(Radio Iowa) — Testing is now underway on a potential coronavirus vaccine at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The first batch of volunteer patients was given doses of the experimental drug on Thursday. Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer developed the drug and is testing it in Iowa City and about 120 other sites around the globe on 30,000 volunteers.

The UIHC team will need 250 volunteers and is seeking out people who work in jobs that place them at a higher risk for COVID-19, things like health care or food production. They need to be generally healthy and between the ages of 18 and 85.

You can sign up here: https://clinicaltrials.uihealthcare.org/studies/covid-19-pfizer-vaccine

In response to nationwide fears that absentee voting and mail-in voting will be inaccurate and fraudulent, Montgomery County Auditor Stephanie Burke, Friday said “I will assure you that election security and verification will remain a priority as the country responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Burke said “There are some people that strive to raise doubts and make false and misleading claims about casting a ballot by mail. All Iowa counties work closely with the Iowa Secretary of State that works with Democrats, Republicans and all parties to ensure electoral integrity with a system of checks and balances. I am very confident in our election system.”

She went on to say “There are steps that make it difficult to engage in fraud. Anyone in Iowa wishing to vote absentee must submit an absentee request form to their county Auditor’s office in order for a ballot to be mailed to them. In making the request, voters must provide required information including their name, address and signature. After the receipt of the request, election officials verify that the voter is registered to vote at the address submitted, not a felon, hasn’t requested a ballot or returned a ballot in the county or any other county in Iowa. There is no evidence or history of rigged elections in Iowa, and our state has maintained the highest integrity when it comes to a fair election process.”

Burke said “Fact check after fact check has found voter fraud to by extremely rare. If there is evidence, local prosecutors can indict the relevant people. It is a criminal offense to forge a name on a mail ballot, impersonate someone else, steal ballots, or deceive someone about their mail ballot. Once you have voted absentee, you cannot vote in person.”

Burke added, “We are not sure what the situation will be when Election Day gets here, but there is one absolute. There will be a General Election on November 3, 2020. In effort to combat the spread of COVID-19, casting a ballot by mail is the safest method. The last thing we would want for any Iowan is to stay home because they think their vote doesn’t count or the fear of becoming infected on Election Day. With that in mind, we are encouraging voters to vote by mail.”

“Throughout it all,” she said, “election officials have been and will continue to be essential workers on the front line of protecting our democracy amidst the pandemic. Candidates, politicians, and campaigns should be focusing on issues and policies impacting Iowans and all citizens in the country, and leave the election process up to the County Auditors, Election Commissioners and the Secretary of State. If you have any questions or concerns with voter registration and the election process, please contact your County Auditor’s office to get accurate information.

“Voters should obtain their election information directly from election officials to ensure it is the most accurate and up to date information. Getting information straight from the source (election officials) is the safest approach to ensure your participation in the election process.”

You can find the absentee request form online at www.montgomerycountyiowa.com or https://sos.iowa.gov.  If you do not have printer capability or access to the internet, you may call the Auditor’s office at 712-623-5127 to have a request form mailed to you. The Iowa Secretary of State will also be sending absentee ballot request forms to every active registered voter in the state in the near future for the 2020 General Election.

Mills County Public Health officials said Friday, there are two more confirmed cases of COVID-19 among residents in the county. The latest cases are persons 18-to 40 and 41-to-60 years of age. Both contracted the virus through community spread.

The new cases bring to 75 the total number of confirmed positive cases in Mills County, with 38 persons having recovered. MCPH says 2,613 Mills County residents have been tested.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office, Friday afternoon, said that at around 11:12-p.m. Thursday, the Mills County K9 Unit was called to assist in locating possible suspects involved in a shooting that took place at 506 Locust Street in Glenwood. A short time later, the suspect vehicle was located by law enforcement and multiple suspects bailed on foot, from the vehicle. In an earlier report, authorities said officers found one juvenile victim with a gunshot wound at the aforementioned residence on Locust Street. The minor was sent to a hospital via medical helicopter with undisclosed injuries.

