DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says the Memorial Day weekend could be the time to “tiptoe” out after weeks of staying home due to the coronavirus, but any outings would come as the state still is seeing hundreds of new cases daily. Reynolds says Friday the 14-day trend of new positive cases is moving lower and other metrics including hospitalization rates are lower and stable.

Despite the optimism, the number of virus deaths has been relatively consistent, with 18 Friday, 19 Thursday and 14 Wednesday. The total stood Friday at 418 deaths. There were 454 positive cases, boosting the state total to 16,408 as of Friday morning.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Wed., May 20th, of 23-year old Christopher Rankin, of Clarinda. Rankin was arrested on a Page County Warrant for Violation of a Protection Order. He was transported to the Page County Jail and held pending further court proceedings.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — One of Iowa’s most reliable sources of personal protective equipment to fight the coronavirus has been a statewide prison labor program that can pay inmates as little as 58 cents per hour. Prisoners have helped make 98,000 masks, 40,000 gowns, 17,000 face shields and 24,000 gallons of hand sanitizer in recent weeks. The Iowa Department of Corrections says inmates and staff at several prisons have been working weekends and nights, including 12 hours on Easter Sunday, to produce the supplies.

The gear is used to protect inmates, guards, state employees and health care workers. Inmates make between 58 cents and $1.92 per hour.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests took place Thursday. At around 9:50-a.m., 55-year old Terry Lee Stark, of Hastings (IA), was arrested for Driving Under Suspension and Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability. Bond was set at $300. And, at around 2:20-p.m. 21-year old Dylan James Lawrence, of Murray (IA), was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance, Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability, and for having no valid driver’s license. Bond was set at $1,000.

(Updated) Governor Kim Reynolds reports four new COVID-19 TestIowa sites will open next week for those with an appointment, and one is set to close. New testing sites will become operational in Burlington, Council Bluffs, Marshalltown and Sioux Center. The site in Sioux City, which opened May 4th, will close this afternoon at 6-p.m., but other testing locations will remain available. The site in Pottawattamie County is set to open May 29th from noon until 6-p.m., but the site has yet to be determined.

The Governor had some thoughts on the virus, heading into the weekend. She said “While life is beginning to feel more normal, we can’t forget that the virus still remains in our communities. We must continue to take personal responsibility for our health and the health of others, just as you have done over the past 11 weeks. As we move into the Memorial Holiday weekend, please enjoy the weekend and the extra time with family and friends, but do so in a safe and responsible manner.”

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ Friday press conference on COVID-19. We will have live audio on KJAN as well with the presser set to begin at approximately 11:00 a.m.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s largest manufacturing employer is reporting foul financial news. Quad Cities-based John Deere reports net sales for the second quarter fell 18-percent while net income plummeted from one-point-one billion dollars a year ago to nearly 666-million this quarter. That’s a drop of 41-percent. With the pandemic, a Deere news release says the company’s top priorities are to safeguard the health and well-being of employees while fulfilling obligations to customers.

Production is halted at Deere’s factories in Dubuque and Davenport that make construction and forestry equipment. The company projects worldwide sales of agriculture and turf equipment will fall 10 to 15-percent this year.