w/ Chris Parks
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CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s elections office has accused county officials who tried to make it easier to vote by mail during the pandemic of illegally breaching voters’ personal information. The assertion by the office of Secretary of State Paul Pate is a boost for President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign, which is suing three Iowa counties to invalidate at least 70,000 returned absentee ballot request forms. The claim comes ahead of a hearing Thursday in a lawsuit filed by the Trump campaign and state and national GOP groups against Linn County Auditor Joel Miller. The lawsuit seeks to invalidate about 50,000 requests for absentee ballots that have been returned since July, when Miller’s office sent forms with personal information to about 140,000 registered voters.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s secretary of state has issued instructions that counties cannot set up drop boxes to accept early ballots for this year’s general election. That comes despite not challenging the use of those boxes in more than a third of Iowa’s counties in previous elections. The Iowa Secretary of State’s Office recently told county auditors during training that Iowa law doesn’t allow the use of drop boxes for ballots. Scott County Auditor Roxanna Moritz told the Des Moines Register that 39 of Iowa’s 99 counties indicated to her in recent days that they have previously used a drop box system to collect ballots.
MOUNT PLEASANT – Tuesday night, the Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility (MPCF) was notified that three COVID-19 tests they had submitted were positive for COVID-19. The facility has been implementing changes to operations since receiving this information, and have placed the facility on a restricted movement status as they work to mitigate further spread of the virus. Restricted movement status will be lifted as soon as staff are confident viral spread has been contained.
Working with the Iowa Dept. of Public Health and the State Hygienic Lab, MPCF is conducting additional testing at the facility to identify those that might be carrying the virus while asymptomatic.
The department has been preparing and dealing with the eventuality of COVID-19 in the prison system for months. An outline of the changes to DOC protocols can be found at doc.iowa.gov/department-corrections-steps, and more information related to COVID-19 in the DOC can be found at doc.iowa.gov/COVID19. For members of the public with questions about COVID-19 in the prison system, a hotline is available during business hours Monday-Friday by calling (515) 373-5457.
The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office has released the final list of candidates that have filed paperwork to be on the ballot for the November 3rd General Election.
Montgomery County Auditor (Vote for 1)
• Stephanie Burke (Rep)
Montgomery County Sheriff (Vote for 1)
• Jon Spunaugle (Rep)
Supervisor District #3 (Vote for 1)
• Randy Cooper (Rep)
• Bryant Amos (Nomination by Petition)
Supervisor District #5 (Vote for 1)
• Donna Robinson (Rep)
Hospital Trustee (Vote for 3)
• Sarah Wearin Smith
• Lorin Petersen
• James Norris
• Ann Carder
County Agricultural Extension Council (Vote for 4)
• Mike Thomas
• Kassandra Houdek
• Chad Jacobs
• Lucas Oster
Soil and Water Conservation Board (Vote for 3)
• David Carbaugh
• Fred Hossle
• Kent D. Swanson
Township Trustees (Vote for 2 per township)
Pilot Grove Township
• David W. Olson
• Ronald Adams
Lincoln Township
• Kirk Baird
• None Filed
West Township
• Edgar R. Wilkins Sr.
• David L. Gohlinghorst
Red Oak Township
• Donna DeVries
• None Filed
Sherman Township
• James Good
• Dan Phelps
Garfield Township
• John Willms
• Gary Querry
Grant Township
• John Sunberg
• Dennis Carlson
Frankfort Township
• Rodney Hart
• None Filed
Washington Township
• Mike Jackson
• None Filed
East Township, Douglas Township, and Scott Township are appointed by the Board of Supervisors.
The Adair County Auditor’s Office has released the final list of candidates that have filed papers to be on the ballot for the General Election on November 3rd; the deadline to file was Wednesday evening.
The General Election will be Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Voter pre-registration deadline is 5:00 p.m. Saturday, October 24, 2020. Pre-registered voters are required to provide an approved form of identification at the polling place before receiving and casting a regular ballot. Voters who are not pre-registered – such as voters registering to vote on election day – and voters changing precincts must also provide proof of residence. A voter who is unable to provide an approved form of identification (or prove residence if required) 1) may have the voter’s
identity/residence attested to by another registered voter in the precinct, 2) prove identity and residence using Election Day Registration documents, or 3) cast a provisional ballot and provide proof of identity/residence at the county auditor’s office by 12:00 p.m. (noon), November 10, 2020. Election Day Registrant attesters must provide an approved form of identification. For additional information about providing proof of identity and/or residence visit: https://sos.iowa.gov/voterid or phone (641) 743-2546. Voters may request an absentee ballot from the Auditor’s Office. Voters may vote in the office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, beginning October 5, 2020 or they may request a ballot be mailed to them. The deadline to request an absentee ballot be mailed is 5:00 p.m. Saturday, October 24, 2020. The last day to vote absentee in the Auditor’s Office is Monday, November 2, 2020 from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Polls will open from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Election Day November 3, 2020.
