Mills County Emergency Management Agency Public Information Officer Nick Johnson, Friday (today), reports “To date, Mills County has 712 positive cases on record. There are 333 recovered cases leaving 53% of [the] total positive cases currently under isolation guidance.” Johnson says “Our 14-day rolling positivity rate is now at 25.4%. Mills County Public Health (MCPH) is receiving emergency assistance with contact tracing from the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH). IDPH is conducting contact tracing on all community-based cases and is only able to contact trace with immediate family members of a positive case due to the surge in cases across the state. MCPH is continuing to contact trace all positive cases within the schools and long-term care facilities.”

Johnson adds, “We continue to work with our partners to slow the spread of COVID-19 but everyone in Mills County has a large part in making this happen. Anyone of any age can get the disease. If you have been exposed to COVID-19, it is important to stay home for 14 days, self-isolate and monitor for symptoms to slow the spread of the disease. People who are infected with COVID-19 can give it to others, even when they do not show symptoms. Others with COVID-19 only show mild symptoms while some experience severe illness.”

Symptoms include, but are not limited to:
✓ Cough
✓ Fever
✓ Chills
✓ Sore throat
✓ Shortness of breath
✓ Headache
✓ Muscle pain
✓ Loss of taste and/or smell
✓ Stomachache, vomiting, and/or diarrhea (though less often)

Get tested if you have symptoms. Go online to TESTIOWA, call you doctor, or MCPH about getting tested. MCPH is available to answer your questions or discuss your symptoms by calling (712) 527-9699. Protect yourself and your community from COVID-19 by doing the following:
✓ Stay 6 feet away from other people when you leave your home.
✓ Wear a facemask or cloth face cover when you go anywhere.
✓ Stay home when you are sick.
✓ Wash your hands often.
✓ Cover your cough.
✓ Clean and disinfect surfaces and things that are touched a lot.

For further statistical data available, in near real time, visit the Iowa Coronavirus webpage at:
https://coronavirus.iowa.gov

An Atlantic man who was arrested November 4th on Adair County felony warrants for Willful Injury causing bodily injury, and Going Armed with Intent, is set to be arraigned on those charges at 9-a.m. on November 25th. The preliminary hearing for 53-year-old Rex Dean McDermott was held Thursday (Nov. 12th). During an arraignment, the court formally informs a defendant of charges contained in an indictment or information, provides the defendant with a copy of the charging instrument, and takes the defendant’s answer to those charges in the form of a plea.

An order asking for the appointment of Counsel at State Expense, was denied. McDermott was released on bond from the Adair County Jail, on Tuesday. A criminal complaint against McDermott alleges that at around 11-p.m. on Oct. 30th, he pulled a woman out of a pickup truck near Fontanelle, punched her and then struck her with an unknown wooden object. The victim suffered a laceration above her right eye, bruising and swelling of the face and other areas of pain.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office, Friday (Today), reports a woman from Lenox was injured during a single-vehicle accident early Thursday afternoon. Authorities say 19-year old Araceli Leanne Padilla was driving a 2002 VW Beetle northbound on Highway 169 at around 12:25-p.m., when the vehicle slipped-off the road and onto the shoulder. When Padilla tried to get the car back onto the road, she over-corrected, causing the vehicle to go out of control. The car went into the east ditch and rolled over before landing on its tires.

Padilla was transported by EMS ground to the Greater Regional Medical Center, in Creston, where she was treated for suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries. Her car sustained about $7,500 damage (a total loss). A fence on property owned by Dave Cheers, sustained $500 damage during the accident. Authorities cited Araceli Padilla for Failure to provide proof of insurance.

And, the Sheriff’s Office says 39-year old Larry Allen, Jr., of Kentucky, was arrested Thursday night at the Union County Law Enforcement Center. He was wanted on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear on an OWI charge. Allen, Jr., was being held in the Union County Jail on a $1,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – After seeing coronavirus cases escalate, the Greene County Board of Supervisors has unanimously approved a face covering mandate. The resolution says everyone must wear a face mask in public settings indoors, like grocery stores, and outside when they can’t stay six feet apart. Greene County Public Health Director Becky Wolf says the recent spike in cases is partly because people have become complacent.  “But we’ve also had several community type events that have occurred and then we have seen multiple cases related to that event that people were at,” she says.

Wolf says the county had a two-week infection rate below six percent a couple weeks ago, but today it’s above 24 percent. On Tuesday, Governor Kim Reynolds signed a new public health emergency declaration requiring masks in large social gatherings. Greene County Attorney Thomas Laehne (LANE) says the county resolution is unenforceable right now — and is intended to be educational. “If the governor’s proclamation were to expire or be terminated, at that point the county’s mask mandate would go into effect,” he says. Greene County is in the northwest quadrant of Iowa. Jefferson is the county seat.

