LaVon Eblen visits about sugar.
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The Iowa Department of Public Health, Tuesday, said there were 508 new positive cases of COVID-19 test results returned from the labs over the past 24-hours, for a pandemic total of 329,812 positive cases. There were also 26 additional deaths, for a pandemic total to-date of 5,263, including one each in Madison and Pottawattamie Counties. Statewide, 4,726 COVID deaths are attributed to Underlying causes. COVID was a contributing factor to 517 deaths. Deaths at Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities account for 2,117 of the total number of deaths.
Long-Term Care facility outbreaks are down from 35 to 28. Officials say 769 LTC patients have tested positive for the virus, and 514 have recovered.
The State data show: 255 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, compared to 242 on Monday; 57 COVID patients are in an ICU; 40 were admitted over the previous 24-hours, compared to 35 on Monday, and 25 patients were on a ventilator. In RMCC Region 4 (Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa), 20 are hospitalized with COVID symptoms, seven people are in an ICU, four people were admitted over the past 24-hours, and one remains on a ventilator.
Iowa’s statewide positivity rate continues to decline, from 7.9% Monday to 7.5% Tuesday. The 7-day average was also down, from 6.1% to 5.6%.
A total of 303,713 Iowans have recovered from the virus.
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:
(Radio Iowa) – A small group of legislators is discussing how state law might be updated to ensure minors cannot legally access internet sites with pornographic content. Republican Representative Sandy Salmon of Janesville wants to make it a crime for a porn site to allow access to anyone under the age of 18.”Instead of talking about telephones, like our current law does, this brings it into the 21st century – talking about communication devices,” Salmon says.
Salmon has sponsored a bill on the topic and it cleared a House subcommittee this (Tuesday) morning. However, the other legislators on the panel say the bill as currently constructed needs changes. For example, it could apply to streaming services that offer R-rated content. The bill also directs a website to collect a scan of a driver’s license, passport, birth certificate or Social Security card to verify the person is an adult. Republican Representative Brian Lohse of Bondurant says that raises a security concern about identity theft. “I think it’s a workable bill,” Lohse says, “with some work to be done on it.”
Limiting underage access to pornography websites has been an international discussion. Great Britain passed a law in 2017 requiring commercial pornography websites to use age-verification tools to prevent access by minors. The law was abandoned two years later due to technical and privacy concerns.
The Cass County, Iowa Master Gardeners (CCMG) are once again offering a $1,000 scholarship to local students, with applications due April 1, 2021. This scholarship is available to students who are graduating seniors or graduates of any of the following Iowa school districts, in which currently reside members of CCMG: Atlantic, Clarinda, CAM, Exira-EHK, Griswold, or Red Oak.
The goal of the Master Gardener program is to support horticulture education and community service. CCMG members provide many hours of volunteer service and gardening education within their local communities. Accordingly, this scholarship is intended to provide post-secondary funds to individuals who are studying, or intend to pursue a career in, a horticulture-related field. The scholarship winner will be selected based upon academic success, history of community service, and career goals related to horticulture. Demonstration of past interest and experience in horticulture will be very helpful.
The scholarship is for those pursuing post-secondary education during the 2021-2022 school year. The recipient will be notified of their award on or before May 20, 2021 for planning purposes. A scholarship check will be issued in January 2022, in the student’s name directly to the academic institution, upon receipt of an official grade transcript for the completed Fall 2021 semester. A previous scholarship recipient may re-apply, but an individual may only receive a total of two scholarships from this program.
The application form is available through the high school guidance departments, or on the Cass County Extension website at www.extension.iastate.edu/cass/. Applications should be submitted to the Cass County Extension Office, 805 W 10th St, Atlantic, Iowa 50022, or emailed to keolson@iastate.edu on or before the April 1 deadline for consideration. Questions can be directed to the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132.
The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports four arrests from the past week. Saturday afternoon, 41-year old David William Patrick Clayton, of Greenfield, was arrested on charges that include Harassment in the 1st Degree, (felony) Willful Injury-Bodily Injury, and (felony) Going Armed with Intent. The charges stem from an incident in Greenfield, pertaining to a male victim and his son, whereby Clayton allegedly said he wanted to, and would, kill the man’s son. Clayton allegedly attacked one of the victims with a knife, cutting his cheek. The report said he was angry because the man had accused Clayton of stealing a firearm. Clayton was released from the Adair County Jail the following day, on a $10,000 cash-only bond.
