DEWITT, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in eastern Iowa have identified two people killed when the motorcycle they were riding veered off the road near DeWitt. Clinton County Sheriff’s Department Sgt. Scott Reyhons said Monday in a news release that 63-year-old David Boettcher and 61-year-old Vickie Boettcher, both of Lowden, died in the the Saturday afternoon crash. Authorities say the crash happened around 4:15 p.m. Saturday. Deputies who responded to the crash found that the pair’s motorcycle had left the road and struck a farm fence in a field. Both died at the scene of the crash. The sheriff’s office says it is trying to determine whether the victims were married.

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

(Radio Iowa) — This summer’s first scheduled county fairs must decide how to continue while COVID-19 is still a threat. Some counties have partially reopened, but large crowds are still banned. Tom Barnes, volunteer manager of the Mighty Howard County Fair, says they’re working on backup plans to judge livestock and other exhibits if the fair, opening June 23rd, is cancelled. If it can continue, he says they need guidance on managing crowds. Barnes says, “If we’re asked by the government or the health department to maintain some sort of surveillance as they come onto the grounds that’s quite a bit of work in a short period of time to get set up.”

The Howard County fair is one of eight Iowa fairs scheduled to open in June. Barnes says they’ll decide what to do by mid-May. The Linn County Fair is scheduled to kick off on June 24th and fair board member Jennifer Dunn says keeping people in the crowd at a safe distance would be difficult to manage. “I think we all understand that fairs won’t look like it did in 2019,” Dunn says. “I think we’ve all come to that realization of how things are.”

Dunn says the fair board is creating backup plans for everything from virtual livestock judging to remote grandstand events. Dunn says, “Maybe there’s a truck and tractor pull but there’s nobody in the crowd and we just stream it virtually.” Dunn says the Linn County fair will work with local health officials to decide how to move forward.

(Reporting by Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)

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

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Creston Police report three arrests took place over the past few days. Saturday afternoon, 47-year old Shawn Connelly, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While Barred. She was released from the Union County Law Enforcement Center (LEC) on a Promise to Appear (in court). Friday evening, 23-year old Cody Lamaak, of Afton, was arrested at the Union County LEC on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original, Possession of a Controlled Substance – charge. He was later released a Promise to Appear.Friday afternoon, 37-year old Candace Russell, of Creston, was arrested for Driving While Revoked. She was also released on a Promise to Appear.

And Creston Police says a man reported that sometime between 7-and 10-a.m. Friday, his belongings were taken from a shelter house at McKinley Park, in Creston, The missing items included: clothing, paperwork and medication that were contained in a large backpack and smaller bag. The loss was estimated at $600.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Atlantic City Council will meet 5:30-p.m. Wednesday in another electronic session via Zoom. One of the items on their agenda, is a “Resolution to require Employees and Visitors to City Buildings to wear face masks.” The issue is, of course, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and a request by the Atlantic Library Board for the City’s blessing requiring those entering the library (and other City buildings) to wear the masks in order to further prevent the spread of the virus.

City Administrator John Lund says he reached out to City Attorney David Wiederstein, who agreed the precaution is appropriate. Lund is expected to inform the Council, Wednesday, that if approved, the mask policy:

• Would Apply to the interior of City-owned buildings, only.
• Would Not affect private property, both business and residential, City parks, trails or other City-owned grounds.
• Would Not result in a citation or penalty for failure to wear a mask.
• Would remain in effect only if the City Council feels it is necessary to protect employees and the public.  The policy is not intended to continue indefinitely.

Lund said also, City Departments will be free to respond to employees or members of the public who refuse to follow the policy (if approved) in a manner that is deemed appropriate for the situation. The Council may adopt the Resolution, vote it down or refer it to a City Committee for further discussion. In other business, the Council will act on setting May 20th as the date for a public hearing to amend the Fiscal Year 2020 budget, and the second reading of an Ordinance prohibiting parking on the north side of East 12th Street, as recommended by the Community Protection Committee. The Council passed the first reading on April 15th.

And, the Atlantic City Council will discuss and act on recommendations for the following:

• The Palm Street/Atlantic Golf and Country Club drainage review report (with regard to ongoing storm water management issues). Following discussion and a review of the options available, the Council may elect to reject participation in the improvements requests, ask for additional studies, or defer its decision to a later date. John Lund is expected to recommend the Council select the option most appropriate to resolve or mitigate property damage caused by inadequate city infrastructure in the affected area, and a financial feasibility plan to be developed for review of the City Council.
• A review of bids for the Country Oak/Miller Storm Water Detention Basin Project & the awarding of the bid project. The lowest bid ($21,520) came from Christ Heuton Earthmoving. City Administrator John Lund says the FY 2020 Budget reserves $27,000 for storm water projects. To date, he says, none of that money has been spent on capital improvements. The project, therefore, is budgeted for and the funds are available.

