Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — On the day Iowa began easing restrictions designed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Kim Reynolds said increased testing was largely the reason for a record number of new COVID-19 cases. Health officials reported 739 new positive cases Friday, by far the most in a single day and bringing the state total to 7,884. Of the new cases, 516 were from four counties, including two that are dealing with outbreaks at meat processing plants. She also reported there were an additional eight deaths, bringing the state’s total to 170.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As the coronavirus pandemic continues to force the closure of meatpacking plants across the country, hog farmers have had to respond quickly to a rapidly growing backlog of animals in their barns by killing and disposing of pigs. Many large-scale hog farmers have little choice once barns reach full capacity. Officials estimate about 700,000 pigs across the nation can’t be processed each week and will be euthanized if plants don’t resume operations. To help farmers, the USDA has set up a center that can supply the tools needed to euthanize hogs. That includes captive bolt guns and cartridges that can be shot into the heads of larger animals as well as chutes, trailers and personal protective equipment.

NEW YORK (AP) — “Field of Dreams” was No. 6 in The Associated Press sports writers’ favorite sports movies poll. It was released in April 1989, two weeks after “Major League,” 10 months after “Bull Durham” and eight months after “Eight Men Out.” It is a story of fathers and sons, phantoms and phenoms on an unlikely diamond in an Iowa cornfield. More than 30 years later, it still generates tears, setting loose emotions gushing like water across the fresh-cut grass. Director Phil Alden Robinson remembers a woman weeping at a test screening. When he realized the woman worked for the studio and had already seen the movie, he knew he had something special.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by an Iowa attorney who challenged a 2017 flight Gov. Kim Reynolds and her family took on a private jet to a football game in Memphis, Tennessee. Gary Dickey complained to the state ethics board, alleging the $2,880 claimed for the trip underestimated the flight’s value by thousands of dollars. The board dismissed his complaint, saying the estimate was reasonable. Dickey appealed and a judge in December 2018 dismissed the case saying he wasn’t injured by the campaign filing even if it wasn’t accurate. The Supreme Court agreed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by an Iowa attorney who challenged a 2017 flight Gov. Kim Reynolds and her family took on a private jet to a football game in Memphis, Tennessee. Gary Dickey complained to the state ethics board, alleging the $2,880 claimed for the trip underestimated the flight’s value by thousands of dollars.

The board dismissed his complaint, saying the estimate was reasonable. Dickey appealed and a judge in December 2018 dismissed the case saying he wasn’t injured by the campaign filing even if it wasn’t accurate. The Supreme Court agreed.

(Radio Iowa) — A former Fairfield man will spend more than three years in federal prison for an investment scheme. Sixty-seven-year-old Bruce Hauptman pleaded guilty to three counts of wire fraud. The Iowa Insurance Division investigation found Hauptman convinced several people to invest money in promissory notes for a business he owned — with the promise of big returns.

Hauptman stopped paying the investors and the investigation found he was spending the money for personal expenses for multiple mortgages, vehicles, and credit cards. He was sentenced to 42 months in prison and ordered to pay more than two-point-one million dollars in restitution.

Officials with Pottawattamie County Public Health, today (Friday) reported three new COVID-19 cases. The total of COVID-19 cases in Pottawattamie County is now 45. Twenty-three individuals have recovered, 19 are self-isolating at home, one is hospitalized, and there have been two deaths.

The three new cases are residents of Council Bluffs and include two males and one female. These individuals were tested for COVID-19 between April 28 and April 29. One of the cases is a child between 0-17 years old, one is between 18-40 years old, and the third individual is between 41-60 years old. Two of them have pre-existing conditions. All three new cases had contact with an existing COVID-19 case, and all three of these individuals are self-isolating at home.

Pottawattamie County Public Health continues to conduct contact tracing investigations for each COIVD-19 case. A part of contact tracing is assessing risk to the general public. If there is not a risk to the general public, Public Health will communicate directly with the specific contacts identified in the investigation. If and when a risk to the general public is identified, Public Health will publicly identify the location and communicate any actions the public should take.

Authorities say “Because we have community spread of COVID-19, individuals should be taking precautions to protect themselves. Stay home as much as possible, limit travel and shopping. If you must leave home, practice social distancing, and stay at least six feet away from others. Implement excellent hygiene and disinfectant practices. Wash hands and disinfect frequently touched surfaces multiple times per day. And if you are sick, self-isolate at home.

