Two people were arrested on separate charges early this (Wednesday) morning, in Mills County. At around 1:40-a.m., 40-year-old Kale Garrett Hardman, of Malvern, was arrested for being a Fugitive from Justice. And, 22-year-old Kiasha Lynette Adams was arrested following a traffic stop on I-29 at mile marker 34. She was charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance. Bond was set at $1,000.

Sheriff’s deputies on Tuesday, cited Bayleigh Major, of Missouri Valley, for unsafe passing and failure to provide proof of [insurance].

Cass County Health System officials Wednesday (Today) announced the arrival of the first baby of 2021. Gavin Leo arrived January 4, 2021. The CCHS Obstetrics team presented the family with a baby blanket and a year’s supply of diapers.

Pictured (L to R): dad Alex holding Gavin and mom Emily. (Photo courtesy CCHS)

(Radio Iowa) – Hundreds of students, parents and alumni are asking Luther College in Decorah to wait longer before returning to in-person instruction. The college announced this week students must return to campus to attend classes in-person starting Monday, unless they have a documented condition that puts them at a high risk for complications from COVID-19. Madeline Lomprey, a senior at Luther, says the college should allow more time to identify infections among students who were traveling or going out over the holidays. Lomprey says, “For me, I wouldn’t go out to the bar, but I see pictures almost every weekend on social media of people that are.”

According to Lomprey, around 13-hundred people — including nearly 40-percent of students — have signed a petition. It calls on Luther to keep classes online for the remaining three weeks of the semester. Lomprey says she’s worried other students returning from the year-end break could unknowingly bring the virus back to campus. “It only takes a few minutes for that to spread if you’re all sitting in the same room,” she says. “We really need to be more proactive than just waiting for those indicators to rise again.”

A college spokesperson said in a statement that local COVID numbers are now similar to October when students studied in-person, adding, the college will soon add more testing on campus.

(By Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)

Officials with the Creston Police Department report 23-year-old James Riddle, Jr., of Creston, was arrested a little after 6-a.m. today (Wednesday), for Driving While Suspended. Riddle was cited and released from the scene, on a Summons to Appear.