(Radio Iowa) — A new “Test Iowa” site for drive-through COVID-19 tests will start operating Saturday in Storm Lake, which is home to two Tyson facilities. About 800 work at the turkey processing facility and 24-hundred work at the pork plant.

When Tyson’s pork plants in Columbus Junction and Waterloo were temporarily closed this spring due to coronavirus outbreaks among workers, production was shifted to the plant in Storm Lake. In mid-April, Governor Kim Reynolds asked federal officials for more testing supplies so workers at all 18 meat packing and food processing plants in Iowa could be tested. Reynolds says the drive-through Test Iowa sites are being used in many of those locations.

“We have a plan in place and we’ve got a great logistics team, that once we get a site established, they’re looking at the next two sites,” Reynolds says, “where we can do the testing, what makes the most sense for the facility and how we can move forward with that.” The first “Test Iowa” site began operating April 25th in Des Moines and there are now six other “Test Iowa” sites running in the state as of Tuesday.

However, the Test Iowa machines at the State Hygienic Lab hadn’t gotten federal approved for processing samples as of late Tuesday.

(Radio Iowa) — Barbers and hair stylists throughout the state are awaiting the governor’s announcement later this (Wednesday) morning about reopening more of the state’s economy. On March 22nd, Reynolds ordered hair and nail salons and barbershops to close. Sue Benson, owner of Hair Designs in Forest City, went a bit stir crazy at first. “Just learned to try to plug away at whatever you can do,” she says. “Thank goodness it was spring here before too long, so I could be outside some.” Benson had to find some sort of revenue stream to replace her lost business income.

“I got the payment protection through the bank,” she says. “That one I got, but the one through the city that they just put out, I haven’t heard anything back on that.” Benson says clients have been contacting her, ready to sign up for appointments as soon as she’s able to reopen.  “I have very, very faithful clients,” Benson says, “so as soon as the governor lets us back in, we will be up and running.”

Many independent hair stylists encouraged customers to buy gift certificates, to help supplement their income during the shutdown. As salons were allowed to open in other states, chains like Supercuts announced work areas will be sanitized between customers. To limit the number of people inside each location, Great Clips is asking customers to check in online and wait outside the salon until a stylist calls to let them inside.

Some pictures on social media show a few hair stylists buying plastic face shields, hoping the covering will reassure customers about returning to the salon chair.

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

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — An immigrant from Congo who worked at the Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Waterloo has died of the coronavirus. The Congoloese community in Waterloo has been mourning Axel Kabeya’s death, which several members announced Sunday on social media. A Congolese newspaper reported that Kabeya was one of the community’s best-known figures in Waterloo, where hundreds of refugees have settled in recent years. He’s survived by a wife and children. His age wasn’t available. Tyson Fresh Meats spokeswoman Liz Croston confirmed the death, saying the company was “deeply saddened by the loss of a team member at our Waterloo facility.”

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds says she’s still considering how far to go in lifting local public health restrictions, as the state reported 18 more deaths from the coronavirus. Reynolds had planned to announce which business closures that she would allow to expire Friday and which she would extend through May. But she said she was still looking at data, and now expects an announcement Wednesday. Restaurants in 22 counties remain closed. Statewide, bars, salons, barber shops, movie theaters, casinos, museums and several other businesses are ordered closed until Friday. Meanwhile, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office announced Monday that 19 inmates at the county jail had tested positive for COVID-19.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa gym owner is facing a misdemeanor charge after operating in defiance of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ orders related to the cornoavirus pandemic. Jason Bailey, owner of Custom Fitness in Cedar Rapids, received the citation Tuesday. KCRG reports Cedar Rapids police saw several people working out inside the gym Tuesday morning, and that Bailey admitted ignoring Reynolds’ health emergency proclamation’ The order limits gyms in Linn and 21 other counties to one customer at a time by appointment. Police say Bailey was issued a warning on Friday and the misdemeanor came after police received complaints from other businesses.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A county attorney says a Council Bluffs police officer was acting in self-defense when he shot Nebraska man in May. Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber says Officer Mike Roberts shot 34-year-old Jimmy Carr only after Carr had shot at the officer. The confrontation occurred outside a convenience store in Council Bluffs. Carr, of Omaha, was charged Tuesday with attempted murder of a police officer and two other counts. He is being held on $2 million cash bond. Wilber said Carr had shot at Roberts and was reaching for a gun he dropped when the officer returned fire. Carr was shot in the hip.

Officials with Pottawattamie County Public Health (PCPH), Tuesday, reported six new COVID-19 cases. Four of the new cases are residents of Council Bluffs, one is a resident of Carson, and one is a resident of Treynor. Four individuals are 18-40 years old, one is 41-60 years old, and one is 61-80 years old. The total of COVID-19 cases in Pottawattamie County is now 91.

Currently, 43 individuals are self-isolating, one is hospitalized, 44 have recovered, one moved out-of-state, and there have been two deaths.

