DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says the Memorial Day weekend could be the time to “tiptoe” out after weeks of staying home due to the coronavirus, but any outings would come as the state still is seeing hundreds of new cases daily. Reynolds says Friday the 14-day trend of new positive cases is moving lower and other metrics including hospitalization rates are lower and stable.

Despite the optimism, the number of virus deaths has been relatively consistent, with 18 Friday, 19 Thursday and 14 Wednesday. The total stood Friday at 418 deaths. There were 454 positive cases, boosting the state total to 16,408 as of Friday morning.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports the arrest on Wed., May 20th, of 23-year old Christopher Rankin, of Clarinda. Rankin was arrested on a Page County Warrant for Violation of a Protection Order. He was transported to the Page County Jail and held pending further court proceedings.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — One of Iowa’s most reliable sources of personal protective equipment to fight the coronavirus has been a statewide prison labor program that can pay inmates as little as 58 cents per hour. Prisoners have helped make 98,000 masks, 40,000 gowns, 17,000 face shields and 24,000 gallons of hand sanitizer in recent weeks. The Iowa Department of Corrections says inmates and staff at several prisons have been working weekends and nights, including 12 hours on Easter Sunday, to produce the supplies.

The gear is used to protect inmates, guards, state employees and health care workers. Inmates make between 58 cents and $1.92 per hour.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports two arrests took place Thursday. At around 9:50-a.m., 55-year old Terry Lee Stark, of Hastings (IA), was arrested for Driving Under Suspension and Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability. Bond was set at $300. And, at around 2:20-p.m. 21-year old Dylan James Lawrence, of Murray (IA), was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance, Failure to Provide Proof of Financial Liability, and for having no valid driver’s license. Bond was set at $1,000.

(Updated) Governor Kim Reynolds reports four new COVID-19 TestIowa sites will open next week for those with an appointment, and one is set to close. New testing sites will become operational in Burlington, Council Bluffs, Marshalltown and Sioux Center. The site in Sioux City, which opened May 4th, will close this afternoon at 6-p.m., but other testing locations will remain available. The site in Pottawattamie County is set to open May 29th from noon until 6-p.m., but the site has yet to be determined.

The Governor had some thoughts on the virus, heading into the weekend. She said “While life is beginning to feel more normal, we can’t forget that the virus still remains in our communities. We must continue to take personal responsibility for our health and the health of others, just as you have done over the past 11 weeks. As we move into the Memorial Holiday weekend, please enjoy the weekend and the extra time with family and friends, but do so in a safe and responsible manner.”

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ Friday press conference on COVID-19. We will have live audio on KJAN as well with the presser set to begin at approximately 11:00 a.m.

(Radio Iowa) — The Iowa Supreme Court says the debts from all crimes should not be linked together when it comes to clearing someone’s record. The ruling involves a case where a woman paid off the debt associated with the unauthorized use of a credit card and the case was dismissed. She then sought to have the charge removed from her court record. The district court denied the request — saying she had to pay off the debt in other cases before any record could be expunged. The Iowa Supreme Court says the law was enacted to allow someone to clear the record when they had met their obligation — so the case would not later hamper them in a background check.

The court says requiring a defendant to satisfy financial obligations in cases other than the case for which expungement was sought frustrates this statutory purpose of the law. The Supreme Court reversed the district court ruling. This ruling also applied to two other similar cases.

Officials with the Council Bluffs Police Department report Officers made a physical arrest this (Friday) morning, following a road rage incident that took place on South 24th Street. Authorities says a driver struck another driver several times at a local gas station, after a problem on the roadway. Authorities says “We receive several calls regarding “road rage” and unfortunately, many go unaccounted for. This time, several witnesses called police and then gave statements that allowed us to make an arrest. We sincerely appreciate the public’s help when acting as informed witnesses and remind everyone to use restraint and patience when driving during this Memorial Day weekend. Stay safe and healthy!”

Additional details concerning the arrest were not released.

Atlantic Parks and Recreation Department Director Bryant Rasmussen posted on social media this (Friday) morning, a letter to the citizens of Atlantic, with regard to the Sunnyside Pool. The letter said “It is with an extremely heavy heart, but due to the Covid-19 virus and restrictions in place, the Sunnyside Pool will not open for the summer 2020 season pursuant to the Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for the state of Iowa on May 13th, 2020,” which states “All swimming pools and spas, wading pools, water slides, wave pools, spray pads, and bath houses shall continue to be closed until 11:59 pm on May 27th.”

Even with the newest proclamation by Governor Reynolds permitting lap lanes and swim lessons the social distancing requirements are still in place, the proclamation does not open up recreational swimming venues. Rasmussen said “Although we have employees trained and hired to be lifeguards, we do not have the necessary employees to fulfill the recommendations of the CDC to be able to clean frequently touched objects (hand rails, door knobs, restrooms, showers, lockers, chairs, etc.) after every single use. We also do not have additional employees to monitor the recommended 6 feet physical distancing of those in the water who are not immediate family members or who reside in the same household.” (To see the full list of recommendations from the CDC visit https://www.cdc.gov/…/communi…/parks-rec/aquatic-venues.html. )