The Audubon Community School District was recently the benefactor of a generous gift. School officials says 1992 graduate, Jeanette LaFoy, passed away on April 1st, 2019. In her will, she left her home in Washington State to the district. The home has been sold and the district received a check for $191,000.

Photograph: Board President Mark Nissen, Jeanette’s Aunt Denise England, Superintendent Eric Trager (Photo via ACSD Facebook page)

District officials say while there are no definitive plans for the money at this point, the district administration and Board would like to use the money for specific projects that have a direct effect on students and can be credited to Jeanette.

The district says it is very appreciative of this generous gift and is committed to using it to make a positive impact.

MAQUOKETA, Iowa (AP) — The city of Maquoketa and Jackson County in eastern Iowa will pay $4.5 million to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a man killed during his arrest last year. An attorney for the family of 22-year-old Drew Edwards said in a news release Wednesday that the payment will settle a lawsuit alleging civil rights violations and excessive police force against Edwards.

Edwards died on June 15, 2019, after being repeatedly shocked with a stun gun and suffocated as a Maquoketa police officer and a Jackson County Sheriff’s deputy sat on his head, neck and body for over 10 minutes. The officers had been trying to arrest Edwards for simple assault following a domestic dispute.

CLEAR LAKE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man initially arrested for public intoxication now faces felony counts and possible prison time after police say he spit on and threatened to rape the woman officer who arrested him. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that 43-year-old Scott Allen Thelke, of Clear Lake, has been charged with first-degree harassment, assault on an officer, public intoxication and a parole violation.

Police say the incident began Monday when the Clear Lake officer responded to a call from a local restaurant that Thelke was drunk and causing problems. Police say that as the officer placed Thelke under arrest, Thelke spat on her and threatened to rape and kill her.

DES MOINES–Gov. Kim Reynolds has extended a disaster proclamation for counties impacted by the Aug. 10 derecho. The proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather in Audubon, Benton, Boone, Cass, Cedar, Clarke, Clinton, Dallas, Greene, Grundy, Guthrie, Hardin, Iowa, Jackson, Jasper, Johnson, Jones, Linn, Madison, Marshall, Muscatine, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Story, Tama, and Washington counties.

In addition, the proclamation temporarily suspends regulatory provisions pertaining to weight limits and hours of service for disaster repair crews and drivers delivering goods and services and the movement of loads related to responding to the severe storm system throughout the state of Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds says five of Iowa’s most populous counties continue to have the highest number of new COVID-19 cases: Johnson, Polk, Story, Linn and Black Hawk. Still, she says the number of positive cases is trending down for each county, while the positivity rate is dropping in all but Linn County. The governor says Iowa’s young adults remain the trouble-spot in the past two weeks:

The White House Coronavirus Task Force is again calling for Iowa officials to close more bars and to enact a mask mandate to prevent further spread of the virus. A federal report now shows Iowa has the third-highest percentage of new COVID-19 cases in the country, down from first in the nation a week ago.

The Cass County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests took place last week. On Sept. 4th, 24-year old Jesse Scott Oles, of Hamlin, was arrested on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Oles was taken to the Cass County Jail and released later that day on $10,000 bond. On Sept. 3rd, 31-year old Justin Kyle Patton, of Atlantic, was arrested by Cass County Deputies, on an Atlantic Police Department warrant for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Patton was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance.

And, 43-year old Jason Richard Tasto, of Atlantic, was arrested Sept. 3rd on a District Court warrant for Failure to Appear. Tasto was taken to the Cass County Jail and released the following day on his own recognizance.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — After two judges found the state has the authority to impose its rules on local school districts, Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds urged Des Moines school officials to give up their effort to educate all students remotely and develop a plan for children to return to in-person classes. Reynolds on Thursday said the state’s largest district is alone in refusing to develop a plan for in-classroom instruction and noted that judges in Polk and Johnson counties this week affirmed the state has the authority to require local districts to hold in-person classes, even if there are increased health risks from the coronavirus.

The governor spoke on a day when Iowa saw 819 confirmed coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours and 20 additional deaths.