The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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Seven people have died from COVID-19 in Iowa since Wednesday’s report, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health, and 669 more people have tested positive for the virus. The death toll now stands at 739, while the number of positive cases is 33,012. Three more persons have tested positive for COVID-19 in Cass County, for a total of 27., while the number of those recovered in the County are unchanged, at 18. Guthrie County reports two more positive cases, for a total of 72, and COVID-19 dashboard shows Pottawattamie County with 762 positive cases, which is up eight from Wednesday.

Statewide, out of the 352,106 tests completed to-date, 318,430 tests have come back as negative for COVID-19, and 26,232 people have recovered from the virus. Statewide RMCC hospitalization data show: 168 COVID-19 patients are in a hospital (3 more than yesterday/Wednesday); 49 are in an ICU (up 5 from yesterday); 32 were admitted to a hospital (compared to 23 yesterday), and 22 were on a ventilator. In southwest/western Iowa RMCC Region 4: Seven are hospitalized (2 more than yesterday); 3 remain in an ICU; 2 were admitted to a hospital (compared to none, yesterday), and there was no one on a ventilator.

Long-Term Care (LTC) facility data show: 17 current outbreaks; 339 residents/staff tested positive for COVID-19; 231 have recovered, and there have been 390 deaths to-date (3 more than yesterday). County-by-County COVID-19 cases, and the number of person who have recovered (   ).

• Cass: 27 (18)
• Adair: 17 [1 more than yesterday] (12)
• Adams: 8 (8)
• Audubon: 16 (15)
• Guthrie: 72 (58)
• Montgomery: 10 (8)
• Pottawattamie: 762 (652)
• Shelby: 117 (105)

(Radio Iowa) – The Omaha District of the U-S Army Corps of Engineers has a new commander. Command was officially passed Wednesday from outgoing Colonel John Hudson to incoming Colonel Mark Himes. Hudson has been commander of the Corps’ Omaha District — which oversees the Missouri River from mid-Missouri to its headwaters — since 2017. In his farewell speech, Hudson recalled the devastating floods that engulfed the river’s lower basin in 2019, causing an estimated two-point-nine billion in damage. “The melting waters quickly overwhelmed every tributary in eastern Nebraska, western Iowa and southeastern South Dakota,” Hudson says. “Within 72 hours, nearly every levee system from Omaha to Kansas City had been over topped and most had breached. In total, more than 300 miles of district levees were damaged or destroyed.”

Work continues on repairing additional levees that were damaged from the flooding and the Corps has spent more than 300 million dollars on repairs. Hudson says he will be retiring from the Army after 26 years. Himes comes to the Omaha District after most recently studying at the U-S Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. He has served in various roles for the Corps, including as deputy commander of the Jacksonville, Florida District. “The history and accomplishments of the Omaha District are unmatched,” Himes says. “From the earliest Civil Works missions to manage the Missouri River, the construction of the six mainstream dam projects, the countless military program successes like building the NORAD Command Center deep inside Cheyenne Mountain or the many military facilities throughout the upper Midwest to protect the nation and enable soldiers, airmen and civilians to carry out their missions.”

Himes says he is thankful to have landed in Omaha for his first command position. “It’s an extraordinary privilege and honor to assume command of this mighty district. I’m so thankful to join the dedicated team of professionals that make up this first-class organization,” according to Himes. “I look forward to serving with you as we tackle the nation’s toughest engineering challenges.”

The Omaha District oversees an annual budget of around one billion dollars in construction programs in parts of seven states throughout the Midwest.

(Radio Iowa) – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst says she supports letting businesses get a second federal COVID-19 relief grant that can be converted to a loan — if the business uses 60 percent of the money to cover payroll and employee benefits. “We still do have $100 billion-plus sitting in the Paycheck Protection Program fund that has not been utilized or allocated to businesses yet,” Ernst says, “so it is possible and I am pushing for a second round for those heavily affected businesses — allow them to come back in and support their employees through the Paycheck Protection Program.”

