Police in Council Bluffs, Wednesday, arrested 69-year old Hershal James “Jim” Ratliff of Council Bluffs, on numerous sex offense charges. Ratliff was taken into custody on four Counts of Sexual Abuse in the 3rd Degree, one Count each of Lascivious Acts with a Minor, Solicit Commercial Sexual Activity and Indecent Exposure. Thee charges stem from an investigation by the Council Bluffs Police Department that began in August 2019.

Hershal “Jim” Ratliff (CB-PD photo)

Authorities say a juvenile female had provided detectives with information on Ratliff’s involvement in criminal sexual activity. In January 2020, a second female came forward and provided additional, similar information on Ratliff’s criminal activity. With that information, detectives were able to request warrants for offenses mentioned. Officials says the investigation is on-going Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact the Council Bluffs Police Department at 712-328-4728.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa is among the five states which do not have some sort of a shelter-in-place or stay-at-home order within its borders. The top two Democrats in the legislature are urging Governor Kim Reynolds to join change that.  Senate Democratic Leader Janet Petersen of Des Moines and House Democratic Leader Todd Prichard of Charles City say issuing a statewide shelter-in-place order would send a clearer message about the serious nature of this pandemic. They say the current patchwork of recommendations is confusing and there’s a growing frustration about the lack of information on Iowa’s plans and capabilities for combatting COVID-19. The two Democratic lawmakers say data provided by private researchers shows Iowans are taking some steps to flatten the curve of COVID cases, but the dramatic increases in case numbers show it’s not enough.

The other states which do not have shelter-in-place orders are North and South Dakota, Nebraska and Arkansas. There are eight other states where orders are in place in cities or regions. Earlier this week, Governor Reynolds said she can’t lock the state down because it would disrupt the supply chain and impact essential workers. The two Democratic lawmakers say other governors have exempted critical occupations in their shelter-in-place orders.

Senator Pedersen and Representative Prichard also called on the governor to release more information about the state’s efforts. Yesterday, Reynolds was asked if she will release the data she’s using to make COVID-19 decisions. “We’re looking at the percent of the population greater than 65. We’re looking at the percentage of identified cases requiring hospitalization,” Reynolds said in reply. “We’re looking at the rate per 100,000 impacted in the past 14 days. We’re looking at the number of long-term care outbreaks, so those are some of the metrics that we’re looking at, but there are other assumptions going into it as well.”

Reynolds did not say whether she would release any of that data to the public.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More than 58,000 people filed unemployment claims in Iowa last week as efforts to slow the spread of the coronavirus took a toll on the state’s economy. Iowa Workforce Development reported Thursday that there were 58,453 claims for unemployment insurance filed last week. The figures came after a surge of nearly 42,000 claims last week. Nationally, more than 6.6 million people filed for unemployment benefits last week. The largest number of Iowa claims were from workers in accommodation and food service businesses, which saw 12,519 people seek benefits.

(Radio Iowa) — A quarterly survey of the state’s largest businesses released today (Thursday) predictably plummeted after months of positive news. Iowa Business Council executive director, Joe Murphy, says their overall economic outlook index fell to 37-point-five. “At the end of 2019, we were at just over 60 for our score for the economic outlook. Anything above 50 represents a positive feeling about how our economy is doing,” according to Murphy. “And as we obvious now most certainly know, things can change in an instant.”

The I-B-C has 22 members representing many of the top decision-makers at major Iowa employers. Murphy says the drop has to be considered in the context of the coronavirus. “That’s something that is very concerning — but I think the fact remains that Iowa companies and Iowans, in general, are very resilient. We’ve weathered financial crises in the past. Most recently in 2008-2009….we’ve weathered two 500 year floods in a two-year period, and we’ve also weather farm crises,” Murphy says.

He says right now companies are doing what they need to do to get through the pandemic. “Our member companies are doing everything they can, not only to protect the health and well-being of their employees but also protecting the health and well-being of their clients and customers,” Murphy says. “And also trying to figure out ways in which they can positively contribute to the effort — whether it is providing P-P-E equipment, whether it is providing monetary donations to relief funds — this is a community effort right now. Iowa businesses will step up to that challenge.”

