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Iowa COVID-19 update, 12/23/20: Cass County reaches 1,000 cases; 15 more deaths statewide

News

December 23rd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Public Health Wednesday (10-a.m. today) reports Cass County has reached 1,000 Positive cases of COVID-19 since pandemic records began. Over the previous 24-hours, there were 16 new, positive cases in Cass County. Audubon County reports 19 new cases, Harrison County’s case count is up 24, there are 96 more cases in Pottawattamie County, where the total to-date is 7,957, and 18 more cases in Union County, for a total of 991 (see data from other counties below).

As of today, there are 271,019 confirmed Positive cases of the virus statewide since Iowa’s outbreak began, with an additional 1,999 cases confirmed in the past 24 hours. The number of deaths increased by 15, to 3,668. Of Iowa’s pandemic-related deaths, COVID-19 was reported as the underlying cause for 3,369 of those deaths. For 299 Iowans, COVID-19 was a contributing factor to their deaths.  COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care facilities account for 1,137 of the state’s total deaths.

The Iowa DPH reports 128 COVID-19 outbreaks among long-term care facilities in the state, accounting for 5,212 of Iowa’s current positive cases.  According to the state’s website, more than 1.32-million Iowans have received COVID-19 tests. Iowa’s average reported positivity rate is 12.6% over the last 14 days.

Hospitalization data: show 644 Iowans with COVID-19 are in hospitals across the state (down from 651 yesterday); 139 COVID patients are in an ICU; 113 were admitted to a hospital (Compared to 71 yesterday); and 71 were on a ventilator.  Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa (RMCC Region 4) report: 42 are hospitalized (2 more than Tuesday); 15 are in an ICU (also 2 more than yesterday); five people were admitted, and eight COVID patients remain on a ventilator.

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, 1,000 cases; {+16}; 38 deaths
  • Adair, 554; {+2}; 17
  • Adams, 241; {+6}; 2
  • Audubon, 362; {+19}; 7
  • Guthrie, 904; {+7}; 22
  • Harrison County, 1,365; {+24}; 52
  • Madison County, 896; {+5}; 8
  • Mills County, 1,242; {+4}; 13
  • Montgomery, 695; {+9}; 14
  • Pottawattamie County, 7,957; {+96}; 87
  • Shelby County, 911; {+8}; 23
  • Union County,  991; {+18}; 16

Iowa women beat Western Illinois 92-65

Sports

December 23rd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – Monica Czinano scored 19 points and Iowa used a 27-17 third quarter to pull away in a 92-65 win over Western Illinois Tuesday afternoon, in Iowa City.

That’s Iowa coach Lisa Bluder. Freshman Caitlin Clark had 13 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.

The Hawkeyes return to action on New Years Eve by hosting Rutgers.

Red Oak man arrested on an Assault charge Tuesday night

News

December 23rd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The Red Oak Police Department reports 30-year-old Eric Alan Vannausdale, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 9:35-p.m. Tuesday, for Assault with the intent to commit serious injury. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $2,000 bond.

Midwest Sports Headlines: 12/23/20

Sports

December 23rd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa defensive tackle Jack Heflin is right where he always wanted to be. The Prophetstown, Illinois, native has turned his childhood aspirations into reality, suiting up this season for the No. 17 Hawkeys after four years at Northern Illinois. The 22-year-old Heflin has 21 tackles and a sack playing a key role in anchoring one of the nation’s top defenses, which takes on Missouri in the Music City Bowl next week.

UNDATED (AP) — Quarterback Justin Fields repeated as offensive player of the year and is joined by three of his teammates on the Associated Press All-Big Ten football team. Lineman Daviyon Nixon of Iowa is the defensive player of the year and is among six Hawkeyes players on the first team in voting by 24 media members. Northwestern redshirt freshman safety Brandon Joseph is newcomer of the year and Indiana’s Tom Allen is coach of the year. Fields is a repeat first-team selection along with Buckeyes offensive lineman Wyatt Davis.