Officials with the Guthrie County Public Health Department, Friday, have identified 7 cases of COVID-19 in an assisted living care facility in Guthrie County. The 7 cases include both staff and residents at Lakeside Village.

According to IDPH, an outbreak is when three or more cases of COVID-19 are identified among residents of a facility.The facility has notified residents and their families, and consistent with IDPH guidelines, the affected residents are in isolation. The Lakeside Village leadership team are working closely with Guthrie County Public Health to protect the health of all residents and staff with additional testing.

Guthrie County Public Health Director Jotham Arber says “Protecting the health and wellbeing of the residents and staff is of the highest priority. We know our older population is at the highest risk for serious COVID-19 illness, so we are monitoring the situation carefully and taking the highest precautions to prevent virus spread.”

Guthrie County Public Health is continuing to work very closely with all of our long term and assisted living facilities, in conjunction with our County Emergency Management Agency to provide guidance, personal protective equipment, medical resources and training as they are needed.As of today, 5/1/2020, there are 22 total cases of COVID-19 in Guthrie County. The Guthrie County Health Department continues to work closely with our state and local partners to respond to this ongoing pandemic.

For up-to-date information on COVID-19, including an interactive map with county, regional and long-term care outbreak information, visit adairguthriecountycovid.org.

(Radio Iowa) — Some Iowans still haven’t gotten their pandemic stimulus checks from Uncle Sam. If you’re among them, an official from the Internal Revenue Service says you might need to contribute a little information. Christopher Miller, the I-R-S spokesman for Iowa, says there’s a short form to fill out on the agency’s website that will ensure you get your check for up to 12-hundred dollars.

“Put in some simple information, even if you don’t make enough to require you to file, or you have non-taxable income,” Miller says, “simply fill out a federal income tax return.” Miller says there’s a tool on I-R-S-dot-gov that will speed up the process if you’re still looking for that stimulus check.

“Not only will the information allow us to make sure that you’re eligible for the payment but it allows us to get it to you as quickly as possible,” he says. Just like when getting a refund from your federal tax return, Miller says the quickest way to get that stimulus check is through an electronic funds transfer, unless you want the actual paper check.

“Give us your direct deposit information, your bank account information,” Miller says, “otherwise, the IRS will mail your payment to the address that you provide.” While direct deposit is faster, the I-R-S says it will be mailing out as many as five-million paper checks each week.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Cedar Rapids police say one woman has died and another is being treated for wounds in a pre-dawn shooting at an apartment complex. Police say the shooting happened around 4:40 a.m. Friday. Officers called to the scene found two women with gunshot wounds. One was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was taken to a hospital with injuries not believed to be life-threatening.

Police had not released their names by mid-afternoon Friday. Officials say a suspect, who also has not been named, fled to a nearby hotel and was arrested nearly three hours after the shooting.

Mills County Public Health has been notified of a third confirmed case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The person is a minor, under 18 years of age and is isolated at home. Mills County Public Health has conducted contact tracing investigation for this case to identify close contacts who should monitor their health symptoms and self-isolate. All known individuals who have had close contact with this confirmed case have been notified and are also in isolation per Iowa Department of Public Health protocol.

Officials say “As we continue to navigate through this pandemic, we encourage our residents to continue to use good judgment in the decisions they make. All residents are urged to stay home as much as possible, stay away from groups of people and maintain a 6-foot distance from other individuals. We remind all residents to continue to practice social distancing, wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow/upper arm and stay at home when you are ill.”

For up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit Mills County Coronavirus webpage at
http://covid19.millscoia.us

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police have announced the arrest of a woman in Illinois for her alleged role in the October shooting death of a man in Cedar Rapids. Police say in a news release that 21-year-old Kiara Kathy La Shae Morrise, of Cedar Rapids, turned herself in to police in Knox County, Illinois, on Friday. An Iowa warrant charges Morrise with being an accessory to the Oct. 30 shooting death of 27-year-old Reginald Ward Jr. In late March, police arrested and charged 24-year-old Todd Jenkins with first-degree murder and going armed with intent. Police say Jenkins chased down Ward and shot him at a Cedar Rapids convenience store.