(Updated 11:40-a.m.) The Audubon School Board will hold a Special meeting via ZOOM 7-p.m., Monday, April 6th. The session will include a public hearing on, and approval of, the proposed FY2020-21 Budget.  They will also take action on approving a Pre-Levy Issuance Resolution. Afterward, the Board will move into and exempt session for the purpose of strategy discussion, with regard to negotiations with employees not represented by a Collective Bargaining Unit. The Board will then return to open session and act on approving raises for the aforementioned employees.

The public will be allowed to attend the hearing in person, but due to COVID-19 precautions and the Governor’s Declaration, the hearing will be limited to ten participants with preference going to Board members and other people necessary to conducting the hearing. Members of the public are encouraged to attend via Zoom using the link (https://zoom.us/j/204833935) which can also be found in the board agenda that will be published by Friday,  April 3rd, 2020.

If members of the public wish to address the board with regard to the public hearing, you’ll need to contact Audubon School District Superintendent Eric Trager, or School Board President Mark Nissen, in writing by no later than this Friday, April 3rd.

Council Bluffs Police say a man and a teenage female were arrested early this (Tuesday) morning, following the robbery of a convenience store. 18-year old Christopher Reed, of Omaha, was taken into custody in Omaha, by Omaha Police. He was being held there while awaiting extradition to Iowa. A 17-year old female from Council Bluffs was arrested for Robbery in the 1st Degree, and transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs.

Authorities say at that around 2:18-a.m. officers were sent to Kwik Shop at 3632 Ave G in Council Bluffs, for a robbery that had just occurred. The clerk advised a black male dressed in in dark clothing, displayed a black handgun and demanded money. The male then left the store with an unknown amount of cash. When officers arrived in the area they learned the male suspect was now with a white female in all dark clothing

A witness called Police at approximately 2:33-a.m., and said two subjects matching the robbery suspects were just seen getting onto the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge linking Council Bluffs and Omaha across the Missouri River. CB-PD officers arrived a short time later and gave chase on foot on the bridge. The juvenile female was taken into custody on the Iowa side of the river. Both suspects were arrested after interviews with detectives and evidence collection.

WINTERSET, Iowa (KCCI-TV) — Officials say the body of a 64-year-old woman was found by firefighters after they put out a blaze at a house in south-central Iowa. Madison County authorities say the fire erupted Saturday night at a residence just west of Winterset. Station KCCI reports that the body’s been identified as that of Debra Robinson. The cause of her death and of the fire are being investigated.

The Cass County Board of Supervisors will hold their second broadcast meeting since the State ruled meetings must be conducted with groups of 10 or fewer people in attendance. Their meeting at 9-a.m. which originates from their Boardroom at the Cass County Courthouse, will once again be conducted through ZOOM https://zoom.us/j/138870131?pwd=dnRLK2ZjcWQ2SWpMQm0wK1c0b2pwUT09 (Meeting ID: 138 870 131, Password: 012064).

On their agenda is action on a Resolution to appoint a Cass County representative/commissioner to the Southern Iowa Regional Housing Authority (SIRHA) for a three-year term that begins April 9, 2020. The Board will also act to appoint an additional member to the Cass County Food Policy Council, and other matters. That includes: Approving Impoundment structure, open prairies, etc., Property Tax exemptions, and an application for CDBG funds to support Infectious Disease Response, authorizing the County to act as a fiscal flow-through agent (with regard to covering expense needed to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic).

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s three largest pet food manufacturing facilities continue to operate with coronavirus guidelines in place. Purina’s Chief Veterinary Officer, Kurt Venator says the one-thousand plus workers across the state are cleaning the production areas more frequently while practicing social distancing. “Our people are the heart of our business and we’re doing as much as we can to support our associates by using best practices across the factory sites in order to provide high-quality nutrition,” Venator says.

Doctor Venator says employees are working long hours and are getting extra support. That’s also true for the communities in which they work.  “In Iowa specifically and in all our manufacturing locations across the United States, we are providing monetary donations in our communities helping with relief efforts, this is something we take very seriously and are very passionate about,” Venator says.

Purina has plants in Clinton, Davenport and Fort Dodge. They produce pet food, litter, and treats. The company is considered an essential critical resource by Homeland Security.

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Gov. Pete Ricketts has extended Nebraska’s statewide restrictions on social gatherings until at least April 30 and urged residents to brace for another “tough month” in April, when the number of new coronavirus cases is expected to peak. Ricketts said Monday that state health officials predict that the number of cases will continue to increase until mid- to late-April before it gradually declines.

He implored residents to continue following the state’s “social distancing” requirements, including a 10-person limit on gatherings. State officials have imposed even tougher restrictions on some hard-hit counties that include Omaha, Lincoln and other population centers.

(Radio Iowa) — Senator Joni Ernst says she’s not yet sure a fourth federal stimulus package will be needed, but if one is developed, Ernst says it should include more help for the health care system. “Making sure that we are investing properly in vaccinations,” Ernst says, “and making sure that we are also developing plans for other future possibilities of other pandemics.”

It’s important to thoroughly evaluate how the first three federal stimulus packages are working before developing a fourth, according to Ernst. “You’ve heard talk from some other states, though. They would like to see additional local government assistance as well as state assistance,” Ernst says. “And that, to me, is something we will debate, we will see — as long as it is COVID-19 related.”

The bill President Trump signed Friday established a 150 BILLION dollar Coronavirus Relief Fund for states, local governments and tribal nations. It also sets aside 117 BILLION for U.S. hospitals and the Veterans Administration health care system, plus another 11 billion for vaccines and other medical needs.

Governor Reynolds will meet with her agency directors early this week to review the entire two TRILLION dollar stimulus package and come up with a list of potential gaps or shortfalls in the next plan. “But I don’t know if I want to speculate at this point until we have an opportunity to go through that,” Reynolds says.

Missouri’s governor has warned tough cuts will have to be made in his state’s budget due to the fall-out over the pandemic. Governors of other states where there are COVID-19 hot spots have said their states need more federal support.