WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A 56-year-old Iowa man has admitted that he threatened the life of U.S. Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Democrat from New York. Kenneth Dean Brown, of Waterloo, pleaded guilty Friday in federal court to transmitting a threatening communication. He admitted that in December 2019, he called Nadler’s office in Washington D.C. and threatened to find someone to assassinate Nadler.

Brown remains in custody of the U.S. Marshal Service until his sentencing, which has not been scheduled. He faces up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

(Radio Iowa) – This year’s pandemic has made a bad situation worse for tens of thousands of Iowans who aren’t sure where their next meal may be coming from. The Food Bank of Iowa has launched its Hunger-Free Holidays fundraising campaign. Spokeswoman Emma Runde says the goal is to raise $1-million in order to purchase four-million meals.

“We set a lofty goal with the hopes we can reach it because there’s a lot of people in need right now,” Runde says. “Food insecurity, since January of 2020, has doubled and unfortunately, for households with children, food insecurity rates have tripled.” Runde says $600,000 has been raised so far, but there’s a ways to go yet before the goal is reached. “People can go to our website, HungerFreeHolidays.org, or the Food Bank of Iowa website and they can donate,” Runde says. “It really doesn’t take a lot to make a big impact. With one dollar, we can provide up to four meals.”

The Food Bank of Iowa serves 55 Iowa counties with mobile food pantries and aiding food banks in communities.

(Radio Iowa) – State officials, including the governor, are urging Iowans who’re stressed or depressed to go online for free help. The Iowa Department of Public Health reports that from March through September, 319 Iowans died of suicide, a rate slightly higher than the two previous year. Governor Reynolds says anectdotal information suggests people are waiting longer than usual to seek help and are often already in crisis mode when they do. The state has used a federal grant to hire more than 100 staff who provide free counseling through appointments scheduled on the “Covid Recovery Iowa” website.

Karen Hyatt is an emergency mental health specialist in the Iowa Department of Human Services. “We offer free personal counseling. We also have personal support, engagement activities. We are finding there’s been a lot of social isolation,” she says. “We know that there have been older adults, some in nursing homes who haven’t been able to get out of their rooms really since May, some since March, so we’ve put together a package of things.” But Hyatt says the pandemic has exacerbated already anxious times for many Iowans.

“We just came off a natural disaster along the Missouri River for the flooding. We have farmers who are in drought. We have the derecho and many, many counties affected by that,” Hyatt says, “and so what this really has become and what we’re hearing is the economic and mental health disaster on top of the physical.” The federal grant means every Iowan of every age is eligible for counseling.

The website is https://covidrecoveryiowa.org/.  There’s also a toll free phone number — 1-844-775-9276 — to call for help.

DES MOINES – Governor Reynolds Friday (today) announced that a total of nearly $9 million in assistance is available to assist eligible low-income Iowans who are at imminent risk of eviction and individuals who have lost housing to quickly regain housing stability. The funding will also provide support for homeless shelter operations. The funds are made available through a supplemental appropriation to the Emergency Solutions Grant program through the federal CARES Act.

The Emergency Solutions Grant program will help to prevent households from becoming homeless due to eviction, assist Iowans who have lost their home to eviction regain rental housing as well as provide homeless shelters with financial support to assist with operations and outreach as they work to serve Iowans in need and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

To be eligible for eviction prevention assistance to avoid homelessness, Iowans must have an income of 50% of the area median income or less and be at imminent risk of eviction in addition to meeting other eligibility criteria. To be eligible for assistance in rapidly regaining housing, Iowans must be currently experiencing homelessness.

Examples of assistance available to eligible individuals include rent and utility payments, including in arrears, legal assistance, application fees, security and utility deposits, moving costs, case management and credit repair. All financial assistance is paid directly to landlords and service providers.

Individuals in need of assistance must apply through the Coordinated Entry help line in their area, which is available along with additional eligibility and program information at iowahousingrecovery.com. Thirty-five agencies were awarded a total of $8.8 million in Emergency Solutions Grant Program funds. The full list of awards is available here. The assistance will remain available until all funds are exhausted or September 30, 2022.

The Emergency Solutions Grant program is administered by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Iowa Finance Authority in partnership with participating Iowa service agencies.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Deaths from the coronavirus in Iowa have reached their highest level since the beginning of the pandemic. The Iowa Department of Public Health said Friday that 84 more residents were reported dead from the virus, a one-day high for the second straight day after recording 70 deaths Thursday.

Before Friday, the state of 3.1 million people has been averaging between 25 and 30 daily virus-related deaths for weeks. Their total since the beginning of the pandemic surged past 2,600 on Friday. The rapid rise in deaths comes after the state’s caseload peaked in mid-November, overwhelming hospitals.

Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber, along with school nurse Laura Freund have issued a video statement with regard to COVID-19. View the video here:

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office has released details about an incident Tuesday morning where a female was found unresponsive but alive. Sheriff’s officials responded to the 500 block of 1st Avenue at 7:25 a.m. on Tuesday morning. The female was taken by rescue personnel to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital and then was transferred to UNMC in Omaha for treatment of complications from exposure. The Sheriff’s Office was able to identify the female on Friday and she is recovering at this time. Officials say there is no evidence of foul play and the woman apparently lost consciousness due to exposure to below freezing temperatures.

The investigation is open at this time and the individual’s name is not being released as this is believed to have been a medical emergency.

U.S. Marshals in Nebraska and Iowa are looking for man accused of attempted murder.  A warrant for 36-year old Benjamin Marley Manly was issued Dec. 2nd. Manley, who also goes by the name “Christopher Reeves,” is wanted for: Attempt to commit murder; Intimidation with a dangerous weapon; and Felon in Possession of a firearm. He is described as being a white male, 5-feet 8-inches tall, 205 pounds, with brown hair and eyes. He has letters tattooed at the bottom of his neck, and numerous tattoo’s on his chest and arms.

Benjamin Manley

Council Bluffs police believe it was Manley that shot at a female victim outside a gas station on Thanksgiving. Officials say he was seen in the Omaha and Council Bluffs area as recently as Friday morning. Manley went to prison in 2008 after he was arrested for shooting at a US Marshall near Kwik Trip on Saddle Creek in 2007. He was sentenced for 15 years.

Authorities say Manley may be suicidal and attempt “suicide by cop.” He has a history of shooting at police. If you see him, DO NOT attempt to detain or interact with the man. Call 9-1-1 immediately. Any information leading to his arrest will be rewarded by the U.S. Marshals, up to $5,000. Call the Council Bluffs Police Department Crimestoppers at 712-328-STOP (7867) with your tip on his location.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — After facing a workforce shortage for months, Iowa has awarded an emergency $2.3 million contact-tracing contract to a company owned by a Republican Party insider. The Iowa Department of Public Health selected Iowa City-based MCI for the contract out of 14 companies that applied, saying it submitted the best proposal and that political considerations did not play a role. The company is expected to supply 200 contact tracers to supplement the hundreds of public health workers who have failed to keep up with Iowa’s fast-growing virus caseload.

The first 60 graduated training and were beginning state work Friday. MCI is owned by GOP donor Anthony Marlowe, and has done work for President Donald Trump and Gov. Kim Reynolds’ political campaigns.