifying purchases.
• Cappel’s Ace Hardware has all Christmas décor on sale.
• Farmhouse & Flowers is now open 9 AM – 5 PM.
• Hanson’s Fine Jewelry is offering 20% off items storewide.
• Jazzercise is offering unlimited in-studio or online classes for the remainder of the year for just $20.20.
• Something For You is offering 20% off fabric, buy one get one free on all Pillow Pets, and an extra 10% off all clearance items.
• Soul Sister’s Boutique is offering 20% off items storewide.
• The Franklin Market/The Picker’s Parlor is offering 20% off all apparel, 10% off CoffeeGirl, and other discounts storewide up to 50% off.

SHIFT ATL will be offering gift wrapping services Saturday, November 28th from 9 AM – 1 PM at the Rock Island Depot. Visit their Facebook page to learn more. To accommodate COVID-19, all businesses have implemented curbside pickup. Contact the business beforehand to set up this option. Per the State of Iowa mandate, masks are required when in public spaces, including restaurants and businesses.

Pick up your Christmas Brochure from area retail businesses, like the Chamber on Facebook or follow on Instagram to find dates and details to celebrate Christmas in Atlantic. You can find a complete list of activities at www.atlanticiowa.com. Capture the Christmas magic with #MyAtlanticIA and post to the Atlantic Area Chamber’s Facebook page or Instagram (AtlanticIowaFan). Contact the Atlantic Area Chamber with any questions at chamber@atlanticiowa.com or call 712.243.3017.

Police in Creston report the arrest at around 12:25-a.m. Thursday, of 42-year old Cassandra Marlena Davis, from Creston.  Davis was taken into custody for Failure to serve ordered jail time. She was initially transported to the Union County Jail and then to the Clarke County Jail.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.4MB)

Subscribe: RSS

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (5.9MB)

Subscribe: RSS

A rear-end collision west of Boone, Thursday evening, caused both vehicles to roll over and resulted in three injured. The Iowa State Patrol reports the accident happened on Highway 30 at Noble Hills Lane, at around 7-p.m.  Authorities report a 2006 Jeep Wrangler driven by 31-year old Lochland James Issac Monahan, of Ames, was traveling west on Highway 30, when his SUV rear-ended a 2004 Pontiac Montana, driven by 68-year old Jackquline Marie Holmquist, of Ogden.

Following the collision, both vehicles entered the median and rolled over before ending up facing east, in the eastbound lanes of Highway 30. Monahan – who was not wearing a seat belt – was taken by Lifeflight to Methodist Hospital. Holmquist and her passenger, 47-year old Bille Jo Page, of Ogden, both of whom wore seat belts, were transported by Boone Rescue to the Boone County Hospital. The accident remains under investigation.

Pursuit that began early Thursday in Council Bluffs and repeatedly crossed state lines, ended with an arrest in Nebraska. According to the Nebraska State Patrol, 34-year-old Christopher Holsten, of Bellevue, NE., was arrested for flight to avoid an arrest, willful reckless driving, possession of methamphetamine, possession of drug paraphernalia, and theft by stolen property over $5,000. Holsten was also charged with obstructing a peace officer, driving under suspension and traffic violations.

Stolen truck pursuit 11/26/20 (Neb. State Patrol photo)

The Nebraska State Patrol NSP was notified at around 2:10-a.m. Thursday, that a vehicle had fled a traffic stop with the Council Bluffs Police Department and was traveling toward Nebraska on Interstate 480. A trooper observed the vehicle, a Chevrolet Silverado, traveling at 81 miles per hour in a 50 miles per hour zone on I-480 as it entered Nebraska.

The trooper attempted a traffic stop, but the vehicle accelerated to speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour and fled southbound on I-480. The vehicle then entered Interstate 80, traveling eastbound toward Iowa. The trooper discontinued the pursuit at the Iowa border. CBPD officers took over the pursuit and were able to successfully deploy spike strips to slow the vehicle, but it traveled back into Nebraska on I-80.

NSP troopers again pursued the vehicle as it turned northbound onto I-480 before exiting and beginning to drive on surface streets near the Martha Street exit. Near 28th and Harney a trooper was able to successfully perform a tactical vehicle intervention to bring the Silverado to a stop. The driver – later identified at Holsten – then fled on foot, climbed over a fence, and fled back toward I-480 on foot. Troopers were able to locate the man at the Farnam Bridge over I-480 and took him into custody without further incident.

