(Radio Iowa) – More than 17 percent of Iowa’s K-through-12 teachers are 55 or older and Governor Kim Reynolds says state officials realize the health concerns of teachers are an issue as schools reopen for classes. “I believe that school districts and teachers know without hesitation that our kids need to be in the classroom, ” Reynolds says. “You know, we are doing them a disservice by not opening these schools back up and getting them to school, but we have to be flexible, we have to think outside the box and we have to look at different alternatives.”

Governor Reynolds, 7-14-2020

If full-time teachers fall ill or their classroom is quarantined due to a positive COVID-19 test, Reynolds says she realizes the majority of the state’s substitute teachers are older, semi-retired — and perhaps reluctant to teach during the pandemic.  “We’re going to work with the educators, we’re going to work with the school districts to make sure they’ve got the PPE, make sure that they have the flexibility and workforce is a big component of that,” Reynolds says, “so right now we’re looking at different options that we can help provide them with the workforce that they need to just be ready for whatever, you know, happens as we kind of move through the next stage of opening our schools back up.”

Reynolds says she’ll make an announcement later this week on the topic, but the governor says there is good data that may help alleviate concerns.  “Kids are less likely to get it, you know they are less like to spread (the virus),” Reynolds says. “…But we know, also, that data says if you’re part of a certain age group, an older population, and you have underlying conditions — you are the ones that are most impacted by COVID and we need to take that into account when we’re putting the infrastructure in place.”

Reynolds says the goal should be to get everybody back to school, but she also says it’s appropriate to give parents the option of having their child take all of their classes online if the child or someone in the household has underlying health conditions that make them vulnerable to the virus. Mike Beranek, President of the Iowa State Education Association, says there’s not a teacher in the state who does not want to see their students back at school, but teachers want to ensure students aren’t put in harm’s way in an environment that is not safe.

The Harlan Police Department has issued a report on arrests and incidents dating back to July 3rd.

Today (Tuesday), 40-year old Lisa Marie Briggs, of Harlan, was arrested following a stop. Briggs was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

On Monday, 53-year old Danny Lawrence Brittain and 18-year old Chance Deshon Marley Manley, both of Council Bluffs, were arrested following a call for service. Brittain was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with willful injury, possession of a controlled substance, and possession of drug paraphernalia. Manley was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with aiding and abetting, possession of drug paraphernalia, and possession of a controlled substance.

Last Friday, 71-year old Fred Liden Fountain, of Holcomb, MS, was arrested following a traffic stop. Fountain was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating while intoxicated, speed, and turning from an improper lane.

Last Thursday, 52-year old Brian Allen Sorensen, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant. Sorensen was transported to the Shelby County Jail. On July 8th, 19-year old Trinity Akasha Callahan, 21-year old Juan Carlos Andrew Lara Juarez, and 18-year old Haley Marie Briggs, all of Harlan, were all arrested following a traffic stop. All subjects were transported to the Shelby County Jail where Callahan was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a controlled substance, and prohibited acts penalties, Lara Juarez was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia, and Briggs was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a controlled substance.

On July 7th, 32-year old Christopher Young Courtney II, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for service. Courtney was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with theft and trespassing. And, on July 3rd, Harlan Police were called to a disturbance at 1302 Hawkeye Ave. Following the investigation, the following persons from Harlan were arrested and transported to the Shelby County Jail:

1. 35-year old Dawn Noel Pederson was charged with assault;
2. 51-year old Jodie Ann Tuttle was charged with assault.
3. 59-year old John Allen Veydt was charged with assault displaying a weapon.
4. 35-year old Joseph Rheinhart Smith-Kidd was charged with disorderly conduct.
5. 40-year old Lisa Marie Briggs was charged with disorderly conduct.

CHICAGO (AP) — People traveling from Iowa and Oklahoma to Chicago will have to quarantine for two weeks upon arrival or face possible fines starting Friday. Chicago first issued a quarantine order early this month for 15 other states based on increasing numbers of confirmed cases of the coronavirus. The city updated the order Tuesday, bringing the total number of affected states to 17.

States are included based on the rate of new confirmed cases per 100,000 residents. Illinois health officials announced 707 new confirmed cases of coronavirus disease and 25 deaths.

• City of Lenox, for a Main Street Pocket Park (TPC $90,000)
• City of Stanton, for downtown renovations, including signage (TPC $553,400)
• SWIPCO (City of Atlantic), for a complete building rehab for commercial and Airbnb (TPC $315,992)
• TB Ramsey Enterprises, LLC (Regions around Lenox & Manning), for a rural grocery store delivery system. (TPC $60,000)

(Radio Iowa) – This summer’s major fundraisers for the American Cancer Society in Iowa are undergoing significant changes due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Relay For Life is held every summer in many Iowa cities to raise funds for research and services for cancer patients and their families. Iowa chapter spokesman Brian Ortner says many once-familiar events are going virtual in 2020.

“Some events are being postponed, so either later in the summer or early fall,” Ortner says, “and some are taking on different looks where communities are trying to be creative in how they get to do their fundraising or in what kind of event they can hold.” The Relay For Life events are often the biggest fundraisers of the year and they’re vital, according to Ortner.

“Donations are key to us being able to continue to serve the patients and the families,” Ortner says. “Even though it seems like the world has stopped, cancer hasn’t stopped and neither have we. The resources for patients are still available. Our 24-7 Cancer Helpline and the National Cancer Information Center is still available. We need to funds to make sure resources like that continue.” The coronavirus has many people fearful, but especially those who are in the greatest danger.

“Preexisting conditions are one thing that makes this COVID-19 pandemic so concerning for some people,” he says, “and cancer patients are definitely in that class of being at high risk when it comes to being exposed to COVID-19.” To donate, visit cancer.org or relayforlife.org.

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A U.S. casino company with 29 properties in 10 states is laying off thousands of employees, citing a slow restart to business following closures due to the coronavirus pandemic. Las Vegas-based Boyd Gaming Corp. said in a statement Monday that an unspecified number of furloughed employees will not return to work. The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported 2,500 company workers in Nevada could be affected.

The publicly traded company had about 10,000 employees in Nevada and another 14,300 nationally, according to its last annual report. It also has properties in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

(DES MOINES, Iowa A-P) – Iowa Auditor Rob Sand says the Test Iowa program brought to the state under a $28 million no-bid contract by Gov. Kim Reynolds on recommendation from actor Ashton Kutcher is violating state law in the way it handles test results data. Sand says Test Iowa results first go to two Utah companies contracted to provide testing then to the state’s chief information officer and then to the Iowa Department of Public Health. Sand says this indirect route violates a law requiring laboratories to immediately report infectious diseases to the public health department. Pubic health spokeswoman Amy McCoy says the reporting process follows Iowa law.