Members of the Griswold School Board will hold a Special Session 5:30-p.m. Monday, in the Griswold Elementary School Library (20 Madison Street). Superintendent Dave Henrichs says the purpose of the meeting is to consider and act on: the format of parent-teacher conferences, and implementing a mask mandate.

(Radio Iowa) – Vice President Mike Pence drew cheers from crowds in Iowa yesterday as he vowed Republicans will soon fill the vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court. “And Judge Amy Coney Barrett is going to be Justice Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court of the United States,” Pence said, to cheers in Des Moines.

Pence spoke at a manufacturing plant in Carter Lake early Thursday afternoon, then addressed about 600 people at an event in downtown Des Moines hosted by The Family Leader. Pence says the president nominated a remarkable, conservative woman and he challenged Democrats to provide her a “respectful” Senate confirmation hearing.

“When she was nominated to the Court of Appeals, during Judge Barrett’s confirmation hearing, the Democratic chairman of the Judiciary Committee criticized her Catholic faith, saying: ‘The dogma lives loudly within you.'” California Democrat Dianne Feinstein is the senator who questioned how Barrett’s faith would influence her opinions as a judge. Pence says that criticism had been revived by “Hollywood elites” opposed to Barrett’s ascension to the Supreme Court.

“That dogma lives loudly in me. That dogma lives loudly in hundreds of millions of Americans and every American who cherishes faith has the right to live and work and worship according to the dictates of our faith and conscience, enshrined in the Constitution of the United States,” Pence said. The crowd gave his statement a standing ovation. This was the vice president’s fifth trip to Iowa this year. He promised his Iowa audiences a Covid vaccine is “weeks away.”

Joe Biden’s deputy campaign manager issued a written statement responding to Pence’s visit, saying after nearly 90-thousand Iowans contracted Covid, there’s no end in sight to the pandemic’s impact on the health and finances of Iowans.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT

UNDATED (AP) — Another 16 people in Iowa have died of the coronavirus as the number of confirmed infections continues to soar. Iowa reported the 16 deaths in the past 24 hours Thursday as well as 1,057 new confirmed coronavirus cases. There now have been 1,358 deaths and 89,612 confirmed positive cases. The state reported 18 deaths Wednesday. The high numbers come as hospitalizations surged past 400, a number not reached in Iowa since May. More than 50 patients a day have been admitted for treatment of COVID-19 in each of the past nine days, the most consecutive days of that level of hospitalizations.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — Relatives of four people people killed in a 2018 plane crash in central Iowa allege in new lawsuits that a maintenance error caused carbon monoxide to enter the plane’s cabin, causing the crash. The lawsuits, announced Thursday, name Ultra Flight LLC, an aviation maintenance facility in Le Mars, and its owner, Tomas Mullally. The single-engine Piper took off from the airport in Le Mars on Nov. 9, 2018, and crashed into a cow pasture near Guthrie Center, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) away. Autopsies determined that all four victims suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — University of Iowa President Bruce Harreld has announced plans to retire after the school’s board finds his successor. Harreld, a former corporate executive and Harvard Business School instructor, has led the Big Ten university since 2015. His tenure has been difficult in recent months as the school has faced a coronavirus outbreak, deep budget cuts and heavy turnover in key administrative positions. Harreld said that he has asked the Iowa Board of Regents to begin the search for his replacement, saying he believes it could take longer than usual given the pandemic. He says he’ll stay on until his successor begins.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Des Moines school board approved a plan to return to in-classroom learning, but it included metrics for allowable coronavirus infection rates that the district doesn’t currently meet. That makes it unclear if students will actually return to school as planned. The board voted 6-1 on Wednesday night to gradually implement a hybrid learning plan, starting with prekindergarten on Oct. 12. Students can choose to remain in all remote learning or opt for 50% instruction in classrooms. Despite approving a plan to return to classrooms, the board set several metrics for coronavirus infection rates as well as student and staff absences. If school were to begin immediately, the district would not be in compliance with at least one of those standards.

(Radio Iowa) – With 33 days left until Election Day, Vice President Mike Pence is campaigning in Iowa.

During a speech early this (Thursday) afternoon in western Iowa, Pence began by praising Trump’s performance in Tuesday night’s debate.

Early this (Thursday) afternoon, Pence spoke to about 275 people in a Carter Lake plant that makes galvanized metal parts for bridges and other structures. The visit gave Pence an audience in Iowa, where polls suggest there’s a tight race for Iowa’s six Electoral College votes, and in Nebraska, where one of its Electoral College votes in the Omaha area is up for grabs.

Pence touted President Trump’s appointments to federal courts drawing huge cheers from the crowd. Pence promised a Covid vaccine would be available before the end of this year and the country’s economy would continue its comeback.

This is Pence’s sixth visit to Iowa this year and he hinted at his own aspirations to run for president in 2024. After the crowd chanted: “four more years” for Trump, Pence gave the audience a check list for speaking with their neighbors.

Later this (Thursday) afternoon Pence will speak at a fundraiser in Des Moines for The Family Leader, a Christian conservative group. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo — a potential Pence rival for the Republican Party’s 2024 nomination — spoke to the group this summer.

(Radio Iowa) – Fifteen inmates and one staff member at the state prison in Clarinda have tested positive for the coronavirus according to a spokesman for the state prison system. Jessica Erdman, the Page County Public Health Administrator, says the source of the outbreak hasn’t been pinpointed. “They’re pretty inundated right now so they haven’t really been able to sit down and go over everything with us as of yet,” she says. “We’re hoping to get that done just sometime today or tomorrow.”

