Audubon School District Superintendent Eric Trager says a Special Meeting of the Audubon School Board will be held 6-p.m. Friday in the High School Board room, and via ZOOM. On the agenda is a Public Hearing concerning amendments to the FY20 (ending school on May 22nd) and FY 21 (Beginning school on Aug. 17) School Calendars. Public Comments will be received via email or using the “chat” pane on ZOOM. You may send your emails to etrager@audubon.k12.ia.us, or request a ZOOM link in your email. The public may be allowed to attend the meeting in-person, however the conference room is limited to 10 participants, with preference given to Board members and others necessary to conducting the meeting.

Action items on the Audubon School Board agenda include:

• Rooftop HVAC Unit Replacement…

1. Review Bid Tabulation Sheet
2. Discuss Contractor Qualifications
3. Discuss Alternate
4. Award Projects: General Construction; Alternate 1; Controls.
5. Authorize Board Presidents to sign contracts after attorney review and securing contractor’s signatures.

• Approve Pandemic Resolution
• Approve FY20 and FY21 Calendar Changes
• Approve MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) with Teachers
• Approve Graduation Plans.

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (WOI-TV) — Officials say two paramedics with West Des Moines Emergency Medical Services have tested positive for COVID-19. Station WOI-TV reports that the service announced the first case on Monday and the second on Tuesday. Officials say one of the infected paramedics had transported coronavirus patients in recent weeks. It was not known whether the other paramedic had come in contact with patients infected with the virus. Both paramedics were tested on April 29, and neither have shown any symptoms. Both paramedics have been removed from duty and will remain off work for 10 days as long as they remain symptom- free.

A second case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has been confirmed in Montgomery County via community spread. Officials said today (Tuesday), the individual is an adult female (41-60 years) and currently hospitalized. Montgomery County Public Health Administrator, Samantha Beeson says “We continue to remind residents to take preventative measures to slow the spread of the virus. It’s important for everyone to stay home as much as possible and to practice social distancing – this simply means to stay away from groups of people, and to keep a 6-foot distance from other individuals.”

Iowa Code provides that information regarding disease investigations “provided to or maintained by the department, a local board, or a local department, which identifies a person infected with or exposed to a reportable or other disease or health condition, is confidential and shall not be accessible to the public.”  Beeson says “Montgomery County Public Health’s general practice will be to not disclose specific towns or cities of where residents with confirmed positive tests reside. However, we will share as much information as we are legally able to.”

For up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit the Iowa Coronavirus webpage at https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/

(UPDATED) Governor Kim Reynolds, Tuesday, reported 19 new deaths from COVID-19, for a total of 207 deaths to date. She said 59% of all COVID-19 deaths in the State are at Long-Term Care Facilities (LTCs). The deaths occurred in the following counties: Linn – 6; Black Hawk & Tama Counties – 3 each; 2 each in Dallas & Polk Counties; 1 death in each of Allamakee, Jasper, and Woodbury Counties:

• Allamakee County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
• Black Hawk County, 1 middle-age adult (41-60 years), 1 older adult (61-80 years), 1 elderly adult (81+)
• Dallas County, 1 older adult (61-80 years), 1 elderly adult (81+)
• Jasper County, 1 elderly adult (81+)
• Linn County, 1 middle-age adult (41-60 years), 5 older adults (61-80 years),
• Polk County, 1 adult (18-40 years),  1 elderly adult (81+)
• Tama County, 3 elderly adults (81+)
• Woodbury County, 1 elderly adult (81+)

There were 408 new Positive test results for COVID-19, for a total of 10,111. The Governor said 80% of those test positives are from the 22 counties where restrictions are in-place. There were also 3,000 new Negative COVID-19 test results, for a total of 50,458. Reynolds said 60, 569 Iowans have taken the TestIowa assessment, for a per capita rate of 1 in 52. Over 3,570 Iowans have recovered from the Virus, for a recovery rate of 56%.

IDPH Deputy Director Sarah Reisetter said also, Iowa DPH Director Kaitlyn Pedati has authorized the release of the name of employers whose facilities have an outbreak.

The names of facilities matching the definition of an”Outbreak,” include: Tyson Plant in Columbus Junction [221 Positive cases, or 26% of employees tested]; Iowa Premium National Beef in Tama [258 Positive cases, or 39% of employees tested]; Tyson Plant in Waterloo [444 Positive cases, 17% tested]; Tyson Plant in Perry [730 Positive cases, 58%]; TPI Composites in Newton [131 Positive cases, or 13% of employees tested])

Reisetter said they appreciate those employers who are working with the IDPH to offer testing for their employees.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ Tuesday press conference on COVID-19. We plan on having live audio of the presser on KJAN as well. The press conference is set to begin at approximately 11:00 a.m.

