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KJAN News can be heard at five minutes after every hour right after Fox News 24 hours a day!
Keep up-to-date with Fox News Radio, Radio Iowa, Brownfield & the Iowa Agribusiness Networks!
Iowa’s Coronavirus dashboard today (Wednesday), shows a record 47 additional deaths are attributed to COVID-19 since Tuesday’s 10-a.m. report, for a total of 2,271. The previous record of 40 deaths was reported Nov. 18th. There are two more deaths to report in Cass County, for a total of 21, and one more in each of Adair, Adams, Mills, Pottawattamie and Shelby Counties.
Deaths reported on an individual day can be affected by delays in completion of death certificates and other factors, but the data from the state Department of Public Health on Wednesday makes clear Iowa is continuing to see an increase in deaths from the virus. Johns Hopkins University says the seven-day rolling average of daily deaths in Iowa has risen over the past two weeks from nearly 16 deaths per day on Nov. 10 to 28 deaths per day on Nov. 24. In the month of November alone, 555 people in Iowa have died of COVID-19.
The number of deaths attributed to a pre-existing condition statewide are at 1,321, while deaths at Long-Term Care facilities amount to 1,023. Six more long-term care facilities report COVID-19 outbreaks, bringing the total to 149. Those care facilities report 4,604 positive cases and 1,899 recovered. Cass County’s three LTC facilities have a total of 207 confirmed positive cases and 123 recovered.
Officials say there have been 3,435 new confirmed, Positive cases of the virus reported since yesterday, for a total since the pandemic began, of 218,947. Cass County has 30 new, Positive cases of COVID, for a total of 785.
Hospitalizations have fallen from 1,351 yesterday to 1,305 today. There are: 269 patients in intensive care (6 less than Tue.); 198 patients admitted in the last 24 hours, up 33 from a day earlier, and there are 150 people on a ventilator, five less than Tuesday. In western/southwestern Iowa: there are 64 COVID patients in the hospital (down from 71 Tues.); 19 are in an ICU; six people were admitted to a hospital, and eight people are on a ventilator.
The state’s data shows that 1,185,853 Iowans have been tested for coronavirus. Test results received yesterday amounted to 7,167, with 5,551 coming back Negative and 1,576 Positive. Iowa’s statewide 14-day positivity rate continues to decline, now at 19.1%. That’s down from 19.7% a day earlier. The Individual Positivity rate is 18.5%. Cass County’s Positivity rate is at 20.3%. Union County has the highest rate in southwest Iowa, at 24.2%. Audubon County is the lowest, at 11.1%.
The IDPH says 122,047 Iowans have recovered from the virus. In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases in each county, along with the 24-hour change in case numbers {+#}; the number of persons recovered, and the total number of [deaths] (if any), since the pandemic began,
Fremont County Sheriff Kevin Aistrope reports his Deputies, along with the Fremont County K9 Unit, arrested a Pottawattamie County man on numerous charges Tuesday, following a traffic stop on Interstate 29.
Steve Knight booking photo (Courtesy Fremont County S/O)
Aistrope says 52-year old Steven Joseph Knight, of Council Bluffs faces charges that include:
• 2 Felony counts of Theft in the 2nd Degree.
• 3 counts of Possession of Drug Paraphernalia.
• Operating (a vehicle) without the Owners Consent.
• Possession of Burglary Tools.
• and, Driving While Suspended
In addition, Knight was cited for:
• An insufficient Number of Headlights; Fail to Maintain Minimum Speed; Failure to Carry Registration Card; Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance; Having No Valid Commercial Driver License, and Violation of Hazardous Materials Transportation Regulations. He was being held in the Fremont County Jail on $12,900 cash bond.
(Radio Iowa) – An Iowa Lottery ticket with a six-figure prize will expire Monday unless the owner comes forward to collect. Iowa Lottery spokesperson, Mary Neubauer, says the Powerball ticket had four numbers and a multiplier that makes it worth 100-thousand dollars. “We’re never sure — did someone only check the ticket for the jackpot and when they realized they didn’t win the jackpot they didn’t check any further — or maybe they never even checked this ticket in the first place,” she says.
