The Cass County Libraries and Healthy Cass County are teaming up to ask the county to help write history. “Living History: Cass County and COVID-19” is a project to ask residents in Cass County communities to take a moment to reflect on their experiences during this time.

“Living History: Cass County and COVID-19” aims to capture personal accounts from people in Cass County about what they are experiencing, thinking, and feeling during this global pandemic. Atlantic Librarian Michelle Andersen says “We are excited to see what people will share about this time.” Massena Librarian Jennifer Erickson says “We want to get people of all ages participating in this project.”

Cass County residents are asked to share memories via written accounts, photos, or drawings. Entries can be mailed, dropped off, or emailed to any Cass County library, or to Cass County Wellness Coordinator Brigham Hoegh at bhoegh@iastate.edu or 805 W. 10th Street, Atlantic IA 50022. Officials say they hope that this project will not only lead to an important and interesting record of Cass County history, but also create a space where community members learn about and better understand each other’s experiences.

Additionally, it is hoped the project gives those who participate an opportunity to process and share feelings about their experience. Entries will be shared on a blog page managed by the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce found at https://www.atlanticiowa.com/, and through local news stations. The project team also hopes to print memory books to be kept in each Cass County library.

Not sure what to include in your entry? Here are a few prompts to get you thinking:

• Describe your experience living during the COVID-19 pandemic: what changes have you experienced?
• What are you missing?
• What seems most important to you now?
• What is something that brings you joy?
• Is there something you thought you would miss but now can live without?
• How are you coping?
• What fears do you have (if any)?
• How do you feel about the situation?
• What hopes do you have for the future?
• How is the COVID-19 pandemic similar or different to events you’ve experienced in the past?
• What has COVID-19 made you wonder about?
• What else should others to remember about this time?

The project committee will be accepting entries through the end of October. They ask for assistance in making sure everyone in the county is invited to participate. For more information on local wellness events or resources, follow Healthy Cass County on Facebook @HealthyCassCounty.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Polk County judge says he will decide next week whether to allow the Des Moines school district to temporarily move completely to online classes rather than comply with a state order intended to ensure children return to at least partial in-person classes. The judge says he hopes to reach a decision on the temporary injunction by Tuesday, when school is supposed to resume for the 33,000 students in the Des Moines district.

The district has filed a lawsuit, saying Iowa law gives local school board control over how children are educated and that it’s not safe to hold in-person classes at a time when hundreds of confirmed coronavirus cases are reported every day in Iowa. A similar case is also proceeding in Johnson County.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Polk County sheriff’s office released dashcam footage and other information Friday about the fatal shooting of a Wisconsin man by one of its deputies in 2018. It wasn’t immediately clear from the video released Friday if 25-year-old Isaiah Hayes was shot in the back, as his family contends. The sheriff’s office disclosed details in an online video that includes dashboard camera footage of deputies chasing the Ashland, Wisconsin, man through central Iowa.

They also released previously undisclosed documents and radio communications. The sheriff’s office says Deputy Ryan Phillips saw Hayes run from a stolen car near Altoona, Iowa. Phillips reported that Hayes had a weapon and that Phillips fired when Hayes refused orders to drop it.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police have made a second arrest in the murder of a man who was shot to death in a neighborhood near Drake University. Police said Friday they charged 27-year-old Michael Jermaine Jacobs of Des Moines with first-degree murder in the death of 36-year-old Sean Newman of Des Moines. Whitney Ann Davis, 33, of Des Moines was charged a day earlier with first-degree murder in the case.

Police said in a news release Friday that the evidence indicates that Jacobs was the person who shot and killed Newman on Wednesday.Detectives are continuing the investigation, but no additional arrests are expected.