[Updated] (Radio Iowa) – After blasting those who are spreading what she called misleading and inaccurate information about the Johnson and Johnson vaccine for COVID-19, Governor Kim Reynolds took the shot herself on live T-V Wednesday morning. “I wouldn’t ask Iowans to do anything that I’m not willing to do,” Reynolds said. The governor’s husband, Kevin, and top public health advisor Kelly Garcia were also vaccinated during the governor’s televised news conference. “Is she done?” Reynolds asked, moments after getting the shot. “Wow, o.k.”

Earlier, Reynolds said there’s been unwarranted criticism of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine, the third to be approved for use nationwide. “This information is misleading and quite frankly it’s irresponsible to position any vaccine as a less desirable option when it’s undergone the same rigorous clinical trials to test its safety and efficacy.” Reynolds calls the Johnson and Johnson vaccine a “game changer,” since it is a single dose shot which doesn’t require a booster several weeks later, as the others do. Plus, the Johnson and Johnson vaccine can be stored in a standard refrigerator.

Tyson is setting up mass vaccination sites at its meatpacking plants in Iowa this week. Reynolds says within five weeks, the goal is to have employees at 456 food processing and manufacturing plants in Iowa vaccinated. All Iowans who live and work in congregate settings — like assisted living facilities — should be vaccinated by the first week of April as well. State officials say both doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been given to ALL nursing home residents and employees who wanted it. The roughly 25-thousand doses of those two vaccines the state had been receiving each week for that purpose will now be made available to eligible Iowans through Walgreens and C-V-S pharmacies.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Federal prosecutors for Iowa say a Marion man has been convicted of forging and counterfeiting postage stamps. Prosecutors say in a news release that a federal judge in Cedar Rapids found 42-year-old Bradley Jon Matheny guilty Tuesday after a one-day trial of seven counts of postage meter stamp forgery and counterfeiting and three counts of export violations. Prosecutors say Matheny used forged and counterfeited postage meter stamps to ship most of the more than 28,000 packages he mailed to his eBay business customers between November 2015 and May 2017. Matheny faces up to 65 years in federal prison and a $2.5 million fine when he’s sentenced at a later date.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports a woman from Council Bluffs was arrested on numerous charges, Tuesday. 33-year old Lisa Marie Sivard was arrested on a charge of OWI 1st Offense, Possession of Methamphetamine/1st Offense, and Possession of Adderall 1st Offense. Sivard was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on $1,000 bond.

And, on February 27th, Cass County Deputies arrested 31-year old Brady J. Murphy, of Anita, for OWI/1st Offense. Murphy was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance.

Sheriff’s deputies responded to an accident last Saturday, on Main Street, in Griswold. A collision between a 2011 Chevy Traverse owned & driven by 32-year old Jessica Lea Shoemake, of Hastings, and a 2018 Jeep Cherokee, owned & driven by 23-year old Allyson Leann Watson, of New Virginia, happened at around 1:30-p.m., as the Chevy Traverse was backing out of a parking space on Main Street.

The vehicle was struck on the driver’s side rear by the westbound Cherokee. No injuries were reported. Damage to the Chevy Traverse is estimated at $3,500; damage to the Jeep Cherokee is estimated at $4,500.

Officials with the Southwest Iowa Planning Council (SWIPCO) report the organization has signed economic development partnership agreements with local economic development groups to provide outreach, technical services, loan assistance, and recovery planning to help businesses and local governments recover from the COVID-19 Pandemic. In total, SWIPCO is providing $180,000 to support these efforts. The local partners include:

• The Cass/Atlantic Development Corporation [CADCO] (in Cass County) $30,000
• Clarinda Economic Development (in Eastern Page County) $15,000
• Harrison County Development Corporation (in Harrison County) $30,000
• Montgomery County Development Corporation (in Montgomery County) $30,000
• Shelby County Chamber of Commerce and Industry (in Shelby County) $30,000
• Shenandoah Chamber and Industry Association (in Western Page, Fremont Counties) $45,000

CADCO Executive Director, Jennifer McEntaffer says “Cass/Atlantic Development Corp. is excited to partner with SWIPCO, offering assistance to business recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. It is our mission to reach out to area businesses to assist in any way we can. Please feel free to contact our office at 14 West 6th Street in Atlantic, email jencadco@metc.net, or call us at (712) 243-2022.” In addition, SWIPCO has announced a COVID-19 Recovery Revolving Loan Fund (RLF), to help businesses in Cass, Fremont, Harrison, Montgomery, Page, and Shelby counties recover from the pandemic.

The $500,000 revolving loan fund will support businesses by serving as an important tool in rebuilding the region’s overall economy, especially when commercial financing is unavailable. SWIPCO RLF funds may also be combined with other government programs. Furthermore, they may be used to leverage necessary financing from local lending institutions. Because of the pandemic, special loan terms are available, as low as 0% interest and loan payment deferrals for up to a year.

The intent of the COVID fund is to provide flexibility to meet emerging recovery trends. With loan amounts that range from a minimum of $10,000 to a maximum of $150,000, borrowers may use the money for working capital, inventory, and asset purchases such as machinery, equipment, furniture, and fixtures. Loans will be made until June 30, 2022, and loan terms shall not exceed 10 years for any loan. The economic development partnership program and the COVID RLF are funded through a CARES Act grant agreement with the US Department of Commerce, Economic Development Administration.

For more information about the COVID-19 loan fund, please visit SWIPCO’s website at www.swipco.org

ATKINS, Iowa (AP) — Sheriffs officials in eastern Iowa say a driver who reached speeds over 100 mph while fleeing a traffic stop died after crashing his car. The crash happened early Wednesday, after a Linn County sheriff’s deputy tried to pull over a car in Atkins, leading to a chase that reached 115 mph. Investigators say the chase ended just after 4 a.m. when the fleeing car drove off a Benton County road and crashed into a culvert. Officials say the man driving was ejected and died at the scene.

A woman also in the car was seriously injured and flown to an Iowa City hospital. The names of the man killed and woman hurt have not been released.