Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Restaurant closures due to the coronavirus have contributed to an estimated $5 billion in losses this year for the U.S. pork industry, and almost overnight millions of hogs stacking up on farms now have little value. Some farmers have resorted to killing piglets because plunging sales mean there is no room to hold additional animals in increasingly cramped conditions. After extended trade disputes and worker shortages, this was supposed to finally be the year hog farmers hit it big with prices expected to climb amid soaring domestic and foreign demand. The U.S. Department of Agriculture is promising to send cash and buy stored pork but industry leaders say it might not be enough to stem devastating losses.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds said Monday that Iowa’s meatpacking plants will stay open and likely continue to spread the coronavirus among workers, warning that shutting them down would be devastating for farmers and the food supply. Reynolds acknowledged at a news conference that the virus spreads quickly and easily at the plants because so many workers are in close proximity. She said that “we will continue to see clusters of positive cases” in them.Reynolds said closing them wasn’t an option, calling the state’s most important objective “keeping that food supply chain moving.” Otherwise, she warned that farmers would have to euthanize animals scheduled to be sold to plants and the price of food would skyrocket.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Governors in the Midwest are working to keep large meatpacking plants operating despite coronavirus outbreaks that have sickened hundreds of workers and threaten to disrupt the nation’s supply of pork and beef. In Kansas, Gov. Laura Kelly has sent personal protective equipment and testing supplies to counties with meat processing plants. Gov. Kristi Noem says she doesn’t think it will be difficult to fulfill federal requirements to reopen a shuttered facility in South Dakota. And Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has warned of the dire cost of closing plants, even while acknowledging the certainty of more infection clusters at the facilities.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A Milwaukee real estate company has agreed to pay $75,000 to the state of Iowa for violating asbestos regulations. The Iowa Attorney General’s Office announced Monday that Phoenix Investors LLC agreed to the consent order on Friday. The violations occurred at a former Maytag building in Newton, which was used to power the former Maytag appliance factory. The state alleged that Phoenix and a second company, JB2 Services, committed multiple violations, including not inspecting for asbestos before renovating the building. The state’s lawsuit against JB2, also of Milwaukee, remains active.

The Audubon School Board met in an electronic session Monday evening. During their session, hearings were held with regard to the proposed plans, specifications, form of contract, and estimate of cost for Phase One of the Middle School/High School Improvements. A second hearing was held with regard to the FY21 School Budget.

The Board heard some more details on the roof top HVAC unit replacement, from RDH Engineering President Rick Hiatt. He said two units that are five-to six-years old can be left in place. Two units above the weight room will be replaced; A roof-top unit above the locker room will also be replaced with a energy efficient unit. And, a rooftop unit above the elevator lobby is also set for replacement, with an energy efficient unit. The Board later set the bid letting date as May 6th. A Special Board meeting was tentatively set for May 8th to open the bids.

As for the FY21 Budget, it was approved after the Public Hearing. Superintendent Eric Trager went over all the details. What it boils down to is an increase over the last Fiscal Year, of 21-cents per thousand dollars of taxable property valuation, or from $11.69/$1,000 to $11.90/$1,000 (an increase of 12.6%).

The Audubon School Board also approved a canvass of the votes from the March 3rd Special Election. A $7.5-million bond for updating and remodeling the district facilities passed at that time by approximately 70% to 30%. In his report to the Board Superintendent Trager didn’t sugar coat the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the future financial picture.

Trager said one of the impacts will come in the form of sales tax revenue, which is expected to take a hit, and affect the District’s SAVE funds “a great deal, going forward.” He said also, “It’s likely that Income Tax at the State level will be down drastically for 2020. It’s also likely that we will see a financial impact on families in our community, which will affect our Free and Reduced Lunch rate” and other areas. “The financial impact of this,” he said, “Is gonna be significant.”

Trager said also, it’s too early to begin discussions on how to cut services or supports for our families and students. I think it’s probably the opposite of that. This is going to have an impact. This is gonna affect our bottom line. This is probably going to reduce our unspent budget authority which we worked hard to turn around. But I also think that this is a time for us to step up and say ‘yeah we’re gonna have to make some tough financial decisions, but NOT today. When we figured out how we support our families and kids through this, that’s the time to do that.”

Page County has it’s 5th confirmed case of COVID-19. According to Page County Public Health, the individual is an older adult (61 – 80 years) and has contracted the virus via community spread. They are currently hospitalized.

Health officials in Pottawattamie County, Monday evening, said the number of positive COVID-19 cases remains unchanged at 18. Twelve patients have recovered, five are self-isolating at home, and as we’ve previously mentioned, there was one death. Pott. County Public Health says they continue to work closely with the meatpacking and processing plants within the county, as well as with the Iowa Department of Public Health, so as to mitigate any potential out breaks at those facilities.

In Harrison County, they are reporting two additional cases of COVID-19, marking 15 total cases in the county. The individuals are one adult male and one adult female, both ages 41-to 60. The individuals are household contacts of a previously established Harrison County positive case, and have been in home isolation since the previous case tested positive. All contacts that have been deemed at risk have been notified.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — An on-duty Linn County sheriff’s deputy working at the Linn County Correctional Center has tested positive for the new coronavirus. The sheriff’s office said in a news release Monday that the deputy showed up for work at the center on Thursday evening symptom-free, but left work near the end of his shift when he began displaying symptoms, including a high fever, and was tested.

He is to remain in self-isolation until he meets guidelines for returning to work. The sheriff’s office says the deputy did not expose any inmates to the virus, but that 11 coworkers were exposed. The sheriff’s office says those coworkers will continue to report for duty as long as they remain asymptomatic.

The Montgomery County Auditor’s Office reports the Montgomery County Board of Supervisors authorized the installation of a new drop box, as another way residents can interact with the Montgomery County Courthouse operations. The drop box is located curbside on the south entrance of the courthouse on Coolbaugh Street.

The drop box is weatherproof, tamper-resistant and is located in a monitored area for security. Auditor Stephanie Burke asks those who have business with the County, to “Please put everything in a secure envelope and address it to the desired county office along with your contact information on the outside of the envelope. No postage is necessary, and the box will be checked every day by authorized personnel.”

The drop box can be used for the following: Treasurer’s Office-MV registrations and property tax payments; Auditor’s Office – absentee ballots and absentee ballot request forms; Recorder’s Office – Real estate documents, certified copy requests and boat & off-road vehicle registrations; Assessor’s Office – real estate credit applications and protest forms; Clerk of Court’s Office – child support, alimony, payments on fines and any documents that are requested to be filed; Veteran’s Affairs Office – forms such as DD form 214 and NGB form 22.