The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.4MB)
Subscribe: RSS
The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.4MB)
Subscribe: RSS
(Radio Iowa) – The latest count in Iowa’s second congressional district race shows Mariannette Miller-Meeks, the Republican, now leads Democrat Rita Hart by 47 votes. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate says there could be more adjustments. “We’re all pretty good at observing what’s going on and how the counts are moving and I’m sure that the media will report who’s in the lead,” Pate says,”but as for certifying and declaring, it’ll not until November 30.”
Pate has ordered Lucas County to run all their ballots through a machine and do a hand count of a precinct in Russell. That’s the precinct where results were not included in last week’s Lucas County vote count. Pate says any new adjustments from the Lucas County recounts today (Thursday) and Friday will be reflected in the final report. “We don’t declare a winner until we’ve finished and do our certification on the 30th,” Pate says.
With about four dozen votes separating the two candidates in the second district race, it’s likely one or both campaigns will seek more recounts by Friday’s deadline. And if votes are recounted, counties will have to cover the cost. That’s because the margin between the two candidates is less than one percent. Taxpayers cover the costs of recounts in Iowa when a race is that close.
Iowa’s Coronavirus dashboard today (10-a.m., Thursday), shows 29 more deaths have been attributed to COVID-19 since Wednesday’s report, for a total of 1,928. The number of deaths attributed to a pre-existing conditions statewide are 1,238, while deaths at Long-Term Care facilities amount to 915, 10 more than yesterday. Officials say there are 4,337 new confirmed cases of the virus, for a total since the pandemic began, of 170,358. Cass County has one new, Positive case of COVID, for a total of 607, and two more deaths, for a total of 13. Double-digit Positive case increases were reported in Adair, Guthrie, Harrison, Mills, Pottawattamie, Shelby and Union Counties. The IDPH reports one more death in Adair and Pottawattamie Counties, and three more in Harrison County.
Long-Term Care facility (LTC) outbreaks are down to 100 today. Those care facilities report 2,989 positive cases and 1,322 recovered. In Cass County, three facilities: Atlantic Specialty Care, The Heritage House, and the Griswold Rehabilitation and Health Care Center, have a combined total of 144 positive cases, with 42 recovered.
A record number of Iowans remain hospitalized with COVID-19. Hospitalizations were up from 1,190 yesterday to 1,208 today. COVID patients in an ICU amount to 215 (three more than yesterday). Persons admitted to a hospital since 10-a.m. Wednesday are down from 240 to 207, and there remains 101 patients on a ventilator. In western/southwestern Iowa: there are 62 COVID patients in the hospital; 18 are in an ICU, six people were admitted, and there are currently eight people on a ventilator (three more than yesterday).
The health department reports 1,068,270 Iowans have been tested for COVID-19. The state received 9,410 lab test results in the previous day, with 2,752 Positive results and 6,653 Negative results (total Negative to-date: 896,145). The IDPH says 105,356 Iowans have recovered from the virus. The State’s Individual Positivity rate is up to 15.9%, and the 14-day rolling average is up to 22.1%. Cass County’s positivity rate is 17.1%. Page County’s rate is 37.5% (the highest in southwest Iowa). Elsewhere in the area: Shelby County is up to 26.6%; Mills County’s rate is 25.3%; Montgomery County has a 23.4% rate; Union County is at 21.6%; Guthrie County is at 21% and Pott. County’s rate is 20.7%.
In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases in each county, along with the 24-hour change in case numbers {+#}; the number of persons recovered, and the total number of [deaths] (if any), since the pandemic began,
(Radio Iowa) – The class 3A semifinals in football take place this (Thursday) afternoon (4-p.m.) at the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley takes on second ranked Harlan. Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley won a state title in 2016 but this is the Nighthawks first trip to the dome as a 3A school.
That’s Boyden-Hull/Rock Valley coach Cory Brandt who says they need to find a way to control a versatile Harlan offense.
Harlan quarterback Teagon Kasperbauer has passed for more than 2100 yards.
Harlan coach Todd Bladt says Nighthawk offense is difficult to prepare for.
Bladt says limiting mistakes and turnovers is a key.
Bladt says the Harlan offense will need to handle the pressure of the Nighthawk defense.
Atlantic Activities Director Andy Mitchell, Wednesday, said COVID-19 did not have a huge affect on sports and other activities this fall.
He told the Atlantic School Board, Winter Sports activities begin next week.
