Two people died in separate Iowa crashes Saturday, in Warren and Mahaska Counties. The Iowa State Patrol reports a crash near the Warren/Marion County line claimed the life of a Knoxville man. Authorities say 2010 Harley Davidson motorcycle operated by 48-year old Gary Eugene Bender was traveling north on Highway 316 north of Cleveland Street and navigating a curve to the left, when the cycle left a portion of the road to the right, and overturned. Bender was thrown from the motorcycle into a tree. He died at the scene. The accident happened at around 2:53-p.m., Saturday.

A Fresno, California man is dead after a vehicle pursuit in southeast Iowa. Authorities say at around 5:10-a.m. Saturday, the Mahaska County Dispatch Center received a complaint of a vehicle traveling westbound at a high rate of speed, in the eastbound lane of Highway 163, between Oskaloosa and Pella. Not long afterward, Marion County Dispatch received a similar report. A Marion County deputy located the vehicle, a 2005 Mitsubishi passenger car, and made a traffic stop near Otley, Iowa on Highway 163. After the deputy stopped the vehicle and made contact with the driver, the driver then placed the vehicle in gear and sped off, resulting in the pursuit.

Near the intersection of Highway 163 and Eaton Avenue, in Mahaska County, the driver lost control of the vehicle. The vehicle then rolled several times, struck a building and the driver was ejected. The person died from their injuries. The man’s identity is being withheld by authorities, pending notification of family.

The incident remains under investigation.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:50 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Officers used tear gas Saturday night to break up a protest and vandalism at the Polk County Courthouse in downtown Des Moines. Live video from WOI-TV showed a small group of people spraying paint on the courthouse and breaking at least one window on the building’s first floor. Police arrived about 9:40 p.m. and shot tear gas about 10 minutes later, causing what appeared to be about 250 protesters to scatter. The protest Saturday night started at the Des Moines police station and later moved to the courthouse. That incident and an earlier peaceful march were held to protest the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As if trips to the grocery store weren’t nerve-wracking enough, U.S. shoppers lately have seen the costs of meat, eggs and even potatoes soar as the coronavirus has disrupted processing plants and distribution networks. Overall, the cost of food bought to eat at home skyrocketed by the most in 46 years, and analysts caution that meat prices in particular could remain high as slaughterhouses struggle to so keep workers healthy. While price spikes for staples such as eggs and flour have eased as consumer demand has leveled off, prices may remain volatile for carrots, potatoes and other produce because of transportation issues and the health of workers who pick crops and work in processing plants.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa has reported another 345 coronavirus cases Saturday, surpassing 19,000 total for the pandemic. It also reported another nine COVID-19-related deaths Saturday. The state Department of Public health reported that the number of coronavirus cases rose 1.8% since Friday afternoon to bring the total to 19,243. The department said the number of COVID-19-related deaths in the pandemic rose 1.7% to 531. More than half of the state’s confirmed cases were concentrated in six counties. They are Polk, Woodbury, Black Hawk, Linn, Marshall and Dallas counties. While adults 61 and older accounted for 19% of confirmed cases, they were 87% of the deaths.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man died after being shot in a Des Moines neighborhood just east of the state Capitol. Police say officers invested a report of gunshots about 8:30 a.m. Saturday in an area a few blocks from the Capitol and found a 20-year-old man on the ground who had been shot. Officers began lifesaving efforts, and the man was taken to a hospital, where he died just after 9 a.m. The man was identified later Saturday as Robert Lee Trey Freeman, of Des Moines. Police hadn’t reported any arrests as of Saturday night. It’s the city’s 11th homicide of the year.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A man died after being shot in a Des Moines neighborhood just east of the state Capitol. Police say officers invested a report of gunshots about 8:30 a.m. Saturday in an area a few blocks from the Capitol and found a 20-year-old man on the ground who had been shot. Officers began lifesaving efforts, and the man was taken to a hospital, where he died just after 9 a.m.

The man wasn’t immediately identified but was described as a Des Moines resident. It’s the city’s 11th homicide of the year.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Demonstrators have marched through downtown Des Moines to protest George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis after an earlier rally turned into a melee in which participants threw bricks at police cars. Live video from WHO-TV on Saturday showed dozens of people marching in Iowa’s capital chanting slogans such as, “I Can’t Breathe” and “No Justice, No Peace.” The crowd then knelt on a bridge, briefly blocking traffic.

