Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) report the organization has signed economic development partnership agreements with local economic development groups to provide outreach, technical services, loan assistance, and recovery planning to help businesses and local governments recover from the COVID-19 Pandemic. In total, SWIPCO is providing $180,000 to support these efforts. The local partners include:

• The Cass/Atlantic Development Corporation [CADCO] (in Cass County) $30,000
• Clarinda Economic Development (in Eastern Page County) $15,000
• Harrison County Development Corporation (in Harrison County) $30,000
• Montgomery County Development Corporation (in Montgomery County) $30,000
• Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry (in Shelby County) $30,000
• Shenandoah Chamber and Industry Association (in Western Page, Fremont Counties) $45,000

CADCO Executive Director, Jennifer McEntaffer says “Cass/Atlantic Development Corp. is excited to partner with SWIPCO, offering assistance to business recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is our mission to reach out to area businesses to assist in any way we can. Please feel free to contact our office at 14 West 6th Street in Atlantic, email jencadco@metc.net, or call us at (712) 243-2022.” In addition, SWIPCO has announced a COVID-19 Recovery Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), to help businesses in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Montgomery, Page, and Shelby counties recover from the pandemic.

The $500,000 revolving loan fund will support businesses by serving as an important tool in rebuilding the region’s overall economy, especially when commercial financing is unavailable. SWIPCO RLF funds may also be combined with other government programs. Furthermore, they may be used to leverage necessary financing from local lending institutions. Because of the pandemic, special loan terms are available, as low as 0% interest and loan payment deferrals for up to a year.

The intent of the COVID fund is to provide flexibility to meet emerging recovery trends. With loan amounts that range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $150,000, borrowers may use the money for working capital, inventory, and asset purchases such as machinery, equipment, furniture, and fixtures. Loans will be made until June 30, 2022, and loan terms shall not exceed 10 years for any loan. The economic development partnership program and the COVID RLF are funded through a CARES Act grant agreement with the US Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.

For more information about the COVID-19 loan fund, please visit SWIPCO’s website at www.swipco.org

ATKINS, Iowa (AP) — Sheriffs officials in eastern Iowa say a driver who reached speeds over 100 mph while fleeing a traffic stop died after crashing his car. The crash happened early Wednesday, after a Linn County sheriff’s deputy tried to pull over a car in Atkins, leading to a chase that reached 115 mph. Investigators say the chase ended just after 4 a.m. when the fleeing car drove off a Benton County road and crashed into a culvert. Officials say the man driving was ejected and died at the scene.

A woman also in the car was seriously injured and flown to an Iowa City hospital. The names of the man killed and woman hurt have not been released.

The Iowa Department of Public Heath at 10-a.m., Wednesday, reported an additional 688 positive COVID-19 test results returned from the labs since Tuesday, for a pandemic total of 364,876. There were also two additional deaths reported, for a total of 5,501. Long Term Care facility deaths account for 2,181 of the State’s total number of deaths.

The number of Long-Term Care facility COVID-19 Outbreaks down to a dozen, after declining to 14 the previous day. Hospitalization numbers continue to yo-yo. The latest reports shows 191 hospitalized with COVID, compared to 224 on Tuesday and 197 on Monday. COVID patients in an ICU stand at 40. There were 28 patients admitted to hospitals over the 24-hour reporting period (compared to 34 Tuesday), and 11 patients remain on a ventilator.

Hospitals in Western & Southwest Iowa report: 11 people remain hospitalized for COVID; four COVID patients are in an ICU, three patients with COVID symptoms were admitted over the past 24-hours, and one person remained on a ventilator.

Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate is 4.1%, while the seven-day rate is 4.2%.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

• Cass, 1,355 cases; {+13}; 51 deaths
• Adair, 921; {+2}; 28
• Adams, 327 {+2}; 4
• Audubon, 488 {+1}; 9
• Guthrie, 1,166 {+0}; 28
• Harrison County, 1,793; {+0}; 69
• Madison County, 1,548; {+1}; 18
• Mills County, 1,630; {+0}; 20
• Montgomery, 1,043; {+3}; 36
• Pottawattamie County, 10,791; {+27}; 143
• Shelby County, 1,217; {+6}; 33
• Union County,  1,267; {+5}; 31

(Radio Iowa) – More than a hundred protestors of all ages came to Sioux City on Tuesday to speak out against a plan in the Sioux City Catholic Diocese to combine smaller parish churches. Two busloads of people and several more in cars came from places like Carroll, Odebolt, Arthur and Kiron. Roger Dentlinger, from Holy Name parish in Marcus, fears the policy change will harm communities whose residents would have to travel if their town loses its church. “Certainly for the older population, especially in inclement weather, they’d be forced to travel to neighboring towns,” Dentlinger says. “In some situations, that may be a matter of seven or eight miles and in other places, it may certainly be a matter of 20 or 30 miles.”

photo via Radio Iowa, courtesy KSCJ

Diocese officials say there aren’t enough priests to go around so smaller churches would be consolidated by 2025. Dentlinger says there are other options. “The Catholic mass that we attend each weekend, we’d like them to consider possibly even having a rotating schedule,” Dentlinger says. “If you can’t have a mass every weekend in our church, we would be very happy to have mass every other weekend or once a month if need be.” Deacon Mark Prosser, director of pastoral care for the Sioux City Diocese, says a priest shortage isn’t the only issue they are facing. “There’s a multifaceted impact on our diocese with less people in many of our rural communities translating to less people in the pews,” Prosser says. “There are less people practicing their faith, especially in the mainstream churches including Catholicism. And then a reduction in the sacraments, be it baptisms, marriages, confirmations, and so on.”

Prosser says lessening the frequency of services or a rotating schedule isn’t the solution. “As an example, you have three churches in a grouping and A has mass this week, and then B next week, and C and so on,” Prosser says. “What occurs for the most part is, those living in town A go that week, but they don’t go week B and they don’t go week C. It’s whenever it’s close.” Prosser says 50% of the 48 priests currently serving will reach retirement age in the coming decade, while there are only eight men currently in the seminary to fill those vacancies. Bishop R. Walker Nickless came out to speak briefly to those protesting. He blessed the gathering and said he hears them, and that the diocese was doing the best it could with the priests it has.

A traffic stop early this (Wednesday) morning in Pottawattamie County resulted in a brief pursuit and and arrest. The Pott. County Sheriff’s Office reports Deputy Jeremy Harker conducted a traffic stop near Shelby, on a 2003 Dodge Stratus at 385th and Whippoorwill. The incident happened at around 12:40-a.m. The driver of the Stratus, 32-year old Adam Wayne Thomas, of Council Bluffs, was eventually taken into custody. He faces charges that include: Eluding, plus participating in a Felony or resulting in serious injury; Conspiracy with intent to manufacture/delivery more than 5 grams of Meth, but less than 5 kilograms; Operating a non-registered vehicle; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Reckless Driving; Violating the rules of a fully controlled access facility, and Violation of Parole.

And, at around 1:35-p.m. Tuesday, 44-year old Jolene Gibbons, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in Council Bluffs, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense – causing bodily injury.