(Radio Iowa) — For the past 12 weeks, Governor Kim Reynolds has been holding news conferences on weekdays to discuss the pandemic. She’s also been working out of the emergency operations center at the Iowa National Guard’s armory at Camp Dodge. “Iowans are gradually getting back to life and business as usual and it’s time for me and my team to the same thing,” Reynolds says. Starting Monday, Reynolds will return to her office suite in the state capitol. She’ll hold news conferences on Tuesdays and Thursdays rather than every weekday.

“Like you, I’m eager to get things back to normal,” Reynolds says, “but I’m committed to taking a measured approach, practicing personal responsibility and doing my part to protect not only myself, my family but our fellow Iowans.”

The governor’s daily news conferences have been broadcast live on dozens of Iowa radio and T-V stations and livestreamed on YouTube and Facebook, giving thousands of Iowans a change to hear COVID-19 announcements directly from the governor.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa lawmakers will have to pare down the state spending plans they were drafting before the pandemic hit. The state Revenue Estimating Conference met this (Friday) afternoon and lowered its estimate of state tax collections. The governor’s budget director and a division chief from the Legislative Services Agency were more optimistic about an economic recovery than Clear Lake C-P-A David Underwood. He’s the third member of the panel.

“I don’t think we have reached a bottom,” Underwood says. “We certainly could climb out and fall back rather quickly.” Underwood argued to set a far lower estimate of state tax collections. “I think most of the businesses that we’re hoping are going to reopen — a lot of those won’t,” Underwood said. But, in the end, the group agreed to slice 360 MILLION off its earlier prediction of next year’s state tax collections.

Holly Lyons of the Legislative Services Agency says the real economic consequences of the pandemic are still unknown and that’s why she resisted a deeper reduction. “I’m a little concerned about the message that we send,” Lyons said. “There’s enough fear and trepidation now out there.” Dave Roederer, the governor’s budget director, says he believes the economic setbacks of the past 12 weeks are temporary, not permanent.

“While bruised and somewhat battered, our fundamentals are still strong in this state,” Roederer says. “…Is everything rosy? Of course not.” But Roederer says he believes most if not all the Iowans who’ve lost their jobs will be able to go back to work.” The three-member panel predicts overall state tax revenue in the next fiscal year will be just eight-tenths of a percent below this year’s total. The group shaved 150 million dollars off their estimate of the state’s tax take in THIS fisal year, but it will not require emergency state budget cuts in the next month.

The CURRENT state budget has an unspent cushion of nearly 400 MILLION dollars to dip into to cover that.

EVANSDALE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say they believe they’ve found the remains of a missing Arizona woman and her stepfather in Iowa inside the stepfather’s car after it was found buried in an undeveloped lot. The Waterloo Courier reports that authorities were waiting for confirmation from a medical examiner that the remains found on a dead-end road in Evansdale, Iowa, are those of 28-year-old Elissa Landry and 45-year-old David Batten, of Chino Valley, Arizona.

Landry and Batten were reported missing April 19. No arrests have been made, but a 24-year-old suspect who was formerly from Waterloo, Iowa, has been detained.

Fort Madison – The Iowa Department of Corrections reports two correctional officers were assaulted Friday morning by two inmates, at the Iowa State Penitentiary.  The two correctional officers were escorting an inmate back to his cell when at around 8-am.,  the inmate began to assault the staff members with closed-fist strikes. As the two officers were attempting to defend themselves, another inmate that was in the area joined in the assault using closed-fist strikes and kicks towards the officers that were attempting to subdue the original aggressive inmate.

A correctional counselor that was in the area attempted to help restrain one of the inmates, and responding officers soon arrived to take further control of the situation. While it was not used in the assault, a sharpened object was recovered from one of the inmates after the incident.

All staff and inmates that were involved in the assault were assessed by prison medical staff, and no major injuries were reported. The two correctional officers were taken by department vehicle to local medical providers to have their injures assessed, and have since been released to recover with no major injuries.

The incident remains under investigation.

Atlantic, IA —COVID-19 testing continues across the state of Iowa at healthcare facilities, Test Iowa, and some other locations. As testing becomes more widely available, there are some common questions and answers that officials at Cass County Health System (CCHS) would like to address for our community.

