What little rain that fell overnight Wednesday into Wednesday morning, did little to help the crops and soil they live in. The latest edition of the Iowa Drought Monitor released today (Thursday, shows parts of Cass, Adair, Audubon, Dallas and Guthrie Counties, are in a Severe Drought. Other area counties affected by the severe drought include Boone, Carroll, and Greene, along with the northwest corner of Madison County. Other area counties are in a “Moderate Drought,” which is characterized by: Soybeans aborting pods; Struggling corn test weights; Grasses are brown & more grass fires occur; The possible issuance of bans; and pond levels decline.

Officials say a continued severe drought could potentially result in: extremely low corn yields; A high fire danger; fewer mosquitoes observed; low surface water, increased algae blooms, and a requested voluntary effort at water conservation.

For more information: https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/CurrentMap/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?IA

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

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Officials with the Creston Police Department report 32-year old Corry Johnston, of Creston, was arrested Wednesday morning, for Driving While Barred. Johnston was later released from the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond. And, at around 2:20-p.m., 51-year old Misti Brown, of Clearfield, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center in Creston, on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear on the original charge of Theft in the 5th Degree. Brown was later released on a $300 bond.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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CAM High School Principal Dominic J. Giegerich said Wednesday, the CAM Community School District (CSD) is planning on returning to school August 24th, with students attending five days a week in their designated school buildings. Mitigation protocol for cleaning and sanitizing, along with schedule adjustments to allow for those procedures, will be put into place. Students and staff will have the option to wear face masks, they will not be required.

Giegerich says the week of August 10th the CAM CSD will send out, and post, information regarding district procedures and protocols to return to school. A Parent only meetings will be held on Thursday, August 20th, in Massena and in Anita, at 7 p.m. to discuss further the start of school on August 24th. The meeting will be videotaped for those who can not attend. CAM Administration, working with the district leadership team, have been consulting Iowa Department of Education (IDE), Green Hills AEA, Iowa Department of Health, Cass County Health Systems guidance in developing a plan to start the school year face to face with students. The CAM CSD will be prepared to move to a 100% required online delivery of education should it be deemed necessary by one of these entities.

Principal Giegerich says District Staff will have additional training on mitigation protocols, systems, procedures and student accountability. The CAM CSD will be prepared to work with Cass County Health Systems on suspected, or confirmed, cases of COVID-19, processes for contact tracing and if necessary school closure. Social Distancing will be promoted where possible, understanding (guidance from the IDE) that six feet may not be possible in most classrooms. In common spaces protocol will be in place to ensure six feet social distancing and when possible in classrooms.

Details for registration for school will be released soon and this year we will be registering 100% online. Resources and instructions will accompany the release and be sent to all prospective students in the CAM CSD via email and regular mail. This will be in place of in person registration. “Back to School Night”, and Freshmen orientation traditionally held in the elementary school buildings will not take place this school year. Orientation for 6th graders at CAM Middle School will be held at 6 p.m., Thursday, August 20th at CAM Middle School (before parent meeting).

The National Weather Service in Des Moines says hot and humid conditions will return Friday and Saturday. The hottest day is forecast to be on Saturday when high temperatures will rise into the middle 90s and heat index values of 101 to 109°F are anticipated by the afternoon hours! Still sticky on Sunday, but temperatures will range around 90°F for highs and there will be storm chances late in the evening into Monday morning.

Police in Red Oak report two separate arrests occurred Wednesday. A little before 9-p.m., 20-year old Logan Dane Andersen, of Carthage, MO., was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance-Marijuana/1st offense, and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Andersen was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $1,000 bond. And, at around 8-p.m., Red Oak Police arrested 42-year old Janet Lynn Hernandez, of Red Oak, on a warrant for Compulsory Education Violation/1st offense. Her bond was set at $300.

(Radio Iowa) – The number of Iowans hospitalized for treatment of COVID-19 has been on a steady uptick this month. As of early this (Thursday) morning (3:45-a.m.), 195 Iowans are hospitalized, five more than yesterday, and up more than 22 percent since July 1st. Governor Kim Reynolds says the majority of TOTAL positive cases this month are concentrated in 10 of Iowa’s counties — and among younger adults.

“We know where the positive cases are occurring and why and we’re carefully considering whether additional targeted mitigation efforts are necessary to slow the spread in some areas,” the governor says. The average age of those testing positive for the virus was 63 in March, when the first cases were confirmed in Iowa. This week the average age has dropped to 39. Reynolds has made it clear she may re-impose some restrictions on bars as a result of the increase in confirmed infections among young Iowans.

“You will not see me shut down the entire state,” Reynolds says. “We know where the increases are taking place. We have some idea of what we believe it may be tied to and so we will target our response based on the information that the Department of Public Health and the epidemiologist team is collecting.”

More than 391-thousand Iowans have taken a COVID test this year. Over 36, 640 have tested positive, and nearly 92-hundred of them currently have an active infection.

(Updated 7:56-a.m.) (Radio Iowa) – A woman who’s been the Iowa Department of Public Health’s lead spokesperson for more than a decade has been forced out of the post. Polly Carver-Kimm says she believes she’s a casualty of the pressure the department’s been under in the midst of the pandemic and, as a former journalist, she felt her role was to be an advocate for openness and timely responses. “I felt that maybe that was part of the reason why I was let go because, you know, we kind of closed up a little bit,” Carver-Kimm says.

Carver-Kimm says her dismissal was not a surprise. “I have sensed that something was coming for several months now because I was just consistently relieved of duties and it started back in March not long after we had our first case of COVID-19,” Carver-Kimm says, “and at that time then I was told that I wouldn’t be handling media inquiries anymore.”

Carver-Kimm says her other job duties that related to COVID-19 were gradually reduced, then, about a month ago, Carver-Kimm was removed from her role as the officer in the agency who fulfilled public records requests from the media. She says the department’s director, who is leaving HIS job July 31st, called her yesterday (Wednesday) and gave her the choice to resign or be terminated. “I asked why,” Carver-Kimm says, “and he said they were doing a restructuring and that was all he offered.”

Amy McCoy, a lobbyist for the agency who was assigned to work with the media during the pandemic, says the department can’t comment on personnel matters, but has gone above and beyond to share up-to-date and comprehensive information about COVID-19. She said the agency values the role media plays in getting information to the public and intends to continue a strong partnership.

Carver-Kimm says the past few months have been a trying period for the agency. “All the people who work at IDPH have the best interests of the health of Iowans in mind. This is a situation that it’s no surprise to anyone that’s become a political football, too, and so all of the media is vetting by the governor’s office,” Carver-Kimm says. “..I’m not saying that the governor’s office changes our message because I believe the governor’s office has the best interests of Iowans in mind, too. It just makes it difficult to work independently.”

Carver-Kimm is married to Radio Iowa sports director Todd Kimm. She was a long-time reporter and morning talk show host at a Des Moines radio station before she was hired to work in the public health department in 2007.