President Trump has expressed interest in a second round of stimulus checks to individual Americans. House Democrats are onboard, but some Senate Republicans have expressed opposition. Ernst has been non-committal that specific proposal, but she says senators will develop some sort of second economic stimulus plan this summer. “And we would anticipate seeing that maybe move through congress mid-July to early part of August,” Ernst says.

Congress is currently on recess. The Senate is to reconvene July 20th.

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

UNDATED (AP) — A new report studying the impact of the coronavirus on workers in meat processing plants has found that 87% of people infected were racial or ethnic minorities and that at least 86 workers have died. The report released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined more than 16,000 COVID-19 cases at 239 plants in 21 states. It offers perspective on how the virus devastated U.S. pork, beef and poultry processing plants, but the figures likely understate the problem as Iowa officials declined to participate in the study. The data shows 56% of coronavirus illnesses involved Hispanic workers, 19% were non-Hispanic Blacks and 12% were Asian.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s executive branch has reported receiving 1.4 million donated surgical masks from corporations and a foreign government to help fight the coronavirus. Disclosure filings show the masks came from the Government of Taiwan and one of its U.S. offices, a Chinese auto parts conglomerate, a major apparel company and Iowa’s largest health insurer. In all, Gov. Kim Reynolds accepted pandemic-related supplies with an estimated total value of $1.33 million as gifts to the state. The most valuable came from Hanesbrands, the North Carolina-based clothing company, which gave 1.2 million of its surgical procedure masks.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A judge ordered probation for an Iowa businessman with deep ties to the Republican Party, saying he failed to show genuine remorse for assaulting a woman at his home last year. Judge Michael Huppert rejected a request by David Greenspon for a deferred judgment in the assault, which occurred at Greenspon’s West Des Moines mansion last November. Instead, he said that Greenspon would be convicted of assault with intent to inflict serious injury, and the aggravated misdemeanor would stay on his record even if he successfully completes his one-year probation term. Greenspon is the owner of Competitive Edge, a Des Moines advertising supply company.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Volunteers are searching for a former Wartburg College music instructor whose brain tumor diagnoses is the subject of an independent film after he went missing from an Iowa care center. The Waterloo Cedar-Falls Courier reports that the search for Mike Jensen had been focused around Ravenwood Speciality Care in Waterloo. The former Waverly man escaped Monday night through a window at the center, according to the police report. But the search shifted Wednesday to Janesville after authorities received reports that a man matching his description was seen Tuesday night on rural roads in the area.

Atlantic School District Superintendent Steve Barber told the School Board during their electronic meeting Wednesday evening, that he is recommending on-site learning begin August 24th, as part of the District’s “Return to Learn” plan required by the State. Barber said the re-opening guidelines were received June 25th, and legislation has been passed allowing for continuous learning. Moving forward, he said, COVID-19 Health and Safety, as well as Family Dynamics involving student learning need to be taken into consideration, along with whether or not to require masks to worn by students.

The Iowa Dept. of Education is recommending against the use of screening and masks if a on-site or a hybrid learning model is used. Barber said the District’s Health and Safety Sub-Committee has made it a point to require staff to self-monitor and self-report their status every morning before school. And, while not recommended by the DOE, the District will not require masks to be used, and will strongly discourage any harassment or bullying a student may be subject to if they elect to wear a mask.

There are also circumstances and situations where a strong recommendation will be made to wear a mask, especially is social distancing for more than 15 minutes cannot be guaranteed. The District will strive to achieve social distancing as much as possible, Barber said, and will have other health and safety measures in-place. The Board’s consensus was to agree with the recommendation for on-site learning, with the understanding that the continuous learning plan be flexible on an as-needed basis, in light of the changing circumstances surrounding the Coronavirus pandemic.

In other business, FRK Architect/Engineer Principal Tom Wollan updated the Board of the District Athletic Facilities Projects. Wollan said water ponding issues on the south end of the Trojan Bowl appear to have finally been resolved, but the contractor is running about four-weeks behind schedule, putting the first home game on Sept. 11th into question. Wollan said progress moving forward now depends on the installation of the retaining wall, sidewalk paving, railing, bleachers, curb for synthetic turf and other matters that need to fall into place. Additional details on the scheduling is expected next week. Wollan said they are working hard to make-up for lost time caused by the water detention issue and solution.

