w/Kate Olson.
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DES MOINES–Gov. Kim Reynolds has issued a disaster proclamation in response to a severe weather system that moved across Iowa and caused widespread damage August 10th. The proclamation allows state resources to be utilized to respond to and recover from the effects of this severe weather in Benton, Cedar, Clarke, Greene, Hardin, Iowa, Jasper, Linn, Muscatine, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Tama, and Washington counties. The proclamation also activates the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program for qualifying residents, along with the Disaster Case Management Program, for all these counties as well as Boone and Clinton counties, which were previously declared to be in a state of disaster emergency.
Governor Reynolds also previously declared a disaster and activated the Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program and the Disaster Case Management Program, for Dallas, Johnson, Marshall, and Story counties. Proclamations may be issued for additional counties. The Iowa Individual Assistance Grant Program provides grants of up to $5,000 for households with incomes up to 200 percent of the federal poverty level or a maximum annual income of $43,440 for a family of three. Disaster Case Management is a program to address serious needs to overcome a disaster-related hardship, injury or adverse condition.
The suspension of 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 remains in effect.
Iowa residents of counties impacted by the recent severe weather are asked to report damage to help local and state officials better understand the damage sustained. Damage to property, roads, utilities and other storm-related information may be reported. This information will be collected by the Iowa Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management and shared with local emergency management agencies.
Police in Creston says an accident Tuesday afternoon at the intersection of Lincoln, Kirby and Russell Streets resulted in charges against 53-year old Joel Allen Weeks, from Creston. Weeks was driving a 1993 Ford Ranger pickup southbound on Lincoln at around 1:10-p.m., and was turning left onto Russell Street, when he failed to complete the turn and struck a telephone pole. Weeks got out of the vehicle and walked away from the scene.
After witnesses gave police a description of the pickup’s driver, Weeks was found about two blocks east of the scene. Weeks showed symptoms of intoxication but refused all sobriety tests. He was subsequently charged with OWI/3rd offense, Driving While Barred, a Registration Violation, and Failure to Maintain Control. Damage to the pickup was estimated at $3,000.
Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County report a woman was arrested for OWI/1st offense, following an investigation into an accident that took place at around 1:30 this (Wednesday) morning. The crash happened in the area of Highway 34 and 200th Street. Authorities say Ashley Gossett-Nye, of Villisca, also faces a charge of Interference with official acts. She was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $1,000 bond. Red Oak Fire and Rescue and Red Oak Police assisted at the scene.
(Radio Iowa) – Kinnick Stadium will be silent in September as the Big Ten Conference has canceled the fall sports season — including Iowa Hawkeye football games. Head Coach Kirk Ferentz spoke with reporters after the announcement and said the release of the schedule last week had given the players hope they would see the field this fall.
Nebraska’s coach has indicated the school might play anyway if the Big Ten canceled the fall season. Ferentz said he has great respect for the conference and believes they should stick together.
The conference is looking at the possibility of having a spring season. “We’re refocusing on what the next step can be. And we to my knowledge have had no discussion about doing anything against what the conference decides,” Ferentz said. “As much as we may want to — we are going to abide by that unless they reconsider.” The statement from the Big Ten conference says the decision was made due to ongoing health and safety concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The conference statement says it relied on the medical advice and counsel of the Big Ten Task Force for Emerging Infectious Diseases and the Big Ten Sports Medicine Committee. Ferentz says he’s no doctor and understands there was a tough decision to be made.
Ferentz believes a spring season would work.
U-I athletic director Gary Barta released a statement following the announcement that said:
“With the announcement today from the Big Ten Conference, our immediate focus is on our student-athletes and continuing to provide care and support. They have overcome a number of obstacles associated with this virus and handled the uncertainties with undeniable resolve. We will continue to work together and move forward. We have said from the very beginning, the health and safety of our student-athletes, coaches, and staff is our first priority. Our athletics department is incredibly fortunate to have the expertise and guidance of our medical team and the U-I Hospital and Clinics. Unfortunately, there were still too many uncertainties to move forward with our fall sports. The University of Iowa supports the extremely difficult decision made by the Big Ten Conference.”
