The 8:06-a.m. broadcast, with News Director Ric Hanson.
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The 8:06-a.m. broadcast, with News Director Ric Hanson.
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(updated 10-a.m.) The latest data from the Iowa Department of Public Health’s Coronavirus dashboard shows the some notable improvements in case numbers and hospitalizations. On Friday (Today), the IDPH reports four additional deaths, for a pandemic total of 6,124, and 76 additional (positive) COVID test results, for a total of 404, 208. A COVID-19 outbreak was reported at the Friendship Home in Audubon, where there are 14 cases. The last time they had an outbreak, but overcame it, was during the week of June 10th. The latest Long-Term Care Center outbreak brings the total number of such facilities with outbreak in Iowa, to three, after having gone to two, just three days ago. There are now a total of 34 patients/staff at those three facilities, who have tested positive, and a total of 11 who have recovered. Deaths at LTC’s in Iowa currently stand at 2,372.
The number of persons hospitalized with COVID in Iowa, has dropped to 46. Health officials report 18 patients are in an ICU, two were admitted, and 12 patients are on a ventilator. For the first time since records were kept from the start of the pandemic, hospitals in RMCC Region 4 (those in western & southwest Iowa) report NO no cases, no one in an ICU, no one admitted and no one was on a ventilator.
The State’s 14-day positivity rate is 2%. The seven-day rate is 2.0%.
In the immediate KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County (since the beginning of the pandemic) and the total number of deaths (Since the beginning of the pandemic) in each county to date:
Cass, 1,475 cases; 55 deaths
Adair, 996; 32
Adams, 356; 4
Audubon, 553; 11
Guthrie, 1,317; 32
Harrison County, 1,935; 73
Madison County, 1,790 19
Mills County, 1,809; 24
Montgomery, 1,116; 38
Pottawattamie County, 12,367;174
Shelby County, 1,380; 37
Union County, 1,382; 35
Ag/Outdoor, Heartbeat Today, Podcasts
Jim Field visits with Deb Schuler about the 16th Annual Women In Agriculture Conference in August. For more information or to register, go to: www.iowawomeninag.org.
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The broadcast news from 7:06-a.m., w/Ric Hanson.
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The latest version of the Iowa Drought Monitor (released June 24th), shows very little change in drought conditions across the State, despite rain last week and earlier this week. The data show last week, slightly more than 94.6% of Iowa is Abnormally dry (D-0 to D-4 rating). This week, the rate improved slightly, to about 92.5%. Three months ago, a little more than 41% of the State was Abnormally Dry.
Cass and many other counties across parts of western, southern and east central Iowa are in a Moderate Drought (D1-D4). The percentage (76.15%) is slightly higher than last week (76.04%), thanks to widely scattered rainfall. The worst (Severe) drought conditions (D2-D4) continue to impact a large area of central, north central, northwest and northeast Iowa, where nearly 44% of counties are affected. That’s up from 40.82% last week. The Severe drought expanded as well across southern and northwest Minnesota, due to worsening precipitation deficits and vegetation conditions.
(Ames, Iowa) – An investigation is underway into a train derailment that occurred Thursday, in Ames. KCCI reports Union Pacific Railroad officials confirmed that approximately 27 cars derailed in the area of Carnegie Avenue and Edison Street at approximately 1:45 p.m. Authorities called a hazmat team to the scene due to hazardous materials being present. Ames Fire Chief Rich Higgins said petroleum gas was leaking from some of the cars. Higgins said there were no injuries. However, he said 15 to 20 properties in the area were evacuated as a precaution.
Hazmat teams from Arkansas were traveling to Ames to assist with clean up, which was expected to take about 24 hours.
(Radio Iowa) – Enrollment at Iowa community colleges has been decreasing since 2011 and the decline accelerated during the pandemic. However, the leaders of two community college districts that operate nine campuses say the dip isn’t as deep here as it is in other states. Rob Densen is president of the Des Moines Area Community College which has six campuses in Ankeny, Boone, Carroll, Newton, Des Moines and West Des Moines. “The average community college nationally dropped 9.5%. At DMACC, we’ve been down 7% throughout the year,” Denson says. “We know that the largest single group of students who aren’t coming back are low income who were impacted by so many other things during the pandemic.”
A statewide report on community college enrollment in the current academic year isn’t available yet. In the previous 2019-2020 year, there was a 1.3% drop in students taking Iowa community college classes to earn credits for an associates degree. The number of students taking courses at an Iowa community college to earn professional certificates or licenses dropped 23% in the previous year. Densen says when classes resume in the fall, he expects an influx of students. “So far, our preliminary numbers — applications, registrations — look very good for the fall,” Denson says.
Kristie Fisher is chancellor of the Iowa Valley Community College District which operates Ellsworth Community College in Iowa Falls, Marshalltown Community College and Iowa Valley Grinnell. “When the economy is really strong, our enrollments drop and when it’s not as strong we have people coming back seeking retraining,” she says, “but with Covid-19, we were in an area we’ve never been before…Iowa’s enrollments didn’t drop as much as the rest of the country and we’re strongly positioned to come back really quickly and serve students in our communities.”
Iowa Valley classes moved online in March of last year, but Fisher says the campuses didn’t completely close at the beginning of the pandemic.
“We had computer labs open for our students with really strict protocols because we knew our students didn’t have internet at home,” she says. “…We opened up our theater to the Marshall County Judicial District because they didn’t have a place for trials. They’re still there. Our hospital up in Iowa Falls moved into our recreation center because they needed a place for physical therapy. We did mask distribution, a Test Iowa site, vaccination sites — so while we were managing our students, we also doing all our communities needed us to do.”
Fisher and Densen made their comments during taping of the “Iowa Press” program that airs tonight (Friday night) on Iowa PBS.
The Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union has released the Regional Softball pairings for 2021. The Class 1A, 2A, and 3A Regional Tournaments start on July 6th. The Class 4A and 5A tournaments begin play on July 8th. The 2021 State Softball Tournament begins on July 19th.
Class 1A Regional Softball Pairings
Class 2A Regional Softball Pairings
Class 3A Regional Softball Pairings