Atlantic Mayor Dave Jones, Wednesday, officially designated Halloween Trick-or-Treating as October 31st, from 5:30-until 7:30-p.m.  He also set some guidelines for the event, in light of COVID-19. His statement says:

“Mayor Jones requests participation in the following guidelines for 2020 Halloween:
• Keep family/children in a group and do not mix/mingle with other children/families. Maintain a 6-foot distance if waiting to approach a house.
• Candy should be handed out, not presented in a container for everyone to put their hands in and choose from. Alternatively, participating households could set out individualized plastic or brown paper bags for children to take individually.
• Masks/face coverings should be worn when approaching houses to accept candy being handed out and should be worn by those handing out candy, or when within 6 feet of those outside your family/social circle.
• Houses that wish to participate should turn their outdoor lights on.”

Jones said also, the Chamber has looked at some alternatives, such as a virtual Halloween costume contest, street activities in the downtown area for children, and other possible alternatives. Nothing official has been released thus far, with regard to the other options mentioned.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds, Wednesday morning, said Des Moines Public School officials have made unacceptable decisions about starting the school year with online classes for most students.  “The board’s action last night was disappointing,” Reynolds says. “While the board voted 4-3 to prepare to implement a hybrid learning model, there’s no clear sense of how or when that might happen.”

Some members of the Des Moines School Board have said the district should continue online classes for at least the first nine weeks of the school year and in-person classes should only resume when the prevalence of Covid dips to certain levels in Des Moines. Reynolds says those metrics appear to be designed so students don’t come back to the classroom. “So to be clear, Des Moines Public School is no closer to compliance with state law than they were before last night’s vote, which I think is unfortunate for the students,” Reynolds said.

The time students have spent in online classes since the school year started in Des Moines last week may have to be made up later in the year, according to the governor. The district did not get a state waiver for internet-only instruction.  “326 out of 327 school districts have figured it out,” Reynolds says. “A lot of these school districts have been in school for three weeks!”

Ann Lebo

Iowa Department of Education director Ann Lebo says the state’s largest school district is in danger of losing its accreditation. “We were very hopeful to work with the district to find a solution,” Lebo says. “At this point it seems that they were well into a plan that is out of compliance and will continue to do so, so we will initiate that process on our end.”

The State Board of Education ultimately decides when school districts lose “accredited” status and are dissolved. School administrators accused of violating state standards go before a separate panel. The State Board of Educational Examiners can both sanction and revoke educators’ licenses.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Sept. 16, 2020 – The Iowa Dept. of Transportation’s District 3 Office reports workers have completed a project to replace a culvert on U.S. 59 south of Denison in Crawford County. The roadway will be reopened to traffic at 8 a.m. Thursday, Sept. 17, weather permitting.

Midwest Contracting, LLC was the prime contractor for the $805,159 project.

ATLANTIC- Cass County Health System (CCHS) is thrilled to announce that Jennifer Arp, RN, BSN has been selected as the winner of the Outstanding Iowa Quality Professional Award presented by the Iowa Association for Healthcare Quality (IAHQ). Arp says “I am so honored to receive this award. I couldn’t have done it without my team.”

Jennifer Arp

Arp has been recognized as a valued member of the CCHS Team since 1995. Her journey to quality began at the frontlines as a RN at in on the Med/Surg and Special Care Unit. Since that time, Arp has served CCHS as a nurse in Cardiac Rehab, Quality Coordination, and served as the Nursing Clinical Instructor. She found her passion in quality and performance improvement in 2004, which inspired her to receive her Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality certification in 2009. Arp was promoted into her current position as the Director of Performance Improvement in 2012.

CCHS Chief Nursing Officer Amanda Bireline says “Jennifer truly exemplifies what it means to be an outstanding quality professional. Regardless of workload, she is quick to accept new challenges and does so with a willingness to learn and challenge the status quo. Jennifer compels those around her to strive for high standards, keeping our patients as our catalyst for change. It has been a privilege to work alongside her and I can think of no one more deserving of this award.

The Iowa Association for Healthcare Quality (IAHQ) annually grants the Outstanding Iowa Quality Professional award to recognize a dynamic and passionate IAHQ member who has demonstrated enthusiasm and leadership with local, state and national healthcare associations and has made contributions to healthcare quality through healthcare consultation, publications and presentations.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds says there is nothing inappropriate about her decision to spend nearly $449,000 in federal coronavirus relief money on salaries for aides in her office, including her chief of staff and spokesman. Reynolds responded at a press conference for the first time about a report posted Sunday by the online blog Bleeding Heartland.

IA Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks during a Press Conference Sept. 16, 2020.

The report indicated 21 employees on Reynolds’ staff will have more than 60% of their salary paid by the federal emergency funds from March 14 through June 30. Reynolds says federal rules clearly allow salaries to be paid for workers whose job requirements are significantly changed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

(Radio Iowa) – Airports are among the many economic victims of the pandemic and while federal relief is helping, changes may come to smaller cities. After falling to just five-percent of normal passenger traffic in April, the Des Moines airport has seen a steady increase, though the numbers remain low. Executive director Kevin Foley says the airport and airlines are working to ensure safety from the coronavirus, but many people are still uncomfortable flying and some vacation spots remain closed.

