The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports one arrest and one accident took place recently. Late Tuesday morning, 34-year old Michael Edward Baker, of Creston, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center on two Union County warrants for probation violation. Baker was released from the Union County Jail on $4,000 bond.

And, at around 3:20-p.m. Saturday, a 2010 Honda Civic driven by 65-year old Dorthea Raue Ellis, of Murray, was traveling northbound on Yellow Rose Avenue in Union County, when the vehicle went out of control on the gravel, just south of 130th Street. The car entered the west ditch and rolled onto its passenger side. The damage was estimated at $3,500. Ellis – who wearing her seat belt – was extricated from her vehicle by mechanical means. She complained of pain, but was not treated at the scene or transported to a hospital.

The Creston Police Department reports two men were arrested on separate charges, Tuesday. 43-year old Ronald Spurgin, of Osceola, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center (LEC) on a Union County Warrant for Failure to serve jail time as ordered, on the original charge of Violation of a No Contact Order. He was being held in the Union County Jail to serve balance of sentence. And, 43-year old Travis Wambold, of Fontanelle, was arrested at the Union County LEC on a Union County Warrant for Violation of Probation, on the original charge of Harassment 1st . He was being held in the Union County Jail on a $500 bond.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A longtime special education teacher with Des Moines Public Schools has died of complications from the coronavirus. District spokesman Phil Roeder said the teacher at the Ruby Van Meter School for intellectually disabled students fell ill after an out-of-state trip and died this week. He did not release the teacher’s name or gender for privacy reasons.

The death is believed to be among the first of an Iowa educator during the pandemic. A 73-year-old gym teacher at Iowa City Regina High School died in April, and the state’s coronavirus website lists only one known death of an educator. Roeder said the teacher had not been in the classroom for several months.

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

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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 City Council in Walnut will meet in a regular monthly session 5-p.m., Thursday, at the Walnut Community Center (& online via GoToMeeting) (Or by dial-up at 1-312-757-3121, access code 293-270-613). On their agenda is a Public Hearing on a FY2020-21 Budget Amendment, followed by discussion on the amendment, and a vote on adoption of a Resolution amending the current budget for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021.

The Council will also hold discussion with regard to: The Walnut Community & Fitness Center; The Walnut Sesquicentennial Celebration; Property Maintenance (re: 402 Kennedy St.); Zoning matters (including the appointment of a Zoning Administrator), and other matters. They’re expected to act on the adoption of a Resolution to approve the Street Finance Report and discuss a Housing Rehabilitation Grant.

The Walnut City Council will review the City’s Infrastructure Needs Study and Strategic Plan, and hear an Animal Control Update.

(Radio Iowa) – The Woodbury County Board of Supervisors has voted not to appeal a judge’s ruling that nullified absentee ballot request forms mailed to county voters by County Auditor Pat Gill. The forms Gill sent included voter I-D numbers. A lawsuit filed by the Republican Party and President Trump’s campaign argued that violated a state order that all forms mailed by county auditors had to be blank and a judge agreed. Woodbury County Supervisor Justin Wright says Gill should have discussed the mailing with the supervisors before the forms were sent.

“I understand that’s the purview of Auditor Gill,” he said, “but on such a heated issue, we have now invited additional costs to the taxpayer here in Woodbury County.” Wright says he’ll oppose using taxpayer money to finance another mailing of absentee ballot request forms to Woodbury County voters. Marty Pottebaum was the only Woodbury County Supervisor who voted to appeal the judge’s ruling. He also defended Gill’s action.

“With nine elected official in this county, the board of supervisors doesn’t really have control over the other four, nor do I want control of them, by the way,” Pottebaum said. “For them to have to to come to us before they do something — I don’t want the sheriff saying, ‘Well, want to have a meeting before I send a SWAT team somewhere because I might get sued.’ I don’t want that. I want them to do their jobs as they’re elected to do.” Gill, the county auditor, did not speak during the supervisor’s meeting.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa continued to see significant transmission of the coronavirus with the state reporting more than 600 new cases and a federal report pegging Iowa with the nation’s highest rate of virus spread in the country. As of Tuesday morning, state health data shows 684 new confirmed virus cases in the past day with the total case count now at 65,397. Nine more people died for a total of 1,121 deaths. The state health department reported 40 people admitted to hospitals in the last 24 hours. Since late June hospital admissions have been climbing as have the number of those remaining hospitalized and those in intensive care.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has approved help for residents of 10 more counties that were damaged by an August windstorm. Gov. Kim Reynolds said in a news release Tuesday that FEMA now says individuals and business owners in Benton, Boone, Cedar, Jasper, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Story and Tama counties can seek help through the Individual Assistance Program. The program makes money available for costs including housing, personal property replacement and medical expenses. Linn County, which was hardest hit by the Aug. 10 derecho, qualified for the Individual Assistance Program earlier.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in central Iowa have identified a 3-year-old boy who was fatally hit by a car in a Johnston apartment complex parking lot. Police in the Des Moines suburb say Clayton Lloyd was killed in the Sunday afternoon accident. Police say officers and medics were called around 1:15 p.m. Sunday to the parking lot of the Cadence Apartments for reports of a child hit. Police say a car driven by a 23-year-old Johnston resident hit the child. No other details of the crash have been released, and no imminent charges were announced.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new survey of business leaders released Tuesday shows economic improvement in nine Midwest and Plains states. That includes improvements in employment and economic outlook amid the ongoing coronavirus outbreak and the devastation from a rare wind storm earlier in the month. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the survey’s employment index moved above growth neutral 50 for the first time since January, coming in at 54.8 for August, compared with 48.5 in July. The overall index for the region improved to 60 in August from July’s 57.4. Any score above 50 suggests growth. The monthly survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.