Utility-type work is being finished on the baseball/softball fields and concession stands. Less activity will be focused on those sites until the Trojan Bowl project can be brought up-to-date. Wollan said also, the State Fire Marshal threw the District a costly curve ball, with regard to bleacher lighting. He said the Fire Marshall is requiring emergency lighting to be installed that will illuminate the bleacher aisles for the Trojan Bowl and Baseball/Softball Bleachers. Wollan said the International Building Code/Bleacher Code does not require aisle lighting, but the Fire Marshal has the final say, and that means an additional cost of $28,000. Wollan said FRK thought lights on-top of the Press Box would suffice, but they were told that does not qualify as emergency lighting (in the event of a power outage).

Superintendent Barber reported also, that fundraising to pay for the $600,000 field turf addition at the Trojan Bowl amounts to $412,000 so far. The Atlantic School Board, Wednesday evening set a Work Session for 6-p.m. July 22nd, and set the Board Retreat for Aug. 18th, from 11-a.m. to 5-p.m. They also approved: The purchase of 350 refurbished touch-screen Chromebook (laptop) computers, and a bid from Olsen Fuel Supply for District diesel, gasoline and propane for the 2020-21 school year.

(A-P) – A new report studying the impact of the coronavirus on workers in meat processing plants has found that 87% of people infected were racial or ethnic minorities and that at least 86 workers have died. The report released Tuesday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention examined more than 16,000 COVID-19 cases at 239 plants in 21 states.

It offers perspective on how the virus devastated U.S. pork, beef and poultry processing plants, but the figures likely understate the problem as Iowa officials declined to participate in the study. The data shows 56% of coronavirus illnesses involved Hispanic workers, 19% were non-Hispanic Blacks and 12% were Asian.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s executive branch has reported receiving 1.4 million donated surgical masks from corporations and a foreign government to help fight the coronavirus. Disclosure filings show the masks came from the Government of Taiwan and one of its U.S. offices, a Chinese auto parts conglomerate, a major apparel company and Iowa’s largest health insurer.

In all, Gov. Kim Reynolds accepted pandemic-related supplies with an estimated total value of $1.33 million as gifts to the state. The most valuable came from Hanesbrands, the North Carolina-based clothing company, which gave 1.2 million of its surgical procedure masks.

Mills County Public Health officials today (Wednesday) report six new, confirmed cases of COVID-19. All of the cases are adults. Two are 18-40 years old, three are 41-60 years old, and one is 61-80 years old. The individuals contracted COVID-19 through community spread and through known contact. The latest additions brings to 43 the total number of cases in Mills County. 33 people have recovered from the virus.

Public Health Administrator Julie Lynes says the additional six positive cases today are a reminder to everyone that we should have a heightened awareness when in public. The Coronavirus is more widespread now than when Governor Kim Reynolds first issued her Public Health Disaster proclamation in March.

“Physical distancing is extremely difficult to maintain when large groups congregate in a confined area,” Lynes says. “Where the Iowa State Fair has been cancelled for the first time since World War II and neighboring counties have either cancelled or heavily modified their county fairs, the Mills County Fair Board is moving forward with the Mills County Fair. ”

Lynes goes on to say, “The Mills County Fair Board has a plan in place and Mills County Public Health has every expectation that the plan is fully implemented and followed. However, I am concerned about what health effects holding the Fair will have on the youth participating and others in attendance. I would encourage the public to use their good judgment when weighing the decision to attend events with large gatherings. If there’s a chance that you are going to be within six feet of someone outside your household, wear a face covering.”

Officials want to encourage all county residents to be safe. Remember that it is more important than ever to practice physical distancing, wash your hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or elbow/upper arm and stay at home when you are ill.

For further statistical data available, in near real time, visit the Iowa Coronavirus webpage at
https://coronavirus.iowa.gov