Thursday afternoon, 29-year old Shane Sim Blackford, of Chariton, was arrested at the Monroe County Jail on an Adair County felony warrant for Violation of Probation. He was released that same day on a $5,000 cash or surety bond, with 10% acceptable. On Feb. 10th, Stuart Police arrested 60-year old Michael Lee Croft, of Iowa City, on a Johnson County warrant for Harassment in the 1st Degree. He was being temporarily being held without bond in the Adair County Jail. And, on Feb. 7th, 25-year old Tyler Dennis James White, of Fontanelle, was arrested at the Greenfield Dollar General Store, on a Union County felony warrant for Violation of Probation. He was released that same day on a $1,000 cash-only bond.
Three other persons were arrested, but released on citations to appear in court. They include: 31-year old Garey Douglas Glade, of Greenfield, for OWI/1st offense; 43-year old Travis Quinn Wambold, of Fontanelle, for Driving While Barred, and 23-year old Dylan James Albaugh-Cornelison, of Adair, for Driving while license denied ore revoked for OWI.
Girls District Bowling was set to be contested on Tuesday, February 16th. A number of sites have either postponed competition or adjusted times due to the extreme cold weather conditions.
Postponements
Class 1A – District 2 at Des Moines – postponed. Make-up Date, Location & Start time TBA
Class 1A – District 3 at Council Bluffs – postponed to THURSDAY, FEB. 18. Start time is 11:00 a.m at Thunderbowl in Council Bluffs.
Class 2A – District 4 at Des Moines – postponed to THURSDAY, FEB. 18. Start time is NOON at Game Day Lanes in Des Moines.
Time Changes
Class 1A – District 5 at LeMars – the start time of the Class 1A Bowling State Qualifying Meet at Le Mars has been moved from noon to 1:00 p.m.
Class 2A – District 3 at LeMars – the start time of the Class 2A Bowling State Qualifying Meet at Le Mars have been moved from 9:00 a.m. t0 10:00 a.m.
(Radio Iowa) – Members of the U-S House are starting work on the newest COVID-19 stimulus package which Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says promises to be far too expensive. With reports estimating the latest coronavirus relief plan around one-point-nine trillion dollars, Grassley says several fellow Republicans in the House will work to whittle it down from what President Biden has requested. “They aren’t going to go along with that big package,” Grassley says, “and if they can get a smaller package, that would be to my liking.”
The plan is again expected to include direct payments to most Americans which Grassley says may be checks of several hundred dollars, a thousand dollars, or as much as 14-hundred dollars. “Whatever it is, it’s got to be targeted towards the more needy,” Grassley says. “The way it’s written by Pelosi, so people up to $350,000 could get help, it ought to be targeted more toward families of 40- to 50- or maybe $60,000 a year income.”
The latest round of checks, approved in December, were for a maximum of 600-dollars. Grassley says when government relief checks are sent out to wealthier Americans, they don’t typically provide the needed boost to the economy. “When you get above $75,000 worth of income, about 80% of it’s saved, it’s not going to stimulate the economy,” Grassley says. “But when it’s below $75,000 and those people get it, about 80% of it is going to be spent and spent quickly and will be a stimulus.” President Biden is pushing to have a 15-dollar federal minimum wage amendment included in the COVID relief package, which would make it very unattractive to most Republicans.
AMES, Iowa (Iowa News Svc.) — An arctic blast has left all of Iowa frozen in recent days, but the spring planting season is inching closer. A new report suggests those who work on farms still face obstacles when it comes to workplace protections, and some of the Iowa data isn’t pretty. The nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute examined 15 years of federal enforcement of labor standards within agriculture. Seventy percent of investigations by the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division uncovered violations in this area among employers.
Illegal immigrant while working in the fields in the summer
Daniel Costa, director of immigration law and policy research at the Institute, said not only are farmworkers in an industry that comes with safety risks, the numbers showed many are exploited financially as well. “They’ve also been doing work without being adequately paid for it,” Costa contended. “By any objective measure, farmworkers are some of the lowest paid workers in the entire labor market.” He noted because so many of the individuals lack immigration status, it’s difficult for them to speak up.
The report showed the issue is more widespread in states such as California and Florida. While Iowa isn’t in the top five for percentage of overall incidents, it did have the second highest average number of violations detected for each investigation. According to the Institute, the violations are largely being driven by farm labor contractors, which recruit and hire seasonal agricultural workers. The findings showed Iowa had the most violations per investigation of these hiring firms at 167. Costa believes the analysis presents an opportunity for the Biden administration to take significant action.
“I think there’s no question farmworkers deserve better,” Costa asserted. “And there’s really no better time than now to figure out how to deliver for them.” He added the findings come as farmworkers are hailed as heroes during the crisis. The report recommended ways to enhance compliance, including increasing penalties for employers that are repeat offenders. The authors say it could be done with larger fines and more significant sanctions. The researchers also suggested advocates and unions try to better educate farmworkers about their rights.
More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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Jim Field visits with Iowa Western Community College Cass County Director Ann Pross about the annual Jazz & Wine Scholarship fundraiser.
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