The Iowa Department of Public Health’s Coronavirus dashboard today (as of 10-a.m.), said there are 775 new (Positive) COVID-19 cases (for a total of 76,050 to-date) and one death has taken place, since 10-a.m., Tuesday (for a total of 1,234 to-date). Officials say 5,164 lab result have been processed since Tuesday. The data show: 4,620 new Negative cases (For a total of 633,911); 55,005 Iowans have recovered from the virus since the pandemic began. IDPH reported 712,919 Iowans have been tested for COVID-19.  Officials reported an 8.6% positivity rate over the last 14 days.

Of those who died, 856 had a pre-existing condition, and 653 of the deaths took place at a Long-Term Care (LTC) facility. In the KJAN listening area: Guthrie, Montgomery and Shelby Counties have one more positive case each, of COVID-19. Pottawattamie County has 33 new cases, Harrison and Madison Counties have two new cases, each, and Mills County shows four new, positive cases. No deaths have been reported across the KJAN listening area since Sept. 12th.

Across the State, hospitalizations have increased by six, to 291. The number of patients with COVID-19 who are in an ICU is up five, to 79; eight more people were admitted to a hospital with symptoms of the virus, for a total of 44, and 32 patients were on ventilators, three more than reported Tuesday. In western/southwest Iowa, hospitals report No change to the data from Tuesday into today: There are 11 hospitalized; Six in an ICU; There were no new admissions, and one person remains on  ventilator.

There are two more LTC outbreaks, at 38, with 901 patients/staff testing positive for COVID-19, and 442 have recovered.

Here are the latest positive case numbers for southwest/western Iowa (County; Positive Case #’s; number of persons who have (recovered); {deaths since the outbreak began}.

• Cass County: 122 cases; (113); 2 deaths
• Adair County: 57 cases; (40); 1 death
• Adams County: 27 cases; (21)
• Audubon County: 46 cases; (30); 1 death
• Guthrie County: 206 cases; (155); 5 deaths
• Montgomery County: 84 cases; (78); 5 deaths
• Pottawattamie County: 1,861 cases; (1,561); 36 deaths
• Shelby County: 235 cases; (224); 1 death.
• Madison County, 188; (148); 2 deaths
• Harrison County, 164 cases; (149); 2 deaths
• Union County: 105 cases; (84); 3 deaths.
• Mills County: 153 cases; (110); 1 death.

(Radio Iowa) – Construction is underway on a new barge loading and unloading terminal on the Missouri River near Blencoe in western Iowa. When complete, the facility will accommodate 240-thousand tons of soybeans, corn, dried distillers’ grain and dry fertilizer per year. Soy Transportation Coalition executive director Mike Steenhoek says the terminal will provide a new route for Northern Plains commodities to the Gulf of Mexico. “They have a design and intention to load a modest number of barges for the export market of soybeans yet this fall in November to December,” Steenhoek says. “For farmers in the western part of the state of Iowa, it really is exciting. It provides a new marketing option.”

The farmer-owned NEW Cooperative in Fort Dodge owns the terminal. Steenhoek says the Missouri River is underused for shipping ag commodities and the NEW Co-op facility will help producers ship their product in a more cost-effective way rather than by rail. “The Missouri River could be more actively utilized from a navigation perspective, particularly for agriculture,” Steenhoek says. “Whether it’s exports for soybeans, DDGs, corn, inbound shipments for fertilizer, the inland waterway system makes a lot of sense.”

Steenhoek says having the NEW Cooperatives facility on the Missouri River could encourage the building of other terminals downriver in order to take advantage of using barge traffic to ship ag commodities.”The Missouri River will never rival the Ohio, the Mississippi, or the Illinois River in terms of volume of freight moved, but we do think it is a maritime highway that should be used more than it is,” he says. “It could be an additional marketing opportunity for farmers in that region.”

That includes not only Iowa and Nebraska, but Missouri, Kansas and South Dakota. He says initial phases of construction should be complete within two months.

(Radio Iowa) – The Des Moines School Board has directed the district’s superintendent to come up with a new plan for both in-person AND virtual classes, but during a meeting last (Tuesday) night, the board did not set a time frame for bringing students back into school buildings. The state’s largest district started the school year with most students taking classes online, without a state waiver to do so. Board member Kalyn Cody argues virtual instruction is safest at this point in the pandemic.

“I mean if we open up all 60 of our buildings, that’s 60 potential hotspots within a 20 mile radius, but that’s going to spread outward very, very quickly,” Cody said. Board member Kelli Soyer says she’s worried about the students who are struggling with virtual instruction. “It’s not working for everyone,” she said. Board member Terri Caldwell-Johnson agrees. “I feel like we’re failing a lot of our students,” Caldwell-Johnson said.

Board member Rob Barron says the district has to balance the need to protect staff with growing demands from parents who want their kids back in the classroom.”I don’t take lightly being out of compliance with the state, but even if we were to say: ‘Come hell or high water we are bringing everybody back in person,’ that doesn’t happen tomorrow,” Barron said. “We are still out of compliance probably at least a few weeks before we can turn that model around and bring kids back.”

A handful of parents spoke to the board during a period for public comment at the beginning of the meeting. Holly Kilborn-O’Neall says online classes provide the safest and most consistent connections for students and teachers. “This first week of school has gone remarkably well,” she said. Justin Minor is among 70 percent of parents who responded this summer that they wanted their kids to return to classrooms. “Let’s mask up and go to school,” he said.

There are about 33-thousand students in the Des Moines Public Schools.

