DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) today (Thursday) said it has been notified of 34 additional positive cases of Iowans with COVID-19, for a total of 179 positive cases. There have been a total of 2,975 negative tests to date, which includes testing reported by the State Hygienic Lab and other labs.

According to IDPH, the locations and age ranges of the 34 individuals include:

Appanoose County, 1 elderly adult (81+)
Black Hawk County, 1 middle-age adult (18-40 years)
Cedar County, 1 middle-age (18-40 years), 1 older (61-80 years), 1 elderly (81+)
Clayton County, 1 adult (18-40 years)
Des Moines County, 1 adult (18-40 years)
Jasper County, 1 elderly (81+)
Johnson County, 1 adult (18-40 years), 4 middle-aged adults (41-60 years), 1 older (61-80 years)
Linn County, 1 adult (18-40 years), 3 middle-aged adults (41-60 years), 1 older adult (61-80 years)
Mahaska County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
Monona County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
Page County, 1 middle-aged adult (41-60 years)
Polk County, 1 adult (18-40 years), 2 middle-aged (41-60 years), 1 older (61-80 years)
Pottawattamie County, 1 middle-aged adult (41-60 years)
Scott County, 1 elderly, 3 middle-aged (41-60 years)
Sioux County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
Washington County, 2 older adults (61-80 years)

Riverside School District Superintendent Dr. Tim Mitchell reports, the District will distribute school meals on Monday March 30th. All children Birth to 18 years of age will receive enough food to have 5 Breakfasts and 5 Lunches for the week. Mitchell says this past week, they served 375 meals last Monday and Tuesday.  Approximately 490 meals will be available next week. Mitchell says “We are doing everything we can to meet the demand.”

Meals are available at four distribution points each school day from 9:00 AM until 11:00 AM.  If someone wants a meal delivered, please call 712-249-7312 and meals can be delivered to the home. This is a “Grab and Go Service”. Menus will consist of a fully reimbursable meal.

Once again, the four distribution centers are:

• Oakland Elementary School-Door F-East Door on North Side of Building
• Riverside Middle/High School-Front Doors
• Carson Elementary School-Door C on West side of building
• Post Office in Macedonia on Main Street-School Vehicle will be park on Main Street

After Monday March 30th, the next Distribution Date for Meals will be Monday April 6th.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Lottery jackpots are going to shrink as the coronavirus pandemic tamps down lottery sales. The group that oversees the Powerball game announced Wednesday night that it would cut minimum jackpots in half, from $40 million to $20 million, after there is a winner of the current big prize. The jackpot also could grow more slowly, with minimum increases of $2 million instead of the normal $10 million after each twice-weekly drawing.

The other national lottery game in the United States, Mega Millions, is considering a similar move. The move by Powerball won’t affect the current $160 million jackpot.

(Radio Iowa) -The largest emergency aid package in U-S history, worth two-point-two trillion dollars, unanimously passed the U-S Senate last (Wednesday) night. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says the Senate “stepped up in this time of crisis and delivered critical relief.” The package is dubbed the CARES Act, for Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security. Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says it includes 12-hundred dollar checks for individuals. “Secretary (of the Treasury Steven) Mnuchin was very adamant about making sure that Americans are seeing relief as soon as possible,” Ernst says. “To get those checks out, direct assistance from the federal government, we want to see those checks going out in a matter of weeks, not months.”

In addition to the individual checks, the package includes 130-billion dollars to hospitals and 367-billion in loans and grants to businesses. The U-S House is expected to take up the measure on Friday. “By getting the bill passed and signed into law by the president, that’s just the first step,” Ernst says. “We have a lot of agencies that will be working with the additional monies and additional requirements on programs. They will have to bear that burden as we move forward.”

Ernst is urging House members to quickly approve the measure so the massive and complicated process of sending out hundreds of billions of dollars can begin to jump-start the economy in the midst of the pandemic. She says it will be an enormous undertaking involving multiple federal departments. “We are going to be working very hard with those agencies to make sure that Americans are seeing relief as soon as possible,” Ernst says. “I don’t want to be a ‘Debbie Downer,’ I want to be very optimistic. I know they are working as hard as they can to get those dollars out the door once the package is signed, but Americans need to understand, relief is on the way.”

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley issued a statement last night: “This health crisis is quickly becoming an economic crisis. This bipartisan legislation rapidly delivers recovery checks to help individuals and families cover their immediate expenses. It also helps businesses of all sizes keep employees on the payroll throughout the crisis and ensures that those who are furloughed or laid off have access to beefed up unemployment insurance. The bill also provides a much-needed infusion of cash to our health care professionals who are fighting the pandemic on the front lines.”

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports one arrest. At around 2:20-p.m. Wednesday, 40-year old Brian James Johnson, Jr., of Plattsmouth, NE, was arrested at the Polk County Jail in Des Moines, on a Mills County warrant for two counts of Violation of Probation. His bond was set at $20,000.

One person was arrested following a traffic stop Wednesday night, in Avoca. The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports 19-year old Madison Nichole Moore was arrested on charges that include Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Poss. of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense – Marijuana, and Poss. of a Controlled Substance/Methamphetamine – 1st offense.

And, a call about a suspicious vehicle parked on the road Wednesday night in Pott. County, resulted in the arrest of 18-year old Emily Rae Rhodes, of Council Bluffs. She was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense, and Interference with Official Acts. Rhodes was being held in the Pott. County Jail on a total of $1,300 bond.