IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Vice President Mike Pence has called Iowa’s response to the coronavirus “a success story” but he may find a less rosy reality when he visits Des Moines on Friday. A recent rise in confirmed infections in the city has alarmed the mayor and medical officials. Even the federal coronavirus task force Pence leads has expressed concern about the city’s toll.

Pence is scheduled to encourage faith leaders to responsibly resume in-person church services, even as many say they’ll refrain for now to stop the virus’s spread. Pence will also meet with grocery and agriculture leaders to discuss food supply.

AMES, Iowa – May 7, 2020 – The Iowa Department of Transportation is requesting public input for the proposed reconstruction of Iowa Highway 2, from 0.8 mile west of the Missouri River to the existing Horse Creek bridges, in Fremont County. The project reconstructs the four-lane roadway and constructs new overflow bridges west of Horse Creek. These improvements will reduce the risk of flood-related closures by raising Iowa 2 two to four feet.

Two-way traffic will be maintained at all times throughout the project.

For general information regarding the proposed improvements or public meeting, contact Scott Suhr, transportation planner, Iowa DOT District 4 Office, 2210 E. Seventh Street, Atlantic, Iowa 50022, phone 712-243-3355 or 800-289-4368, email: scott.suhr@iowadot.us.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – A Pottawattamie County man was sentenced Wednesday in U-S District Court, to a little more than 11-years in prison on a drug charge. 37-year old David Walling, Jr., of Council Bluffs, was sentenced for possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine. Walling will serve 134 months in prison to be followed by a five-year term of supervised release.

On July 13, 2019, law enforcement attempted to stop Walling, who was operating a motorcycle, in a parking garage in Council Bluffs. Walling failed to stop for police and took off at a high rate of speed. Walling was stopped before he could exit the parking garage. At the time of Walling’s arrest, he was found to be in possession of 43.34 grams of actual methamphetamine.

The matter was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department and the Southwest Iowa Narcotics Enforcement Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa – United States Attorney Marc Krickbaum, Wednesday, announced 50-year old Patrick Spagnotti, of Omaha, was sentenced in Council Bluffs U-S District Court, on a charge of bank robbery. Spagnotti was sentenced to 36 months in prison to be followed by a three-year term of supervised release.

On April 5th, 2019, Spagnotti handed a note to a teller at a US Bank in Council Bluffs that demanded money and the teller gave Spagnotti $4,335 in cash. Once Spagnotti left the bank, law enforcement attempted to stop and pull him over, but Spagnotti accelerated to speeds in excess of 100 mph. Law enforcement eventually executed a controlled stop of the vehicle and arrested Spagnotti. The cash was recovered by law enforcement.

The case was investigated by the Council Bluffs Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Great Plains Violent Crimes Task Force. The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Public Health, today, revealed there are now 231 deaths related to COVID-19. That’s an increase of 12 from the past report. The greatest number of deaths continue to be in eastern and central Iowa. Linn County has the most, at 55 to date. The number of Iowans tested for COVID-19 amounts to 66, 427, or 1 out of every 46 Iowans per capita.  11,059 (16.6%) have tested positive for COVID-19, or 1 out of every 280 people per capita.  4,266 Iowans have recovered from the virus. 418 Iowans are hospitalized. 151 are in an ICU. 31 Iowans with COVID-19 were admitted over the past 24-hours.

Governor Kim Reynolds reported today (Thursday), additional changes to Iowa’s Coronavirus website, coronavirus.iowa.gov, that are intended to make it easier for Iowans to access the data and assess that information.

The total case counts now includes tests reported from 10-a.m. Tuesday through 11:59-p.m Wednesday.

(Official White House Photo by Shealah Craighead and D. Myles Culle)

Reynolds said also, when she and IDPH Medical Director Dr. Caitlyn Pedati met with President Trump, Wednesday, at the White House, Pedati shared with the President and others what she and the IDPH team is seeing in the data as it relates to virus activity.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office said today (Thursday), it is investigating a theft that occurred in the 100 block of South Broadway, in Exira. The theft occurred between 5-p.m. May 5th and 7-a.m. May 6th. The suspect(s) took a 2002 H&H Utility trailer. The single-axle trailer with a wood bottom, was described as being is 5-feet wide by 10-feet long, with 1-foot tall metal sides. It has rust on the metal sides and wheel wells. The left wheel well has a noticeable dent. (See the pic on the news page for a similar trailer)

Trailer similar to the one stolen

(The attached picture is for reference only. It is not the exact trailer but very similar.)

Anyone with any information about this incident or that may have seen any suspicious activity in this area is urged to contact the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office at 712-563-2631 or Audubon County Crimestoppers at 712-563-2234.

A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person(s) responsible for this theft.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports a traffic stop at around 1:10-a.m. today (Thursday) in Council Bluffs, resulted in the arrest of a 17-year old male and 24-year old Blake Michael Zweck. Both were charged with Theft in the 1st degree – motor vehicle related. The vehicle in question, a 2007 BMW 328i valued at $10,000, was reported stolen from Whetstone Enterprises.  One person was cited Wednesday afternoon, following a disturbance in Avoca.  Authorities say 61-year old Joseph Flory Rzonca was cited for Harassment in the 2nd Degree, by threatening bodily injury. The incident was with regard to a disagreement between Rzonca and a 30-year old female tenant he rents to.

