Officials with the Pottawattamie County Department of Public Health, Saturday, issued a statement with regard to the latest case of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. You can view the statement below
Officials with the Pottawattamie County Department of Public Health, Saturday, issued a statement with regard to the latest case of a person who has tested positive for COVID-19. You can view the statement below
Today: Rain likely, mainly after 1pm. Cloudy, with a high near 42. Southeast wind 8 to 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tonight: A 10 percent chance of rain before 7pm. Patchy fog after 2am. Otherwise, cloudy, with a low around 34. Southeast wind 5 to 8 mph becoming south southwest after midnight.
Monday: Patchy fog before 10am. Otherwise, mostly cloudy, with a high near 51. South wind 3 to 7 mph.
Monday Night: A 40 percent chance of showers, mainly after 1am. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 39. East southeast wind 7 to 10 mph. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Tuesday: A 50 percent chance of showers, mainly before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 54. East wind around 11 mph. New precipitation amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Wednesday: A slight chance of showers, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. Chance of precipitation is 60%.
Saturday’s High in Atlantic was 45. Our Low was 22. Last year on this date, the High in Atlantic was 63, and the Low 25. The Record High here on March 22nd, was 86 in 1910. The Record Low was -6, in 1912.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 5:20 a.m. CDT
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State health officials have confirmed 23 new cases of COVID-19 in Iowa to bring the state’s total Saturday to 68. That’s a more than 50% jump from the day before. The Iowa Department of Public Health said in a news release Saturday that Johnson County reported five new cases, Polk County had four, Linn County had three and Allamakee and Black Hawk counties each reported two new cases. The counties of Dubuque, Fayette, Henry, Muscatine, Pottawattamie, Story and Washington each had one new case. Those infected included six who are 61 years or older, nine who are 41 to 60 years old, and eight who are 18 to 40.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A Sioux City woman who schemed with her husband to illegally harbor a 17-year-old Guatemalan girl in what authorities have called a human trafficking case has been sentenced to a year in prison. The Sioux City Journal reports that 40-year-old Amy Francisco was sentenced Friday in Sioux City’s federal court. She pleaded guilty in November to the single count. Her husband, 38-year-old Cristobal Francisco-Nicolas, pleaded guilty in December to federal counts of smuggling and unlawful possession of identification documents. Prosecutors say Francisco-Nicolas helped smuggle the girl and her father from Guatemala to Sioux City. The girl was found wandering Sioux City streets last June and told police she had been repeatedly raped by Francisco-Nicolas before she escaped.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Police have made two arrests in a fatal January shooting in Cedar Rapids — including the arrest of a teen injured in the shooting. Cedar Rapids police say in a news release Saturday that a 17-year-old male was arrested Friday evening for the Jan. 24 shooting that killed 18-year-old Andrew Gaston and injured a 16-year-old boy with him. The 17-year-old was arrested on suspicion of voluntary manslaughter and other counts. The 16-year-old boy injured also was arrested on suspicion of robbery and other counts. Police say the shooting happened when Gaston, the 16-year-old and another person arranged to meet with the 17-year-old to buy marijuana, then ambushed the 17-year-old in a plot to rob him.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa is seeing a “staggering” number of claims for unemployment benefits as the coronavirus pummels the state and national economy. Officials say the daily number of unemployment claims being filed is similar to what the state would usually receive in a busy month. The job losses are piling up as Iowa has taken moves to limit the spread of the virus by ordering the closure of restaurants, bars and other gathering spots and encouraged people to stay at home. Because of that, Gov. Kim Reynolds on Friday signed a state emergency declaration designed to offer an array of relief to Iowa residents.
ANITA McMARTIN, 81, of Oakland, died Friday, March 20th at the Oakland Manor. A Memorial Service for ANITA McMARTIN will be held at a later date. Rieken-Vieth Funeral Home in Oakland has the arrangements.
Visitation is open at the funeral home on Monday, March 23rd, from 1-until 7-p.m. The funeral home is following CDC guidelines, and there will be a limited amount of people (10 or less), allowed in the funeral home at one time.
A private burial will take place.
ANITA McMARTIN is survived by:
Her Husband – Roger McMartin;
Her daughter – Cynthia “Cindy” (Bob) Schwab.
Her brothers: Owen and Ralph
3 grandchildren, 3 great-grandchildren, and many friends.
DES MOINES – Governor Reynolds today (Saturday), announced that the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has issued a disaster declaration for the state of Iowa as of January 31, 2020 and continuing. The declaration allows pandemic-impacted small businesses to apply for low-interest support loans. The declaration comes after Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds submitted a federal funding request via the SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. The Governor said “This SBA Disaster Loan program is vital in assisting our small businesses that have been so heavily impacted by these unprecedented times. “I will continue to work with President Trump and his administration to provide relief to Iowa small businesses as we combat the spread of COVID-19 in Iowa.”