(Radio Iowa) – Iowans who are collecting unemployment will see federal benefits extended under President Trump’s executive order, which he signed as the U-S House and Senate still disagree over a new COVID-19 relief package. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the president’s plan is for Uncle Sam to pick up 75-percent of the cost of those updated jobless benefits, leaving states to pay the remaining 25-percent. “It would go $300 of enhanced federal money,” Grassley says, “and out of the $150-billion that went to states or their own money, they have to put up $100.”
The added federal jobless benefits ran out July 31st and while they lasted, were providing many unemployed people an additional 600-dollars a week. Grassley says the new 400-dollars-a-week plan is the result of compromise. Grassley says, “That $400, I think, was probably selected because it was halfway between the $200 figure that was in the Senate bill and the $600 that we have right now.”
The 400-dollar payments are on top of the regular state unemployment benefits, so some people are able to make more money by not returning to work. Grassley says 600-dollars was way too much and hurt businesses of all sizes as they couldn’t get people to come back to their jobs.”Maybe the $400 is still a disincentive for people to go back to work, but obviously it wouldn’t be as much of a disincentive as the $600,” Grassley says, “and I think it runs for two months.”
Negotiations over the new COVID relief package fell apart late last week. Democrats propose spending some three-trillion dollars through their plan, the HEROES Act, while Republicans favor a one-trillion dollar rescue effort called the HEALS Act.
MERLE TRENT, 90, of Stuart, died Monday, Aug. 10th, at home. Graveside services for MERLE TRENT will be held 10:30-a.m. Saturday, Aug. 15th, at the West Cemetery in Panora. Twigg Funeral Home in Panora has the arrangements.
Friends may call at the funeral home on Friday, Aug. 14th, from 2-until 7-p.m.
MERLE TRENT is survived by:
His Wife – Pat.
His daughter – Sandra
His adopted son – Michael.
Stepdaughters: Julie (Doug) Davis; Trudy (Ed) Woolman, and Kathy (Dave) Olson.
His brother – Keith, of CA.
His sisters – Imajean Wasson, of FL, and Verlee Ulrich, of Adel.
15 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, plus a host of extended family and friends.
Iowa Health officials today (Wednesday) reports there were 14 more deaths in the State attributed to COVID-19 since 10-a.m. Tuesday, for a total of 949, and, 520 new, confirmed cases of the virus, for a total of 49,702. Long-Term Care facility deaths account for 508 of the State’s death toll.
Here in Cass County, there was a jump in the number of positive cases, from 74 Tuesday, to 79 today. Of those, 47 have recovered from the virus. The data continues to show most of those who have tested positive in Cass County are in the 18-to 40 age bracket (46%), with the 0-17 and 41-60 age groups each having 20% of the cases. Those 61 & older make up 11% of the cases, and those over the age of 80 make up just 3% of the positive cases.
The IDPH says 530,419 Iowans have been tested, 3,361 tested negative since 10-a.m. Tuesday, for a total of 477,555 to-date. And, 38,548 Iowans have recovered from the virus. Hospitalization data show: 243 are hospitalized with COVID-19 symptoms; 72 are in an ICU; 53 were admitted to a hospital since Tuesday, and 25 people were on a ventilator.
Southwest/western Iowa hospitals report: 12 people are in a hospital with COVID-19; Five people are in an ICU; There were 0 persons admitted and no one on a ventilator. Long-Term Care (LTC) data today, show: 28 Outbreaks (3 more than Tue.); 839 patients/staff have tested positive; and 471 have recovered.