Mitchell said also the coaches are doing their best to keep kids six-feet or more apart. When they can’t they rotate drills constantly. Masks are to be worn when they get on the bus and in the locker rooms. He said also they had a plan on how they were going to transition from outdoor sports to indoor sports, but the Governor’s new proclamation on Tuesday changed that.
Mitchell said events will be live streamed as well through booktix.com. More information will be available on that soon. There’s also some new technology in-place to live-stream various events.
Mitchell said the two fans per player policy was discussed among the Hawkeye 10 Conference members.
He said they have to find a way to pay officials, and that “There won’t be a lot of extra money coming in this year.
Red Oak Police report 32-year old Jeremy Michael Cabe, Sr., of Red Oak, was arrested at around 9:10-p.m. Wednesday, in the 1800 block of E. Summit Street. Cabe was taken into custody for Simple Assault. His bond was set at $300. And, at around 9:35-p.m., Red Oak Police arrested 20-year old Tyler Blaine Baucom, of Red Oak, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense. Baucom was being held without bond at the Montgomery County Jail, while awaiting an appearance before the magistrate.
A school district in north central Iowa is mourning the loss of a teacher who died three days after testing positive for COVID-19. KCCI reports 38-year-old Jason Englert, of Belmond, taught students in the Talented And Gifted (TAG) program. He also coached junior high volleyball, junior high girls basketball, and had planned on coaching varsity girls track this spring for the Belmond-Klemme School District. He died Nov. 8th, at home.
Jason Englert (Photo via the Warner Funeral Home website)
Wright County has been hit hard with the coronavirus. That’s why the Belmond-Klemme district did mass testing last week. His family said while they don’t have an official cause of death yet, they wonder if the virus spurred a heart attack or stroke.
Englert was a native of Royal and graduated from Central Clay/Everly High School. Before taking the position at B-K, he taught math at Manson-Northwest Webster. Prior to that, Jason taught at Twin River Valley in Bode, and at East Union in Afton. A private family service is pending at Warner Funeral Home in Spencer.
(Radio Iowa) – High school and middle school students in Charles City were dismissed early Wednesday morning, due to a possible COVID-19 case on the food service staff. In a written statement, the district’s administrators said they didn’t think it was wise to serve food until the staffer gets a Covid test and they can review how the situation impacts staffing. The district’s website shows 17 active Covid cases in the district and 101 people from the district’s campuses in quarantine.
Over the weekend, came news a special education teacher in Charles City who fell ill with Covid in September had died. At this week’s school board meeting, Charles City Superintendent Mike Fisher asked the community to do its part to ensure the school could stay open.
“We’re just begging and asking the community to please continue to make wise decisions,” he said, “social distance, avoid large gatherings, wear your face coverings.” Fisher says it’s touch and go as to whether he can find enough staff to keep in-person classes going. Charles City high school and middle school students will be out on a “snow day” today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday), as administrators prepare for the possibility of digital days for students.
(Radio Iowa)- There’s been a 60 percent increase in the number of Covid patients in Iowa hospitals so far this month. The patient count last (Wednesday) night was more than 12-hundred, with more than 200 in intensive care and about half of I-C-U patients were on a ventilator. Test results released by the state yesterday (Wednesday) show nearly 48-hundred more Iowans have the virus — three times the national average. Public health officials are pleading with Iowans to take precautions. The hospital in Algona posted a video on its Facebook page with Dr. Rachel Venteicher, director of the Kossuth County Board of Health.
“We have been talking about washing our hands and wearing masks basically for the last eight months, but it is really becoming important right now because we are starting to see our local cases and our regional and state cases just really take off and hospitalization numbers go up and now it is just really important that we have our community’s support and do the things that we ask of them.” Venteicher is urging people to plan ahead and weigh the risks of gatherings for the upcoming holidays.
“We know that in larger groups, there’s just a bigger risk with passing illness, but even in smaller groups, that risk still remains,” she says. “…It might be one of those years that a virtual get together is what’s in the best interest of your family and friends.” According to Dr. Venteicher, the original plan eight months ago was to transfer Covid patients to a larger, regional hospital, but she says because of the statewide spike in Covid cases, it’s become necessary for Algona’s hospital to care for patients suffering from the virus.
The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics — the state’s largest facility — has recently activated its surge plan to deal with escalating numbers of patients. Among the new coronavirus cases reported yesterday (Wednesday), more than 11 percent were either school-age children under 18 (482) or adults in education (60), who work in Iowa schools.