(Radio Iowa) – Today (Monday) marks a somber anniversary in northeastern Iowa.  It was eight years ago — July 13, 2012 — cousins Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey disappeared while riding their bicycles in the Waterloo suburb of Evansdale. Hunters discovered their bodies five months later in a secluded section of the Seven Bridges Wildlife Area in Bremer County, almost 20 miles away from the lake near where their bikes were found.

Elizabeth Collins

Lyric Cook-Morrisey

Collins, of Evansdale, was eight years old when she died. Cook-Morrissey, of Waterloo, was ten. Authorities believe both girls were abducted and murdered by someone, whose identity remains unknown to this very day. Investigators remain hopeful that someday they’ll be able to determine who committed the crime.

Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers is offering a $50,000 reward for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information, should call Evansdale police at 319-232-6682 or Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers at 855-300-8417 (TIPS).

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — Prison officials say pathologists will determine whether coronavirus killed an inmate in a northwestern Iowa prison as the state deals with increasing numbers of people infected with the virus. A news release from the Iowa Department of Corrections says 62-year-old Ronald Eugene Holdworth died Saturday morning as he was being taken from the prison to a hospital.

Officials say the State Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine whether COVID-19 was a factor in his death. The Fort Dodge Correctional Facility has reported more than 100 inmates and nine employees have tested positive for the virus.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports just two arrests took place over the past week. On July 8th, 43-year old Dixie Lou Hernandez, of Stuart, was arrested on an Adair County warrant for Harassment in the 2nd Degree. She was released later that day on her Own Recognizance, after making an initial court appearance.

And, on Friday, 40-year old Ryan James Cook, of Adair, was arrested at around 4:45-a.m., for OWI/1st offense and Reckless Driving, following an investigation into an incident in Adair. Cook was released later that same day on a $1,300 cash or surety bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The board chairman of Make-A-Wish Iowa says the charity’s CEO and president has been fired after the organization discovered financial irregularities during an internal audit. Board chairman Joshua Norton said a statement late last week that Jennifer Woodley had been dismissed. Norton says Rachel Reams, a vice president with the organization, will serve as the interim CEO while the board conducts a search for a new leader.

Norton declined to give details on the nature of the financial irregularities. Woodley was named CEO of the group less than a year ago, in August 2019.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds has released a video message to Iowans, urging them to voluntarily wear a mask and practice other public health measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. “COVID-19 is far from over and I don’t want to go backwards. I don’t want to reverse the progress that we’ve made since the pandemic began and that’s why I’m again asking for your help,” Reynolds said. “I believe in Iowans and I know that we can continue to step up and take personal responsibility, not because it’s mandated, but because it’s the right thing to do.”

Nearly 36-hundred cases of COVID-19 among Iowans were confirmed by testing last week, the highest one-week total in nine weeks. Over the weekend, more than 12-hundred additional cases were confirmed, with case numbers spiking in the Great Lake region and Polk County. The governor says simple steps are the best defense against the virus and that includes wearing a mask, practicing social distancing and washing your hands. “So let’s step up, Iowa,” Reynolds says in the video. “Protecting yourself means you’re protecting yourself, your family members, your co-workers and your fellow Iowans.”

The governor’s current public health emergency proclamation — issued in late June — is set to expire on July 25th. Reynolds has indicated parts of it may remain in force through the end of the year. She’s also hinted she may reinstate some restrictions on bars if the number of young adults testing positive for the virus continues to climb. “Each and every one of us has it in our power to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Reynolds said in today’s video statement. “That’s how we’ll keep Iowans safe and healthy, keep our economy up and running and keep our state moving forward.”

The number of Iowans hospitalized for treatment of the virus has increased 50 percent since June 28th. However, that’s about two-thirds below the peak in hospitalizations reached back on May 7th. The state website indicates 177 people are hospitalized today (Monday).

(Radio Iowa) – The Mount Pleasant prison has reported its first positive COVID-19 test for an inmate. The Department of Corrections says the inmate was placed in medical isolation when he first reported he was not feeling well on Wednesday, July 8th. The inmate was then taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) and tested for COVID-19 on Thursday, July 9th. The inmate was informed his first test was negative. He was given a second test, and the prison was informed that this test was also negative.

Later that day, the U-I hospitals reported the inmate test was in fact positive for COVID-19, and he will remain at the hospital for care and monitoring. The Department of Public Health and State Hygienic Lab will be conducting additional testing of staff and inmates at the facility to identify those that might be carrying the virus while asymptomatic.

(Radio Iowa) – The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a shooting at the Camp of the Woods Campground at Plymouth. Upon arrival, it was determined that 21-year-old Levi Max Ekwall of Stillwater, Minnesota, and 22-year-old Sean Richard Darcy of Albert Lea were handling a loaded semi-automatic nine-millimeter pistol in an inappropriate manner when the firearm was discharged. Darcy then sustained a non-life-threatening injury and was transported to MercyOne-North Iowa Medical Center for treatment. Investigators say alcohol was a contributing factor in this incident.

A reported bar fight in Griswold Sunday, resulted in the arrest of a man from Shelby County. The Cass County Sheriff’s Office say 39-year old Joseph Allen Schoemann, of Harlan, was arrested on charges of Assault Displaying Weapon; Public Intox., and Disorderly Conduct. No injuries were reported. Schoemann was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $2,600 bond.

And, no injuries were reported following a single-vehicle accident Friday afternoon. Deputies responded to the accident in Marne, at around 1:17-p.m.    Authorities say a 2018 Ford Escape owned and driven by 22-year old Tylor Grace Thompson, of Lewis, was southbound on 560th Street and lost control. The vehicle exited the road into the west ditch, where it hit a utility pole before coming to rest, facing south. Damage from the accident amounted to $10,000. Deputies cited Thompson for Failure to Maintain Control.

A brief pursuit following a reported, possible burglary, resulted in an arrest early this (Sunday) morning, in southwest Iowa. Shenandoah Police report 25-year-old Toby James Pritchett, of Shenandoah, was arrested for interference with official acts, possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia. Officials say they received a call at around 12:30 a.m., about a possible burglary in progress in the 600 block of Church Street.

While searching, officers conducted an investigative stop on an individual later identified as Pritchett, in an area near the burglary scene. He was taken into custody following a brief pursuit. Pritchett was being held in the Page County Jail on $1,600 bond on the Shenandoah charges, as well as a $20,000 bond on a Fremont County warrant for probation violation.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources will hold three virtual meetings later this month to hear from people who live and work along the Missouri River about flooding and potential solutions. Tim Hall, the D-N-R’s hydrology resources coordinator, says places that flood will continue to flood next time the river rises. So once federal funding becomes available to make improvements, the U-S Army Corps of Engineers needs to know what’s important to the people in order to prioritize “It’s just critical to know where the stakeholders, where the people on the river think that the biggest problems lie so that we can tackle (them) in order,” Hall says. “The Corps is never going to get money to fix all the issues on the river all at the same time.”

Last year’s near-historic runoff that entered the Upper Missouri River Basin combined with unusually high runoff in the Platte River caused the lower Missouri River to sit above flood stage for nearly nine months in some places. Hall says the agency already knows of some problem areas, like where the Platte River enters the Missouri and the river pinches down. “And all the water in the river is forced through a narrower spot, which tends to — in high flow events — back the water up upstream from that narrow point, from that pinch point,” Hall says.

The study is a partnership between Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Missouri and the Corps. Iowa’s three virtual meetings will be held July 28th through 30th over Zoom.

(By Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)