The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports two recent arrests. At around 2-a.m. Thursday, 44-year old Scott Allen Hall was arrested following a traffic stop in Council Bluffs. Hall was taken into custody for Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender, after he was pulled over for speeding. And, at around 9:25-a.m. Wednesday, 57-year old Steven Ray James was arrested on warrants for Control of Vehicle, and OWI/1st offense. He was taken into custody at the Pott. County Sheriff’s Office, upon turning himself-in.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Officials say a dental student is the first COVID-19 case reported on the University of Iowa campus in Iowa City. University officials say a patient seen by the student when the student was symptomatic has been notified, as have other students with whom he came in contact. The officials say the dentistry student doesn’t live in any residence hall and is in isolation off campus.

A campus message sent Thursday says the Dental College has intensified its disinfection efforts. Also Thursday, Gov. Kim Reynolds announced that the state COVID-19 total had risen to 44.

Police in Creston say the driver of a Ford Mustang reported possible/unknown injuries, following a collision Thursday night, at Highway 34 and Laurel Streets, in Creston. Authorities say 27-year old Dakota Colburn, of Creston, was traveling eastbound on Highway 34 at around 7:50-p.m., when his car was struck by a 2000 Chevy van that was traveling south on Laurel Street. The driver of the van…46-year old William Parmenter, of Kent…told police he ran the intersection red light, because his accelerator was sticking.

An investigation determined his vehicles’ floor mat was messed-up under the pedals. Damage from the collision amounted to $7,000. No citations were issued.

Officials in Guthrie County say the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office and Court house are closed to the public while the COVID-19 emergency is in-place. Authorities say the Sheriff’s Office will still be staffed 24/7, and calls for service will be handled, but the Sheriff’s Office will not be taking care of permits to obtain or renew, permits to carry or permit to purchase, until further notice. The Sheriff’s Office will also not have any visitation on Thursdays until further notice.

The change went into effect Wednesday, and is intended to help protect the staff and General public from the spreading of the COVID -19 virus. If you request a deputy for a call of service at your residence, let the dispatcher know if you have been ill or have a fever. This is to ensure that the Deputies will use precautions to keep safe and help with the risk of spreading the COVID-19 virus to others. The Sheriff’s Office would also like to urge everyone to stay home and use the all precautions to help in not spreading the COVID-19 virus.

The Sheriff’s Office will still be available by calling 641-747-2214 for all non-emergency’s. If you have, any questions feel free to contact the Sheriff’s office.

MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a Davenport man was arrested after his DNA matched samples collected after a 2011 sexual assault reported in rural eastern Iowa. Delaware County court records say 33-year-old Zachary Broders is charged with third-degree sexual abuse. His attorney didn’t immediately return a call Friday from The Associated Press. Court documents say a woman reported in July 2011 that she was assaulted by a man who gave her a ride to rural Ryan. Authorities say rape kit DNA samples collected then matched a DNA sample from Broders, who had been arrested elsewhere.

(Radio Iowa) — The latest numbers from the Iowa Association of Realtors show home sales in the were up again in February. Association president-elect Jen Burkamper of Ames says sales increased by three-point-eight percent and pending home sales were 16-point-four percent higher compared to last February. “Everybody’s been excited for the spring market. January and February both were very good for sales,” Burkamper says. She says the only thing holding them back is finding enough houses to sell.  “That is what we’ve been seeing, we don’t have enough supply, there’s more demand than supply, and that’s been the case for several years now,” according to Burkamper. “In central Iowa especially, we’ve just been struggling with inventory and getting inventory.”

The median sales price of homes was two-point-eight percent higher compared to February of last year at 155-thousand dollars. Burkamper says the lack of available homes gives an advantage to sellers. “It’s not uncommon to see several multiple offer type situations, it just depends on what price range you are in. We just don’t have enough inventory in any of the price ranges really to supply the demand,” Burkamper says.

She says Realtors have noticed some slowdown in the last week as the coronavirus became more prevalent. There are still people out looking for houses. “It’s just the people that have to move right now — they’re still out there in the market — and we still have sellers putting their homes on the market,” Burkamper says. “I think everybody is just so uncertain as to just what effect this is going to have on the market.”

She says the cut in interest rates didn’t have the impact on housing it might have in other areas of the economy.“Well, the mortgage industry had already predicted a decrease….we saw a decrease in the rates about two weeks ago, and then last week we saw an increase in the rates. So, they are down to historical lows,” she says.  Burkamper says things start to ramp up this time of year — especially in areas where there is a big rental population. “Our rental market really goes from August one to July 31st. And people have to start deciding in February and March if they are going to renew their leases in the next cycle. So, that is what precipitates a lot of that activity,” Burkamper says. 

She says people who are planning on moving usually wait until school is out in May and they see an uptick in people buying and selling their homes. Homes sold in February were on the market for an average of 77 days which is slightly up from 74 days in February 2019.