Floyd’s death in Minneapolis after being detained by police sparked looting there and protests across the United States. On Friday, police in riot gear pushed up against a group of Des Moines protesters after people started throwing bricks.

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds and Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie, Saturday afternoon, released the following statements on last night’s protests and violence that occurred in downtown Des Moines:

Governor Kim Reynolds:

“The unsettling and criminal act of violence that robbed George Floyd of his rights and his life was unconscionable and must be met with swift justice. As Iowans, it is right for us to react in different ways, from sadness to outrage. But it is never right to react with violence. “The violence that happened last night in Des Moines undermines the message of change and hope that so many seek. A thousand people gathered to exercise their right to protest and to speak their mind. It was a powerful message. But the lawless actions of a few drowned out that message.

“I am grateful for the swift response, purposeful restraint and commitment to cooperation consistently shown by Iowa’s law enforcement officers. Thank you for showing unwavering bravery, professionalism, and demonstrating your deep ties to the community that all of you are sworn to defend and protect. “Respectful, peaceful dialogue is who we are as Iowans, and violence doesn’t address injustice or solve problems. We respect our neighbors, cherish our community, follow the rule of law, and that is how we will move forward together. Change won’t happen overnight, but a respectful and peaceful dialogue will bring action and progress.”

Mayor Frank Cownie:

“This was a difficult and challenging night for the City of Des Moines. What began as a peaceful rally for many escalated into needless violence on our streets. Fortunately, no one suffered serious injuries, however, as we’ve seen in the light of day there was damage to nearby businesses, cars and property. “Like hundreds of other Des Moines residents, I attended last night’s rally. It was peaceful and powerful as it was intended. It had a purpose. Unfortunately for some, that wasn’t acceptable and they took matters into their own hands. Bringing violence to our streets and endangering others.

“We understand the raw emotions facing our cities and the country surrounding the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. What happened there was horrific and unacceptable. We can’t undo what happened there, but we can have an impact on what happens here in our community, and how we move forward. “I want to thank the Des Moines Police Department for their heroic efforts last night. Their professionalism was on display and beyond reproach.  I also would like to thank the men and women from other law enforcement agencies who arrived on our streets and provided assistance and to Representative Ako Abdul-Samad and the community leaders who talked to protesters and assisted police in easing tensions. Des Moines is grateful for what they did.”

Today (Saturday), Governor Reynolds and Mayor Cownie met with Police Chief Dana Wingert, Department of Public Safety Commissioner Steve Bayens, Iowa-Nebraska NAACP President Betty Andrews, Representative Ako Abdul-Samad and other community leaders about the protests and violence in Des Moines last (Friday) night. The State of Iowa and the City of Des Moines are in close coordination and stand ready to maintain the rule of law.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Health, said as of mid-day today (Saturday), to-date, 375 new positive cases had been reported, along with 10 deaths. That brings the statewide total to 19,167 positive cases and 527 deaths. IPDH reported 150,114 Iowans have been tested for coronavirus, while 10,9362 have recovered. 130,519 have tests negative. The number of LTC facility outbreaks is 39; 1,558 LTC patients/staff have tested positive; 704 have recovered, and 248 have died.

Iowa’s hospitalization data continues to show flat or declining rates. Hospitalizations showed a peak around May 6 and have been declining or flat since that date. IDPH reports 368 Iowans are hospitalized with the virus, with 29 admitted in the last 24 hours. There were 118 patients in intensive care and 69 patients on ventilators.

As mentioned in our last report, Cass County has one new positive case of COVID-19, for a total of 12. Nine people have also recovered from the virus in the County. The only other changes in numbers for the surrounding counties, was in Guthrie County where there were two more cases (for a total of 50; 30 have recovered), and in Shelby County, which had an additional case (for a total of 35; 30 have recovered).

In western/southwest Iowa, the latest RMCC data show 12 persons were hospitalized over the past 24 hours, 6 were in an ICU, 5 were admitted to a hospital, and 3 people were on ventilators.