The Iowa Department of Public Health reported 463 new coronavirus cases and 7 additional deaths today (Saturday). As of 10 a.m., IDPH reported 44,937 total positive cases in the state, 32,802 recoveries and 872 deaths. As of 10 a.m. Friday, IDPH had reported 44,474 positive cases and 865 deaths. Cass County reports two more positive COVID-19 cases for a total of 42, and the first death in the County.

A total of 480,425 Iowans have been tested for COVID-19. IDPH reported 4,804 Iowans tested the previous day, with a positivity rate of 8.2% . Health officials report 242 Iowans are currently hospitalized, up from 228 the previous day. There are 77 patients listed in intensive care, up from 71 the previous day. There are currently 35 patients on ventilators, up from 29 the previous day. There were 36 patients admitted in the last 24 hours, up from 31 the previous day.

Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa report: 14 people are hospitalized with COVID-19; eight are in an ICU; one person was recently admitted, and three people are on a ventilator. The IDPH Dashboard current County/Positive Case count/reported recoveries (   ), and the number of deaths to date (if any)  {    }:

• Cass: 42 [2 more than yesterday] (34) {1 death}
• Adair: 20 (16)
• Adams: 15 (10)
• Audubon: 28 [1 more than yesterday] (15) {1}
• Guthrie: 125 [1 more than Friday] (79) {5}
• Montgomery: 42 (29) {3}
• Pottawattamie: 1,171 (776) {21}
• Shelby: 156 [2 more than Friday] (131) {1 death}

There are currently COVID-19 outbreaks in 22 of Iowa’s long-term care facilities. IDPH reported 748 positive cases and 318 recoveries. There have been 470 deaths in Iowa’s long-term care facilities.

The Iowa Department of Public Health displays the latest coronavirus information in real time on this website

w/ Chris Parks

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The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office located a stolen vehicle near Sidney early Saturday morning and made an arrest. Deputies were advised at 12:58 a.m. of a report of a truck stolen out of Council Bluffs that was possibly in the Sidney area. Deputies located the vehicle on Highway 2 near 350th Avenue, east of Sidney.

After stopping the vehicle, the driver 57-year-old Ralph Peterson of Council Bluffs was arrested for Theft 1st Degree and Theft 5th Degree. He was taken into custody without incident and held in the Fremont County Jail on $10,000 bond.

A woman from Lamoni was arrested early Saturday morning in Montgomery County following a traffic stop. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s reports at 12:37 a.m. a traffic stop was conducted at the intersection of Boxelder Avenue and Highway 34. Upon further investigation, Kilee Licht of Lamoni was taken into custody on a Decatur County warrant for Failure to Appear. Licht was taken to Montgomery County Jail where she was booked in and held on $300 cash bond.

Montgomery County Public Health/Emergency Management officials said Friday, three additional cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in residents of Montgomery County, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to forty-one (41). Of the three cases announced on Friday, two are elderly adults (> 80) and one is an adult (18-40) who contracted the virus via community spread and close contact with a previously reported positive case. Officials also announced an additional death associated with COVID-19 in Montgomery County for a total of three (3) confirmed deaths.

The number of Montgomery County residents tested for COVID-19 amounts to 1,174.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A 37-year-old Waterloo man was sentenced to 15 years in prison on gun charges after he shot a man in 2019. Alberto Quinto-Pascual shot Alejandro Franco at a Waterloo apartment and Franco later died from his injuries. Quinto-Pascual was not charged with murder but was sentenced Friday in federal court on gun charges, in a move the increased his sentence.

Quinto-Pascual is a citizen of Mexico, and will likely be deported following his prison time. Prosecutors said the two men met at a bar and then went to a house, where Quinto-Pascual shot Franco. Quinto-Pascual told police Franco shot himself.

(Radio Iowa) — Testing is now underway on a potential coronavirus vaccine at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The first batch of volunteer patients was given doses of the experimental drug on Thursday. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer developed the drug and is testing it in Iowa City and about 120 other sites around the globe on 30,000 volunteers.

The UIHC team will need 250 volunteers and is seeking out people who work in jobs that place them at a higher risk for COVID-19, things like health care or food production. They need to be generally healthy and between the ages of 18 and 85.

