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DNR message about Iowa State Parks’ response to COVID-19

Ag/Outdoor, News

March 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Wednesday, issued a statement with regard to State Parks, under the current COVID-19 Emergency. The statement reads:

“At this point, Iowa State Parks are open. Our highest priority is the health and well-being of our visitors, volunteers and employees. During this time, we remain diligent in taking steps to make your visit as safe and enjoyable as possible.

Here’s how you can help:

  • According to State of Iowa recommendations, limit your group to less than 10 people when visiting a state park.
  • If you have been sick in the last two weeks, please stay at home for your health and the safety of others.
  • Avoid popular areas where people may congregate, and also avoid larger groups in general. Areas to avoid may include scenic overlooks, buildings, playgrounds, etc.
  • Please maintain distance between you and other park visitors according to guidelines and recommendations by health officials. Please take into consideration the health of others when spending time outdoors.
  • Pack extra soap or hand sanitizer. Please be aware that bathrooms and showers are closed seasonally every year through April 15. Due to increased use or at remote locations, soap or sanitizer may not be available.
  • Additional information on best practices for keeping you and your family safe can be found online at the CDC website.

Here’s what we are doing:

  • If you feel cancelling your stay is the safest choice, we will waive cancellation fees for visits (cabins, campsites, lodges) with arrival dates through April 30, 2020. To cancel without fees, contact the Customer Service Call Center at (877) 427-2757. If you have a lodge or cabin reservation involving groups of 10 or more, we will be contacting you to cancel your reservation. Additionally, the DNR is working to temporarily limit reservations at lodges and cabins to groups of less than 10, so please be aware of changes that may be coming if you are making plans for the spring.
  • We are implementing additional cleaning procedures, according to CDC guidelines, such as more stringent and frequent cleaning of cabins and other public areas.
  • We are postponing programs and events at all state parks through April 30, 2020. This will help keep visitors safe, and we will reassess this policy in mid-April. We are also temporarily closing any visitor centers or museums managed by state parks.
  • We are monitoring the situation. We promise to remain diligent and intentional in protecting you and making your visit a great experience.
  • As conditions change, so may our policies on park visitation and overnight stays. We will keep you informed of any changes moving forward.”

CAM Food Service Department to Provide Free Meals for Children During School Closure

News

March 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the CAM School District report, during the school closure, the CAM Community Schools Food Service Department will provide an opportunity for families to drive through or walk up to pick up free meals for their families. Pickup will occur two times a week on Mondays and Thursdays.

Monday’s pickup will include 3 breakfasts and 3 lunches and Thursday’s pickup will include 2 breakfasts and 2 lunches. Meals will be distributed between 11:00 am and 12:00 pm in front of the High School in Anita, Middle School in Massena and in front of the Methodist Church in Cumberland.

Please stay in your car and wait for the meals to be brought to your car and passed through the window. You will be given a number of meals based on the number of children in ages 2-18 based on your household. The first pickup date is Thursday, March 19th.

Meal Sites and Times:
CAM High School
1000 Victory Park Road
Anita, IA
11:00 am – 12:00 pm

CAM Middle School
207 East 6th Street
Massena, IA
11:00 am – 12:00 pm

In front of the Methodist Church
302 5th Street
Cumberland, IA
11:00 am – 12:00 pm

If this time creates a hardship for you to pickup the meals, please call 712-762-3231or e-mail twilliamson@cam.k12.ia.us to see if we can arrange another time for pickup.

A link to sign up for the FREE meals is on the CAM homepage www.camcougars.org

Essex man arrested for multiple violations of a protection order

News

March 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The Page County Sheriff’s Office, Sunday, charged 35-year old Travis Robert Mayer, of Essex, with 23 counts of Violation of a protection order. Mayer allegedly violated the protection order after he was served March 13, 2020 in the Page County Jail, where he is being held on a charge Of Domestic Abuse Assault.

The charges stem from an investigation between the Page County Jail and Page County Sheriff’s Office.

Clarinda woman arrested on a drug charge

News

March 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

A traffic stop Monday in Clarinda resulted in the arrest of a woman on a drug charge. The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports 24-year old Jodee Jean James, of Clarinda, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance (Marijuana).

