(Radio Iowa) — An Easter weekend tradition in Iowa that’s never before been cancelled in 50-plus years — is being called off due to the pandemic. The annual Pony Express Ride to Camp Sunnyside near Ankeny typically involves some 300 riders on horseback coming from all corners of the state. Marlene Scarlett of Maxwell, the organization’s secretary, says just because there’s no ride doesn’t mean there’s no need to help people with disabilities.

“You can get on our website, which is PonyExpressRidersofIowa.org,” Scarlett says. “There are several pages on there and you can explore what we’re all about. There’s also a way to donate and you can send funds in directly to Pony Express Riders of Iowa.” T

he first benefit ride for Easter Seals of Iowa was held in 1968 and has since raised nearly 11-million dollars for the charity. Located on 88 acres, Camp Sunnyside was designed, built and is staffed to meet the recreational needs of campers, both children and adults, with all types of disabilities.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office report a man from Bedford was arrested Monday on a Page County warrant for Driving Under Suspension. 44-year old Nathaniel Gene Teeters was a passenger in a vehicle during a traffic stop conducted by the Page County Sheriff’s Office approximately two miles southwest of Clarinda,IA.

Teeters was transported to the Page County Sheriff’s Office and held on $300 bond.

Atlantic Police Lt. Devin Hogue, Tuesday afternoon, released additional information with regard to an incident involving a gun, that took place the afternoon of April 3rd, at the Dollar General Store.  Hogue reports upon reviewing the incident and in-store video, County Attorney Vanessa Strazdus determined that 45-year old Jeptha Vestal, of Atlantic, was the initial aggressor, and that Vestal acted in a manner that would cause a reasonable person to feel threatened with imminent violence.

Strazdas also determined that the person who displayed the gun was acting within his rights under Iowa’s statutes regarding self defense and defense of others. Lt. Hogue said “fortunately, the situation quickly de-escalated with no injuries.

Jeptha Vestal was charged with disorderly conduct, a simple misdemeanor. All criminal charges are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in the court of law.

Officials with the Pottawattamie County Dept. of Public Health announced today (Tuesday) there are two new, positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the County total to 11. Authorities say the 10th case is a Minden man between 41 and 60 years old who had contact with an existing case and had traveled out-of-state within 14 days of the onset of symptoms. He does not have pre-existing medical conditions. The manwas tested on March 28 and has been self-quarantining since that day.

Pottawattamie County’s eleventh case is a Council Bluffs man between 41 and 60 years old who had contact with an existing case and has pre-existing medical conditions, according to the County. He was tested on March 30 and has been self-quarantining since that day.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is defending her use of a tool to help guide the state’s response to the outbreak that critics have called arbitrary and unscientific. The matrix developed by the Iowa Department of Public Health looks at four data points in six regions of the state. If any one region hits 10 on a 12-point scale, the matrix calls for the potential implementation of a shelter-in-place order.

Critics include a top infectious disease researcher and other medical experts. They argue that the data points are backward-looking rather than preventive because they trigger stricter interventions only after more people are infected and hospitalized.

(Radio Iowa) — Governor Kim Reynolds has asked federal officials to send new COVID-19 testing machines that produce results in minutes to the state’s meat packing plants — so employees can be screened. “We understand they are part of the food chain, an essential workforce,” Reynolds says. Abbott — a company based in Illinois — developed new COVID-19 rapid test kits and machines and began distribution in the U.S. last week. Iowa’s governor has been speaking with the C-E-Os of Iowa packing plants.

“They are always taking precautions and now extra precautions to make sure that the food supply chain is safe,” Reynolds says. Employees at the pork processing plant in Columbus Junction and the beef processing plant in Tama have tested positive for COVID-19 and both plants have temporarily shut down for deep cleaning. Reynolds says state officials have recommended packing plant managers take several steps in the midst of this pandemic — like taking the temperature of all employees before every shift, to screen out those who may have a fever.

“Making sure that their employees know that if they’re sick, stay home. If anybody in their household is sick, to stay home,” Reynolds says. “If they’re experiencing any of the symptoms (of COVID-19) to call the doctor, go through the assessment.” Tyson and other companies have announced they’ve been checking employees’ temperatures and using face masks inside packing plants. Some people who have COVID-19 show no symptoms, but can transmit the virus. Reynolds says the new Abbott rapid tests would be of great benefit to the meat packing industry.

“So that we can start to get a handle on who is sick, who is not,” Reynolds says, “and then talk about how we stand up a workforce to continue to keep that food supply chain moving.” Reynolds today (Tuesday) reported another 102 positive cases of COVID-19 have been confirmed in Iowa — for a total of one-thousand-48 (1048) cases. Health care workers account for between 22 and 23 percent of all positive COVID-19 cases in Iowa. Twenty-six Iowans have died of the disease and cases of the virus have been confirmed in 78 of the state’s 99 counties.

(Radio Iowa) — It’s still a roll of the dice as to whether the Iowa State Fair will be held this August due to the pandemic, and the fate of dozens of Iowa -county- fairs is also in doubt. Tom Barnes of Cresco is executive director of the Association of Iowa Fairs and he says it’s all up in the air.

“It’s such a fluid situation right now, it’s really hard to get a scope of what to expect,” Barnes says. “You hear about these cancellations everywhere. As far as the fair season and the fair industry is concerned, we’re in a wait-and-see kind of thing.” Officials with county fairs across Iowa are monitoring the developments of COVID-19 and its impact on this year’s expositions, which are a highlight of summertime for many rural communities.

“We’re getting close to the season,” Barnes says. “We start here in June, we have several fairs in June including my own. We’re going to have to take our direction from what the state and federal government tells us we can and can’t do.” More than three-and-a-half million people attend Iowa’s fairs and festivals in a typical year, so it would be a tremendous loss to communities in every one of the state’s 99 counties to cancel the fair season.

“If I had a crystal ball, I wouldn’t be quite so nervous,” Barnes says. “We’ve gotta’ do what’s safe for everybody, that’s for sure, and that’s what we totally understand. That’s where we’re at right now. I can’t give you a definite answer yes or no on anything.”

A complete listing of all 106 of the -scheduled- county fair dates for this year may be found at www.iowafairs.com.

The CAM School Board will hold a special meeting via ZOOM, 4:30-p.m. Wednesday. On their agenda is discussion of and approval of a Resolution for, the extension of employee pay through the pandemic, and of continued learning opportunities (as per the Governor’s directive).

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Department of Public Health has released the identities of two nursing homes where outbreaks of the coronavirus have infected residents and contributed to a large share of the state’s known infections. The facilities were identified Tuesday as the McCreedy Home in Washington County and Premier Estates of Toledo in Tama County. Health officials had withheld that information from the public Monday. Those homes and Heritage Specialty Care in Cedar Rapids are the sites of the three outbreaks at long-term care facilities confirmed in Iowa. Under the state’s definition, that means three or more residents have tested positive.