The ticket was purchased at a Quick Trip convenience store in Des Moines nearly one year ago on November 27th. Nuebauer says November 27th falls on a holiday, so they holder of the ticket has until 4 p-m Monday to claim the prize at on of the Iowa Lottery’s regional offices. Nuebauer says the location of the convenience store raises a lot of possibilities about the owner. She says the convenience store is on Fluer Drive in Des Moines that is not that far from the Des Moines Airport, so it could be anyone from anywhere.
Neubauer says the holiday puts a little more of a time crunch on if the owner finds the ticket and wants to cash it in. “Lottery offices will be closed Wednesday through Friday of this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. So, it’s more than likely that whomever would have this ticket then would be in a position to have to cash it in on Monday if they figure it out over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend,” according to Neubauer. She says they do occasionally have prizes that go unclaimed for one reason or another. She says the money from unclaimed prizes goes back into the pool to pay other prizes.
The winning numbers on the ticket are: 15-26-37-53-55 and Powerball 21. The Power Play number was 2.
(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s cancelled her family’s Thanksgiving gathering. The governor’s current public health emergency proclamation limits the size of family gatherings to no more than 15. Reynolds made a direct appeal to Iowans during her news conference yesterday (Tuesday). “Consider the amount of planning that typically goes into the holidays, from preparing our family’s favorite meals to purchasing special gifts from those we love,” Reynolds says. “This year, I ask that you put that same time and effort into keeping your family healthy this holiday season, which may mean having to adjust your traditions.”
The governor says number of Covid patients in Iowa hospitals appears to have stabilized over the past five days, but one third of Iowa’s Covid cases this year were reported in this month alone. Reynolds says that means many forecasts predict hospital numbers and Covid deaths WILL increase in Iowa — by varying degrees — over the next few weeks. “We’re talking with the leaders of our health systems and our hospitals, we’re reaching out to long term care facilities and we’re discussing additional steps that may need to be taken to keep our most vulnerable safe and I’m asking you to have that same focus,” Reynolds says. “Concentrate on what you can do now and over the next four weeks to stop the spread.”
Reynolds says her consistent goal throughout the pandemic has been to ensure Iowa hospitals have the capacity for Covid patients and others who need care. “It’s easy to look back and see if you maybe should have done more or don’t less and handled a little bit differently. I’ve tried to be very targeted in the mitigation efforts that we’ve put in place,” Reynolds says. The governor says it’s easy to second guess her actions and her response to the pandemic hasn’t been perfect, but Reynolds says she’s had to balance public health and economic concerns.
“You have to be careful about over-mitigating to people and having them still feel like they’re still part of the answer, the solution — and we’re not over asking,” Reynolds says. “I mean, you’ve got people and businesses that are protesting and rioting in California.”
Video posted on Twitter showed dozens of protesters carrying American and Trump campaign flags in Huntington Beach, California, stayed out past a 10 p.m. curfew set by that state’s governor this past weekend. The 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew went into effect Saturday in much of California. Last week in Omaha, about three dozen people held a protest against mask mandates.
(Radio Iowa) – Updated results posted on the Iowa Secretary of State’s website show Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks leading Democrat Rita Hart by just 35 votes in Iowa’s still-undecided second congressional district race. More than 394-thousand votes were cast in the contest. Hart asked for a recount in all 24 counties in the second congressional district. Most counties have finished the process, but the final tally in the district’s largest county will not be certified today (Wednesday) as originally planned.
The Quad City Times cites a Scott County Supervisor as saying it appears there’s an error in the count of absentee ballots, suggesting the overall tally for Scott County could be off by more than 12 dozen votes. An attorney for the Miller-Meeks campaign issued a statement, saying the delay for a recheck of the recount is appropriate, to ensure results are properly verified.
Monday, November 30th is the day Iowa’s secretary of state is to certify statewide election results. However, this contest could continue after that if one or both campaigns ask a judge to review the recount process and rule on which ballots may be included in the final results.
FORT DODGE – A correctional officer was assaulted Tuesday afternoon, by an inmate at the Fort Dodge Correctional Facility. The Iowa Dept. of Corrections says the incident happened at around 1:30-p.m.. While an officer was escorting an inmate to their cell, the inmate assaulted the officer by the use of closed fist strikes to the officer’s face. Additional staff arrived quickly to assist in securing the inmate, and during the scuffle, another officer suffered minor injuries as well.
