OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — More than half of bankers surveyed in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states are projecting a drop in holiday retail sales this year from last year as the coronavirus pandemic worsens across the country. The Rural Mainstreet Survey’s overall index fell to 46.8 in November from October’s 53.2. It’s the first time since April that the index has fallen, but it remains well ahead of the 35.5 reading in March, when the index bottomed out as the outbreak began. Any score below 50 suggests a shrinking economy, while a score above 50 suggests a growing economy.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds today (Thursday) warned there will be an increase in the number of COVID-19 outbreaks at Long-Term Care facilities (LTC’s) throughout the State. At 10-a.m. Today (Thursday), the Coronavirus dashboard indicated there were 94 outbreaks. During her press conference, the Governor said 120 new outbreaks are expected to show-up on the dashboard this afternoon, for a total of 114 active cases.

There are approximately 443 LTC’s in the State. The governor said the dashboard is being updated to show the number of new cases over the past 14 days in facilities with active outbreaks.

Governor Reynolds announced also, $14-million worth of CARES ACT spending will be allocated to Iowa’s Long Term Care facilities to assist with the increased costs related to testing and staffing.

Atlantic, IA – As part of National Rural Health Day, Cass County Health System Thursday (today) announced it has been recognized by The Chartis Center of Rural Health and the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) for overall excellence in Quality and Outcomes. The Performance Leadership Award program utilizes the results of the Hospital Strength INDEX® to recognize top quartile performance among Critical Access Hospitals and Rural & Community Hospitals. CCHS CEO Brett Altman said “We are very pleased to receive this recognition of being in the top 25% for both quality and outcomes of more than 2,200 rural hospitals across the country. This is a direct result of the outstanding team we have who strive to make these quality and outcome measures a top priority with every patient, every time.”

Celebrating its tenth anniversary, the INDEX is the industry’s most comprehensive and objective assessment of rural hospital performance. Based entirely on publicly available data sources, the INDEX methodology is the data foundation for a number of industry-leading rural recognition programs, rural health safety net-related research, and legislative initiatives. Performance Leadership Award recipients are rural hospitals ranking in the 75th percentile or above in the INDEX performance pillars for Quality, Outcomes, or Patient Perspective.

“Despite the fact that COVID-19 has created greater instability across the rural health safety net, we continue to see countless examples of rural hospitals rising to the challenge to serve their communities,” said Michael Topchik, National Leader, The Chartis Center for Rural Health. “I believe this dedication to mission and drive to overcome unexpected challenges echoes the long-standing commitment among rural hospitals to deliver high-quality care. We are thrilled to honor this year’s top quartile performers.”

“Across the nation, rural hospitals have been working exceptionally hard to adjust to the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. While it has not been an easy year, I believe the perseverance displayed by rural hospitals and their partners at the State Offices of Rural Health exemplifies the true spirit of National Rural Health Day,” said Teryl Eisinger, Chief Executive Officer, NOSORH. “We are delighted to join The Chartis Center for Rural Health in honoring the 2020 Performance Leadership Award winners.”

(Radio Iowa) – A lawsuit related to the Covid outbreak at a Tyson meatpacking plant in Waterloo alleges managers and supervisors placed cash bets on how many workers would contract the virus. The Iowa Capital Dispatch was first to report on the allegations in a lawsuit filed by the family of a plant employee who died of the coronavirus in late April. The plant’s manager is accused of running the winner-take-all betting pool on how many workers would get Covid. Another upper-level manager is also named in the lawsuit and accused of telling employees Covid-19 was “not a big deal” and was basically a “glorified flu.”

The lawsuit alleges top managers at the Waterloo plant shifted their responsibilities to lower-level employees so they could avoid the plant floor this spring as the virus spread among workers. Tyson issued a written statement, saying it will not comment on the specific allegations outlined in the lawsuit. The company says it has taken protective measures at all Tyson plants that exceed federal guidelines for working in close quarters during the pandemic.

(Radio Iowa) – More than 63-hundred Iowa workers filed an initial claim for unemployment benefits last week. That’s about 11-hundred more first-time claims for unemployment than the previous week. It mirrors the national trend in rising claims for unemployment benefits. A news release from Iowa Workforce Development did not indicate how many of those job losses were due to the pandemic, but the agency indicated 44 percent of last week’s claims were from people who said their layoff was NOT related to Covid.

