Emergency Management and other agencies across Iowa were scrambling Saturday afternoon, to assure residents in their respective counties that they were not under a “Blizzard Warning.” At around 3:30-p.m., persons with Emergency Notification System alerts on their phones likely received the warning, which indicated the message was a “Test.” Moments later, another message was sent asking recipients of the first message, to “Disregard.”

Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Coordinator Doug Reed said in a statement, “The Pottawattamie Alert program, part of the Alert Iowa System, was inadvertently activated for multiple severe weather events by the company who provides the service across Iowa. Pottawattamie County Emergency Management notified the company upon receipt of the messages and the president of Inspiron Logistics, operators of the Wireless Emergency Notification System (WENS) which serves as the platform for the alerting system, confirmed that live messages were inadvertently sent while they were attempting to troubleshoot other internal programming issues.”

In a statement released Saturday evening, Inspiron Logistics, LLC., said “During a software update release Saturday afternoon, testing was being conducted which simulates Warnings and Watches issued from the National Weather Service. This system accidentally triggered a Blizzard/Fire Warning. Unfortunately these alerts did hit the system as if they were authentic, due to code that was not deactivated to prevent the final activation process.”

The company said also, “The entire Software Update has been backed out and will be further examined to determine what cause [sic] this issue. Internal procedures will be implemented to prevent this scenario from happening in the future.”

Doug Reed emphasized that “Officials from Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, as well as County Emergency Management Agencies across the state, are working to [also] ensure these type of false system activations are prevented in the future.”

One person died during collision in Mills County, Friday afternoon. The Iowa State Patrol reports 63-year old Vicki Byrum, of Sidney (IA), was driving a 2013 Subaru Impreza southbound and had left Interstate 29 at Exit 42, when she failed to stop at the posted intersection with Bunge Avenue. Her car was hit broadside by westbound a 2019 RAM Pickup driven by 23-year old Joshua Gordon, of Beaumont, TX. The crash happened at around 4:40-p.m.

Following the collision, the car came to rest in the south ditch, and the pickup came to rest in the eastbound lane of Bunge Avenue. Byrum died from her injuries at the scene. Gordon was not injured. Both drivers were wearing their seat belts.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say a man who witnesses reported was sitting in a Des Moines street has been hit by a vehicle and killed. Police Sgt. Paul Parizek says the incident happened around 9:30 p.m. Friday on SW 9th Street. Medics arrived to find a 62-year-old Des Moines resident had been hit by a southbound vehicle as it crossed the Racoon River. The man was taken to an area hospital, where he died.

The man’s name had not been released as of Saturday mid-afternoon. Police say the driver of the vehicle did not appear to be distracted or impaired at the time of the incident.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Rev. William Joensen has been ordained as the 10th bishop to lead the Roman Catholic Diocese of Des Moines. The Des Moines Register reports that more than 1,500 parishioners witnessed the ordination Friday at St. Francis of Assisi Church in West Des Moines, the diocese’s largest. Pope Francis selected the 59-year-old Joensen, an Iowa native, to replace former Bishop Richard Pates, who retired after holding the role for more than a decade.

In his inaugural address, Joensen addressed young people, saying that “some of the church’s actions in the past merit reproach” and that reproach of that by younger parishioners was to be expected. But he implored them to You are to “be open to the wisdom passed down from generation to generation.”

Cases of severe respiratory illness associated with vaping continue to be reported across the U.S. and in Iowa. Nationwide, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has reported 805 cases and 12 deaths. In Iowa, there have been 23 reported cases and no deaths. Of the 23 Iowa cases, ages range from 17 to 60 and 18 have reported the use of THC. Mirroring national statistics, most of the cases (78%) have been male. All Iowa cases have recovered.

Nationally, most cases have reported the use of vaping and e-cigarette products containing THC; however, vaping products and devices that do not contain THC have also been reported among affected states. Case numbers will likely continue to increase as this investigation continues.

