DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been notified of 15 additional positive cases of Iowans with COVID-19, for a total of 105 positive cases. There have been a total of 2,043 negative tests to date, which includes testing reported by the State Hygienic Lab and other labs.

According to IDPH, the locations and age ranges of the 15 individuals include:

Allamakee County, 1 adult (18-40 years)
Dubuque County, 1 adult (18-40 years), 1 older adult (61-80 years)
Hancock County, 2 older adults (61-80 years)
Johnson County, 1 middle-aged adult (41-60 years), 2 older adults (61-80 years)
Linn County, 1 adult (18-40 years), 1 middle-aged adult (41-60 years)
Muscatine County, 1 middle-aged adult (41-60 years)
Polk County, 1 adult (18-40 years),  1 middle-aged adult (41-60 years)
Wapello County, 1 older adult (61-80 years)
Woodbury County, 1 middle-aged adult (41-60 years)

A status report of monitoring and testing of COVID19 in Iowa is provided by IDPH and can be found here. In addition, a public hotline has been established for Iowans with questions about COVID-19. The line is available 24/7 by calling 2-1-1 or 1-800-244-7431. The state of Iowa has started sharing the number of negative tests conducted at other labs, and will soon provide additional information regarding hospitalization and recovery.

Gov. Reynolds will hold a press conference today at 2:30 p.m. The press conference will be streamed and posted in full on Governor Reynolds’ Facebook Page.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are cutting the number of inmates in Iowa’s prisons and jails, citing concerns about the spread of the new coronavirus. Officials told The Des Moines Register COVID-19 has yet to be confirmed in any Iowa prison or jail. But an ACLU spokeswoman says it poses a particular menace to the overcrowded facilities, where there’s no ability to maintain social distance.

A spokesman says the Iowa Corrections Department is expediting the placement of about 700 prisoners who are approved for parole or work release. A judge has reduced terms for some jail inmates in Scott County.

Atlantic resident Sally Richter has formed a group on Facebook entitled “Entertain the Town Cass County,” designed to allow 10 people or less to gather and try and have fun, while at the same time making lives better, during the COVID-19 outbreak. Some of the upcoming events include:

• Tuesday, March 24 – Make a Poster: Pick a positive funny saying or picture to put on it! Must be large! The group will take them to the care centers and place in their yard.
• Saturday, March 28 -Window Walk/Drive Scavenger Hunt.
• Wednesday, April 1st – Book Buddies.

For more information on these and future events, go to the Entertain the Town Cass Co Facebook page.

(Radio Iowa) — Residents of the western Iowa town of Le Mars found a way to beat the boredom of being isolated by the coronavirus took to their cars to “scoop the loop.” Close to 200 cars, pickups, and even an occasional semi were seen driving on Central Avenue, (the city’s main street). The vehicles were traveling back and forth a distance of about five blocks heading north and then making a U-turn turning around at the teardrop and going south through the downtown area.

One individual participating in the driving caravan says it reminded him of the days when he was in high school, looking for possible dates. The people were notified of the activity through social media.

(Radio Iowa) — A long-time, well-known Iowa journalist has died. Dean Borg was host and moderator of the weekly “Iowa Press” program on Iowa P-B-S for more than four decades. Borg retired from the program in 2017. “There’s no better place to cover politics than Iowa.” Borg’s comments come from a retrospective aired on Iowa P-B-S just over three years ago. Radio Iowa news director O. Kay Henderson has shared these memories of Borg with Iowa Public Radio, where Borg did part-time work for the past two decades. “I would describe Dean in two parts. There’s the personal part — a true gentleman, a good friend and a devoted family man. Then, there’s the professional part — the tenacious, determined journalist and I think that explains his popularity with the ‘Iowa Press’ audience,” Henderson said. “I think they could see and sense all of that.”

Dean Borg

Borg, who was 81, died of complications of pancreatic cancer. Borg grew up in Forest City and was the first member of his family to attend college. He graduated from Iowa State University with a degree in journalism, served in the Air Force, worked for the Defense Department and was a war correspondent in Vietnam. Borg returned to Iowa and was a reporter for W-M-T television in Cedar Rapids. He helped launch “Iowa Press” on public television in 1971. Dean and his wife, Sheila, have been long-time residents of Mount Vernon. Borg is survived by his wife. five children and nine grandchildren.

The Borg family will hold private funeral services due to coronavirus pandemic precautions. A memorial service may be scheduled later in the year. The family has suggested memorial donations may be made to the Mount Vernon Schools Foundation to fund an annual scholarship for a high school graduate or to the Iowa PBS Foundation to fund an annual internship for a college student pursuing a degree in journalism.

Red Oak Police report an unknown vehicle struck a legally parked pickup truck, and then left the scene. Officials say a 2018 Chevy Silverado pickup owned by Keith Weiderien, of Red Oak, was parked in the 600 block of Sunset Avenue, when it was hit. The pickup sustained about $1,500 damage. The incident happened sometime between 9-p.m. Friday and 1-p.m. Saturday.

Authorities say the suspect vehicle left a red paint transfer where it struck the pickup. No other details are known. The incident remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) — One of north-central Iowa’s largest employers is suspending most production activities at its facilities in Iowa and nationwide due to the coronavirus pandemic. Forest City-based Winnebago Industries says the actions at the company’s Winnebago, Grand Design RV, Newmar and Chris-Craft facilities is in response to the national spread of COVID-19 and unforeseeable change in business circumstances that have accompanied it. The steps are designed to lower the probability of coronavirus exposure to employees and adjust future production output relative to a fast-changing demand landscape for the company’s products.

Production will be suspended starting this week and based on present conditions through at least April 12th. Winnebago CEO Michael Happe says their top priority is the health and well-being of the company’s employees, business partners, customers and communities. He says the company is also seeing demand for their products shift dramatically as the nation takes appropriate action to curb the spread of coronavirus.

To support employees and their families affected by the temporary production suspension, the company is providing base pay and benefits for the first two weeks.