(Reporting by Iowa Public Radio’s Katie Peikes)

Police in Glenwood report two arrests. On Thursday, 21-year-old Tristan Herrera, of Glenwood, was arrested for Driving While Barred. His cash or surety bond was set at $2,000. And, on Nov. 7th, 31-year-old Jordan Henze, of Glenwood, was arrested for Driving While Revoked, with the cash or surety bond set at $1,000.

Authorities said also, a Glenwood Rescue ambulance and a building were damaged during a collision that occurred at around 11-a.m., Monday morning. According to the report, Glenwood Rescue was called to a house on the grounds of the Glenwood Resource Center, to transport a person. As the 1999 Ford E450 ambulance was backing toward the house, the driver, 41-year-old Kena Jo Woods, of Council Bluffs, could not see the overhang and gutters due to the angle of her mirrors. The ambulance struck the overhang and gutters, causing about $1,000 damage to the structure.

The ambulance sustained about $1,500 damage. There were no injuries, and no citations issued.

(Radio Iowa) – After more than three years of construction, traffic is moving on the Iowa-bound lanes across the new highway bridge over the Mississippi River. The west bound lanes of the new I-74 bridge are open between Moline and Bettendorf. George Ryan is the manager of the bridge project. “The weather has cooperated much more in 2020, even with Covid and all the things that are going on…and they’ve made a lot of good headway on the river bridge, as well as on land and we’re happy to open this up.”

Eastbound traffic on I-74 into Illinois will move to the completed side sometime this winter, until the second span of the new bridge is ready next year. Construction on the one-point-two billion dollar project began in the summer of 2017. All lanes should be completed and open, including a bike lane, by late in 2021.

(Radio Iowa) – Don McLean, the singer best known for the song “American Pie,” will be the feature act of the Winter Dance Party at the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake. Surf executive director Laurie Lietz says it’ll be McLean’s first appearance at the ballroom since 1994. His performance comes on the golden anniversary of the release of the song honoring the legacy of Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Valens, who died in a plane crash after performing at the Surf in 1959. “We’re excited to bring him back,” Lietz says. “2021 actually marks the 50th anniversary of the release of ‘American Pie’. We wanted him for last year’s Winter Dance Party, but he said it was coming up on an anniversary and it would be more special to do it in 2021, and we really think it is. It will just be fun to see some live music, but to do it in a safe way.”

The lineup announcement follows Governor Kim Reynolds’ emergency pandemic proclamation addressing large gatherings. Lietz says the Surf is committed to providing a safe event and will change things to be in line with the guidelines that are happening at that time. “We announced the event just before she made some changes, and fortunately for us, those were things that we are already doing with the reduced group sizes, distancing tables and booths, and wearing masks when they are away from their chairs. We’ve been doing that. Our staff has been wearing masks. We’ve been safely hosting some smaller events, weddings, meetings and celebrations of life all summer long. For us, this is unfortunately business as usual.”

The dance party runs February 3rd through the 6th. The other three days of the event will feature John Mueller’s Winter Dance Party on Thursday night, the Killer Vees & Friends featuring Edan Everly on Friday night, and on Saturday night, Jason D. Williams, the Holy Rocka Rollaz and Austin Allsup. Lietz says the lineup is smaller for a number of reasons. “The first of which is their safety. We just have a very small backstage area and a limited amount of space for them to be back there. We tried very hard to get groups that were fan favorites for people but to keep them self-contained. When they come in, they are already working with people on the bill, and we’re able to keep them safe and distanced.”

Tickets for Don McLean will be sold separately and are $65. A three-day pass for the rest of the Winter Dance Party is $110. Tickets go on sale starting November 24th and may online be purchased online at surfballroom.com or by calling the Surf box office at 641-357-6151.

With 2020 having been a dark time for many families and our neighbors, Akin Building Center stores located in Atlantic, Clarinda, Corning and Creston, are stepping-up to organize a program that will bring new toys and gifts to area families. Organizers of “Operation Be the Light” are asking you to donate new toys and gifts, by dropping them off and any of the four Akin Building Centers mentioned. Due to COVID, the items must be new, and in original packing.

You can nominate a family or neighbor on this form, or stopping-in at any of the four locations and filling out the nomination form. In your nomination, you should include whether the child is a boy or girl, their age, interests, clothing and shoe size (if known). Watch the company’s Facebook page for updates on the families and neighbors who have been nominated, along with the list of their needs. No names will be made public. The only information shared will be simple data such as: Family #1 Girl 10, loves art, size M shirts, size 12 pants.

Akin staff will wrap all donated toys and gifts, and anonymously deliver them to nominated families in need, prior to Christmas. Akins will also be contributing to the toy and gift drive, and helping in other ways, as needed per family.

Akins employees would like to deliver the gifts to selected/nominated families by December 23rd, so drop-off your gift by no later than Dec. 21st to allow time to organize and wrap those gifts.