Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 330 a.m. CDT

KELLOGG, Iowa – The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office continue their investigation into the September 16 discovery of a burned body in rural Jasper County. The investigation has led to the involvement of the Grinnell Police Department and the Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office. The investigation is on-going and is being treated as a homicide.  Additional information will be released later today (Friday). Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Grinnell Police Department at 641.623.5679 or the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office at 641.792.5912.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa reported more than 900 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 14 deaths in the past 24 hours, as a federal report says the state has one of the nation’s highest infection rates. As of Thursday morning, Iowa Department of Public Health data showed 918 new confirmed cases in the past 24 hours, raising the state total to 76,965 known positive cases. An additional 14 people died for a total of 1,248 deaths attributed to COVID-19 since March. The data also shows an increasing number of children under age 17 have tested positive for the virus, with the total now 5,929. That’s an increase of 389 cases since Monday. More than 2,700 educators have tested positive for the virus.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Supreme Court is refusing to review lower court decisions that invalidated tens of thousands of voters’ absentee ballot requests at the urging of President Trump’s reelection campaign. The court issued orders Wednesday denying requests to put rulings in Linn and Woodbury counties on hold. The elections commissioners in those counties, an affected voter and Democratic-aligned groups had asked the court to intervene, saying thousands of voters could be disenfranchised and inconvenienced if the rulings stand. The court rejected all of their requests without explanation. Judges have ruled the counties overstepped by sending absentee ballot request forms to voters with their personal information already filled in.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has determined a Webster County deputy was legally justified in the Aug. 4 fatal shooting of a woman near Fort Dodge. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation announced Thursday that the attorney general’s office cleared deputy Brett Knippel in the shooting of 39-year-old Melissa Halda, of Fort Dodge. The shooting happened the evening of Aug. 4 when Webster County and Fort Dodge officers were called to a home and told a woman was armed with two knives and was suicidal. The officers found Halda, who threatened the officers with the knives and moved toward them. Knippel fired five times, striking Halda with four bullets and killing her.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa says the Big Ten’s decision to have a fall football season will not impact its decision to eliminate four sports programs. Athletic Director Gary Barta last month announced the elimination of men’s and women’s swimming and diving, men’s tennis and men’s gymnastics. He said the cuts were “100% driven by” the coronavirus pandemic, which caused the postponement of football and tens of millions in lost revenue. On Wednesday, the Big Ten announced that the conference would have a fall football season beginning in late October. Alumni of the Hawkeye programs that were cut held a news conference to call for their reinstatement. But the athletics department says the cuts are “final” and have been supported by the Board of Regents.

A man from Creston was transported to the hospital following a collision Thursday morning. The Union County Sheriff’s Office says a 2018 Ford Escape driven by 75-year old Lawrence Charles Shimono, of Creston, was traveling east and slowing down to turn right off of Highway 34 onto Old Highway 34 at around 9-a.m.

A 2015 Ford pickup driven by 59-year old Marvin Ray Baker, of Corning, was also eastbound. Baker didn’t realize Shimono’s SUV was slowing down. He tried to go around the Ford, but due to another vehicle approaching westbound, ended up hitting the rear end of the SUV. The impact forced the Escape into the south ditch, where it rolled over once and came to rest on its wheels.

Shimono, who was wearing a seat belt, complained of pain and possible injury. He was transported by EMS to hospital in Creston. Baker was cited for Failure to Stop in an Assured and Clear Distance. Damage from the collision amounted to $13,000 altogether.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police have charged another person with murder in the Sept. 2 shooting death of a man near the Drake University campus. Police on Thursday charged 27-year-old Luis Anibal Alicea-Rodriguez, of West Des Moines, with first-degree murder and being a felon in possession of a firearm in connection with the death of 36-year-old Sean Newman, of Des Moines.

Police also have charged 33-year-old Whitney Ann Davis with first-degree murder in Newman’s death. On Tuesday, police said inconsistencies in statements provided by a witness led them to drop charges against another man they had arrested. Newman was found shot to death in a neighborhood just east of the Drake campus.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has determined a Webster County deputy was legally justified in the Aug. 4 fatal shooting of a woman near Fort Dodge. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation announced Thursday that the attorney general’s office cleared deputy Brett Knippel in the shooting of 39-year-old Melissa Halda, of Fort Dodge.

The shooting happened the evening of Aug. 4 when Webster County and Fort Dodge officers were called to a home and told a woman was armed with two knives and was suicidal. The officers found Halda, who threatened the officers with the knives and moved toward them. Knippel fired five times, striking Halda with four bullets and killing her.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Des Moines police have charged two teenager boys in the death of a 21-year-old man who was shot earlier that day at an apartment complex. The boys, ages 14 and 15, were charged Thursday in juveniles court with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in the death of Joshua Sebastian Gabriel. Officers were called at 12:36 a.m. to investigate a shooting at the apartment complex.

When they arrived, they found people trying to help a man who had been shot. Fire department medics began treating the man and took him to a hospital, where he died. Police didn’t release the names of the teens who were arrested. The death was the 19th homicide this year in Des Moines.

