Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Health and Audubon County Public Health today (Thursday), identified an additional case of COVID-19 in the county. The individual is an older middle-aged 41-60. This additional case brings Audubon County’s total to 13 positive confirmed cases of COVID-19, this number includes 12 that have recovered, and one death.

Please keep in mind that when a new positive case is announced the Iowa Department of Public Health is only allowing the age range of the individual to be released. Due to confidentiality and HIPPA regulations any additional information including the person’s race, ethnicity, gender, city or employer is considered confidential information and cannot be given out.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The number of people filing initial unemployment claims in Iowa continued to fall as the state began reopening after taking steps intended to slow spread of the coronavirus. Iowa Workforce Development reported Thursday that 6,920 people filed initial claims in the week ending May 30. That’s a drop of nearly 50% from the previous week. There were 165,195 continuing weekly unemployment claims last week, a decline of 13,000 from the previous week.

The largest number of claims came from people employed in manufacturing. Nationally, nearly 1.9 million people applied for unemployment benefits last week and the total number of people receiving jobless aid increased to 21.5 million. That’s down from a peak of 25 million two weeks ago.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ Thursday press conference on COVID-19. We will have live audio on KJAN as well with the presser set to begin at approximately 11:00 a.m.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Police officers fired several tear gas canisters and flash grenades late Wednesday to disperse protesters in Iowa City who were advancing toward Interstate 80. Hundreds of protesters were met by a line of Iowa State Patrol and Iowa City police officers on Dubuque Street blocking their path to the busy highway. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that a speaker identifying himself as a patrol officer ordered the crowd to disperse and warned that the failure to do so would result in the deployment of chemical munitions. The newspaper says that officers fired tear gas canisters when the crowd continued marching north. In the following minutes, the crowd backed up, attempted to rally and again march forward, but eventually were forced back.

Authorities in western/southwest Iowa are investigating separate burglaries and thefts from an ag-equipment dealer. Police in Shenandoah say a burglary took place last Saturday evening at Vetter Equipment, in Shenandoah. Authorities say the suspects entered the building a little after 8:15-p.m., and in a security camera video, were seen loading into a trailer, tools and equipment worth $50,000-to-$80,000. Most of the items stolen were STIHL brand equipment, including leaf blowers, chainsaws, weed eaters, trimmers and other materials. Police were working to try and get the license plate of the vehicle pulling the trailer.

A similar break-in and theft occurred at Vetter Equipment, in Onawa. Additional information about that incident is currently not available. Anyone with information about the burglary at Vetter Equipment in Shenandoah, is asked to call Shenandoah Police at 712-246-3512.

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

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A crash at around 4:25-a.m. today (Thursday), in Central Iowa’s Warren County, has resulted in a death. The Iowa State Patrol says a 2010 KIA Sedona was traveling south on Interstate 35 southbound, when the SUV struck a guard rail near mile marker 63.25. The driver of the vehicle, who was not wearing a seat belt, died at the scene. Their name was not immediately released. The accident remains under investigation.

Officials with the Creston Police Department report 49-year old Michael Williams, of Creston, was arrested Wednesday afternoon, for Domestic Abuse Assault by impeding air and/or blood flow, and, for Violation of a Protection Order. Williams was being held in the Union County Jail while awaiting a bond hearing. And, on May 30th, 39-year old Christopher Kackley, of Ft. Dodge, was arrested in Creston on a charge of Burglary in the 3rd degree. He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $5,000 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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The Iowa Department of Public Health reports 14 more people have died from COVID-19. for a total of 578, and there were 562 new, positive cases of the virus, since Wednesday, for a total of 20,574. There were also 8,620 more negative case test results than Wednesday, 265 more people have recovered from the virus – for a total of 12,157, and the number of Iowans tested rose 9,145 to 173,280.

The IDPH reports also, there were four less persons who remained in a hospital, but 10 more were admitted Wednesday, for a total of 310. The number of persons in an ICU was down 11, to 105; Six fewer people were on ventilators, for a total of 70. The number of Long-Term Care facility (LTC) outbreaks is unchanged at 42. 10 more patients and/or staff tested positive for COVID-19, for a total of 1,605, five more died at those facilities, for a total of 288, and 80 have recovered from COVID-19, which is 41 more than Wednesday.

The Region 4 Regional Medical Coordination Center (RMCC)  data – covering hospitals in western/southwest Iowa – shows one less person hospitalized,  two less people in an ICU, none were admitted over the past 24-hours, and 2 remain on ventilators. For Cass and surrounding counties, there wasn’t much change in the number of cases and the number of those recovered, over the past 24-hours. The exceptions: Guthrie and Shelby Counties, both of which had 1 more positive case of COVID-19, and Pottawattamie County, where the IDPH dashboard shows 306 cases and 185 recovered.