He says businesses were in a good spot heading into the pandemic, and the biggest thing facing them now is the uncertainty of how long it will last. “Our survey asks questions about what is their level of optimism with respect to sales, capital spending and employment throughout the course of the next six months — and so that is why our sentiment is quite negative — because we don’t know what this endpoint will be,” Murphy explains.

Heading into the pandemic the biggest concern for businesses was finding enough qualified employees in a time of record-low unemployment. Murphy says that will still be a problem once restrictions are lifted. “But it is sort of a different lens looking at the issue right now as we look to see what the future of work will be in the state in the short and long-term, but also how can we retain the people who are doing such a great job for us now — so that they are ready, willing and able to contribute to this recovery whenever we get to that point where we can ramp up production and other services,” Murphy says.

He says the federal government action thus far is a positive for business. Murphy says the three phases of the recovery act passed so far by Congress will help, and he says there is talk of a fourth phase coming in the near future.  The Economic Outlook Survey has been completed by I-B-C members on a quarterly basis since 2004 to gauge projected trends for the state, which can be used for business and economic planning.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (Telegraph Herald) — A man whose DNA linked him to Dubuque sexual assaults reported years ago has been given 40 years in prison. Martel Fountain Sr. was sentenced earlier this week. He’d pleaded guilty. Court documents say Fountain assaulted three women in 2011 after forcing his way into their homes. The documents say another was raped in 2014 after Fountain forced her into her garage. A DNA sample taken from Fountain in March 2018 after his arrest in a federal drug case linked him to the four Dubuque assaults. DNA information from those four cases had been filed in an FBI database.

(Updated 4/2 at 8:30-a.m.) – Officials with the Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office report an inmate at the Pott. County Jail, 46-year old William Chirod Lewis, of Council Bluffs, was served with a warrant Monday for Theft in the 5th Degree. Bond on the charge was set at $300. Lewis was presented with the warrant and then returned to the custody of Corrections staff.

There were also several prisoners transferred this week from the Douglas County, Nebraska Jail to the Pott. County Jail, in order to address warrants in Pottawattamie County. Those transferred include:

• 33-year old Jonathan Joseph Regan, of Omaha, who was wanted on warrants for Theft in the 2nd Degree & Violation of Probation. Bond was set at $5,000 on the Theft charge.
• 43-year old Joseph Ray Castillo, and 25-year old Jhanako Yazonte Lewis, both of Omaha, were wanted on Pott. County warrants for Violation of Probation.
• 19-year old Edmundo Galvez, of Carter Lake, who was being held in the Pott. County Jail on $11,000 bond for the charges of False Imprisonment and Kidnapping in the 3rd Degree.
• 51-year old William Joseph Nunez, of Omaha, who was wanted in Pott. County for Domestic Abuse/Simple Assault, and Theft in the 1st Degree. His bond was set at $10,000.
• 35-year old Marco Jerome Burns, of Omaha, was transported to the Pott. County Jail Wednesday, under a warrant for Violation of Probation.
• 38-year old Raymond Dean Younce, Jr. was brought to the Pott. County Jail to address a warrant for Felony, Escape from Custody.
• 34-year old Michael Anthony Martinez was wanted for Theft in the 3rd Degree.
• 37-year old Jermaine Maurice Tucker was wanted for Felony, Escape from Custody.
• And, 30-year old Andrew David Lippert, of Council Bluffs, was transported from the Douglas County, NE., jail to the Pott. County Jail, under a warrant for Violation of Probation. He remained in the jail on a HOLD for a Residential Corrections Facility (RCF).

Officials with the Creston Police Department said today (Thursday), 18-year old Autumn St. Onge, of Diagonal, was arrested late Wednesday morning at the Creston Walmart, for Theft in the 5th Degree. St. Onge was cited and then released from the scene on Promise to Appear in court.

And, a Creston woman reported to Police Wednesday morning, that sometime between 10:20-p.m. Tuesday and 10:30-a.m. Wednesday, someone entered her home in the 300 block of E. Clark Street, and took a 50-inch TV, along with a class ring. The loss was estimated at $300.