Officials with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, earlier this week, announced the winner of this year’s “Scrooge” contest. Once all the point were totaled, the winner was determined to be Brian Ruge, Manager at Brown’s Shoe Fit. The “Scrooge” contest is an annual fund-raiser for the Atlantic Food Pantry. Ruge, along with Jon Martens, Tami Shellberg, and the team of Jeff and Heather Lundquist, had competed in this year’s Scrooge Contest, collecting cash and non-perishable food donations for the honor of being named Scrooge, and presiding over the annual Lighted Christmas parade down Chestnut Street.

Points were awarded for cash and non-perishable food items. On Tuesday, it was announced Ruge amassed 56,659 points. Team Lundquist came in second with 23,716 points. Martens had a total of 21,580 points and Shellberg had a total of 17,200 points.

A record amount of cash, $23,348.10 was donated this year and 2,415 food items were collected. A good chunk of the funds, officials said, came from Duke Rentals and Deter Motor Company. Hy-Vee donated 25 turkeys, along with five pounds of potatoes, two canned vegetables and a pie with each turkey to the Atlantic Food Pantry, and 25 turkeys and the fixings to the Mobile Food Pantry.

(Radio Iowa) – Even with the pandemic, some Iowans camped out overnight so they could be the first to enjoy today’s Black Friday deals, but the head of the U.S. Small Business Administration in Iowa hopes the buying fervor will extend into tomorrow — for Small Business Saturday. Jayne Armstrong, director of the SBA’s Iowa District Office, says local merchants have endured a very challenging year and the holiday shopping season is key to their success. “The last few months of the shopping could really make a huge difference in their bottom line,” Armstrong says. “We’re really encouraging people to get out and support your local small businesses. I can’t emphasize enough how important it is, especially as we’re waiting for this next round of stimulus.”

COVID-19 has forced many people to avoid shopping in person in stores and Armstrong says you can equally show support for local businesses by seeking out their websites. “A lot of people are shifting to online this year,” Armstrong says. “One of the smart things that a lot of our Iowa small businesses have done this year during the pandemic is to pivot to more of an online presence.” One economic forecast predicts in-store sales will be down three-percent this holiday season while online sales will be up 30-percent. For those who physically shop in stores, Armstrong says to look for her and other small business backers who will be fanned out in Iowa’s downtowns and shopping districts.

“We’ll be out there with our signs saying, ‘Honk If You (heart) Small Business,’ and ‘Shop Mom and Pop,’ and ‘Be Loyal, Buy Local,’ those types of things,” Armstrong says. “We really try to lift up the spirits of the small business community because these owners have gone through a lot this year.” While some small businesses were forced to close during 2020, she says it’s been a pleasant surprise to see so many new small business start-ups in Iowa succeed. Armstrong says 97-percent of the businesses in Iowa are small businesses.

(Radio Iowa) – The August derecho did millions of dollars in damage to farms, homes, and property — with a majority of the damage covered by insurance. Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen says the derecho damage itself should not impact insurance rates. “Even though this even was really substantial — part of the way insurance companies operate — they should be including that risk in their premiums. So, I don’t see any substantial change,” Ommen says. He says insurance rates could be impacted by the larger impact of events nationwide. “If you look across the country, we are seeing more claims generally in property and casualty. Whether you look at some of the wind storms that we are seeing down along the gulf coast and of course some of the fire events that we are seeing out in the mountains and in California,” according to Ommen. “Overall it is showing an increase in claims — which long-term is going to have some impact on premiums.”

Ommen says the crucial thing for everyone is to be sure you have the coverage you need for your situation. “Take the time to look at those insurance policies, to talk to a licensed insurance producer to have a good understanding of what kind of coverage they have,” Ommen says. While federal disaster funds have helped with some of the damages that weren’t covered by insurance in the derecho, Ommen says that is not available with every storm. He says the first line of defense should be your personal insurance coverage.

“So often what we see is, when an event comes through then consumers are frustrated because they don’t have coverage that they thought they had. At the same time, they haven’t really evaluated their coverage — that’s how you end up with losses that are not insured,” Ommen says. ” And again this storm impacted a large part of our state — but frankly, anywhere in Iowa could be impacted by this storm, or the other types of storms that hit our state.”

Ommen says you should go over your insurance coverage each time it comes up for renewal and discuss any changes in the policy, or changes in your situation that need to be covered.