UNDATED (AP) — Many of college basketball’s top teams have one thing in common: They are led by veteran players, which has given them an early edge by providing continuity amid the uncertainty around the game amid the coronavirus pandemic. All teams are coping with constant starts, stops and schedule changes. And those that have the most success, like No. 1 Gonzaga, No. 2 Baylor and No. 4 Iowa, have multiple upperclassmen playing prominent roles in their rotations. Teams led by younger players like unranked Kentucky and No. 20 Duke have had bumpier starts. Wildcats coach John Calipari says veteran teams “have a huge advantage this season.”

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Brad Davison had 15 points and a career-high seven assists, and No. 9 Wisconsin overcame a dreadful start to beat Nebraska 67-53 Tuesday night in the Big Ten opener for both teams. Micah Potter added 10 points and 11 rebounds and sparked a key 14-0 run late in the first half. Fifth-year senior Aleem Ford celebrated his 24th birthday with 13 points and eight rebounds to help the Badgers earn their ninth straight conference victory and 15th straight home win. The Badgers closed the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 season by winning eight straight conference games to share the Big Ten regular-season title with Maryland and Michigan State.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Sonya Morris scored 22 points and Dee Bekelja scored 16 to lead 18th-ranked DePaul past Creighton 90-81. The Blue Demons used a 10-0 run to start the last quarter and turned a 63-60 deficit into a seven-point lead in a less than three-minute span. Despite the fact Creighton made half its 14 field goals in the fourth quarter, DePaul went 14-for-16 shooting. The Blue Demons shot 38 for 63 (60.3%) including 12 of 25 from 3-point range. Creighton true freshman Emma Ronsiek registered career highs with 28 points and 10 rebounds. Ronsiek missed just two of 15 attempts.

Reynolds says too soon to know if state reserves should be tapped

News

December 23rd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) – The start of the 2021 Iowa legislative session is less than three weeks away, but Governor Kim Reynolds says it may be far longer before officials sort out how much more the state will get in federal pandemic relief — and whether some of the billion dollar state surplus and cash reserve will be tapped. “While the State of Iowa really is in great fiscal health when you consider the year that we just went through whether it’s Covid-19 or it’s a drought or it’s the derecho that hit a large majority of our state,” Reynolds says, “we’re not through Covid-19 and so we have to continue to monitor it very carefully and continue to see what the impact is to revenues.”

A panel of experts predicts state tax revenue will grow by more than three-and-a-half percent in the NEXT state fiscal year. The bill that cleared CONGRESS this week will send Iowa and other states millions to distribute Covid vaccines, pay for more testing and perform other local public health functions. There’s more money for child care and Head Start programs as well as food assistance. It also gives states another year to spend money from the first CARES Act that passed last spring.

“This will allow us to put Iowa’s remaining balanced of about $47 million to work in programs that will continue to make a positive difference for Iowans,” Reynolds says. If congress hadn’t taken action this week, Reynolds says she was prepared to distribute that 47 million dollars before the end of the year. About 45 percent of what’s left is the 21 million Reynolds had intended to spend on new state computer software, but the U.S. Treasury’s inspector general ruled that wasn’t a pandemic-related expense.

Iowa early News Headlines: Wed., Dec. 23rd 2020

News

December 23rd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The U.S. Justice Department has found that an Iowa state-run care center for people with intellectual disabilities likely violated the constitutional rights of residents by subjecting them to human experiments, some of which were deemed dangerous. A report released Tuesday identified broad failures at the Glenwood Resource Center, including poor treatment of residents and failure of the Iowa Department of Human Services to respond. The DOJ began investigating in November 2019 after reports of a high rate of deaths. The DOJ outlined detailed steps for improvement. Gov. Kim Reynolds and the Iowa DHS say they have cooperated with the investigation and will work with DOJ to resolve the problems