James was transported to the Page County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond.

Disaster Declaration/State of Emergency for Cass County (IA)

News

March 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

The Cass County Board of Supervisors have issued a Disaster Declaration due to the current COVID-19 pandemic event. Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon says “A Disaster Declaration does not mean any increase in risk to residents of Cass County. What the Declaration does is open the door for the County to access possible Mutual Aid, Regional, State and Federal resources should the County exhaust all of its resources.”

CASS COUNTY DISASTER DECLARATION

  • WHEREAS confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the State of Iowa are posing a serious threat to the public health and safety of the residents of Cass County, Iowa; and
  • WHEREAS community spread of COVID-19 has occurred in the State of Iowa; and
  • WHEREAS the CDC has recommended that people should not congregate in gatherings of over ten people to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19; and
  • WHEREAS the Hon. Governor Kim Reynolds has issued a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency in the State of Iowa and has recommended that all school districts within the State of Iowa close for a period of four weeks to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19 within the State; and
  • WHEREAS the Cass County Board of Supervisors has restricted public access to all county offices with those services available by appointment only; and

NOW, THEREFORE the Cass County Board of Supervisors hereby declare a State of Emergency in Cass County, Iowa, authorized under Iowa Code and will execute the expenditure of emergency funds from all available sources, the invoking of Mutual Aid agreements , and applying to the State of Iowa for assistance in response to this disaster.

Senator Ernst says all types of coronavirus relief being considered

News

March 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

(Radio Iowa) — The U-S Senate is preparing to vote on a three-phase plan to address the problems created by the coronavirus pandemic. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says one of the items being discussed is a plan by the U-S Treasury to send a one-thousand dollar direct payment to everyone. “We are looking at that in phase three, so that will be direct support to Americans,” Ernst says.

Ernst in her weekly conference call with reporters was asked if she supports the plan. “There will be a number of discussions surrounding that, “Ernst says. “What we do know is we need to find the most effective and efficient way to deliver immediate relief to our families in Iowa. And it is something I will consider. I can’t say whether I will support that right now — but it is something for our discussion in phase three.”

Ernst says they are also considering help for non-profit groups. “There are a number of those groups that do have mortgages, they do have leases that need to be covered. So, what I would recommend to all of our great Iowa folks who want to continue with their charitable giving — is to go ahead and give to those organizations — as they would with any type of gathering or fundraiser.”

The airline industry has been hard hit as well with the cancellation of flights. “Travel is very important, we do use the airline industry as a way to maintain a mobile society. So, we will look at that and have some pretty heavy discussions with the airline industry and where we go with their particular asks,” Ernst says. “But in my mind, it always needs to be our American workers, our families, those small businesses that are very important to Iowa, they need to come first.”

Senator Ernst says the U-S economy has taken a big hit — but she says the silver lining in the whole thing is the economy was doing very well before the virus struck. She says that gives hope that things can turn back around. “This is a pandemic. This is going to be a very tough time. And I hope that we are all wrong and that we bounce right back and this virus goes away,” according to Ernst. “But, what we can do is do the best we can to stop the spread. And if we can stop the spread we can do the best that we can get our economy right back on track.”

The recovery plans being discussed could spend as much as one TRILLION dollars.

Employees at Iowa universities may get extra paid sick leave

News

March 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Employees at Iowa’s public universities may get an additional 80 hours of paid sick leave under an emergency measure to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Board of Regents President Mike Richards used his new emergency powers to authorize the universities and special schools to provide the extra leave.

He also waived limits on employees’ ability to use accrued sick leave to care for family members and to provide child care for their dependents. In addition, he relaxed limits on an employee’s ability to donate or receive vacation time to be used as sick leave.

Glenwood Police report (3/18)

News

March 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Police in Glenwood report three arrests took place Sunday. 36-year old Joshua Martens, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension. He pled guilty to the offense and was released.

37-year old Jared Newman, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Mills County warrant for Disorderly Conduct. He was sentenced to serve time, with a release date of April 14th.

