More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office says an eight-year-old male was arrested Wednesday afternoon for Burglary in the 3rd Degree-Theft from a vehicle/1st offense. Deputies were dispatched to Midstates Bank in Neola just before 4-p.m., following a reported burglary of a 2001 Chevy Impala. The boy was referred to Juvenile Court Authorities. No other details were released.

Officials with the Creston Police Department say Cook Video and Appliance reported Thursday afternoon, vandalism had been perpetrated on to two U-Haul vehicles with in the past 24 hrs. The first vehicle had two side mirrors destroyed. The second vehicle had the catalytic converter removed from it. The loss was estimated at $1,300 altogether.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Iowa Department of Public Health (as of 10-a.m. Friday) reports 1,319 new positive COVID-19 cases since Thursday. The IDPH said there have been 33 additional deaths since 10-a.m. Thursday, for a total to-date, of 4,478. Long-Term Care facility deaths are up to 1,839.  In southwest Iowa, one additional death was reported Friday (today) in each of Madison, Mills and Pottawattamie Counties. COVID-19 deaths attributed to Underlying causes amount to 4,076, while COVID was a contributing factor to 402 of the total deaths.

The number of Iowans hospitalized with COVID-19 is at its lowest level since October 7. There are now 450 Iowans hospitalized with the virus, down from 457 the previous day. The number admitted in the last 24 hours dropped from 77 to 66. There are 89 patients in ICU and 34 patients on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (Western/southwest Iowa hospitals): 34 are hospitalized w/Covid; 11 are in an ICU; 3 were admitted Thursday, and 2 are on a ventilator. The number of long-term care facilities reporting COVID-19 outbreaks is 69. The state reports 1,868 positive cases and 1,031 recoveries among residents and staff within those facilities.

The health department reports 310,596 total Positive cases, and 273,021 total recoveries since the pandemic began. Positivity rates continue to decline in Iowa. The 14-day Positivity rate declined from 11.3% Thursday to 11.1% today. The 7-day positivity rate also declined from 8.5% to 8.3%. There have been 1,439,736 Iowans tested for COVID-19, with 3,466,465 tests administered in the state.

Gov. Kim Reynolds said Thursday that Iowa’s vaccination data would be available on the health department website starting next week.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

• Cass, 1,147 cases; {+14}; 43 deaths
• Adair, 693; {+2}; 20
• Adams, 298; {+0}; 3
• Audubon, 417; {+0}; 8
• Guthrie, 1,036 {+1}; 24
• Harrison County, 1,574; {+4}; 62
• Madison County, 1,227; {+13}; 10
• Mills County, 1,381; {+6}; 17
• Montgomery, 874; {+4}; 24
• Pottawattamie County, 9,093; {+27}; 115
• Shelby County, 1041; {+5}; 27
• Union County,  1,102; {+3}; 23

(Radio Iowa) – If it seems like there’s an inordinate amount of Canada geese flocking around Iowa right now, you’re not imagining things. While many of the distinctive black-and-white-necked birds live here year-round, others are in the midst of a migration from Canada to parts south. Orrin Jones, a waterfowl biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, says Iowa’s city-dwellers are likely noticing the gobs of geese the most. “The geese are actively seeking out the metropolitan areas,” Jones says. “That’s a very attractive place for them right now. It has a combination of open water sources, food, and relative safety.”

Hunting season on geese in central Iowa just ended last weekend. The D-N-R is tabulating figures from a recent Canada goose count that pegs the Des Moines population at around 20-thousand, though statewide numbers aren’t quite ready yet. Iowans can’t help but spot the big birds in places where they usually congregate — and elsewhere. “Right now, we have a mixing of a lot of different populations of geese and their movement patterns coincide with a lot of people’s daily commutes,” Jones says. “When the birds are very active, that’s when people are very active and it leads to this perception that there’s just a huge amount of geese in the area — and there are a lotta’ geese.”

The goose population is not too high, he assures, saying the current numbers are within the state’s objectives for the feathered creatures. While some of the geese are permanent Iowa residents, Jones notes that others are in the midst of an annual migration. “Whether they stay here or go farther south or go back north will depend upon the weather,” Jones says. “If the winter gets more severe, they’ll continue farther south. If it becomes more mild, they’ll spread out or maybe move farther north or maybe distribute across Iowa.”

If you’re tempted to toss some bread to those geese, don’t. Jones says the wild waterfowl need to be able to find food on their own. Plus, he says human food is often detrimental — and can be dangerous — for geese.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two people were arrested on warrants over the past few days. At around 3:15-a.m. Thursday, 27-year old Christian Robert Hoefling was arrested during a traffic stop on I-29. He was taken into custody on a warrant for OWI/1st offense, and for providing false identification information. Bond was set at $1,300. And, Tuesday morning, 32-year old Samantha Renee Rodriguez, of Glenwood, was arrested on a Shelby County warrant for Failure to Appear. Her bond was set at $300.

A woman who was a paraprofessional with the Clarinda Community School District died Thursday morning, when the van she was a passenger in was struck by a semi. The accident happened at around 7:44-a.m. at the intersection of Highways 2 and 59. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2018 Dodge Caravan owned by the South Page School District, was traveling west on Highway 2, when the driver, 70-year-old Chester Lynn Johnson, of Clarinda, failed to stop at the intersection. The van was struck by a 1998 Peterbilt semi, driven by 31-year old Spencer Allyn Lauman, of Coin, who was driving north on Highway 59.

The impact caused the van to spin around. A passenger, 46-year-old Jeanette Helen Carson, of Clarinda, was ejected during the crash. She died at the Shenandoah Hospital. The semi rolled onto its right side and slide into the northwest ditch. The van came to rest in the ditch. Johnson, and a 12-year old Clarinda School District student in the van, were injured during the collision and transported by Shenandoah Rescue to the Shenandoah Hospital.

The intersection was blocked for several hours. The Patrol was assisted at the scene by the Page and Fremont County Sheriff’s Offices, Shenandoah Fire and Rescue, and the Iowa Department of Transportation’s Maintenance and Motor Vehicle Traffic Enforcement Division. The accident remains under investigation.