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — The vaccination of Iowa’s nursing home residents is set to begin next week, after a error in the distribution of vaccines threatened to delay the process. State officials said Tuesday that to be able to begin vaccinating people at long-term care facilities on Dec. 28, as planned, the state had to have at least 50% of the vaccine needed for its nursing home population held in reserve, according to a federal rule. The government, however, eased that regulation since the state was shorted on its initial vaccine shipment. Meanwhile, Iowa posted another 64 COVID-19 deaths and 1,276 new confirmed cases of the disease Tuesday.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Democrat Rita Hart is asking the U.S. House to investigate and overturn the race that Iowa says she lost by six votes, arguing that 22 ballots were wrongly excluded and others weren’t examined during the recount. The campaign provided the notice of contest to The Associated Press and announced its filing Tuesday morning. In the document, Hart argues that she would have netted 15 votes and defeated Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks had the 22 ballots been counted in Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District. Hart is asking the Democratic-led House to count those votes and conduct a uniform recount throughout the district’s 24 counties. She says she is confident she will be ahead after that process and declared the winner.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — A bicyclist died in Davenport when he crashed into a car. Police say the crashed happened about 10 p.m. when a motorized bicycle traveling against traffic on a one-way street crashed into the car. The Quad-City Times reported a 46-year-old man from Davenport was riding the bike. He was taken to a hospital, where he died. Police didn’t immediately identify the bicyclist.

High School Basketball Scoreboard Tuesday 12/22/20

Sports

December 22nd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

BOYS BASKETBALL

Hawkeye Ten Conference

Glenwood 49, Lewis Central 46
Harlan 52, Clarinda 49, OT
St. Albert 74, Kuemper Catholic 70

Western Iowa Conference

AHSTW 69, Logan-Magnolia 57
Riverside 62, Missouri Valley 25
Treynor 65, Underwood 48

Rolling Valley Conference

Boyer Valley 75, Paton-Churdan 46
Coon Rapids-Bayard 39, West Harrison 38
Exira-EHK 62, Ar-We-Va 56 OT

Other Scores

ADM 77, Perry 21
Carroll 63, Bondurant Farrar 57
East Mills 36, Bedford 28

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Hawkeye Ten Conference

Glenwood 80, Lewis Central 59
Harlan 64, Clarinda 34
St. Albert 59, Kuemper Catholic 57

Western Iowa Conference

Logan-Magnolia 52, AHSTW 42
Riverside 37, Missouri Valley 21
Treynor 39, Underwood 36

Rolling Valley Conference

Coon Rapids-Bayard 58, West Harrison 9
Exira-EHK 79, Ar-We-Va 42
Paton-Churdan 54, Boyer Valley 34

Other Scores

Dallas Center-Grimes 64, Creston 44
East Mills 58, Bedford 31
Waukee 85, CB Abraham Lincoln 29
Winterset 53, North Polk, Alleman 42

MN woman dies during a crash in NW IA, Tuesday

News

December 22nd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

A woman from Minnesota died during an accident Tuesday afternoon in northwest Iowa’s Calhoun County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, the crash happened on Highway 4 at 220th Street just north of Rockwell City, at around 3:30-p.m.

The Patrol said 28-year-old Rose Kristine Kallemeyn, of Jackson, MN, was rounding a curve in a 2002 Pontiac Bonneville, when her vehicle crossed the center line and struck a 2014 International semi. Kallemeyn was ejected from her car during the impact, and died at the scene.

Authorities said she was not wearing a seatbelt. The driver of the semi, 56-year old Gary Dennis Hayes II, of West Des Moines, was not injured.

IA DCI assists in Dallas County shooting death investigation

News

December 22nd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is assisting in an investigation into a Dallas County homicide. The incident occurred in rural Adel. Dallas County Deputies responded just before 1:30-a.m., Tuesday, to the intersection of K-Avenue and 258th Street, upon receiving reports of a man suffering a gunshot wound,

Authorities pronounced the man dead at the scene. His name had not officially been released as of late Tuesday night. Authorities said the public is not believed to be in danger.

Hemphill, Murphy lift Drake over North Dakota 88-55

Sports

December 22nd, 2020 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Shanquan Hemphill had 19 points and seven rebounds as Drake won its ninth straight game to open the season, rolling past North Dakota 88-55. Tremell Murphy added 13 points for the Bulldogs and Roman Penn chipped in 10 points. Gertautas Urbonavicius led the Fighting Hawks with 16 points.