Over the next several hours, multiple K9 teams were deployed in the area where the suspects bailed out, and were successful in tracking and locating items of evidence along the way. Two juveniles were taken into custody for questioning. The incident remains under investigation.

The Mills County K9 Unit was assisted at the scene by the Fremont, Montgomery, Shelby County and Council Bluffs Dept. K9 units, the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office, and Iowa State Patrol.

ANKENY, Iowa (AP) — Police in suburban Des Moines say two people have died in a motorcycle crash in Ankeny. Police say the crash happened late Thursday night, when the motorcycle collided with a car at a city intersection. Two people on the motorcycle — 40-year-old Shaun Gumm and 35-year-old Amanda Gordon, both of Des Moines — died from their injuries. Police say the 44-year-old driver of the car and a passenger with her were not hurt in the crash.

(Radio Iowa) – The head of the Office of Drug Control Policy and Prevention says his office is trying to gauge the impact of the coronavirus on drug use and treatment. Director Dale Woolery says he has heard some talk of problems. “Anecdotally we hear that with the social distancing and the stay-at-home recommendations in some cases — there is a concern that some of that isolation and other factors that are related could be a breeding ground for more substance use, substance use disorder and mental health issues,” according to Woolery.

Woolery isn’t ready to draw any conclusions yet. “It’s too early to know if it is substantiated with the data or that we have empirical evidence. But, I do hear it anecdotally and there are some indications. I think even the C-D-C has started making reference to this,” Woolery says. He says his agency is keeping an eye on the situation. “We’re actually scanning data and doing interviews to try and see what correlations there may or may not be if we can tell, between the pandemic and substance abuse disorder in Iowa,” he says, “and I know others are looking at that too. I think it’s just probably a little too early to have any definitive takeaways on that.”

Woolery says the drug abuse treatments have changed with the restrictions brought on by the pandemic. “You have a lot more therapy and substance use disorder treatment being provided via telehealth. There again — I think the jury is mainly out on how effective is that — and how does that compare with in-person treatment,” Woolery says. He says the treatment is just one of the areas where people have had to use workarounds to find a way to deliver the services during the outbreak. “The workarounds may not be as good in some cases. In other cases they may actually be better and make it easier to attend or to access something,” Woolery says. “The effectiveness though is something I think is going to take a while to kind of figure out. How effective is the tele-whatever compared to the in-person whatever.”

Woolery says their reviews and the reviews of the data by others should give some batter answers on these questions down the road.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors met this (Friday) morning for their weekly session in Atlantic.  Cass County Auditor Dale Sunderman reports during their meeting, the Board adopted a Resolution to award a bridge replacement contract to A.M. Cohron & Son Inc., in the amount of $664,562, as part of the Cass County Five-year construction plan.  Bridge #433 is located on Olive Street (Cass County Road N-16), over a creek, from Chicago Road North one-half mile. The Engineer noted it will be necessary to temporarily close certain roadways along the project route to facilitate construction.

The Board also moved to authorize Board Chair Baier to electronically sign the contracts and bonds on behalf of Cass County, through the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Doc Express system, and authorized the County Engineer to administer the terms of the contract and temporarily close certain project roadways as necessary to facilitate construction. In other business, County Veteran Affairs Executive Director Mitch Holmes gave report of 4th quarter FY20 activity. Holmes reports during the quarter, 128 veterans were assisted: Federal VA benefits and/or local general assistance.

The Supervisors discussed a clarification amendment to the contract with Cass County ISU extension for meal delivery services regarding length of contract, and agreed to amend the contract  by striking the wording: “Cass County agrees to provide the Contractor with up to $3,648 for eight weeks ($22.80/hour in reimbursement for services to not exceed $456/week),” and inserting: “Cass County agrees to provide the Contractor with a maximum of $3,648; billable monthly at a rate of $22.80/hour in reimbursement for services, not to exceed $456/week, until funds are depleted or the program is no longer needed.”