Candidates who have filed papers for the General Election are as follows:
County Supervisor District #1 – Elect 1
Matt Wedemeyer (Rep)
County Supervisor District #3 – Elect 1
Jerry Walker (Rep)
County Supervisor District #5 – Elect 1
Thaddeus Hawley (Dem)
John A Twombly (Rep)
County Auditor – Elect 1
Mandy Berg (Rep)
County Sheriff – Elect 1
Jeffrey L Vandewater (Rep)
County Attorney – To Fill Vacancy – Elect 1
Melissa S Larson (Dem)
Richland Township Trustee – Elect 1
Roy Maeder
Washington Township Trustee – Elect 1
No Candidate Filed
County Hospital Trustee – Elect 3
Willard Olesen
Jimmy Freeland
Deb Tindle
County Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner – Elect 3
Randy Caviness
James Frederick
Daryl Nelson
County Agricultural Extension Council Member – Elect 4
Jessica Christensen
Matt Mensing
Trent Raasch
Karen Schulteis
JOYCE GRAEVE, 88, of Harlan died Monday, August 24th at Bergan Mercy Medical Center. Private family mass of christian burial for JOYCE GRAEVE will be held on Saturday, August 29th at St. Michael’s Catholic Church in Harlan. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home of Harlan has the arrangements.
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Burial in the St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Earling.
JOYCE GRAEVE is survived by:
Sons: Bill (Jayne) Graeve of Lincoln, NE; Harvey (Laura) Graeve of The Woodlands, TX; Dale (Sue) Graeve of Earling; Mark Graeve of Omaha; Stan Graeve of Omaha.
Daughters: Sharon (Dave) Altman of LaVista, NE; Julie (Daryl) Klein of Omaha.
Sister: Mildred Lang of Omaha
Several Grandchildren and Great-Grandchildren.
The Atlantic Cross Country teams are prepping to hear the starting gun on Saturday in Glenwood to start the year and both teams have lofty goals again. Head Coach Dan Vargason said the team has had a great work ethic so far.
The boys team is coming off a State appearance last year and return 20th place State finisher Craig Alan Becker. A number of other experienced runners are back with Drew Engler, Zane Berg, Ethan Williams and others working to improve. Coach Vargason said there is some healthy competition to get into the varsity rotation.
The girls team came up just shy of qualifying for the State meet last year and are eager to get back to work. Taylor McCreedy made an individual appearance at State last year and will be leading the way again this year. Ava Rush ran strong much of the season last year but a late season illness held her back a bit at Districts so she’ll be eager to get to work. Coach Vargason said they got a bit of a late start for the girls team to all practice but they have been improving fast. He was impressed by the time cut by both teams at time trials on Tuesday.
The Trojans open up the 2020 season at the Glenwood Co-Ed Meet this Saturday at the Glenwood Lake Park Course. Coach Vargason said it will be a great early measuring stick and he just wants the team to get their feet wet and compete. You can hear the full interview with Coach Vargason on our Saturday Morning Coaches Show at 8:30 a.m. this Saturday.
The Atlantic volleyball team is gearing up for the 2020 season with some higher expectations than the past. The Trojans are coming off a 6-36 campaign last year that included some steps forward and some close losses. Atlantic Head Coach Michelle Blake said they are just excited to get out on the court.
This team brings back a large senior class that will be counted on to lead the way. Haley Rasmussen is back and coming off a season with 580 assists and 31 blocks. Alyssa Derby returns after leading the team with 179 kills. Caroline Pellett also returns and was second on the squad last year with 122 kills. A number of other key contributors are back, along with a strong sophomore class that is expected to contribute. Coach Blake said the experience on the team is deep.
The Trojans were able to get off the schneid and get a conference match win last year against Creston but they came up just short in a number of other matches throughout the year. Coach Blake said the team has been vocal about changing that narrative this season.
The Trojans open up the season at the AHSTW tournament on Saturday. Listen to the full interview with Coach Blake on our Saturday Morning Coaches Show at 8:30 a.m. this Saturday.
(Updated 3:00-p.m.) The State of Iowa’s Coronavirus website (The COVID-19 Dashboard) today (Wednesday), indicated 2 more deaths have been associated with the virus on Tuesday, for a total of 1,060. Officials say 570 people who died at a Long Term Care Facility (LTC), are included in the total. The number of deaths associated with a person with pre-existing conditions amount to 743.
The IDPH says there are no new, positive COVID-19 cases in Cass County, for a total of 107.
The Iowa Department of Public Health today (Wednesday) reported 446 new positive coronavirus cases, for a total of 58,215. Of those, 44,893 persons have recovered since the pandemic began. IDPH data shows more than 608,324 Iowans have been tested for COVID-19. Officials report 313 Iowans are currently hospitalized with coronavirus, compared to 295 on Tuesday. There are 102 patients in intensive care (there were 82, Tuesday). New hospital admissions amount to 49 (there were 37, Tuesday), and there were 40 patients on ventilators across the state.
In western/southwest Iowa: 8 people were hospitalized (1 less than on Tuesday); 4 are in an ICU. There was 1 admission, and one person was on a ventilator.
Health officials say 34 long-term care facilities in Iowa have COVID-19 outbreaks. IDPH reports 1,074 positive cases and 655 recoveries are associated with those facilities.
Here are the latest positive case numbers for southwest/western Iowa from 10-a.m. Friday to 10-a.m. Saturday (County; Positive Case #’s; number of persons who have (recovered); {deaths since the outbreak began}. Counties with changes have highlighted numbers over the previous 24-hours:
Elsewhere in the area:
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