Here are the latest positive case numbers for southwest/western Iowa since 10-a.m. Tuesday (County; Positive Case #’s; number of persons who have (recovered); {deaths since the outbreak began}. Counties with changes since Monday, have highlighted numbers:
(Radio Iowa) – State Ag Secretary Mike Naig says some of the corn that was flattened by Monday’s storm will bounce back, but it’s anybody’s guess as to what percentage of damaged Iowa crops may be harvested. Grain bins, silos and elevators were damaged as well, so losses extend to the 2019 crop. “Tens of millions of bushels of commercial grain storage and millions of on-farm grain storage was impacted, destroyed or severely damaged,” he says.
Naig warns there will be storage issues for the 2020 crop, so farmers may have to truck their corn and soybeans further or resort to on-the-ground outdoor storage. “Certainly there’ll be a lot of effort to repair whatever storage can be repaired and brought back online before fall,” Naig says, “but it’s hard to imagine that any significant amount of the storage that’s been damaged will be able to be rebuilt before harvest this year.”
The state climatologist says Monday’s derecho passed through about a third of the state. Naig says localized crop losses in central and east central Iowa fields that were flattened by Monday’s storm will be severe, but it’s too soon to estimate the value of crop losses in those high damage areas. Naig says some livestock barns were damaged, too, but there have not yet been reports that hogs, cattle or poultry were killed in the storm.
UNDATED (AP) — A crumbling college football season took a massive hit Tuesday when the Big Ten and Pac-12, two historic and powerful conferences, succumbed to the pandemic and canceled their fall football seasons. Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott called the decision “extremely difficult and painful.” Despite pleas from players, coaches and President Donald Trump in recent days to play on, 40% of major college football teams have now decided to punt on a fall season, a decision that will cost schools tens of millions of dollars and upends traditions dating back a century.
CINCINNATI (AP) — Joey Votto doubled home the winning run in the 10th inning, and the Cincinnati Reds blew another late lead before rallying for a 6-5 victory over the Kansas City Royals. The Royals tied it 5-5 in the eighth on Ryan McBroom’s pinch-hit, two-run homer off Amir Garrett, but they couldn’t keep their four-game winning streak going. With a designated runner on second base in the 10th, Josh Staumont walked Nick Castellanos and Votto doubled off the wall in center.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Mecole Hardman is probably faster than 99% of players in the NFL. Tyreek Hill happens to be in the 1%. The Chiefs wide receivers settled that when the two lined up for a race in their indoor facility this week. Hill won it easily, but the real winners might be the Super Bowl champions. They already had one of the fastest groups of wide receivers in the league, and they added speedy running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire to the mix in this year’s draft.
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — Damian Lillard tied his career high with 61 points, willing Portland to a 134-131 victory over the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night that moved the Trail Blazers into eighth place in the Western Conference. The Blazers will clinch a spot in the play-in series with a win Thursday against Brooklyn. Lillard is the 12th player in NBA history to score 50 points in back-to-back games after dropping 51 on the 76ers on Sunday.
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) — In the first major league game in Buffalo since 1915, Travis Shaw hit an RBI single in the 10th inning and the Toronto Blue Jays settled into their new nest with a 5-4 win over the Miami Marlins. Barred from playing in Toronto by the Canadian government over concerns about the coronavirus, the wandering Blue Jays spent nearly three weeks on the road before moving into the ballpark of their Triple-A affiliate as their temporary home this year.
CLEVELAND (AP) — The Cleveland Indians placed starters Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac on the restricted list after the pitchers broke team rules by leaving their hotel in Chicago and risking exposure to the coronavirus. Clevinger and Plesac went out Saturday night with a group of people following the Indians’ win over the White Sox. The team immediately sent Plesac home in a car service. The Indians were not aware Clevinger had been with him until after he flew back to Cleveland with the team and staff.
EDMONTON, Alberta (AP) — Rasmus Andersson scored the tiebreaking goal late in the second period, and the Calgary Flames beat the Dallas Stars 3-2 in the opener of their best-of-seven Western Conference playoff series. Dillon Dube scored twice in the first to put the Flames up 2-0. Dallas got even in the second when Denis Gurianov and captain Jamie Benn scored in a nine-second span. Game 2 of the series is Thursday.
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