Creston Police, Wednesday (today) report the arrest Tuesday afternoon, of 23-year old Paige O’Neall, from Creston. O’Neall was taken into custody at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a charge of Criminal Mischief in the 4th Degree. She was cited for the offense and released on a Summons to Appear in court.

And, a man residing in the 800 block of W. Adams Street, in Creston, reported to police Tuesday, that sometime between Jan. 31st and Feb. 1st, someone slashed a rear tire on the vehicle, while the vehicle was parked outside of the man’s home. The damage was estimated at $150.

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s Coronavirus dashboard, today (Wednesday, 10-a.m.) shows there are 1,197 new, positive cases of COVID-19 in test results since 10-a.m. Tuesday, for a pandemic total of 321,536. The IDPH says there were 56 additional deaths recorded over the previous 24 hours, for a pandemic total of 4,975. Officials attributed 4,504 deaths to an Underlying Cause, while COVID was a contributing factor in 471 deaths. In western and southwest Iowa, there was one new death in Cass County (for total of 46), and Shelby County (30 total); Two more deaths in each of: Harrison (67 total); Mills (20 deaths); Montgomery (32); Pottawattamie County (129), and Union County (29 total).

Long-Term Care (LTC) facility data, Wednesday, show there are 48 current outbreaks among those facilities in Iowa. Those facilities account for 1,431 of Iowa’s positive cases, while 887 LTC patients have recovered from the virus. LTC deaths make up 2,043 of the State’s total number of deaths.

The IDPH reports there are 382 people hospitalized with COVID symptoms (compared to 390, yesterday). Officials say 86 COVID patents are in an intensive care unit (ICU), the number of patients admitted over the past 24-hours is up from 49 Tuesday to 58 today, and there are 34 people on a ventilator. In RMCC Region 4 (Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa),  22 are hospitalized with COVID symptoms, eight are in an ICU, no one was admitted since 10-a.m. Tuesday, and three people are on a ventilator.

The Health Dept. reports also, 263,248 doses of the vaccine have been administered. Of those doses, 135,156 persons have received their first, or initial dose, while 64,046 have received their second dose.  The State’s 14-day positivity rate is 9.5%, and the seven-day average is 7.7%. A total of 288,312 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:

• Cass, 1,189 cases; {+7}; 46 deaths
• Adair, 711; {+4}; 24
• Adams, 310; {+1}; 3
• Audubon, 439 {+5}; 9
• Guthrie, 1,059 {+2}; 27
• Harrison County, 1,618; {+4}; 67
• Madison County, 1,318; {+10}; 12
• Mills County, 1,414; {+8}; 20
• Montgomery, 928; {+6}; 32
• Pottawattamie County, 9,400; {+40}; 129
• Shelby County, 1,104; {+0}; 30
• Union County,  1,151; {+5}; 29

A judge in Missouri has sentenced a Cass County (Iowa) man to jail, in connection with a fatal boating accident at the Lake of the Ozarks. According to television station KY3, in Springfield, MO., Kelly Wise, of Atlantic (IA) will serve 30 days in jail before being placed on probation.

Investigators say Wise was driving a boat on the Lake of the Ozarks Osage Arm around 10 p.m, in June 2019, when his boat collided with another boat.

The crash killed race car driver Jason Russell of Eugene, Mo.  Russell raced at Lake Ozark Speedway. Four other people — including Wise’s wife — were injured in the crash.  Kelly Wise’ blood alcohol level tested at .184 (Twice the legal limit) at the time of the crash. He plead guilty in December to a charge of BWI (Boating While Intoxicated).

(Radio Iowa) – A bill designed to forbid ALL Iowa colleges and universities from enforcing mask mandates among students and staff while they are off campus has cleared its first hurdle in the Iowa House. Representative Joe Mitchell of Wayland says the bill has support among House Republicans. “I’m having college administrators tell me that, you know, somebody not wearing a face covering off campus is just as bad as a group of students drinking under age off campus or drug use,” Mitchell says. “…We don’t think that’s true. We don’t think that’s acceptable.”

