MASON CITY, Iowa – The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation (DCI) reports that on Wednesday, Nov. 18th at 8:45 a.m., Cerro Gordo County Jail correctional officers observed an inmate in a solitary cell having a medical issue. Correctional officers entered the cell and began life-saving measures. Those efforts continued until Mason City Fire and Ambulance arrived to transport the inmate to a local hospital, where he later died.

The inmate’s name was being withheld, pending full notification of family.  An autopsy will be completed by the Iowa Office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny. The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office requested the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation’s assistance with this matter.

Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh reports that on Wednesday December 2nd, the Cass County Local Food Policy Council is hosting a mobile food pantry through the Food Bank for the Heartland at the Cass County Community Center from 4:00 – 6:00 PM, or as supplies last. Hoegh says they have ordered double the amount of food to be handed out at the mobile pantries in the past, given the increased food needs related to COVID-19.

Anyone in need is welcome to visit the mobile pantry, and no documentation is needed. People from surrounding towns and communities are welcome. Traffic will be directed by volunteers. Visitors are asked stay in their vehicles with the trunk open. The mobile pantry is available free of charge.

For more information on local food, farmers markets, and food access, follow the Cass County Local Food Policy Council’s Facebook page @CassCountyLocalFood.

A Red Oak man was arrested Thursday night for Violation of a No Contact Order. Authorities say 20-year old Tyler Blaine Baucom was taken into custody at around 10:30-p.m. in the 1600 block of E. Summit Street, in Red Oak. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The number of new coronavirus cases in Iowa is going up so quickly that contact tracers with the state Department of Public Health are having a hard time keeping up. Dr. Caitlyn Pedati, the state epidemiologist, says they’ve made so-called “household contacts” the priority.

“Particularly when we think about family gatherings, moving into the holiday season, and the way that we interact,” Pedati says, “again keeping in mind that the goal here, right, is doing what we can to limit spread, protect people who are going to have poor outcomes and maintain those health care resources.”

About 100 state employees are doing these kind of case investigations. Earlier this week, the public health department started accepting bids from private companies, to add another 200 people to the effort to track down and notify people who’ve been in close contact with someone who has tested positive for Covid.

(Radio Iowa) – The State reports 980 nursing home residents have died of Covid and a record 118 Iowa nursing homes now have active Covid-19 outbreaks.

“You just cannot separate the two,” he says. “It’s like separating smoke from a wildfire.” The spike in Iowa’s coronavirus infections is also making staffing shortages worse. A-A-R-P Iowa is calling on the state to develop a plan to help with staffing and to keep the virus out of facilities. Brad Anderson is the state director for A-A-R-P:

“We have 43% of Iowa nursing homes across the state reporting a workforce shortage,” Anderson says. “That is well above the national average of 28% and so until we deal with the workforce shortage, we’re going to have a very difficult time containing the virus.”

New state guidelines say nursing homes may — as a last resort – have Covid-positive staff care for residents, if the staff wear proper protective equipment.

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

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Tyson Foods has suspended top officials at its largest pork plant and launched an investigation into allegations that they bet on how many workers would get infected during a widespread coronavirus outbreak. Tyson Foods President and CEO Dean Banks said Thursday that he was “extremely upset” about the allegations against managers at its plant in Waterloo, Iowa, saying they do not represent the company’s values. He says the Arkansas-based company has retained the law firm of Covington & Burling LLP to conduct an investigation, which will be led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder. He says if the claims are confirmed, “we’ll take all measures necessary to root out and remove this disturbing behavior from our company.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will provide $14 million in federal funds to Iowa’s long-term care centers to help them manage new outbreaks of the coronavirus at the facilities. The federal virus relief money announced Thursday will pay for additional testing and staffing at the long-term care center. It comes at a time when Reynolds says another 20 facilities are dealing with outbreaks. That means about a quarter of the state’s care homes now have outbreaks. Reynolds also announced that statewide television, radio and print advertisements are launching that are aimed at encouraging people to take steps to slow the spread if the virus, such as wearing a mask, social distancing and washing hands.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Board of Education has adopted new rules that limit district on how and when seclusion rooms are used to discipline students. The Des Moines Register reports that the board voted unanimously Wednesday to limit educators to using seclusion and restraint of students as a last resort and only when there’s a threat of bodily injury. The new rules also require schools to notify parents of the use of seclusion and restraint as soon as possible and to use rooms at least 7×8 feet. Schools have five years to implement the new size requirements. The change comes after years of criticism and pushback on use of the rooms. In 2017, the Iowa Department of Education determined that the Iowa City Community School District improperly used the rooms for minor infractions.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified a woman who was shot and killed Saturday in Waterloo. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that police identified the victim as 27-year-old Jada Young-Mills. The Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies who heard gunshots in the area found Young-Mills with one gunshot wound inside a residence shortly after midnight. She was taken to a local hospital, where she died from her injuries. Police arrested 36-year-old Lasondra Annette Johnson, of Waterloo, on a charge of first-degree murder in the shooting. She is currently being held in the Black Hawk County Jail on a $1 million bond.