Iowans should not use vaping and e-cigarette products since the cause of this outbreak is not yet clear and the long-term health impacts of these products are unknown. Patients with a history of vaping who are experiencing breathing problems should seek medical care. Health care providers should ask patients with respiratory illness about the use of vaping and e-cigarette products. Health care providers are asked to report severe respiratory illness in patients with a history of vaping or e-cigarette use to the Iowa Department of Public Health (1-800-362-2736).

To learn more, visit https://idph.iowa.gov/ehi/lung-disease-vaping. Weekly Iowa case counts may also be found on this page.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Democratic presidential candidate John Delaney’s Iowa state director has left his 2020 campaign in the first-in-the-nation caucus state.

Monica Biddix had been his state director since January but served on his campaign since June 2018, starting first as his communications director. She said in a statement to The Associated Press on Friday that she was leaving to “pursue other opportunities.”

His campaign announced later Friday that it had named Brent Roske the new Iowa state director. Roske earlier served as Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson’s Iowa state director.

The former Maryland congressman launched his presidential campaign in 2017, making him the longest-campaigning candidate in the field. But he has failed to gain much traction and routinely polls at the bottom of the pack.

He’s scheduled to visit Iowa this weekend.

OSKALOOSA, Iowa (AP) — An Oskaloosa woman has pleaded guilty in the 2014 death of her 17-month-old daughter.

Des Moines television station KCCI reports that Alicia Ritenour pleaded guilty Thursday to child endangerment causing death. KCCI says she received a sentence of 50 years in prison with credit for time served.

Ritenour was convicted of first-degree murder in November 2014, but a judge set aside her conviction in December and ordered a new trial after agreeing with her that her trial attorney had been ineffective.

Police went to Ritenour’s Oskaloosa apartment in January 2014 following a 911 call and found 17-month-old Ava Ritenour dead. An autopsy showed she died of head trauma.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa now has 24.9 million pigs on farms, a record number and up 6% from last year.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released the figures Friday for the quarter ending Sept. 1. It showed Iowa farms have just over 1 million breeding pigs and 23.9 million market hogs, or those raised for meat.

The growth in hog numbers comes as environmental groups are trying to force the state to slow expansion of pig farms. A state court judge on Sept. 10 said two environmental groups may proceed to trial in their lawsuit alleging the state’s policy of expanding hog farms and its voluntary farm pollution controls violate the rights of citizens to clean water in the Raccoon River.

The USDA says the national inventory of pigs is at 77.7 million, the highest number for Sept. 1 since records began in 1988.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Portions of interstates in Omaha and across the Missouri River in western Iowa have reopened after being closed for several days for flooding.

The Interstate 680 bridge spanning the Missouri River from Omaha to the Interstate 29 interchange in Iowa reopened Friday afternoon, as did I-29 in Iowa from Crescent to Council Bluffs.

The Iowa Department of Transportation tells the Omaha World-Herald that floodwaters have receded and cleanup is complete on the roadways.

The department cautioned that rainfall expected in the area could cause additional flooding that would require the exit and entrance ramps in the area to close again with little or no advance notice.

Flood-related closures continue on both directions of I-29 between the Crescent and the Loveland exits and on Iowa Highways 275 and 333 near Hamburg.

MITCHELLVILLE, Iowa (AP) — A former employee of women’s correctional facility in Mitchellville was arrested Friday morning after being accused of engaging in sexual acts with an inmate in exchange for tobacco products.

The Des Moines Register reports that 55-year-old Shawn William Durrell, of Urbandale, was arrested Friday and charged with sexual misconduct with an offender. He had been employed as the correctional food service coordinator at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women when the alleged sexual misconduct took place between July 4 and Aug. 9. He had been working at the facility for 16 years before resigning in August.

Court documents say Durrell was released $2,000 bond. His next court appearance is Oct. 7.

No attorney for Durrell appears in online court records. Durrell did not immediately return a message left Friday at a phone listing for him.