And, 20-year old Brodie Crockett, of Malvern, was arrested Sunday, for OWI/1st offense. He posted the required $1,000 bond, and was released.

A Letter to Fans from the St. Louis Cardinals

Sports

March 18th, 2020 by Jim Field

Cardinals Fans,

This week, Major League Baseball announced that the opening of the 2020 season will be delayed due to the CDC’s latest guidelines, which restrict events of more than 50 people for a matter of weeks. We are supportive of this decision as the health and safety of our fans, players, and staff is our highest priority. The situation is fluid. It evolves by the hour, and unfortunately we don’t have a date we can circle on the calendar for Opening Day yet.

What we do know is that MLB will continue to share updates regarding plans for the 2020 schedule in the days and weeks ahead, and we will share news as it becomes available, along with news specific to Busch Stadium and other events.

MLB has a variety of contingency plans, and we will remain flexible with the hope of resuming normal operations as soon as possible. When the season does begin, MLB will be committed to playing as many games as possible.

Below, is a list of topics we anticipate our fans have questions about, along with what we know at this time.

Ticketing Questions: We are working through our approach to handling ticket issues, and we will communicate details to fans soon. We appreciate your patience and understanding in the meantime.

The MLB London Series: MLB continues to monitor the situation, but has not made a decision to delay or cancel the event at this time.

Status of Major and Minor League Players: Most of our major league players have returned home, with a few remaining in camp who live nearby. Our minor league players were sent home after spring training operations were suspended on Friday. Before players left, they were provided at-home training information as well as guidelines about prevention, good hygiene, and the latest travel recommendations. We will communicate with them on a regular basis to ensure their health and wellness during this time. Also, we will honor our daily allowance for minor league players.

Coronavirus Task Force: We have established an internal task force to address all aspects of this situation and its impact on the organization, our fans and the community.

Front Office Staffing: Starting this week, the St. Louis Cardinals have implemented a telework policy—requiring all front office employees to work from home, with the exception of those employees whose responsibilities require them to be present at the stadium.

Seasonal Staff: This is an important issue impacting not only the St. Louis Cardinals, but all professional sports teams. Cancelled games can hurt game day and seasonal staff particularly hard, and we are concerned about them. Yesterday, MLB announced that each of the 30 teams will be contributing $1 million into a fund that will help this group of employees. More details will follow on how the Cardinals will be administering this fund, and how others might be able to contribute to it as well.

Coronavirus Prevention Guidelines: We hope our fans stay educated on how to prevent exposure and transmission of the Coronavirus. Here is a helpful link from the CDC’s website about ways to protect yourself.

See also this helpful article from MLB.com, What fans need to know about the Coronavirus.

In closing, we want to thank you for your ongoing support of our team and our city as we work through this unprecedented situation. We can’t wait for the moment we are back at Busch Stadium together.

Stay safe, and we will be in touch.

Sincerely,

Bill DeWitt III
President, St. Louis Cardinals

Consider Donating Personal Protective Equipment to Assist in COVID-19 Response

News

March 18th, 2020 by Ric Hanson

Red Oak – Businesses and organizations are urged to donate personal protective equipment, or PPE, by contacting your local public health agency and the county emergency management agency. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is encouraging Iowa businesses and organizations to donate extra personal protective equipment to assist health care providers, healthcare facilities and first responders who are actively responding to COVID-19.

Ken Sharp, division director of Acute Disease Prevention, Emergency Response and Environmental Health “This is an unprecedented public health disaster and stocks of personal protective equipment for health care providers and first responders are being used rapidly. Any organizations that have extra PPE supplies that aren’t immediately needed should consider donating them to help those on the front lines of this disease.”

Any type of health care PPE will be welcomed, especially rubber gloves, gowns, eye protection and masks. Montgomery County Public Health and Montgomery County Emergency Management officials are working to address needs locally and beyond.

Brian Hamman, Montgomery County Emergency Management Director, says “This is a worldwide pandemic, any and all donated supplies are extremely welcomed and will be distributed to our local health care facilities and local first responders to continue to respond to the active COVID-19 threat.”

To donate PPE, please contact Montgomery County Public Health or Montgomery County Emergency Management.