A traffic stop today at around 4:40-a.m. in Red Oak, resulted in the arrest of 40-year old David Daniel Wells, of Red Oak. Wells was arrested in the 2700 block of N. 8th Street, following an accident. He was charged with OWI/2nd offense, and Driving While Suspended. Red Oak Police were assisted at the scene by Red Oak Fire and Rescue, and the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office.
(Radio Iowa) — Tristan Wirfs is anxious to get to Tampa Bay and begin workouts. The former Iowa star was taken by the Buccaneers with the 13th pick in the first round of the NFL Draft. For now Wirfs will be limited to working out in the Iowa City area.
Wirfs has no idea when he will be able to head to Tampa.
Wirfs will join former Iowa teammate Anthony Nelson with the Bucs.
(Radio Iowa) — Iowa farmers were able to get a lot done with dry weather last week. The U-S-D-A report shows corn planting went from two percent to 39 percent planted in the last week as farmers used five days of good weather to get into the fields. The report says it was mid-June before Iowa farmers had five days suitable for fieldwork in the soggy 2019 planting season. The soybean planting also got underway — with nine percent of the beans now in the ground. That’s ten days ahead of last year and one week ahead of the five-year average.
Today: Partly cloudy to cloudy w/a chance of showers & thunderstorms (mainly thru late morning). High 68. S-NW @ 10-20.
Tonight: P/Cldy to Cldy w/a chance of showers & thunderstorms (Mainly after midnight). Low 47. NW @ 10-20.
Tomorrow: P/Cldy to Cldy w/a slight chance of showers in the morning. High 62. NW @ 15-25.
Thursday: Mostly sunny. High 73.
Friday: P/Cldy. High 78.
Monday’s High in Atlantic was 81. Our Low was 54. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 54 and the Low was 36. The Record High on April 28th was 94 in 1910. The Record Low was 26 in 1965.
Red Oak Police, Monday evening, arrested 28-year old Nathan Allen Aldrich, of Red Oak, on four misdemeanor charges. Aldrich was taken into custody a little after 6-p.m., for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense; Trespass; Harassment in the 2nd Degree, and Obstruction of Emergency Communication. He was brought to the Montgomery County Jail, and held without bond.
(Radio Iowa) — Local public health officials say one-fifth of the state’s confirmed COVID-19 cases are in Black Hawk County and more than 90 percent of the county’s cases are connected to the Tyson pork processing plant in Waterloo. Dr. Mathew Sojka, the chief medical officer for Mercy One in Waterloo, says it’s a scary time.
“We don’t know if another surge is going to occur,” he says. “I’m very nervous about that with seeing the numbers in the community increase like they have over the last week.” Dr. Sharon Duclos is medical director at People’s Community Health Clinic in Waterllo. She says health care workers are going through an emotional roller coaster.
“It’s hard because you start to go through the grief of realizing, again, this is not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” she says. Dr. Duclos says her greatest fear is a member of her staff will contract the virus. Black Hawk County public health officials say one percent of the county’s population has tested positive for the coronavirus. Eleven resident of Black Hawk County have died of the virus.
(Radio Iowa) — The mayors of five cities in the Sioux City metro are asking local public health officials as well as state officials in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota to reveal more information about Covid-19 cases in their area. Sioux City, Iowa Mayor Bob Scott says “Provide more comprehensive reporting data to include the specific locations where any outbreak or spread has occurred.”
Local public health officials have refused to say whether a recent surge in Covid-19 cases in the region is linked to a meat packing plant in Dakota City, Nebraska. It’s the largest employer in the Sioux City metro area. The letter from the five mayors directly asks any area business to publicly reveal if there’s been an outbreak of the virus among employees.
“This includes accurate information to employees and the public about any confirmed cases in their facilities and the steps they’re taking to protect their employees,” Scott says. “This information should be shared in a response plan to reduce the spread of the disease in their facilities and our community.” The mayors are asking any business that’s the site of an outbreak to close until they develop a response plan.
The mayors of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, South Sioux City, Nebraska; North Sioux City, South Dakota and Dakota City, Nebraska signed onto the statement along with Sioux City’s mayor. The group also referred to regional closures related to the pandemic. “Our priority is the health and safety of our citizens,” Scott said. “To that end, we urge Governor Reynolds, Governor Rickets and Governor Noem to act cautiously in lifting current restrictions across the three-state region too soon.”
