Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:35 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The numbers on Iowa’s online coronavirus tracker varied widely this weekend because of a maintenance problem with the site. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported Saturday morning that 1,108 Iowans had died from COVID-19. Later in the day, the number of deaths dropped to 894 before rebounding Saturday evening to 1,109. Several other key statistics also fluctuated on the state website Saturday. Department of Public Health spokeswoman Amy McCoy said that the problem caused by a maintenance upgrade to the state website appeared to be fixed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines raised $38.1 million in the first year of a one-cent sales tax increase, but officials expect that to decline significantly in the next year because of the coronavirus pandemic. City officials said sales tax revenue will decline because the retail and travel industries have been hit hard by restrictions related to the coronavirus. Typically, spending by visitors accounts for roughly one-third of the city’s annual sales tax revenue. Mayor Frank Cownie said the new sales tax that took effect in July 2019 helped the city make progress on projects that had previously been delayed because of a lack of funding.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A second Iowa judge has ruled in favor of President Donald Trump’s campaign and ordered a county to invalidate at least 14,000 absentee ballot requests. In his ruling Friday evening, Judge Patrick Tott found that Woodbury County elections commissioner Patrick Gill acted improperly when he sent absentee ballot request forms to 57,000 registered voters that had their personal information filled in. About 14,000 have been returned so far. The Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and other GOP groups sued three Iowa counties. The decision came a day after another judge ruled that Linn County officials also had violated the secretary of state’s directive.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The numbers on Iowa’s online coronavirus tracker varied widely this weekend because of a maintenance problem with the site. The Iowa Department of Public Health reported Saturday morning that 1,108 Iowans had died from COVID-19. Later in the day, the number of deaths dropped to 894 before rebounding Saturday evening to 1,109.

Several other key statistics also fluctuated on the state website Saturday. Department of Public Health spokeswoman Amy McCoy said that the problem caused by a maintenance upgrade to the state website appeared to be fixed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines raised $38.1 million in the first year of a one-cent sales tax increase, but officials expect that to decline significantly in the next year because of the coronavirus pandemic. City officials said sales tax revenue will decline because the retail and travel industries have been hit hard by restrictions related to the coronavirus.

Typically, spending by visitors accounts for roughly one-third of the city’s annual sales tax revenue. Mayor Frank Cownie said the new sales tax that took effect in July 2019 helped the city make progress on projects that had previously been delayed because of a lack of funding.

(Corrected death data) – The Iowa Department of Public Health reports as of 10-a.m. Sunday (8/30), there were two additional deaths and 990 more positive cases statewide. Persons with preexisting medical conditions made up for 774 of the deaths, while 597 of the total number of deaths took place at a long-term care facility, since the beginning of the outbreak.

The COVID-19 dashboard showed a total of 64,102 positive cases have been reported to date. There have been a total of 46,525 persons who have recovered from the virus, 46,525 have recovered, and 1,110 deaths since the pandemic began.

A total of 630,442 individuals have been tested for COVID-19. The total number of test results coming back negative, to-date, amounts to 564,838, for a combined positivity rate (including Antigen tests), of 10.2%.

There are 315 Iowans hospitalized with coronavirus. IDPH reported 91 patients in intensive care, which is the same as the previous day. There are 43 patients on ventilators in the state, up from 41 the previous day. There were 48 patients admitted to the hospital in the last 24 hours. People on ventilators number 43.

In western/southwest Iowa: 10 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19; 5 remain in an ICU and 2 were admitted to area hospitals. Three patients are on ventilators.

There remains 37 coronavirus outbreaks reported at Iowa’s long-term care facilities. IDPH reported 1,172 positive cases and 697 recoveries within those facilities.

Here are the latest positive case numbers for southwest/western Iowa as of 10-a.m. Sunday (County; Positive Case #’s; number of persons who have (recovered); {deaths since the outbreak began}.

• Cass County: 112 cases; (98); 2 deaths
• Adair County: 49 cases; (21); 1 death
• Adams County: 22 cases [up 2 from Saturday]; (17)
• Audubon County: 41 cases [up 4 from Saturday]; (27); 1 death
• Guthrie County: 171 cases [up 3 from Saturday]; (126); 5 deaths
• Montgomery County: 76 cases [up 3 from Saturday]; (60); 4 deaths
• Pottawattamie County: 1,618 cases [an increase of 21 from Sat.]; (1,329); 34 deaths
• Shelby County: 215 cases [1 more than Sat.]; (205); 1 death.

Elsewhere in the area:

• Crawford County has 830 positive cases of COVID-19; (715); 3 deaths
• Carroll County, 371; (197); 2 deaths
• Madison County, 164; (104); 2 deaths
• Harrison County, 147 cases; (117); 1 death
• Page County 111; (106);
• Taylor Counties 111 cases; (102); 1 death
• Union County has 93 cases; (68); 3 deaths
• Ringgold County has 32.; (26); 1 death

Members of the Atlantic City Council will gather 5:30-p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 2nd, for a regular session at City Hall. Among the action items on their agenda, is the First Reading of an Amended Ordinance (#999), with regard to Sanitary Sewer System (SSS) hookup requirements.

The current ordinance states the owner of any occupied structure must have that structure connected to a public sewer line if [the sewer line] is within 500-feet of the property line, and is of such design as to receive and convey sewage through gravity flow. The Amended Ordinance would remove the subsection on gravity flow being an exemption to the connection of a sanitary sewer. It also stipulates that if the structure is connected to a septic system, is within 500-feet of the Sanitary Sewer, and the septic system fails, the property owner will be required to connection to the SSS.

Persons who have been billed for Sanitary Sewer, but were on septic systems, should be rebated those charges insofar as AMU’s (Atlantic Municipal Utility’s) records can track. According to the latest information, only two properties are eligible for the rebate, which would total $9,038. The Council willact on a separate order to rebate the SSS charges to those property owners, during Wednesday’s meeting.

In other business, the Atlantic City Council will act on a Resolution “Requesting reimbursement from the Iowa COVID-19 Government Relief Fund,” in the amount of $155,100 for eligible, direct expenses the City incurred during the COVID-19 emergency (including up to 25% of payroll costs for public health and public safety employees for services dedicated to mitigating or responding to the public health emergency). The first step in requesting reimbursement must be the passage of a Resolution formally requesting the funds.

The Council will also act on a Resolution “Adopting [a 28-E cost sharing] agreement” between the City,AMU and the Nishna Valley YMCA, “for the continued development and use of a Community Recreation Center.” The changes in the agreement will reflect the fact construction of the YMCA building was completed, along with funding related to the retirement of the City’s debt to finance construction of the building. City Administrator John Lund says “Overall, there are no changes in this  agreement that will alter the day-to-day relationship between the [three entities].”

Among other business, the Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, will recognize Sandy Walter for her 20-years of service to the Atlantic Wastewater Treatment Plant. Sandy has worked to ensure the City is in compliance with State and Federal regulations while managing the lab and testing of effluent.

A traffic stop at around 8:05-p.m. Saturday, in Red Oak, resulted in an arrest. Red Oak Police say 57-year old Rogelio Hernandez, of Red Oak, was arrested for Driving While Barred. Hernandez was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.