(Radio Iowa) – It’s unclear how much territory in Iowa has no access to broadband service today and experts suggest bandwidth demands will continue to climb statewide. Legislators have agreed on 100 million dollars in state grants to companies for building out broadband networks where none exist or where current speeds are slow. Brian Waller, president of the Technology Association of Iowa, describes broadband as the pipes and the plumbing in the ground that provide internet access.

“But we also see broadband as satellite, cellular and those are going to be the emerging technologies,” Waller says. “That’s why this project will never be done because technology moves so rapidly.” Dave Duncan C-E-O of the Iowa Communications Alliance, says the goalposts keep moving.

“As there’s new technologies, there’s new needs, pretty soon when you think what was good bandwidth and service before now is not quite so adequate because when we move to all kinds of new whether it’s holographic or 3D or new technologies, it’s going to require yet even more bandwidth,” he says. Most of the new state grants are for broadband projects that provide upload and download speeds for 100 megabits per second. Duncan says that’s as close to “future proof” as possible.

Duncan and Waller made their comments on this weekend’s “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

One person is dead and another was injured, during an ATV accident Sunday evening, in eastern Iowa’s Delaware County. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2020 ATV occupied by the driver, 25-year-old Hannah Lea Koloc, and her passenger, 32-year-old Jordan Gerald Cabalka, both of Edgewood, was traveling eastbound on WoodEdge Drive near Edgwood, when the vehicle failed to negotiate a curve.

When the ATV rolled over, both occupants were ejected. The accident happened at around 7:55-p.m.  Cabalka, who was wearing a seat belt, died from his injuries. Koloc was transported by ambulance to the local hospital. The Delaware and Clayton County Sheriff’s Offices, Edgewood and Greeley Fire Departments and Edgewood Ambulance, and Air Care, assisted at the scene.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report the arrest on Saturday afternoon, of 21-year-old Austin Dallas Houston, from Bellevue, Nebraska. He was taken into custody following a traffic stop for speeding 78 mph in a 55 mph zone. Houston was also charged with Failure to Yield to an Emergency Vehicle, and Driving While License revoked. He later posted bond, and was released.

The Iowa Department of Public health on Sunday, reported 369 new COVID-19 positive tests and two additional deaths. At 10 a.m., the health department reported 395,189 total positive tests, 347,966 total recoveries and 5,952 total deaths since the start of the pandemic.

Iowa reports 2,363,435 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered and 1,083,955 have completed the vaccine series. The state’s 14-day and 7-day positivity rate is at 3.9%. Health department data shows 4,822,302 tests have been administered.

There are now 179 patients hospitalized with COVID-19, down from 189 the previous day. Iowa reports 42 patients in ICU and 19 patients on ventilators. In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western/southwest Iowa): 18 COVID patients are hospitalized; 10 remain in an ICU; there was no one admitted with symptoms of the virus, and two people remain on a ventilator.

None of Iowa’s long-term care facilities report COVID-19 outbreaks. The state reports 2,317 care facility deaths since the pandemic began.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

Cass, 1,456 cases; {+2}; 54 deaths
Adair, 980; {+0}; 32
Adams, 349 {+0}; 4
Audubon, 518 {+0}; 9
Guthrie, 1,283 {+0}; 29
Harrison County, 1,924; {+6}; 73
Madison County, 1,725; {+8; 19
Mills County, 1,779; {+2}; 21
Montgomery, 1,103;{+0}; 37
Pottawattamie County, 12,093; {+24}; 165
Shelby County, 1,359 {+0}; 37
Union County, 1,355; {+6}; 32

Police in Red Oak arrested two men at a bar early this (Sunday) morning. Officers were called at around 2-a.m. to TAP Bar in the 400 block of E. Reed Street, for a reported fight. Upon their arrival and further investigation, officers arrested 29-year-old Cameron Allen Crismon and 24-year-old Kyle Andrew Nicholson, on charges of Disorderly Conduct Fight, a simple misdemeanor. The men were transported to the Montgomery County Jail, and held on $300 bond, each.

Sheriff’s Deputies were assisted at the scene by personnel with the Red Oak Fire Department.

There were three accidents to start off the month of May, Saturday, with two crashes resulting in fatalities. The Iowa State Patrol says a crash in northeast Iowa’s Winneshiek County resulted in one dead and another injured. The crash happened at around 4:20-p.m., Saturday, when a southbound 2009 Toyota Corolla traveling in the northbound lane of Pole Line Road, near Decorah, collided with a northbound 2012 Ford F-150 pickup.

The driver of the car, 53-year-old Andrew Nesset, of New Richmond, WI., was pronounced dead at the Winneshiek Medical Center. He was not wearing a seat belt. The driver of the pickup, 75-year-old Lyle Phillips, of Decorah, was hurt and transported by ambulance to the same hospital. He was wearing a seat belt. The accident remains under investigation.

The second fatal crash occurred in Clarke County, at around 11:40-p.m., Saturday. The Patrol says a 2015 Ford F-150 driven by 20-year old Brian Rosales, of Osceola, went out of control on a gravel road and slid into a ditch before striking a driveway embankment and hitting an unoccupied 2012 Dodge 2500 pickup, that was parked in the driveway. A passenger in the Rosales pickup, 38-year old Jose Murillo-Rangel, of Osceola, died at the scene of the crash. Rosales was seriously injured and transported by Clarke County EMS to the Clarke County Hospital. Neither man was wearing a seat belt. The accident remains under investigation.

And, in the southeast part of the state, a man from Burlington was struck while riding his bicycle on S. Main Street, in Burlington. The accident happened at around 6:50-p.m. The Patrol says a Ford F-150 pickup driven by 61-year-old Michael Fairlie, of Burlington, was travel southbound, when the bicyclist, 52-year-old Reynaldo Lopez, of Burlington, failed to obey a stop sign, and entered the intersection with Elm Street.

The pickup hit the bike in the middle of the intersection. Lopez was transported by ambulance to the local hospital, and later flown by helicopter to the University of Iowa Hospital, in Iowa City. The accident remains under investigation.

The Clarinda City Council met in a regular session, Thursday evening, and after hearing a request from Chamber Executive Director Elaine Farwell, approved her request for several street and square closures for 2021Chamber special events. Those events include:

1. 7th Annual Cruzin Clarinda – Saturday, June 5th – 9:00 – 6:30 p.m. requesting to close the downtown square on the east, west, and south sides from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and to hold the parade at 5:30 p.m. and closing the appropriate parade route streets.
2. Back to School Bash – Tuesday, August 24th – 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at 14th and Main and to
close off the corner of 14th and Main for the event.
3. 66th Annual Southwest Iowa Band Jamboree Parade – Saturday, October 2 – 9:00 a.m. to Noon.
Parade to begin at 9:00 a.m. with the same route as previous years requesting to close the downtown square and parade route from 7:30 a.m. to Noon.
4. 62nd Annual Craft Carnival – Saturday, October 16 – 6:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. requesting no parking on 6th Street between Grant and Stuart Streets and to be able to place directional signs for the event.
5. 29th Annual Kiwanis Lighted Christmas Parade – Friday, November 26th – 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Requesting to close the downtown square and appropriate parade route street intersections.

The Clarinda City Council also approved the appointment of: Renee Riedel to the Planning and Zoning Commission, with her term ending 6-30-2023. And, a Resolution authorizing a grant application to the FAA was approved during Thursday’s meeting. If the grant is approved, it would facilitate the construction of the Pavement Rehabilitation Project at Clarinda Municipal Airport-Schenck Field.