Yesterday (Monday), Governor Reynolds announced restaurants, bars, fitness clubs and retail businesses in 77 Iowa counties may reopen on May 1st. The four counties that are adjacent to Woodbury County are included in that opening-for-business zone.
(Radio Iowa) — Iowa farmers face the prospect of euthanizing hogs that cannot be sent to packing plants that are closed because scores of workers have tested positive for Covid-19. Michelle Book, C-E-O of the Food Bank of Iowa, says there’s a way to save some of the meat that would otherwise be destroyed. “We are working with the Iowa Pork Producers on a project called ‘Pass the Pork,'” she says, “…to get pork moved along to the food banks across the state of Iowa.”
On May 1st, Iowa farmers may begin donating their ready-for-market hogs. Local meat lockers are extending their hours of operation to process the animals. The Iowa Food Bank Association is accepting donations to cover the costs of processing, storing and delivering the pork to food banks and food pantries. Iowa State University ag economist Chad Hart says the temporary pork plant closures have created a real pinch point.
“We’ve got good supplies on one end. We’ve got good demand on the other, but you have to pass through the processing plants,” Hart says. “And with roughly we figure 30% of our processing capacity sort of off-line right now, that is creating a problem where we have too many hogs for too little processing capacity.” Hart and Book made their comments during this weekend’s “Iowa Press” program on Iowa P-B-S.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:25 a.m. CDT
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds says she will partially reopen businesses and churches in 77 of Iowa’s 99 counties, even as the state is suffering from fast-growing numbers of coronavirus cases and deaths. Beginning in those counties May 1, Reynolds said that restaurants, fitness centers, retail stores and malls will be allowed to reopen at 50 percent of their operating capacity. She said that she would also allow church services to resume without limits on their size statewide. Reynolds said the 77 counties have experienced a downward trend in virus activity over the last two weeks. She said that she would extend previously-ordered business closures in 22 other counties through May 15.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Meat isn’t going to disappear from supermarkets because of outbreaks of the coronavirus among workers at U.S. slaughterhouses. But as the meat plants struggle to remain open, consumers could face less selection and slightly higher prices. Industry leaders acknowledge that the U.S. food chain has rarely been so stressed and that no one is sure about the future, even as they try to dispel concerns about shortages. On Sunday, the meat processing giant Tyson Foods ran a full-page advertisement in the New York Times and other newspapers outlining the difficulty of producing meat while keeping more than 100,000 workers safe and shutting some plants.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa legislative leaders say they will not resume this year’s legislative session until after May 15. The Iowa Legislative Council will meet by telephone this week to vote on the continued suspension of the session. The date and time for the meeting wasn’t immediately set. The council makes rules when the legislative body isn’t in session. It voted on April 9 to continue the initial suspension passed in March due to increasing coronavirus cases.
EARLING, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in western Iowa have responded to an explosion at a gas station in the tiny town of Earling. A woman who answered the phone for the Shelby County Emergency Management office confirmed that an explosion had occurred at the gas station Monday morning, but said she could give no other details, including whether anyone had been injured. Omaha, Nebraska, television station KETV reports from local officials that two people were sent to hospitals with injuries. Video footage captured by the station showed the windows of nearby homes shattered by the blast. Earling is a village of about 400 people located about 110 miles west of Des Moines.
Last week, we told you the Des Moines Register officially cancelled this year’s RAGBRAI and announced plans to hold it next year, in July. That was due to concerns about COVID-19. Today (Monday), we learned that the other, across state ride, is cancelled. 
T-J Juskiewicz, Director of the Iowa Ride, said “Unfortunately, after evaluating the current situation surrounding Coronavirus (COVID-19) and great concern for the safety of the general public, the townspeople, riders, support drivers, volunteers, the Iowa State Patrol troopers, safety officials and staff, it will not be safe nor feasible to host the inaugural Iowa’s Ride on July 12-18, 2020.”
He said also,
Some people will ask why we could not wait longer to decide as the pandemic is ever changing. We tried to hold out as long as possible in hopes that the world would begin healing. We also know the reality that the clock was ticking to lock in many requirements to host the ride including insurance, permits and licenses. Some of these are required to be secured and paid for 60 days prior to the event.”
To read the full statement Iowa’s Ride statement, including requesting refunds and the refund deadlines, please visit https://iowasride.com/update-on-coronavirus-and-event-safe…/
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