Frank Chiodo is a lobbyist for the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities. He says if the pandemic continues, this kind of a law would force private colleges to hold classes online. “We’ve done our best to manage the unmanageable,” Chiodo said. “…Quite frankly, the easiest and simplest thing that we can do is encourage our students, our faculty to be safe and wear a mask. It’s a lot more economical than having to shut down a university.”

Representative Christina Bohannon, a Democrat from Iowa City, is a University of Iowa law professor. She says the bill is crazy because the greatest risk for catching Covid is in the community, not on campus. “To take away the one thing that the universities and colleges can do to keep us in person,” she says, “…it’s reckless, it’s irresponsible, it’s really unfair.” Representative Mitchell says being expelled or suspended for not wearing a mask off campus is a violation of a student’s rights. “We know, scientifically, that the students could be more affected by the flu than Covid, but we know for older people, obviously, Covid is a much more dangerous thing, so it’s about the faculty,” Mitchell says. “…In my district, we have people that have to go to work when they work at the grocery store, the manufacturing plant or the hospital in my district, and so then we’re saying that we’re going to put educators on this pedestal over every other worker.”

The University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa are asking for one change in the bill. The universities want to retain authority to require social distancing and mask wearing during university-sponsored activities and travel off-campus — especially for Hawkeye, Cyclone and Panther athletic teams that are trying to avoid Covid outbreaks, follow conference guidelines and keep competing.

A Red Oak man was arrested Tuesday afternoon, for failing to appear on a previous OWI charge. According to Red Oak Police, 40-year-old David Daniel Wells was taken into custody at around 1:00 p.m.  He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

Also arrested Tuesday, was 49-year-old Terry Lee Williams, of Red Oak. He was taken into custody for Possession of Drug Paraphernalia. Williams’ bond at the Montgomery County Jail was set at $300.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CST

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Police say the ex-boyfriend of an Illinois woman whose body was found at an arboretum in Iowa is charged with her death. Twenty-year-old Jennifer Lopez, of Galena, Illinois, was found dead Monday on the grounds of the Dubuque Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. Her ex-boyfriend, 21-year-old Richard Forsythe, of Galena, is charged with first-degree murder in her death. He is being held on $1 million bond in Galena awaiting extradition to Dubuque. No further information has been released.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A fifth person working at the Iowa Capitol has tested positive for coronavirus. Iowa House Chief Clerk Meghan Nelson says in a notification sent Tuesday that the individual was last in the building on Thursday. She says the person worked on the House side of the building and had worn a face covering at all times. Two cases were reported Saturday and Rep. Amy Nielsen of North Liberty confirmed she was one of them. That marks the first known case of an Iowa lawmaker contracting the virus during the session. She says she believes she was infected at the Capitol where Republican leaders do not require masks.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Democrats in Nevada are making a play to bump Iowa and New Hampshire from their early spots on the presidential primary calendar. If the move is successful, it would upend decades of political tradition and give a more urban and racially diverse group of voters a greater say in picking the party’s nominee. The behind-the-scenes lobbying seeks to capitalize on the party’s discontent with Iowa’s and New Hampshire’s performances last year. Iowa’s first-in-the-nation caucuses devolved into a technological and logistical mess, leaving the winner unclear. New Hampshire’s first-in-the-state primary wound up a near tie between two candidates who ultimately lost, while the eventual nominee, now-President Joe Biden, came in fifth.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa conservation officials say four people in Linn and Buchanan counties have been convicted of dozens of wildlife violations. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said Monday that a routine inspection of taxidermy operations led authorities to issue search warrants, leading to the arrest of Jason Webster, of Quasgueton, and Jeremiah Pillard, of Troy Mills. Webster was charged with more than 20 violations. Under a plea deal, Webster will pay $15,500 in civil damages plus criminal costs. Pillard pleaded guilty to illegal taking of animals and must pay $6,750 in civil damages and criminal fines. Two women from Quasgueton pleaded guilty to violations related to hunting tags and licenses.