The officer that was assaulted was taken to the local hospital for treatment of his injuries via state vehicle. He has since been treated and released. The other officer that suffered minor injuries in the incident was seen by FDCF medical staff, and has also since been released. The inmate did not suffer any major injuries.
This incident remains under investigation.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:20 a.m. CST
JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds is offering no new measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Iowa, even as a federal report warns of the unmitigated community spread that continues to claim lives, particularly in nursing homes. Iowa on Tuesday reported coronavirus outbreaks in 143 nursing homes. State data shows more than 4,500 care center residents are infected with the virus and 1,008 residents of long-term care facilities with COVID-19 have died in the past eight months. The deteriorating situation for nursing homes reflects overall trends in Iowa, which on Tuesday reported 18 additional deaths and 3,860 new confirmed cases.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Church officials say a Roman Catholic professor will return to teaching and the ministry, with restrictions, after an inquiry found he misbehaved sexually in the 1990s but not against minors. A Diocese of Des Moines investigation found that the allegations against the Rev. Robert “Bud” Grant did not involve a minor because the complainant was “above majority age” at the time. The diocese says Grant engaged in behavior in the early 1990s that violated the 6th Commandment ban on adultery and his priestly promises. Grant is expected to return to teaching at St. Ambrose University in Davenport in the spring.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — A panel has determined that a white Iowa police officer who shot and paralyzed a Black man during a 2016 traffic stop will not get his job back. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the city’s Civil Service Commission on Monday voted not to reinstate Officer Lucas Jones. His attorney says an appeal is planned. Jones was fired in June, but not for the 2016 incident in which critics say he unfairly pulled over and needlessly shot a fleeing Jerime Mitchell. He was fired over his handling of a traffic stop two days before he shot Mitchell in which he gave a Black female motorist a major break.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A man has been arrested in connection with the September shooting at a private club in Iowa that left two people dead and several others injured. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 21-year-old Willie Edward Saffold Jr., 21, was booked Monday on a charge of intimidation with a weapon and felon in possession of a firearm., the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported. Police say in an affidavit he was observed shooting multiple times into a crowd of people. Deputies with the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office picked Saffold up Monday at the Cook County Jail in Chicago. He is the first person charged in connection with the Sept. 26 shooting.
IOWA CITY – Another prison inmate in Iowa has died from COVID-19. The Iowa Dept. of Corrections said Tuesday, 68-year old Frederick William Lewis was pronounced dead Monday afternoon, at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. Officials his his death was likely due to complications related to COVID-19 and other preexisting medical conditions. Lewis is the 10th prison inmate in the Iowa prison system to die from the virus.
Originally housed at the Anamosa State Penitentiary, Lewis had been taken to the hospital several days earlier for more advanced care as his medical condition began to worsen. He was serving a life sentence for Sexual Abuse 1st Degree and other crimes from Dubuque County. His sentence began on July 18, 1997.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — A man has been arrested in connection with the September shooting at a private club in Iowa that left two people dead and several others injured. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 21-year-old Willie Edward Saffold Jr., 21, was booked Monday on a charge of intimidation with a weapon and felon in possession of a firearm., the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reported. Police say in an affidavit he was observed shooting multiple times into a crowd of people.
Deputies with the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office picked Saffold up Monday at the Cook County Jail in Chicago. He is the first person charged in connection with the Sept. 26 shooting.
Officials with Fareway’s Corporate Headquarters said Tuesday (Today), beginning Friday, November 27th, and until further notice, all Fareway stores and meat markets will be open Monday-Saturday from 8 a.m. – 7 p.m. The early closure will provide additional time for cleaning and sanitation and for restocking inventory. Closing earlier will also give their employees additional time off through the holiday season.
As part of these new hours, the first hour of business from 8 – 9 a.m. will continue to be reserved for those customers who are 65 and over, expecting mothers, those living with a serious chronic medical condition, and anyone with an underlying medical condition that increases the susceptibility to serious illness from COVID-19.