Wednesday morning, 27-year old Charles Frederick Pennington, Jr., was arrested on a warrant for Criminal Mischief in the 5th Degree, after he turned himself-in to the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office. And, 18-year old Mackenzie Lynn Koesters turned herself-in to the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office, Tuesday afternoon. She was wanted on a warrant for OWI/1st offense.

(Radio Iowa) — The 15-hundred delegates to the Iowa G-O-P’s 2020 state convention will NOT convene in person next month due to concerns about the coronavirus. Iowa Republican Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann says delegates will be mailed paper ballots to make the decisions they’d normally make at a convention site. “The business of approving the platform, the business of electing a National Committeeman and Committeewoman and the business of choosing our last slate of National Convention Delegates will all be done by mail-in ballot,” he says.

The Republican Party conducted its recent district conventions with mail-in ballots and Kaufmann says delegate participation was higher than normal, with at least an 80 percent return rate. In one district, nearly 87 percent of delegates returned their mail in ballots. “In terms of these conventions being the voice of the grassroots of the party faithful, we certainly achieved that,” Kaufmann says. “In fact, if you just look at the statistic of people weighing in, we probably had a higher percentage or at the very least an equal percentage of what we would have had, had we been together.”

Kaufmann says it’s simply not feasible to plan to have people from around the state gather in Des Moines on June 13th and then go back home in the midst of a pandemic. “We had individuals coming from all 99 counties, including the hot spot counties,” Kaufmann says, “and so the decisions that are made is about the location, but also the location of where all the individuals are coming from.” The NATIONAL convention for Republicans is currently scheduled for August, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kaufmann — who is also a member of the Republican NATIONAL Committee — says he just doesn’t know if that event will be held as originally planned.  “The health and safety of the people participating as well as the people running the convention are going to be paramount and I don’t think any of us can predict what the climate is going to be like,” Kaufmann says.

He says there’s just something about a crowd of party faithful listening to their presidential nominee speak and that would be lost if the NATIONAL convention isn’t held in some form.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Investigators from multiple states are looking into whether a long-haul trucker from Iowa who’s implicated in at lest three women’s slayings in the 1990s could be responsible for other unsolved homicides. Officers arrested 58-year old Clark Perry Baldwin in Waterloo, Wednesday, after new DNA evidence allegedly tied him to three women whose bodies

Clark Perry Baldwin (IA DPS photo)

were dumped in Wyoming and Tennessee in the early 1990s.

Court documents allege that he also raped and choked a woman in Texas in 1991. A spokesman says detectives with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are “looking at any connections” that Baldwin may have to cold cases from that era. He says other agencies are scrutinizing Baldwin given that he traveled the country.

Atlantic, IA – ​SHIFT ATL, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, will be hosting a one-day fundraise-a-thon on Friday, May 15, 2020, from 11 a.m. – 7 p.m. Options to donate and participate will include physical drop-off at 14 e 4th street, practicing appropriate social distancing, and/or various digital opportunities.  With the generous support from an involved community member, all funds raised during this one-day fundraise-a-thon will be matched dollar for dollar up to $25,000.

Members from SHIFT ATL will be present at their first commercial renovation project at 14 E. 4th street in Atlantic, from 11-a.m. until 7-p.m., for the one-day fundraise-a-thon. They will have the building open to the public to tour, see the projected floor plans and 3D renderings for both the lower and upper level and hear about recent progress. If you wish to tour the space, SHIFT ATL asks that you please practice appropriate social distancing. Only six people will be allowed in the building at a time to ensure the safety of everyone. If you wish to participate in the fundraiser, you can donate in the form of cash, check or Venmo.

Hungry Spartan Pizza, a wood-fire pizza food truck out of Exira, Iowa, will be on site from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. serving lunch. They accept cash, card or Venmo payment the day of. Pizza options will include: ● DAY OF: walk-up pizza by the slice, $3/slice or 2 slices/$5 ● PRE-ORDER: full pizzas to pick up the day of ○ single-topping small $10, large $12 ○ carnivore (all meat) small $14, large $16 ○ supreme small $14, large $16 ○ daily special: The Big Guy (pepperoni, sausage, cream cheese, honey drizzle) small $12, large $14 ○ additional toppings are $1/each To pre-order, either message Hungry Spartan Pizza on Facebook or call/text at 712.304.3387 and mention SHIFT ATL. All pre-orders must be made by Thursday evening, May 14.

Also, SHIFT ATL will be partnering with Atlas Atlantic Cinema for a popcorn fundraiser. Swing by the theater anytime from 2-p.m. to 7-p.m. to grab your afternoon or evening snacks.  In addition, SHIFT ATL will be running a digital fundraiser that day for those who are not able to stop by in person. Options to participate are to visit their website at shiftatl.org, click the “Donate” button and show your support or purchase a SHIFT ATL t-shirt as part of their “buy one, give one” campaign. Using the code “BOGO” you can buy one shirt, and then get another one free to give to someone. You can find the current shirts for sale on their website under “SHIFT Swag”.

Funds raised at this event will be put towards the matching funds required for the Community Catalyst Grant SHIFT ATL applied for in April 2020. This grant, and the matching funds, will cover the cost of the majority of the renovations that will be done inside the group’s first economic development project, the previous Downtowner building the group bought in 2019.

For more information about SHIFT ATL or the fundraiser, visit their Facebook page at facebook.com/shiftatl, their website at shiftatl.org or by email at shiftatlantic@gmail.com.