(Radio Iowa) — A series of summer camps for future stage performers that used to be only for central Iowa students is going statewide this summer. Because of the pandemic, in-person classes had to be cancelled in favor of virtual gatherings. Karoline Myers, education manager at Des Moines Performing Arts, says the camps are designed for kids as young as pre-school all the way up through high school and college. “At the younger age ranges, it’s really exploring and it’s creativity and it’s storytelling and tapping into some of those really fun drama exercises that also work on lots of other life skills and creativity,” Myers says. “And up at the older age groups, it’s really geared towards kids with a high degree of interest in performing arts, specifically musical theater.”

Registration is now open for the eight virtual summer camp opportunities which start as soon as today (June 9th). “Based on ages, we have everything from story-writing and crafting original stories and plays with some of our younger camps and elementary students,” Myers says. “Then, we gear up towards more opportunities for kids to work on putting on a show together, even in the online format, so they get to collaborate as a cast of 20 actors. Everyone’s guaranteed a role and they get to put on a show in a week.”

All of the classes and camps will be held via Zoom with activities designed to keep participants moving. Four of the camps include an opportunity to work with Broadway professionals. “We’ll be working on musical theater dance skills, audition skills, acting techniques,” Myers says, “and then some industry chats with special guest artists that will be joining us from New York or wherever they’re making home right now during the pandemic.”

Some courses for the older students will focus on the so-called triple threat areas of musical theater — acting, dancing, and singing. At all age levels, Myers says there will be plenty of online social gatherings in this time of social distancing. “We still want to make sure that even though it’s in this online format that kids are still making friends with other kids,” Myers says. “A lot of them have been home, they’ve been isolated, so building in that social time. It’s going to be different from school. We’ll definitely have you up, moving and interacting with our faculty and really getting creative and having a lot of fun — in your space from the safety of your home.”

Some of the classes meet once a week, while the week-long camps meet daily.

More info. at:  https://desmoinesperformingarts.org/classes-camps/

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports one arrest occurred last week. On June 1st at around 10:40-p.m., 64-year old Richard Curtis Johnson, of Greenfield, was taken into custody on a Class-C Felony charge of Burglary in the 2nd Degree, a serious misdemeanor charge of Assault on a Peace Officer, and Interference with Official Acts, a Simple Misdemeanor. Following an initial court appearance, Johnson was released on his own recognizance.

Authorities say Johnson was taken into custody after he allegedly entered an occupied structure in which one person was present. No weapons were used and no bodily injuries took place when Johnson allegedly punched open an apartment door and entered the apartment before removing property. He was charged with Assault on a Peace Officer, after an incident that allegedly took place while Johnson was being questioned about the burglary. And, the Interference charge was the result of Johnson allegedly resisting the commands of an Officer. Authorities say he walked toward an Officer despite command for him to stop, and then pulled away while the Officer was attempting to place Johnson in handcuffs.

Two thefts were reported to Police in Creston, Monday. A resident of the 1200 block of N. Chestnut told authorities that sometime between 7-p.m. Friday and 8-a.m. Monday, someone broke into a storage unit he rents at 801 W. Townline. Two cable locators valued at $18,000, were stolen. And, a man residing Nodaway, reported to Creston Police that his vehicle had been towed from the 100 block of N. Elm Street in Creston, sometime during the past week. Missing from the vehicle were two flashlights that were inside the vehicle when it was towed. The loss was estimated at $150.

Creston Police report also, 67-year old David Rooker, of Creston, was cited Monday afternoon on a Failure to Abate a Nuisince, charge. He was issued a summons to appear in court and released at his residence.

(Radio Iowa) — Traffic and the sale of new cars are both picking back up as the state emerges from the shut down brought on by the coronavirus. Iowa Department of Transportation director of planning, Stuart Anderson, told the Transportation Commission during a workshop Monday traffic numbers bottomed out the week of April 10th. He says all traffic was down 44 percent that week and the interstate traffic was down 47 percent for the same week in 2019. Anderson says traffic volume has increased every week since the low. “We are still below the 2019 levels — but the week that ended last Thursday — total traffic was down 21 percent,” according to Anderson. So, we’ve cut in half the traffic impacts on the state.”

The fees paid when someone buys a new car also saw a drop. “In March they were down a little over 50 percent from April of last year…..in May it’s down a third from what it was,” Anderson says. The car fees and gas tax are used to fund road repairs. Anderson says they had projected a loss of 25 percent in road funding or about 35 million dollars. But those numbers are looking better. He says COVID-19 impact now for the June distribution is a drop of 25 million dollars — which is a 20 percent reduction compared to the previously predicted 25 percent.

Anderson says there is a lot of variability and projections “are highly subject to change.”

(Radio Iowa) — There have been some partisan policy disputes now that the 2020 Iowa legislative session has resumed, but there’s some intense public bickering about face masks. Most Democrats have been wearing face coverings. Most Republicans are not. Senator Bill Dotzler, a Democrat from Waterloo, gave two speeches urging his colleagues to wear a mask at all times. “Have respect for us who might have underlying conditions or family members who had them underlying conditions,” Dotzler said. “We’ve even got people who are health care professionals in this room who aren’t doing it.”

Senator Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa, the Republican nominee for Iowa’s second congressional district seat, is an eye doctor. Miller-Meeks responded to Dotzler, saying she’s read reams of research that suggests maintaining six-feet of separation is sufficient. “I don’t need to be chastised as a physician on whether I should wear a mask or not wear a mask because I’ve looked at the CDC guidelines…I am, in fact, following those guidelines,” Miller-Meeks says. “…When I’m at a store, at a location, at a restaurant I make sure I’m six feet apart.”

There was no floor debate Monday in the House or Senate. The legislature will reconvene today (Tuesday).

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s COVID-19 dashboard shows 15 more people have died from the virus over the past 24-hours, for a total of 622. The number of positive cases increased by 259 to 22,177. The number of Negative COVID-19 test results also increased, from 170,635 Monday, to 174,764 today (Tuesday). Another piece of good news: the number of Iowans who have recovered from the virus amounts to 402, for a total of 13,277.

Statewide RMCC data show 255 Iowans are hospitalized with COVID-19, an increase of 10 from Monday. The number of persons in an ICU has decreased from 85 to 82, while the number of persons admitted to a hospital was listed as 16. Two persons were removed from a ventilator. A total of 51 remain hooked-up to the breathing assistance machines.  In southwest/western Iowa RMCC Region 4: Eight people are hospitalized (1 more than Monday); four are in an ICU (3 more than Monday); One person was admitted to a hospital, and two are on ventilators.

Long-Term Care (LTC) facilities reported one less outbreak, with a total of 39. The amount of residents/staff at those facilities who have tested positive for COVID-19 number 1,561 (5 more than previously reported). 858 have recovered, and a total of 309 have died (5 more than Monday).

There’s been a slight change in some of the area county-by-county COVID-19 case and recovery numbers. The counties with changes include:

Cass: 12 persons have recovered of the 13 positive cases.

Audubon: 10 out of 13 have positive cases have recovered

Shelby: 39 positive cases were reported (1 more than the past few days), with 34 recovered.

Pottawattamie: 383 cases (+25 from yesterday), and 220 have recovered (+19 from Monday).