The SBA is now making loans available statewide to small businesses and private, non-profit organizations to help alleviate economic injury caused by the Coronavirus (COVID-19). SBA’s Economic Injury Disaster Loans offer up to $2 million in assistance and can provide vital economic support to small businesses to help overcome the temporary loss of revenue they are experiencing.
The loans may be used to pay fixed debts, payroll, accounts payable and other bills that can’t be paid because of the disaster’s impact. The interest rate is 3.75% for small businesses. The interest rate for non-profits is 2.75%. SBA offers loans with long-term repayments in order to keep payments affordable, up to a maximum of 30 years. Terms are determined on a case-by-case basis, based upon each borrower’s ability to repay.
Applications can be made via the SBA’s website: https://disasterloan.sba.gov/ela/
Applicants can monitor the status of their applications online after submission. For questions, please contact the SBA disaster assistance customer service center at 1-800-659-2955 (TTY: 1-800-877-8339) or email disastercustomerservice@sba.gov.
LARRY D. HANSEN, 59, of Harlan, died Friday, March 20th, at Methodist Jennie Edmundson Hospital, in Council Bluffs. Private graveside services for LARRY D. HANSEN will be held at a later date. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.
LARRY D. HANSEN is survived by:
His brother – LaVerne (Janice) Hansen, of Harlan.
His sister – Laurie (Richard) Schaben, of Harlan.
BOB HENKELMAN, 78, of Manning, died Saturday, March 21st, at home. Funeral services for BOB HENKELMAN will be held at a later date, when circumstances allow. Ohde Funeral Home in Manning has the arrangements.
BOB HENKELMAN is survived by:
His daughters – Carla Rodriquez, Tammy WInter and Lisa Steffes, all of Manning.
His son – Jeff Henkelman, of Creston.
Numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
THOMAS MacDONALD-WILLIAMS, 70, of Manning, died Saturday, March 21st, at home in Manning. Funeral services for THOMAS MacDONALD-WILLIAMS will be held at a later date. Ohde Funeral Home is assisting the family.
THOMAS MacDONALD-WILLIAMS is survived by:
His wife – Sharon MacDonald-Williams, of Manning
DES MOINES, Iowa – On March 20, 2020, Governor Reynolds issued an additional State Public Health Emergency Declaration related to the COVID-19 virus. Included in the proclamation were certain modifications to the current law on weapon permits.
The declaration temporarily addresses portions of Iowa law regarding professional and nonprofessional permits to carry firearms, and permits to acquire pistols or revolvers. Based on the Governor’s actions, permits to carry weapons and permits to acquire will not expire during the declaration. This extension, however, does not allow one to use an otherwise expired permit to purchase a firearm without completion of a NICS (National Instant Criminal Background Check System) check at the time of the purchase or transfer. All Federal Firearms License holders (FFLS) must conduct a NICS check prior to the sale or transfer of any firearm if an expired permit is presented. Again, a holder of an otherwise expired permit will not be able to purchase a firearm without a NICS being performed by the FFL.
The declaration also gives county sheriffs greater discretion in determining how they receive weapon permit applications so as to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Please check with your local county sheriff’s department to determine its procedure for accepting applications during this time.
DES MOINES, Iowa – As the response to the COVID-19 virus continues to evolve, the Iowa State Patrol has announced it is limiting public access to its district headquarter offices to essential business in order to maintain the health and safety of law-enforcement staff.
While the Iowa State Patrol remains fully-operational and focused on the primary goal to protect the public, First Responders, communications dispatchers and law-enforcement personnel, citizens are encouraged to contact district offices by phone or email with non-essential questions.
Iowa State Patrol Colonel Nathan Fulk said Saturday, “We thank the public for its support as we take unprecedented steps to ensure our staff remain healthy and prepared to provide mission-critical public safety services to Iowans.”
(The map and phone numbers below are provided for Iowans in all 99 counties needing to contact their Iowa State Patrol District office. This contact information and more Iowa State Patrol District resources are available on the Iowa Department of Public Safety website at https://dps.iowa.gov/divisions/iowa-state-patrol/district-offices.)
District 1: 515.725.0010
District 2: 641.342.2108
District 3: 712.328.8001
District 4: 712.263.4621
District 5: 712.225.5119
District 6: 712.262.1424
District 7: 515.972.4213
District 8: 641.424.3625
District 9: 319.266.2677
District 10: 319.283.5521
District 11: 319.396.1944
District 12: 563.284.9501
District 13: 319.385.8715
District 15: 515.281.4063
District 16: 515.281.3879