And, they will act on setting the date for a Public Hearing on the proposed contract documents and estimated construction cost for the Atlantic Facade Rehabilitation Project. This is part of a Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), which is in the final stages of pre-construction preparations. The bids will be opened this Friday, and the hearing held during the May 20th City Council meeting.

(Radio Iowa) — This spring planting season in Iowa started out much like last year, cold and wet, but conditions have improved significantly in recent weeks. Angie Rieck-Hinz, a field agronomist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, monitors crop conditions in north central Iowa. “It’s such a turnaround from the last couple of springs,” she says. “People are still a little bit in shock about how good planting conditions have been over the course of the last two weeks and how much progress we’ve made planting corn and beans. People are in great shape.”

Rieck-Hinz says farmers were prepared to move quickly this spring — and they’re doing just that. “If conditions are good, say we plant about 13-million acres of corn in Iowa, we can knock out about 1.1- to 1.2-million acres planted statewide on a daily basis,” she says. “Our soil temperatures have stayed pretty steady in the low- to mid-50s, but the big thing that’s helped us is, it’s really kind of dried out.” Rieck-Hinz says the spring weather is much more cooperative this year, but she still recommends growers who planted early check on the progress. “There were people planting corn around April 1st and around April 8th, it was still pretty cool back then and it was kind of wet back then,” she says. “I would go out as soon as that corn starts poking through the ground, and some of it has, do some stand counts and make sure your stand’s where you want it.”

When the new weekly crop report comes out, Rieck-Hinz says she expects to hear nearly all of the corn is in the ground and most of the soybeans.

(Radio Iowa) — The Board of Regents will hold a meeting today (Monday) where they will discuss a proposal to freeze tuition and fees for the 2020-2021 academic year. The presidents of the three state schools reported to the Regents during a meeting last Thursday that they have lost millions of dollars from the coronavirus shut down. University of Northern Iowa president, Mark Nook, is not sure how enrollment will be impacted. “It’s really early right now to say that. What we are seeing is the students that we currently have on campus — they are re-registering and falling in line with what we have seen in the past for the students we have here,” Nook said.

U-N-I has struggled to keep its enrollment up in recent years — and has focused on trying to bring in new students. He says it’s too early to say how many freshman and transfer students they will have, although he says they have been doing well in recruitment. University of Iowa president Bruce Harreld said they expect an enrollment drop. “In the recruiting for the new class we see about nine to ten percent down from where we expected to be,” according to Harreld. “So instead of a class close to five-thousand, we are looking at 45-hundred. If it moves a little up or a little down– it’s going to be in that zone.” Harreld said they aren’t expecting much change in current students. “Most of the returning class — right now we see it pretty strong — we don’t see a real issue there. We are concerned about our international students, we have seen a downturn across the nation,” Harreld said.

Iowa State University president Wendy Wintersteen expects a drop in enrollment — but doesn’t have a projection yet. She also has a concern about international students. She said international students may be very interested in coming to I-S-U, but may not be able to get a VISA. Wintersteen says they are hoping online classes will help them with international students by keeping them linked to the school. “Start your first semester with us online. So we’re taking some steps that we see address that problem for some very good students coming from other countries,” she said.

The Board of Regents will meet online today (Monday) to discuss the tuition proposal and then are scheduled to vote on it in June.

(Radio Iowa) — The latest data on COVID-19 test results show more than 91-hundred Iowans have so far tested positive for the virus. Governor Kim Reynolds indicated a backlog in processing at the State Hygienic Lab was being resolved. On Saturday and Sunday a total of 12-hundred-85 (1285) positive test results and more than 63-hundred negative results were announced. A drive-through “Test Iowa” site has been set up in Sioux City. Woodbury County has turned into one of the “hot spots” in Iowa for the virus, with more than 11-hundred confirmed cases in the county. Captain Sam Otto of the Iowa National Guard’s 2nd Brigade Infantry Unit in Boone says the testing is by appointment only, with a referral through the “Test Iowa” website or app.

“There’s going to be a ‘soft opening’ on Monday and Tuesday and then it should be operational throughout the rest of the week,” Otto says. The “Test Iowa” site has been set up at Western Iowa Tech Community College in Sioux City. The state is hiring medical staff to conduct the tests, but guard soldiers will be assigned to the site. “We’re there either to provide planning support, logistical support and then we’re directing some traffic in lanes, for people to go get the actual testing,” Otto says.

For today (Monday) and Tuesday, the site will be open from noon until 6 p.m., then on Wednesday testing will be conducted 10 hours a day, from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m. There will be no testing done on weekends. The latest statewide report indicates that 184 Iowans have died of COVID-19 and by Saturday morning, 378 were hospitalized for treatment.