Foley says, “I had hoped, and still hope, that maybe we could end the year at 50-percent of normal traffic.” Foley says federal CARES Act money is helping keep the airport afloat and fully functional. “Des Moines received $23 million that we can draw against, and we are,” Foley says, “and that’s going to get us through the first quarter of 2021.” At the moment, he says no airlines are pulling out of Des Moines, but other airports are facing steeper challenges.

American Airlines wants to stop flights to Sioux City, though United may fill that void. American also plans to stop flying to Dubuque during October and it’s not clear whether those flights will resume.

(Radio Iowa) – A Corning farmer testified before Congress today (Wednesday) that a Trump Administration rule that changes the definition of federally protected waterways offers clarity for the nation’s farmers. Ray Gaesser  farms corn and soybeans with his son Chris near Corning. Speaking before the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, Gaesser says the previous rule was overreaching, defining land where water flowed after a rain as federally regulated.

“The EPA wrote a rule that threatened my farm with jaw-dropping penalties and even criminal prosecution for tilling, spraying or disturbing a Water of the U.S.” This spring, President Trump and the Environmental Protection Agency finalized the Navigable Waters Protection Rule. The new rule replaces the Obama-era Waters of the U.S. rule in the Clean Water Act and changes the definition of what qualifies as a Water of the U.S. Implemented in 2015, WOTUS was developed to address issues over clarity with federal waterways.

Following years of court battles, the Trump Administration suspended the rule in September 2019 and implemented a new rule this spring. Gaesser says the new rule allows flexibility for farmers to manage conservation on their land. “Our landscapes are diverse, so there is no perfect model,” said Gaesser. “Instead, we need the ability to make the best decisions possible to successfully manage and mitigate what’s out of our control.”

Gaesser says farmers and ranchers care about having clean water and preserving their land, because it is how they feed their family and the nation. “This rule brings certainty and predictability into focus, giving farmers like me and my son Chris the freedom to farm all while achieving important regulatory oversight,” said Gaesser. “This new rule does not change who oversees permanent waterways. Instead, it ensures states can enforce their own environmental laws to position farmers and rural communities for long-term success.”

The new rule defines federal waterways as territorial seas and traditional navigable waters, perennial and intermittent tributaries, certain lakes, ponds and impoundments and wetlands that are adjacent to jurisdictional waters. The act also spells out that rainfall, groundwater and roadside ditches are not subject to federal control.

Gaesser is past president of both the Iowa Soybean Association and American Soybean Association. He is owner and operator of Gaesser Farms, where he raises corn and soybeans on 5,400 acres.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds criticized the Des Moines school district for not abandoning its online learning program and returning its more than 33,000 students to classrooms. Reynolds said Wednesday that other districts have managed to meet her requirement for in-person learning even as the state remains a national hotspot for coronavirus infections. Education Department Director Ann Lebo said officials would begin a process to potentially punish the district for not being in compliance. Lebo also affirmed the possibility Des Moines students could be required to take additional classes after school usually ends next spring. Des Moines officials argue it’s too risky for students and staff to return to classrooms under Reynolds’ order.

(Radio Iowa) – The Big Ten football season will open October 24th — without fans in the stands — and host cities will first need to meet certain COVID-19 positivity rates. Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s confident Iowa City and the University of Iowa will pass whatever standards are set.

Johnson County, where Iowa City is located, has seen spikes in case numbers in recent weeks, especially in young adults. 20 days ago, that county was among a half-dozen where the governor ordered all bars closed — and they remain so.

Still, Reynolds says she’s optimistic about football in Iowa City.

After the conference cancelled the season weeks ago, U-I officials said the institution would lose 100-million dollars without football.

Reynolds, when asked whether Iowa City and Johnson County can meet the Big Ten’s Covid count standards, responded:

IA Gov. Kim Reynolds speaks during a Press Conference Sept. 16, 2020.

(Radio Iowa) – The president of the Iowa Brewers Guild says the impact of the pandemic closings could put as many as one-third of the state’s independent breweries out of business for good. Scott Selix gave an update during the Iowa Wine and Beer Promotion Board meeting. He says it’s hard to get an exact handle on the impact. “From the best that I can glean, brewery sales are down 40 to 50 percent across the board,” Selix says.

The governor shut down all breweries for a time during the pandemic and then shut them down in six counties after COVID-19 cases spiked. Facilities in Polk, Dallas, Linn and Black Hawk Counties can re-open at 5 p-m today (Wednesday). Selix says the impact on breweries depends on how diversified they are. “That tends to be worst for smaller breweries. Larger breweries that have cans in stores and have distribution models have seen sales somewhat shift from taproom sales to stores,” according to Selix.

He says those breweries that were just getting started when the pandemic hit appear to have suffered the biggest hit. “Newer breweries have seen their sales drop by….. some of them as much as 80 percent,” he says. Selix says some won’t be able to survive the drop in sales. “I believe based on information I’ve had talking to all of our members — we are going to see at least three Iowa breweries close in the next 30 to 60 days. And I fear that we may lose 30 breweries over the course of this winter,” Selix says.

He says the warm weather did give a boost to breweries. “Summer has helped with outdoor sales and patio sales,” he says, “but unless there is, I would say significant permanent intervention, we could see as much as a third of our breweries close.” He says breweries may be able to work out some agreements with their landlords that would help, but they will need other help. Selix operates a brewery in Des Moines.