A total of 30 cases of Covid in Page County were confirmed yesterday (Wednesday) — the highest one-day total for the county since the pandemic began. “Keep wearing your mask and keep social distancing and you know we are seeing a good amount of spread here in the county and we would really like to get that number back down,” Erdman says. “The month of September has been our highest month, to date, so we are hoping October is a better month for us.”

Erdman says the Clarinda Lutheran School will shift all students online Monday because at least seven confirmed Covid cases are associated with the school.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A man who shot and killed two people and injured two others in a Cedar Rapids parking lot has been sentenced to 75 years in prison. KCRG-TV reports that 27-year-old Andre Richardson was sentenced Wednesday. He pleaded guilty in June to two counts of second-degree murder, attempted murder and other charges. The shooting happened in May 2019 outside a smoke shop near Kirkwood Community College. Matrell Johnson and Royal Abram, both 18, died in the shootings. Two others also were hit by bullets but survived.

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer has issued a report on arrests. The dates, location and other pertinent information in each case, was not released.  Chief Starmer says:

• 23-year oldTristan Lee Stevens, of Audubon, was charged with Theft 5th degree and Criminal Mischief 5th degree.
• 28-year old Cornelius Unger Peters, of Audubon, was cited for Dog at Large – 3rd or more offenses.
• 36-year old Adam Lee Morris, of Audubon, was arrested for Driving While Revoked.
• 27-year old Joseph Andrew Riesberg, of Audubon, was arrested on a warrant for another agency.
• 37-year old Robert Lenard Wenninger, Jr., of Audubon, was arrested for Assault Causing Injury.
• 29-year old Joel Matthew Musfeldt, of Audubon, was arrested for Assault Causing Injury.
• 36-year old Lindsey Marie Henriksen, of Audubon, was arrested for Assault Causing Injury.
• 28-year old Daniel Knight Jones of Audubon, was arrested for Domestic Abuse Causing Injury, Child Endangerment Causing Injury.
• A 17-year old male from Audubon, was arrested on two counts Attempted Burglary, three counts Burglary, three counts of Theft 5th degree, and Unlawful Possession of Prescription Pills.
• and, 28-year old Jesse Lee Brubaker, of Audubon, was arrested on a warrant for another agency.

ATLANTIC, Iowa – Oct. 1, 2020 – The Iowa Department of Transportation reports pavement patching and repairs on Iowa Highway 83 at East Second and Poplar streets, in Atlantic, will require temporary daytime lane closures beginning on Monday, Oct. 5th, until Monday, Oct. 12th, weather permitting. Traffic will be maintained with flaggers during the project.

The Iowa DOT reminds motorists to drive with caution, obey the posted speed limit and other signs in the work area, and be aware that traffic fines for moving violations are at least double in work zones. As in all work zones, drivers should stay alert, allow ample space between vehicles, and wear seat belts.

LE MARS, Iowa (AP) — Relatives of four people people killed in a 2018 plane crash in central Iowa allege in new lawsuits that a maintenance error caused carbon monoxide to enter the plane’s cabin, causing the crash. The lawsuits, announced Thursday, name Ultra Flight LLC, an aviation maintenance facility in Le Mars, and its owner, Tomas Mullally.

File photo of the Nov. 2018 crash

The single-engine Piper took off from the airport in Le Mars on Nov. 9, 2018, and crashed into a cow pasture near Guthrie Center, about 115 miles away. Autopsies determined that all four victims suffered from carbon monoxide poisoning. Killed in that plane crash were 49-year-old Ed Anderson of Le Mars, 36-year-old Patrick Kellen of Le Mars, 15-year-old Samantha Clark of Le Mars, and 28-year-old Tyler Douvia of Merrill. The lawsuits seeks unspecified damages.

DES MOINES – Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate announces a new cybersecurity initiative to ensure the protection of Iowa’s election infrastructure. Iowa is the second state in the nation to create a Vulnerability Disclosure Program (VDP), inviting private sector security researchers to test Iowa’s system. Secretary Pate is partnering with Bugcrowd, a national leader in crowdsourced cybersecurity, for this initiative.

Pate said “We already have a strong infrastructure in place, but election cybersecurity is a race without a finish line. We are bolstering our cyber maturity by allowing responsible testing and reporting of our systems to the private sector.”

VDP is part of the core cybersecurity framework recommended by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Institute of Standard and Technology (NIST). Similar programs are utilized within the federal government and several fortune 500 companies. More than 50 researchers have already partnered with the Secretary of State’s Office on this new venture. To participate in the program, researchers should visit sos.iowa.gov/vulnerabilitydisclosureprogram.html.

“We are excited to partner with the State of Iowa to proactively counter cyber threats with the help of a crowd of researchers that specialize in election security, ensuring a strong and resilient cybersecurity posture and force multiplier to safeguard this year’s election,” said Bugcrowd CEO Ashish Gupta. Protecting elections with proven cybersecurity controls is a top priority for the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office. Forging and building upon critical partnerships with federal, state, and local authorities as well as private sector industry leaders allows for continuous improvements to Iowa’s election infrastructure.

“Our latest partnership with Bugcrowd is yet another proactive measure we are taking to ensure our elections are cyber secure,” said Jeff Franklin, Chief Cybersecurity Officer for the Secretary of State’s Office. “We look forward to actively engaging the private security researcher community so we can strengthen our systems and ensure Iowa continues to be a leader in elections and cybersecurity.”

October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Secretary Pate received the prestigious 2019 IDEAS Award from the National Association of Secretaries of State for his efforts to protect election cybersecurity in all 99 counties.