(Updated) Two people were injured during a collision Friday evening, in Red Oak. Authorities say 22-year old Halea Pearl Brandon, and her passenger, 33-year old Michael L. Meyer, of Lenox, complained of pain/possible injury, and was transported by EMS ground (ambulance) to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital. Police report officers and Montgomery County Sheriff’s deputies were called at the scene at the intersection of Highways 34 and 48, at around 5:50-p.m., Friday, following the collision between a 2009 Mazda MZ8 owned by Terri Brandon, of Lenox and driven by Halea Brandon, and a 2011 Dodge RAM pickup, driven by 56-year old Dwaine Clayton Hurt, of Red Oak.

According to police, the accident happened when Halea Brandon failed to stop at the stop sign, as she was traveling in the eastbound lane of Highway 34. Her car broadsided the pickup, which was already in the intersection, traveling northbound on Highway 48. ADamage to the vehicles amounted to $8,000 altogether. Police cited Halea Brandon for Failure to Obey a Stop Sign and Yield the Right of Way.

The Creston Police Department reports two arrests. Sunday night, 46-year old Lois Buchanan, of Osceola, was arrested at the Creston Wal-Mart Store, on the charge of Theft 3rd Degree. Buchanen was released from the Union County Jail on a $2,000 bond. And, a little after 6-p.m. Friday, 36-year old Jonathan Graham, of Corning, was arrested on charges that include Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Criminal Mischief 5th Degree. Graham was released from the Union County Jail on a Promise to Appear.

(Iowa News Service) DES MOINES, Iowa — States like Iowa have lifted COVID-19 restrictions amid a gradual decline in case activity and promising news on vaccinations, but new survey results say most older residents want businesses to keep safety in mind as they welcome back customers. In a statewide survey from AARP Iowa, 95% of respondents age 50 and older said mask mandates make them feel somewhat or extremely safe. Brad Anderson, state director for AARP Iowa, said he hopes the business community takes that result very seriously.

“Masks are king in Iowa and older Iowans do expect shopkeepers, restaurants and anywhere indoors; grocery stores, to keep those mask mandates in place,” Anderson asserted. Respondents also indicated strong support for other safety measures, such as increasing outdoor dining rather than indoor. The Iowa Department of Public Health said more than 200,000 Iowans have now been fully vaccinated, and case averages have declined, as well as COVID hospitalizations.

Anderson noted older Iowans command a lot of spending power. He suggested it would be wise for businesses struggling to recover from shutdowns and restrictions to respond to the concerns of this age group, given how it’s been affected by the virus.  “This is a life-or-death issue for them, and it makes sense that, you know, there’s some hesitation to jump back into life as normal,” Anderson observed.

State health department data show Iowans age 50 and older make up 98% of COVID-related deaths, and nearly 70% of current hospitalizations. The statewide survey was conducted in January.

Red Oak Police report three separate arrests took place, Sunday. At around 6-p.m., 31-year old Mildred Helenora Douglas, of Red Oak, was arrested for Harassment in the 3rd Degree. She was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond. At approximately 6:45-p.m., 48-year-old Dale Eugene Longnecker, of Essex, was arrested at Broadway and Ohio Streets, for Driving Under Suspension. And, Red Oak Police arrested 29-year old Nicholas Gage McGhee, of Riverton, at around 8:30-p.m., following a traffic stop. He was found to be driving with a suspended license, and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where bond was set at $491.25.

(Radio Iowa) – It was a year ago today (Monday) that Governor Kim Reynolds announced confirmation of the first cases of Covid in Iowa. The first cases were in Johnson County. Dr. Nicholas Mohr was working in the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics’ intensive care unit the night the first Covid patient was admitted to the hospital.  “We had a group of nurses and physicians who had been training and preparing for that to happen, but when our first patient came, obviously knew that it was starting and we really didn’t know what the next year was going to hold.”

The first death of an Iowan who’d contracted the virus was announced on March 24th. By early April of last year, one in 10 cases of Covid in Iowa were among nursing home residents or staff.  “When I think back over the last year, I think about what the preparation of those first few weeks looked like and just kind of the uncertainty because we had watched what happened in New York and what happened in Italy,” Dr. Mohr says, “and we had no idea what that trajectory was going to look like in Iowa.”

As of this weekend, state officials have confirmed five-thousand-five-hundred-58 Iowans have died after contracting Covid. By Sunday night, 860-thousand Iowans have had at least one dose of a Covid vaccine. The speedy development of those vaccines as well as treatment options for new disease is a triumph of science and medicine, according to Mohr.  “The end is coming,” Mohr says. “We look forward to a time when we can see our friends and families again. We look forward to a time when we can do all the things that we did before Covid, but right now it’s still really important that we’re following all of the same precautions until we can get all of our communities vaccinated and until our friends and family can be safe.”

By early April of last year, one in 10 cases of Covid in Iowa were among nursing home residents or staff. As of Sunday, the state’s coronavirus website shows nursing home residents account for 39 percent of the Covid-related deaths in Iowa. Brent Willett is president of the Iowa Health Care Association, which represents the 436 nursing homes in Iowa. “More then 2400 people residing in nursing homes and around 35 staff members lost their life to Covid in the last year,” he says, “which is a completely unprecedented circumstance in the history of our sector and it’s probably fair to say there’s still a lot of shell shock out there.”

Everyone who lives or works in a nursing home who wanted to be vaccinated has gotten a shot now. Willett says conversations are underway about how to prepare for the next infectious disease outbreak. “For example, I think that we need to have a deep conversation about how we regulate and resource infection control preventionists in long-term care facilities,” Willett says. “It’s a critical, critical position. We have them now. We need more of them and we need to find a way to ensure that they can be more active and more proactive in planning for these kind of eventualities in the future.”

As of early this (Monday) morning, the state website tracking coronavirus activity indicated there were Covid outbreaks at 10 Iowa nursing homes. On the last day of November, 155 nursing homes had outbreaks.