IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa reported more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases as Gov. Kim Reynolds’ administration allowed school districts to keep offering 100% online instruction next week for tens of thousands of students. The Iowa Department of Education granted waivers allowing the school districts in Des Moines, the state’s largest, and the suburb of Johnston to continue teaching online until Christmas break begins. Iowa City schools said the department also granted its waiver but that it would nonetheless return to 50% in-person instruction Monday, citing the late notice. Under the governor’s policy, districts can move online for two weeks if their county’s 14-day positivity rate exceeds 15%.

DES MOINES —  The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently announced that it has awarded more than 140-million dollars ($143,892,544.40) to 11 broadband providers to bring broadband to rural Iowa.  The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund Phase I Auction is a federal program focusing on bringing broadband to 10 million Americans. Nearly all rural locations eligible for the award will receive broadband at speeds of 100 Megabits per seconds (Mbps) download, with nearly 85% of eligible locations receiving Gigabit service according to the FCC.

Among the Iowa providers receiving funds is Farmers Mutual Cooperative Telephone Company (FMCTC) in Harlan, which will receive $ 12,447.00.

The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund is just the latest project working to bring broadband to all of Iowa. Earlier this year $50 million dollars in CARES Act funds were made available by Governor Kim Reynolds for broadband grant projects throughout the state. This is in addition to the ongoing Empower Rural Iowa broadband grants that provides matching grants up to 35% for broadband infrastructure and development.

The CARES Act and Empower Rural Iowa grants are administered by the Office of the Chief Information Officer through authority granted by the Iowa State Legislature. The Rural Digital Opportunity Fund is administered by the FCC.

(Council Bluffs) – Pottawattamie County Sheriff Jeff Danker reports “The Sheriff’s Office always looks forward to our Shop with the Sheriff event that [is held] each December.” Danker said this was the 21st year for the event, and “With the generous donations from individuals, families, businesses and organizations, we will be shopping for 72 kids, which represent 33 families in our community.”

Shop with the Sheriff (Pott. Co. S/O photo) – FILE PHOTO

The Sheriff acknowledged that this year brought them some challenges. Because of the pandemic Deputies and Sheriff’s personnel will be unable to spend the morning shopping with the kids like they have in previous years. Danker says “With all the generosity, we were able to spend $200 on each child and provide a gift card to those families so they can purchase goods to cook a family holiday meal.”

On Saturday at 10:00 AM, the families will drive-thru the Sheriff’s Office parking lot to see Santa and pick up the gifts that were purchased for the kids.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court has ordered a new trial for a Dubuque man who was sentenced to 50 years in prison on a second-degree murder conviction for the death of his girlfriend. Fontae Buelow claims Samantha Link turned a knife on herself in an act of suicide after an argument in March 2017. Prosecutors alleged he stabbed her and charged him with first-degree murder. A jury convicted him of second-degree murder in January 2018. The court’s ruling upholds an appeals court decision last year that threw out the conviction because the trial judge did not allow information about Link’s prior suicide attempt and mental health records that may have supported Buelow’s contention that Link stabbed herself.

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Police are investigating the vandalism of a synagogue in Davenport that occurred on the first day of Hanukkah. Television station KWQC reports that someone spray-painted a New Testament biblical citation at an entrance to Temple Emanuel on Thursday afternoon. The citation “John 8:44” was painted in red on a wall near the temple doors. The verse recounts Jesus telling his critics that they are the spawn of the devil. Rabbi Bertenthal says the vandalism and its message are particularly hurtful coming at the opening of the eight-day Jewish Festival of Lights. Police have not announced any arrests or suspects in the vandalism.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say two 17-year-old boys were shot inside an east Des Moines home. The shooting happened Thursday afternoon. Police say officers were called to the home on East 22nd Street and found one teen shot in the abdomen and the other shot in the buttocks. The teen with the abdomen wound was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Police say the other teen was in serious but stable condition.

Police have not said what led to the shooting or whether detectives have any suspects in the shooting, but say investigators were interviewing witnesses.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A Cedar Rapids man accused of shooting a flare gun at the city’s federal courthouse and igniting a small fire has been charged with several federal counts. The Gazette reports 39-year-old John Miller has been charged with malicious damage to federal property, violent threats to a federal official and interstate communications with intent to injure. Miller made his first court appearance of the charges on Tuesday. Prosecutors say Miller fired two flares at the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids on Nov. 19 from a parking lot across the street, igniting a traffic barrier outside the building. Officials say he also left threatening messages on social media for a federal prosecutor.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has issued an order that prevents state officials from banning a group of Des Moines Black Liberation Movement protesters from entering the Iowa Capitol grounds. U.S. District Court Judge Rebecca Goodgame Ebinger ruled Thursday that a ban requested by state legislative leaders and enforced by the Iowa State Patrol violates the constitutional rights of five protesters.

They were protesting at the Capitol on July 1 when a scuffle broke out with police. Troopers told them that legislative leaders had ordered them banned, some for six months and others for a year. The judge concluded the bans likely burden more speech than necessary.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Nov. 29th, of 38-year-old Raymond Hurt, from Carroll. Hurt was taken into custody on an outstanding warrant for failure to serve a jail mittimus on an original, Driving While Barred charge. He was held for the length of his mittimus and released.

The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Carroll Police Department and the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office.