For additional information, including case demographics filtered by county, visit the Iowa Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 dashboard at coronavirus.iowa.gov.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports three people were arrested recently on alcohol-related charges. 22-year old Chance Ryan Beres, of Malvern, was arrested at around 12:40-a.m. Sunday for Supplying Alcohol to a person under the age of 21. 21-year old Owen Hunter Liddell, of Malvern, was arrested at around 2:20-a.m. Monday for the same offense. Their bonds were set at $1,000 each.

19-year old Nathan Edward Richardson, of Malvern, was arrested at around 2:10-a.m. Monday, for OWI/2nd offense, Driving While Revoked, and Possession of alcohol under the legal age. His bond was set at $3,000.

And, 18-year old Preston Lee Clark, of Omaha, was arrested at around 4:20-a.m. Tuesday at Ingrum Avenue & Highway 34, for Possession of a Controlled Substance, OWI/1st offense, Possession of alcohol under the legal age, and striking fixtures upon a highway. His bond was set at $2,000.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG-TV) — An Iowa gym owner is facing a misdemeanor charge after operating in defiance of Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds’ orders related to the cornoavirus pandemic. Jason Bailey, owner of Custom Fitness in Cedar Rapids, received the citation Tuesday. KCRG reports Cedar Rapids police saw several people working out inside the gym Tuesday morning, and that Bailey admitted ignoring Reynolds’ health emergency proclamation.

The order limits gyms in Linn and 21 other counties to one customer at a time by appointment. Police say Bailey was issued a warning on Friday and the misdemeanor came after police received complaints from other businesses.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — An immigrant from Congo who worked at the Tyson Foods pork processing plant in Waterloo has died of the coronavirus. The Congoloese community in Waterloo has been mourning Axel Kabeya’s death, which several members announced Sunday on social media. A Congolese newspaper reported that Kabeya was one of the community’s best-known figures in Waterloo, where hundreds of refugees have settled in recent years.

He’s survived by a wife and children. His age wasn’t available. Tyson Fresh Meats spokeswoman Liz Croston confirmed the death, saying the company was “deeply saddened by the loss of a team member at our Waterloo facility.”

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (Omaha World-Herald) — A county attorney says a Council Bluffs police officer was acting in self-defense when he shot Nebraska man in May. Pottawattamie County Attorney Matt Wilber says Officer Mike Roberts shot 34-year-old Jimmy Carr only after Carr had shot at the officer. The confrontation occurred outside a convenience store in Council Bluffs.

Carr, of Omaha, was charged Tuesday with attempted murder of a police officer and two other counts. He is being held on $2 million cash bond. Wilber said Carr had shot at Roberts and was reaching for a gun he dropped when the officer returned fire. Carr was shot in the hip.

(Radio Iowa) — Iowa’s two U-S senators want more money pumped into programs to compensate hog producers who are forced to euthanize herds due to the pandemic. With some meatpacking plants closed, processing capacity is down by 20- to 40-percent, or more. Senator Chuck Grassley says the pork industry has lost more that five-billion dollars already, though he’s not calling for a specific amount to be included in the legislation.

“Usually the bill says ‘such sums as may be necessary’ and the appropriators would make that final decision,” Grassley says. “The fact that I haven’t mentioned a specific dollar figure is only because it’s kind of an unknown at this point.” Grassley notes that the CARES Act provided more than 24-billion dollars for grain farmers, specialty crops and livestock producers who were suffering losses.

“This money that is already available, six weeks ago, was anticipating just low prices because of the pandemic,” Grassley says. “Nobody talked about depopulating herds at that time.” In a letter to Congressional leaders signed by Grassley and several other senators, they say: “The crisis is immediate. Pork producers send to market over two million pigs each week. If 20 percent of processing is idle, that means somewhere around 400,000 animals per week must be disposed of in some manner other than processing.”

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says farming communities are in an economic crisis, especially hog farmers who are faced with the prospect of euthanizing their animals. “It’s very hurtful, I think for all of us, especially for those of us in leadership that are really crying to be heard broadly across the United States with our colleagues as to what our American farmer and rancher is going through,” Ernst says. Ernst made her comments last Friday during a forum with Vice President Mike Pence in West Des Moines.

Jen Sorenson, president-elect of the National Pork Producers, says of euthanizing hogs: “That goes against every farming instinct. We need significant help to support U.S. pork producers that generate more than 500,000 jobs and $23 billion in personal income across America.”

DAVENPORT, Iowa (Quad-City Times) — A Davenport man who was shot by officers in 2016 after he rammed a police car now stands accused of trying to run down an Iowa State trooper over the weekend. The Quad-City Times says 23-year-old Rodricco Radell Parks Jr. was arrested early Saturday morning after police say a trooper pulled over a sport utility vehicle in Davenport on suspicion of excessive speeding.

The trooper says that as he approached the SUV, a passenger — later identified as Parks — jumped into the driver’s seat, threw the vehicle into reverse and tried to run over the trooper. A high-speed chase ensued and ended when police say Parks crashed into another vehicle.