(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Supreme Court says the debts from all crimes should not be linked together when it comes to clearing someone’s record. The ruling involves a case where a woman paid off the debt associated with the unauthorized use of a credit card and the case was dismissed. She then sought to have the charge removed from her court record. The district court denied the request — saying she had to pay off the debt in other cases before any record could be expunged. The Iowa Supreme Court says the law was enacted to allow someone to clear the record when they had met their obligation — so the case would not later hamper them in a background check.

The court says requiring a defendant to satisfy financial obligations in cases other than the case for which expungement was sought frustrates this statutory purpose of the law. The Supreme Court reversed the district court ruling. This ruling also applied to two other similar cases.

Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department report Officers made a physical arrest this (Friday) morning, following a road rage incident that took place on South 24th Street. Authorities says a driver struck another driver several times at a local gas station, after a problem on the roadway. Authorities says “We receive several calls regarding “road rage” and unfortunately, many go unaccounted for. This time, several witnesses called police and then gave statements that allowed us to make an arrest. We sincerely appreciate the public’s help when acting as informed witnesses and remind everyone to use restraint and patience when driving during this Memorial Day weekend. Stay safe and healthy!”

Additional details concerning the arrest were not released.

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Director Bryant Rasmussen posted on social media this (Friday) morning, a letter to the citizens of Atlantic, with regard to the Sunnyside Pool. The letter said “It is with an extremely heavy heart, but due to the Covid-19 virus and restrictions in place, the Sunnyside Pool will not open for the summer 2020 season pursuant to the Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for the state of Iowa on May 13th, 2020,” which states “All swimming pools and spas, wading pools, water slides, wave pools, spray pads, and bath houses shall continue to be closed until 11:59 pm on May 27th.”

Even with the newest proclamation by Governor Reynolds permitting lap lanes and swim lessons the social distancing requirements are still in place, the proclamation does not open up recreational swimming venues. Rasmussen said “Although we have employees trained and hired to be lifeguards, we do not have the necessary employees to fulfill the recommendations of the CDC to be able to clean frequently touched objects (hand rails, door knobs, restrooms, showers, lockers, chairs, etc.) after every single use. We also do not have additional employees to monitor the recommended 6 feet physical distancing of those in the water who are not immediate family members or who reside in the same household.” (To see the full list of recommendations from the CDC visit https://www.cdc.gov/…/communi…/parks-rec/aquatic-venues.html. )

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate soared to 10.2% in April, reflecting the economic costs of efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. Iowa Workforce Development reported Friday that Iowa’s unemployment rate rose to 3.3% in March and then roughly tripled in April. Iowa’s April 2019 rate was 2.7%. The national unemployment rate for April was 14.7%. Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development, says she was hopeful that as Gov. Kim Reynolds ends restrictions on businesses and gatherings that were intended to prevent outbreaks, the economy will quickly improve. Reynolds has taken those actions even as the number of deaths blamed on the coronavirus now tops 400 in Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Public Health was reporting (as of 11-a.m. Today, 5/22), there were 9 more COVID-19 related deaths statewide, for a total of 419. COVID-19 is the respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus.

The state reports that there are 16,415 confirmed cases of COVID-19, an increase of 5.2% from Thursday. Of those 8,834 have recovered. The total number of  assessments is 482, 348. There were 102,792 Negative test results. There were 36 LTC (Long-Term Care facility) outbreaks reported, a decline of one from yesterday. 1,497 residents/staff of those facilities have tested positive for COVID-19, 602 have recovered. 219 deaths are associated with LTC’s.

In RMCC Region 4 (Southwest/western Iowa), six people are hospitalized for COVID-19, three are in an ICU, and two were admitted to hospitals (the same as Thursday). Across the State, 362 were hospitalized, 123 were in an ICU and 33 had been admitted since Thursday.

The COVID-19 dashboard contains updated information throughout the day at https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/.  Due to planned maintenance from 6:00 am Saturday, May 23, through 6:00 am Monday, May 25, the Case Counts Dashboard will not reflect accurate counts during the maintenance period.  All Case Counts will be brought up to date by 6:00 am Monday, May 25.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (Sioux City Journal) — Nearly five years after Sioux City tore down a historic mansion, a judge has ruled the owners of the building must reimburse the city more than $100,000 in demolition costs. District Judge Jeffrey Neary ruled that James Gengler and Salvador Carrasco must pay the city for the July 2015 demolition of the 125-year-old three story home in the city’s Rose Hill neighborhood. Those costs amounted to $106,959 plus interest.

The city demolished the house after an extended dispute with its owners about structural deficiencies. Gengler, who holds the deed to the property, told the Sioux City Journal he may move to another community, adding that “my dream home is gone.”