(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.

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.

Iowa Third District Democrat Representative Congresswoman Cindy Axne made the rounds in southwest Iowa, Tuesday. One of her stops was in Atlantic, where she spoke with KJAN News with respect to a number of topics. Axne says Iowans are still “still hurting a lot,” from the effects of the Coronavirus pandemic. She said “Unfortunately we’re starting to run into some difficult times in regard to people not having what they need to put food on the table. Certainly State and local municipalities are losing a lot of revenue that is going to be needed to make sure that we can keep our teachers and our police officers employed, and all of those things that we rely on.”

She said “We’re all ready to have this COVID over, we all know that, but I certainly think people are buckling down trying to stay safe and in the mean time really knowing that if we don’t at least get one other good package through to assist with COVID, that we’re gonna be in a bad place this Fall.” She said with regard to the economic relief package, she’s “working hard to make that happen.”

Axne said with regard to a mandatory face mask policy in Iowa, “I think we should,” based on the scientific data available. “Data shows that we can reduce the transmission [of the virus]. President Trumps Administration has advised that Iowa does this. The [CDC] has advised that Iowa go to a mask mandate, so I’m gonna listen to the folks who do this for a living, who read the data, and who say that ‘if we put masks on, we can lower the spread.” She a national mask mandate should also be in-place. Axne says if a mandate and additional procedures had been in-place early on, “We could probably be back to a much more normal lifestyle by now, instead of seeing bars closed again, businesses get hurt again, because we didn’t want to ‘buckle down.”

When asked if she supports House Speak Nancy Pelosi’s bargaining position with the White House, with regard to a second pandemic relief package, Axne said she’s in favor of the House and Senate coming together on a final COVID bill. The problem, she says, is “We have people on both sides of the aisle, Republicans and Democrats who have put fat into the bill. We have people who won’t come off a negotiation because of some pet project that they’ve gotten there. Instead of focusing on the big issues that we’re facing right now.

“People who need some money in their pockets because they’re unemployed, folks who are going to be kicked-out of their rental housing because they can’t afford it any longer, businesses that won’t be able to start-up again and provide money for their family, PPE for our teachers and our schools to make sure they can educate our kids…these are the things we should be caring about…not laptops for congressional workers that the Democrats have in the bill, and not a new FBI building the Republicans have in the bill. Let’s come to the table with the clean stuff, and let’s get this thing done.”

Pelosi has said she and the Democrats could compromise on a $2.2-Trillion limit, while the White House indicated its support for going up to $1.3-Trillion. Axne says she expects to see a package closer to the $2.2-Trillion by the time all is said and done.

And, with regard to the upcoming elections, Axne says she thinks the race between Republican Incumbent Senator Joni Ernst and her Democrat challenger Teresa Greenfield, will be “Really tough. I think that it was Joni’s to have, but unfortunately I think she’s slippin’ a little bit. She needs to be doing some stuff for Iowans, like stepping up and saying ‘I want ethanol literally listed as a recipient for support,” because our ethanol industry is dying by the wayside. Greenfield, she said, is “Getting a lot of traction, she understands the district.” She expects it to be a “toss-up.”

As for her own race against Republican David Young, Axne says her record shows she’s stood-up for Iowa and she’s hoping to continue working for Iowans and being the voice for their interests.

(Radio Iowa) — Former U-S Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack has some advice for current AG Secretary Sonny Perdue, who is scheduled to visit Iowa tomorrow (Thursday). “First and foremost Secretary Perdue obviously needs to visit a farm. He needs to talk to farmers and he also needs to hear the concerns that have been expressed by the biofuels industry about the waivers,” Vilsack says.

The oil industry is seeking exemptions from the Renewable Fuels Standard requirement that ethanol be blended into gasoline. Vilsack says Perdue can carry the message from farm country back to Washington. “He needs to hear the fact that the EPA is sitting on 98 waivers,” Vilsack says, “that they need to be acted on and denied.” Vilsack says four billion fewer gallons of ethanol have been produced over the last several years, pushing corn prices lower.

Perdue is scheduled to take a helicopter tour over fields leveled by last month’s derecho and visit agribusinesses in the Ames area. Perdue also plans to visit a farm where wetlands have been restored.

An open burning ban is in-place for Pottawattamie County, until further notice. The ban went into effect at 5-p.m. Tuesday, September 1st. It prohibits all open and controlled burning in Pottawattamie County, Iowa, including all incorporated city limits within the county.

Pott. County EMA

The current drought conditions throughout the county in combination with unharvested crops present an increased risk for the potential of rapid fire spread. Controlled fires can quickly become uncontrollable.

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Integrated Drought Information System (NIDIS) program, Pottawattamie County is currently classified in the Severe Drought (D2) classification. More information on current drought conditions can be found at https://www.drought.gov/drought/states/iowa.

Pott. County Emergency Management Director Doug Reed says “Pottawattamie County has seen the devastating effects of fire in extreme conditions and we want to do everything we can to help mitigate incidents like that from occurring.” During these dry conditions, citizens are reminded to not throw out cigarettes from moving vehicles and to discontinue burning yard waste, piled tree debris, grass/agricultural ground and set-asides or other items during the ban.

Small recreational camp fires are permitted only if they are conducted in a fire place of brick, metal or heavy one-inch wire mesh. Any camp fire not in an outdoor fire place is prohibited.

The Glenwood Police Department reports two separate arrests. Authorities say 33-year old William Meredith was arrested on Monday, on two counts of Domestic Abuse Assault. Meredith was being held without bond pending an appearance before the magistrate. And, 33-year old Angelo Boggs, of Bellevue, Nebraska, was arrested Sunday, in Glenwood, for OWI and Child Endangerment. Boggs was held on a $3,000 cash or surety bond.

Officials with the Harlan Police Department report 54-year old Jeffrey Allen Rowland, SR., of Harlan, was cited Friday, for Driving While Suspended. And, on Sunday, 26-year old Dylan Scott Rowland, of Harlan, was arrested for Public Intoxication.

Authorities said also, no injuries were reported following an accident in the 1100 block of Chatburn Avenue, on Aug. 27th.  A 2017 SUV driven by Elyse Sorensen, of Harlan, was traveling west in the outside lane next to another vehicle. A 2007 Chevy Monte Carlo, drive by Enya Fleshaman, of Harlan, made a left-hand turn into the Dollar General entrance, in front of Sorensen’s 2017 Ford Explorer. Sorensen didn’t see the Chevy until it was obstructing the traffic flow.