(Radio Iowa) – A Fort Dodge man is in custody after authorities say he hit a Wright County deputy with the deputy’s own squad car. At about 2 p.m. yesterday (Tuesday) on Highway 17 in Eagle Grove, the deputy stopped the vehicle 31-year-old Sean McMillan was driving. McMillan was a suspect in a disturbance earlier in the day in nearby Goldfield.

The deputy arrested McMillan, handcuffed him and put him in the squad car’s passenger seat. The deputy then went back to McMillan’s vehicle to deal with a passenger there. According to a news release from the Iowa Department of Public Safety, McMillan jumped the console of the squad car, drove at and hit the deputy and the officer fired one round, which hit the windshield. McMillan soon ditched the deputy’s car and ran, but was found hiding in a home in Eagle Grove and arrested again.

The deputy was treated and released from a local hospital.

The Harlan Police Department reports six arrests took place from Sept. 1st through the 14th. On Monday (9/14), 40-year old Jason Robin Conway Emery, of Harlan, was charged with theft 2nd possession of stolen property.

Last Friday, 44-year old David Patrick Jackson, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop. Jackson was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with operating while intoxicated and fail to obey stop sign. And, 22-year old Cameron Donald Jacobsen, of Harlan, was cited for driving while suspended following a traffic stop.

On Sept. 6th, 31-year old Ryan Lee Cox, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant. Cox was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with harassment. And, 21-year old Frank Clarke Knowles, of Harlan, was arrested following a call for service. Knowles was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with assault.

Sept, 3rd, Harlan Police arrested 40-year old Jason Robin Conway Emery, of, Harlan, on a charge of  public intoxication. And, on Sept. 1st, 49-year old John August Fiebelkorn, of Harlan, was arrested on an active Shelby County warrant. Fiebelkorn was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with terroristic threats.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds will let bars, breweries and taverns in four counties reopen, less than three weeks after she order them closed after a surge in coronavirus cases. In a proclamation that is effective Wednesday, Reynolds said bars may reopen in Black Hawk, Dallas, Linn and Polk counties.

Restaurants in those counties may also resume serving alcohol without the restrictions she implemented on Aug. 27. Bars must remain closed in Johnson and Story counties, where the University of Iowa and Iowa State University are located.

The state Health Department reported 12 people died in the past 24 hours as of 10 a.m. Tuesday, and there were 508 new confirmed coronavirus cases.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police say a suspect in a homicide earlier this month is no longer facing charges. Police announced Tuesday that new evidence led them to drop a first-degree murder charge against 27-year-old Michael Jermaine Jacobs. He was accused of shooting 36-year-old Sean Newman in September in a neighborhood near Drake University. The new evidence found inconsistencies in statements from a witness but police did not release more information. Thirty-three-year-old Whitney Davis is still charged with first-degree murder in the case.

Atlantic Fire responded to a house fire at 311 Cedar Street, at about 1:15 p.m. Tuesday. Fire Chief Tom Cappel says when he arrived, the house was basically fully involved, with heavy smoke and flames were emitting from the south side of the residence out of a window and one door with a window.

Ric Hanson/photos

Heavy smoke was also coming out from underneath the gutters. Crews knocked down the flames and ventilated the roof along with the interior. The cause remained undetermined as of late Tuesday afternoon. Cappel said there was no one living in the home, and no electricity or gas was hooked-up.

Assisting the Atlantic Fire Department on the scene was Officers with the Atlantic Police Department, Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon, and Cass County EMS.

(Radio Iowa) – The prolonged pandemic is making a Iowa’s already-bad hunger situation even worse, according to the head of the food bank that serves 55 of the state’s counties. Michelle Book, C-E-O of the Food Bank of Iowa, says she’s losing hope for an economic turnaround and plans on the situation not improving until perhaps early in 2022. “We were all hopeful that we would see another stimulus check and that we would see additional unemployment support between now and the election and it just doesn’t look like that’s going to be reality,” Book says. “Families continue to be pinched. Unemployment remains at all-time highs.”

Demand for food in Iowa was high prior to the onset of the COVID-19 crisis, and it’s only continued to rise. “Food insecurity is double today from what it was March 1st, triple for households that have children,” Book says. “So, the need continues to be strong. We are forecasting that we’ll have an extended food insecurity issue at least through December of 2021.” September is being observed as Hunger Action Month nationwide and she’s urging Iowans to get involved.

“We’re asking the public to take action,” Book says. “We have more awareness items showing up on our social media. We’ve been talking to a lot of partners. We really believe that acting together, all of us, we can end hunger one helping at at time.” About 175,000 Iowans struggle with hunger in the 55 counties the Des Moines-based Food Bank of Iowa serves. It moves 1.2 million pounds of food -per month- through a distribution center, to 625 partner agencies, including food pantries, soup kitchens, shelters and schools. Donations can be made online at foodbankiowa.org

(Radio Iowa) – The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports most state employees will pay slightly higher monthly premiums next year if they get their health insurance through the State of Iowa. Officials expect 54-thousand state employees and their eligible dependents to be covered by one of two plans offered by Wellmark Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Under one option, called Iowa Choice, an employee will start paying seven percent of the premium costs for an individual plan next year and 10 percent of the premium for a family plan. Under the National Choice plan, a state employee will start paying 15 percent of the premium on an individual policy. The cost for a family plan under the National Choice option will remain the same, with an employee paying 17 percent of the monthly premium.

The Gazette reports the state Executive Council approved the higher premium costs on a two-to-one vote. State Treasurer Michael Fitzgerald voted no. He objected to having employees pay more for their health care benefits in a year when families are trying to navigate the pandemic.