I don’t have any symptoms, but I want to be tested. What are my options?

Individuals who have no symptoms, but would like to be tested should take the online assessment for Test Iowa at testiowa.com. Individuals with symptoms should call their healthcare provider’s office before going to any healthcare facility.

Is CCHS testing people for COVID-19? Can I get tested at CCHS?

CCHS continues to test patients for COVID-19. As of May 29, we have tested more than 380 individuals. At CCHS, we will continue to test people while also monitoring our supplies, such as swabs, test kits, and PPE. Some of our tests are sent to the state hygienic lab, some are sent to Mayo Clinic, and a limited number are done on site for specific patients.

Can I have all of my employees tested for COVID-19 at CCHS?

At this time, CCHS does not have the capacity to test large groups of asymptomatic people. Additionally, mass testing of asymptomatic people would have to be done frequently to be effective. Because of national PPE shortages and difficulties securing the necessary supplies for testing, CCHS has to be judicious in our use of tests to ensure that we have what we need for the most critically ill patients or in case of any local outbreaks. As testing supplies become more readily available, we may revisit our testing criteria.

If I get a negative test result, then that means I am in the clear, right?

Not necessarily. Tests are a snapshot in time. You could be exposed to COVID-19 in the morning, tested in the afternoon, get a negative result, and then develop symptoms several days later at which point you would test positively.

Why are the test numbers from CCHS different than what is reported on coronavirus.iowa.gov?

CCHS testing numbers can be different from what is reported on coronavirus.iowa.gov for several reasons. For example, someone who lives in Elk Horn might be tested at CCHS. If they have a positive result, then their positive result would show on the state map for Shelby County, not Cass, and it would also show as a positive number on CCHS results. Additionally, as public testing increases through private businesses or Test Iowa sites, Cass County residents may be tested out of the county. Those tests would not be included on CCHS testing results, but would be compiled into the results for Cass County.

What about blood tests? Will an antibody test show whether or not I have already had COVID-19?

There are numerous limitations of these tests, and there are many concerns about their accuracy. There may be a very limited number of situations where serology (antibody) testing may be recommended. We encourage you to speak with your primary care provider about whether or not this testing is appropriate.

Montgomery County Emergency Management Director Brian Hamman reports the Red Oak Fire Department was called to Ace Hardware in Red Oak at 1:34-p.m., Friday, for an air conditioning unit possibly on fire on the roof.

Photos courtesy Brian Hamman, Montgomery County EMA

Upon arrival, no fire was present however light smoke was visible in the interior of the structure coming out of the duct work.  Crews immediately began investigating the source of smoke both inside the structure and on the roof to ensure no fire was present and to limit any potential fire spread.  Jones Mechanical was requested to the scene and determined that an air conditioning unit had failed and was the source of the smoke.

As a precaution, Ace Hardware and the Family Dollar Store were evacuated for a short time while crews could work and determine that no hazards were present.  There was no fire damage to the facility and smoke damage is very limited.  Crews were on scene for roughly 45 minutes. Red Oak Fire Department was assisted on scene by the Red Oak Police Department and Montgomery County Emergency Management.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State budget experts say Gov. Kim Reynolds and the legislature will have about $360 million less to use for next year’s budget than earlier expected. The Iowa Revenue Estimating Conference, a group of three people responsible for estimating state revenue, set lower expectations for this year and next after debating the economic impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

The group lowered the state revenue estimate for the current year, which ends June 30, by $150 million from a March estimate. For next year, officials will have about $7.88 billion to work with. That’s about $360 million less than had been estimated in March.

(Radio Iowa) — Hundreds of Iowa National Guard soldiers are leaving for training and then deployments overseas in the next few days. Guard spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Wunn, says it’s important to have send-off ceremonies for these soldiers, even in the midst of a pandemic.

The public will not be allowed to attend, but ceremonies will be live-streamed on Facebook and, in some instances, broadcast by local media. In addition, there will be parade routes through communities as the soldiers depart.

Wunn says around 500 soldiers based at an eastern Iowa unit are deploying. About 350 other soldiers from the 113th Cavalry, based in Le Mars and Johnston, will also be leaving for tours of duty that will last about 12 months.