(Radio Iowa) — U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will be the headliner at an annual event that in the past has featured Donald Trump and Ted Cruz — well before they OFFICIALLY launched their presidential campaigns. Pompeo is scheduled to speak at The Family Leader’s annual mid-year “Leadership Summit” on July 17th in West Des Moines. Pompeo, an Army veteran, has been President Trump’s secretary of state for the past two years. He was the president’s C-I-A director before that.

Mike_Pompeo_official_CIA_portrait

Last year, Pompeo said he is open to running for president after Trump leaves office. Pompeo’s speech in July will be his second major address in Iowa. He spoke in March of 2019 at the World Food Prize Headquarters in Des Moines, telling farmers at that time he was seeing “real progress” in trade talks with China.

Pompeo is a former Kansas congressman. Earlier this year, Pompeo announced he would NOT run to replace a retiring U.S. senator from Kansas. Pompeo says he plans to remain as President Trump’s secretary of state as long as Trump wants him to do so.

(Radio Iowa) — Dyersville’s Summer Farm Toy Show that is held every year on the first weekend in June has been canceled. Thousands of people usually attend the event and National Farm Toy Museum Director Amanda Schwartz says they will switch to an online show. “We want to promote all things farm toy related and especially support our farm toy vendors who are really missing those toy shows and do a virtual show,” Schwartz says. “And that’s going to be on our Facebook page on June 6th. We are going to have all our vendors put together a little promo for their business.”

You can still purchase the 2020 Summer Farm Toy Show tractors – the one-16th scale Minneapolis Moline 445 with New Idea Loader and the one-64th scale White 288 with New Idea Loader. You can order the toy tractors online at nationalfarmtoymuseum.com. Schwartz says they’ve also decided to make a change for next year’s Summer Farm Toy Show — pushing back the date to June 26th and 27th of 2021. “The board thought this was a good pause, a good time to make some maybe a little more drastic change with our dates. Just with farming — maybe pushing it back might be more beneficial to the event,” she explains.

And she says it will allow them to adjust to any other changes that come next year. Schwartz says the school calendar might be a little different next year and this would help with that. “Just a little more flexibility and change things up,” according to Schwartz. “And then this would also change it to a Saturday and Sunday show as well. A lot of people had to take Friday off to attend, so we are hoping that this way a lot of people can make a weekend of it.”

She encourages every to visit the Virtual Summer Farm Toy Show beginning June 6th. The National Farm Toy Museum in Dyersville remains closed to the public for now.

The Guthrie County Sheriffs Office has received a report about a burglary that occurred on 300th Street, north of Casey. The burglary occurred between 6:00 PM and 10:30 AM Sunday, May 3rd, 2020. During the incident, someone broke into a machine shed, and stole a John Deere XUV 825i Gator, and a Honda CRF 80 dirt bike (motorcycle). (See pictures. If anyone with regard to the incident, call the Guthrie County S/O at 641-747-2214.

(Radio Iowa) — At 86 years old, U-S Senator Chuck Grassley is among the older, more vulnerable Iowans who are supposed to be especially careful during the coronavirus pandemic. Grassley joined his colleagues in the U-S Capitol on Monday as lawmakers gathered in person for the first time since mid-March. The Republican from New Hartford says he’s following all the prescribed health guidelines. “So, I do wear a mask,” Grassley says. “I wear one of these homemade masks. I think it feels better and works better for me.”

Maintaining a six-foot social distance isn’t a problem, he says, as only one-fifth of his staff is in the office each day, Monday through Friday, and they’re working from home the other four days. Many Iowans who are considered “essential” have continued going to work during the pandemic, even though they likely didn’t want to do so, and Grassley sees himself as no different. “I’m elected as a senator for the people of Iowa and I have a job to do for Iowans,” Grassley says. “They need representation during this difficult time and I’m doing it. I think I’m taking all of the precautions.”

Grassley says he’s washing his hands “all the time” and using disinfectant on a regular basis. He says he’s back in Washington D-C because “the people’s work must go on.” “The virus has taken tens of thousands of lives and created a real economic mess,” he says. “Congress has already passed legislation totaling nearly three-trillion dollars to combat the virus and we’ll consider additional action if it becomes necessary.”

Caucus and committee meetings are starting today (Tuesday) in larger rooms and Grassley says they’ll spread out with just three senators each at tables that normally seat eight.