WASHINGTON (AP) — The longest-serving Republican senator and third in the line of presidential succession, Iowa’s Chuck Grassley, says he has tested positive for the coronavirus. The 87-year-old Grassley had said Tuesday morning that he was quarantining after being exposed to the virus and was waiting for the results of a test. On Tuesday evening, he tweeted that he had tested positive.

In this Oct. 12, 2020 file photo, Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, listens during a confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett before the Senate Judiciary Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (Kevin Dietsch/Pool via AP)

Grassley says he looks forward to resuming his normal schedule soon. He hasn’t said how he was exposed, but was in the Senate and voting Monday. By missing votes Tuesday, Grassley broke a 27-year streak of not missing a single Senate vote.

The Harlan Police Department reports four arrests over the past couple of weeks. Two arrests took place Nov. 14th: 26-year-old Sonny Duran Gulesian, of Miami, FL, was arrested following a traffic stop. Gulesian was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating while intoxicated, prohibited acts penalties, possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and turning from improper lane;

And, 66-year old Robert Joseph Bogler, of Harlan was arrested following a traffic stop. Bogler was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating while intoxicated, tampering with an interlock device, open container, violations of a restricted license, and failure to maintain control.

On Nov. 9th, 36-year old Rebecca Ann Boruff, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for service. Boruff was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with public intoxication.

On Nov. 6th, 36-year old Rebecca Ann Boruff, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for service. Boruff was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with assault.

A construction worker who attempted to cross the single lane of travel on I-29 in Mills County, Tuesday (today), was struck by a semi. The Iowa State Patrol reports the accident happened at around 12:34-p.m. on I-29 northbound at mile marker 32. The worker, 70-year old Wayne Hansen, of Schaller, was hit by a 2014 Peterbilt semi driven by 60-year old William McBee, of Dunlap, TN.

The accident happened as Hansen was walking westbound. He was transported to the UNMC in Omaha by Glenwood Rescue. A report on his condition was not released.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who are looking for seasonal work and a little exercise might consider going brown for the season of red and green. U-P-S plans to hire about one-thousand workers in Iowa for the holidays, including some 150 positions in Des Moines and another 300 in Omaha-Council Bluffs. Steve Jones, talent acquisition director for U-P-S, says they’re hiring for three types of positions, both full- and part-time.

UPS photo

“We have package handlers or warehouse workers that handle the packages within our warehouses,” Jones says. “We have driver helpers, so if you’ve ever wanted to ride on one of our brown trucks, you can go help our drivers deliver packages into neighborhoods and businesses. And we have personal vehicle drivers. That’s where you drive your own car in a UPS brown uniform and deliver packages to our customers.” The pay starts at $14.50 an hour and if you like the job, there’s the opportunity to stay on once the holiday season is over.

“Thirty-seven percent of our seasonal workers last year came back as permanent employees,” Jones says. “Right now, about 123,000 of our current UPSers started as seasonal employees. That’s nearly one-third of our U.S. workforce.” The delivery giant’s peak season is already beginning and will run through mid-January, as returns are a big part of the business after Christmas. With the COVID-19 pandemic still underway, Jones stresses that the company follows all local, state and federal guidelines.

“We provide PPE to all of our employees,” Jones says. “We have upped the cleaning of all of our facilities and now we also have contactless delivery. We don’t have our customers sign our diad anymore, the computer our drivers carry, and the package is set down instead of handed to them.” Positions are available in many communities across Iowa at UPSjobs.com.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is urging residents to follow her new partial mask mandate, while claiming “there’s science on both sides” about whether face coverings reduce the spread of coronavirus. After months of opposition, Reynolds signed an order Monday that requires people to wear masks in indoor public places under some circumstances.

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds gives a primetime televised address announcing new efforts to combat COVID-19 in the state, on Monday, Nov. 16, 2020, at Iowa PBS, in Johnston, Iowa. (Kelsey Kremer/The Des Moines Register via AP)

She said that she changed course because the state has seen an exponential increase in the number of people hospitalized with the virus this month. She warned that without action, hospitals will be overwhelmed and people will be at risk of not being able to get medical care of any kind.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — As Iowa’s coronavirus outbreak worsens, state officials are collecting information on individual hospitals’ capacity, staffing and resources — but they won’t share it with the public. Cedar Rapids television station KCRG reports that the state gathers and maintains such information on a service called the Iowa Health Alert Network.

But the Iowa Department of Public Health won’t allow local health departments to release that information to the public. Only statewide information on hospital capacity and resources is currently shared on the state’s COVID-19 public data portal. The Iowa Department of Public Health did not immediately answer questions Tuesday about why the data on individual hospitals in not publicly shared.

The Exira-EHK School Board, Monday evening, passed a mask/face covering mandate. Their action came at about the same time Governor Reynolds was enacting a statewide mask mandate. Superintendent Trevor Miller says the district’s mandate will be in-place longer than what the Governor imposed.

(The district mandate is in effect until Jan. 18^th)

Miller said their Elementary kids were doing a great job with wearing masks, but it was “Hit-and-miss” with the middle school/high school students.

In other business, the Exira-EHK Board re-elected their current President, Kevin Petersen, and Vice President, Tammy Fahn. They also approved the resignation of Rick Nielsen from Instrumental Music after more than 40 years in education.

Other resignations include Andrew Nulle (Assistant Volleyball) and Doug Newton (Junior High Football). Hires include Trent Megchelsen and Alex Hansen for Junior High boys basketball along with Andrea Nulle and Courtney Peppers for Junior High Girls Basketball.