Officials say November is the start of a four-month period of seasonal layoffs in the construction, landscaping, agriculture and manufacturing industries.

Police in Glenwood report the arrest on Thursday (today), of 41-year old Michael Rupe, from Glenwood. Rupe was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense, with his cash or surety bond set at $1,000.

(Radio Iowa) – A central Iowa grandmother who beat the overwhelming odds as a five-year pancreatic cancer survivor is pushing for greater awareness on this World Pancreatic Cancer Day (Thursday). Pam Anderson, of Clive, says in order to fight the world’s most deadly cancer, people need to be aware of the possible symptoms, though they’re often mistaken for something else or disregarded entirely. “They are very vague and that’s the problem,” Anderson says. “You could have abdominal pain, back pain, digestive issues — which is what I had. Jaundice, by the time you get to jaundice, you’re usually pretty far into it. Unexpected weight loss, it’s things like that that a lot of people just ignore.”

The survival rate for pancreatic cancer remains the lowest of all cancers, but that rate moved up from six- to ten-percent in the past several years. “When I was diagnosed, I had a 6% chance of being on this phone call today,” Anderson says. “To me, that’s a big jump. It doesn’t seem like a big jump to the world and it’s certainly not good enough. Six-hundred people will be diagnosed in Iowa this year, more than 500 of those will die. That’s really a terrible statistic.”

Pancreatic cancer has claimed the lives of several notable figures in recent months, including Georgia Representative John Lewis, U-S Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and game show host Alex Trebek. Anderson, who volunteers with the Des Moines affiliate of the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, was diagnosed in July of 2015. She acknowledges she’s among the rare, very lucky survivors and says it’s absolutely changed her outlook on life. “I’m a grandmother who spends a great deal of time with her grandchildren,” Anderson says. “I want to pay it forward as much as I can. I shout it from the rooftops that I’m a survivor. Anybody who knows me knows I had pancreatic cancer because I don’t hide it. I’m living my life. I do think we all approach life differently when your own mortality stares you in the face.”

Learn more about the third leading cause of cancer death in the United States at www.pancan.org.

The City of Atlantic’s Yard Waste site is once again open. It was closed Wednesday due to high winds and low humidity that could have increased the risk of a large fire. The yard waste site will remain open during normal hours of operations, as long as the winds don’t create a repeat of the problem experienced Wednesday. Officials remind users also, the City’s Yard Waste Site is for Atlantic residents only. “Please be respectful of that,” they said, “So that it does not get overloaded.”

Atlantic Community School District Food Service Director Natalie Ritter, Wednesday, provided the school board an update with the latest developments in her department from the past few months, including a change in the free breakfast and lunch program for all district students, that began Sept. 21^st.

Atlantic CSD Food Service Director Natalie Ritter

The waiver application was approved the first week of this month. Ritter says since they’ve received approval to serve free breakfasts and lunches through the remainder of the current school year, they’ve seen an increase in the number of those students who participate, to around 75 on average. The waiver helps those who struggle to pay their lunch account balances and who are on the brink of receiving reduced lunches.

The only thing that has changed with the free breakfast and lunches is the billing at the end of the month and the paperwork the kitchen managers must do at the end of the day.

Ritter said the District’s Food Service Department is helping remote learners and quarantined kids, by providing “Grab n’ Go” meals that can be picked up Monday’s, from 3:15-to 3:30-p.m. The packages are enough for five days of meals – both breakfast and lunch.

Some of the meals have to be heated-up in the microwave or oven, prior to eating. Natalie says when parents request to be on the Grab n’ Go list, she sends out a Google.doc form for them to fill out. There are a total of 35 kids utilizing the opportunity, with emails coming in every day, she said, wanting to be added. She said also, the school’s “Farm to School Garden” has served local produce in the high school, middle school, Schuler and Washington Schools from August until the first part of October. That includes tomatoes, peppers and onions.

She said Junior Brian York was selected to be in charge of the garden and possibly turn it into a business. Natalie said Brian has done an amazing job taking care of the planting, harvesting and shipping to the food service departments. She hopes they can have more fresh produce options coming from the garden next year.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports 26-year old Lucas Evan Neitzel, of Creston, was arrested Monday night, after he was seen being unable to stay in his lane and following a traffic stop on Highway 34 at the Adams-Union County line. Neitzel was charged with OWI/1st offense, and cited for Operating a Non-Registered Vehicle. He was issued a warning for having no proof of insurance. Bond was set at $1,000.