You can sign up here: https://clinicaltrials.uihealthcare.org/studies/covid-19-pfizer-vaccine

(Radio Iowa) – A study of drinking water systems shows communities in Iowa and four other Midwestern states have legal but potentially worrying levels of nitrates. The Environmental Working Group found nitrate levels in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma are trending up. Report author Anne Schechinger says spikes can occur after heavy rains and she found nitrate problems are more frequent in smaller communities.

“Small systems are more likely to be rural and they’re more likely to be ground-water systems,” Schechinger says, “and a third point, these smaller systems are way less likely to have nitrate removal treatment systems.” Schechinger says proximity to farm fields is also a factor. The report analyzed water data from ten states and praised Hastings, Nebraska, for building a system that removes nitrates before they enter the drinking water supply. Hastings’ environmental director Marty Stange says the innovative system is working well.

“We’ve actually seen it clean up that area that we’re getting our water from,” Stange says. “It’s actually cleaned up slightly faster than what we anticipated.” Stange says preventing nitrates from getting to the water is far cheaper than building a system to remove the pollutant once it’s there. Elevated nitrate levels can cause blue baby syndrome and more recently have been associated with upticks in colorectal cancer and certain birth defects.

(By Amy Mayer, Iowa Public Radio)

In response to nationwide fears that absentee voting and mail-in voting will be inaccurate and fraudulent, Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke, Friday said “I will assure you that election security and verification will remain a priority as the country responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Burke said “There are some people that strive to raise doubts and make false and misleading claims about casting a ballot by mail. All Iowa counties work closely with the Iowa Secretary of State that works with Democrats, Republicans and all parties to ensure electoral integrity with a system of checks and balances. I am very confident in our election system.”

She went on to say “There are steps that make it difficult to engage in fraud. Anyone in Iowa wishing to vote absentee must submit an absentee request form to their county Auditor’s office in order for a ballot to be mailed to them. In making the request, voters must provide required information including their name, address and signature. After the receipt of the request, election officials verify that the voter is registered to vote at the address submitted, not a felon, hasn’t requested a ballot or returned a ballot in the county or any other county in Iowa. There is no evidence or history of rigged elections in Iowa, and our state has maintained the highest integrity when it comes to a fair election process.”

Burke said “Fact check after fact check has found voter fraud to by extremely rare. If there is evidence, local prosecutors can indict the relevant people. It is a criminal offense to forge a name on a mail ballot, impersonate someone else, steal ballots, or deceive someone about their mail ballot. Once you have voted absentee, you cannot vote in person.”

Burke added, “We are not sure what the situation will be when Election Day gets here, but there is one absolute. There will be a General Election on November 3, 2020. In effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, casting a ballot by mail is the safest method. The last thing we would want for any Iowan is to stay home because they think their vote doesn’t count or the fear of becoming infected on Election Day. With that in mind, we are encouraging voters to vote by mail.”

“Throughout it all,” she said, “election officials have been and will continue to be essential workers on the front line of protecting our democracy amidst the pandemic. Candidates, politicians, and campaigns should be focusing on issues and policies impacting Iowans and all citizens in the country, and leave the election process up to the County Auditors, Election Commissioners and the Secretary of State. If you have any questions or concerns with voter registration and the election process, please contact your County Auditor’s office to get accurate information.

“Voters should obtain their election information directly from election officials to ensure it is the most accurate and up to date information. Getting information straight from the source (election officials) is the safest approach to ensure your participation in the election process.”

You can find the absentee request form online at www.montgomerycountyiowa.com or https://sos.iowa.gov.  If you do not have printer capability or access to the internet, you may call the Auditor’s office at 712-623-5127 to have a request form mailed to you. The Iowa Secretary of State will also be sending absentee ballot request forms to every active registered voter in the state in the near future for the 2020 General Election.

Mills County Public Health officials said Friday, there are two more confirmed cases of COVID-19 among residents in the county. The latest cases are persons 18-to 40 and 41-to-60 years of age. Both contracted the virus through community spread.

The new cases bring to 75 the total number of confirmed positive cases in Mills County, with 38 persons having recovered. MCPH says 2,613 Mills County residents have been tested.