(Radio Iowa) – A state agency has notified Iowa nursing homes that the State Hygienic Lab doesn’t have the capacity to process all the Covid tests identified in new federal guidelines. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid now recommends routine testing of ALL nursing home staff, along with volunteers and contractors. Pat Garrett, a spokesman for Governor Reynolds, says the state will continue to test in nursing homes when staff or residents show symptoms or have been exposed to positive cases, but the new federal guidelines could generate more than 130-thousand additional tests PER WEEK.

State Representative Timi Brown-Powers, a Democrat from Waterloo who’s a nurse, says the state already should have used federal pandemic relief money to pay for expanded testing in nursing homes. “I prefer to play offense than defense,” she says. “I took this as, ‘We’re not going to put the effort in to make sure that we’re being proactive. We’re just going to wait until we have a problem.'”

Brown-Powers says an Iowa Department of Public Health LETTER appears to tell nursing homes they can cite the lack of state testing capacity as the reason more routine Covid screenings aren’t being done. “What they’re being told is: ‘We’re not going to do it. We know the feds are saying we should be doing it, so just document whatever you can and that will be good enough,'” Brown-Powers says.

The governor’s spokesman says the federal government plans to send supplies and processing equipment for RAPID Covid tests and state officials will notify nursing homes when those units are available. The state website lists outbreaks at 39 Iowa nursing homes today (Thursday), an increase from a week ago when there were 32.  “We’re headed in the wrong direction, once again,” Brown-Powers says.

The state’s coronavirus website indicates 658 Iowa nursing home residents have died of Covid since the pandemic began. That’s nearly 53 percent of all the Covid deaths in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa) – As many Iowa schools report a growing number of COVID-19 cases, students and teachers should be prepared to quarantine for a full 14 days if they come into close contact with someone carrying the virus. Nola Aigner Davis, spokeswoman for the Polk County Health Department, says even people who test negative for coronavirus after being exposed must quarantine for the full two weeks.

Aigner Davis says, “So, let’s say you got that negative test on Day Three, Day Four, you still have to wait that full 14 days because we’ve seen people develop symptoms on Day 14.” A person is considered in a “close contact” if they’ve spent 15 minutes within six feet of someone who can transmit the virus. She says the duration of the quarantine is very important.

“You need to stay at home for those full 14 days,” she says. “You can even develop symptoms on Day 14, so that is why we make sure people are in quarantine for 14 days.” Aigner Davis says families should be extra cautious this school year and call their doctor — and their school — if their child feels sick.

(reporting By Grant Gerlock, Iowa Public Radio)

CRESTON, Iowa – Sept. 17, 2020 – The Iowa Department of Transportation’s Creston construction office report workers have completed a bridge replacement project on Iowa 92 east of Greenfield, and will be reopening the roadway to traffic at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 18th. Murphy Heavy Contracting is the prime contractor for this project.

Atlantic, IA —Officials with the Cass County Health System (CCHS) report the Test Iowa site in Atlantic is expanding hours and moving to a new location on Monday, September 21st. The drive-thru testing site will be open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 1 pm. The new location will be in the curved driveway off 10th street (the original hospital entrance). The previous Test Iowa location, behind 1500 East 10th street, will be used for drive-thru flu shot appointments.

CCHS Chief Clinic Administrator Tammy Bireline says  “We wanted to be able to better serve our community with increased COVID-19 testing, especially for parents and children during the school year. By increasing our community’s access to Test Iowa, we hope that this helps mitigate the spread and returns students to school as soon as possible.”

Individuals who wish to get tested at the Test Iowa site must follow these steps:

• Complete the online assessment at testiowa.com.
• Select Atlantic (CCHS) as your testing site.
• Receive a QR code.
• Schedule the test appointment by calling 712-250-8297.

You will receive an email from Test Iowa with a link to your test results as soon as they are ready; typically, within 72 hours. The information will be sent to the email address you provided when answering the survey. Clinic sites are partnerships between the State of Iowa and local health care providers to increase access to testing in their communities. Clinics operate and staff the test sites. The state provides testing supplies and processes the samples through the State Hygienic Lab.

Locations and hours of operation for all test sites can be found at testiowa.com or coronavirus.iowa.gov. Information about testing at the Atlantic site can be found at casshealth.org/testiowa.

GREENFIELD, IOWA – September 17, 2020 – Ray “Bubba” Sorensen of Greenfield has been designated a “Friend of Agriculture” by the Iowa Farm Bureau Political Action Committee (PAC). Sorensen is seeking the House District 20 seat that includes Adair and Guthrie county and portions of Dallas and Cass county.

Ray “Bubba” Sorensen, (R) Rep. IA House District 21

Sorensen says “I always have been, and always will be, a friend. From showing in 4-H, to working in livestock advertising, to helping my dad out on his farm and getting started with my own small acreage. I’ve lived with and loved our rural life and values. I’m excited to get back to work on Ag issues and work through the struggles with the pandemic and weather. I’m looking forward to working with our farmers who are innovating and working on improving our water quality in the state.”

Accordingto IFBF Chair (and Clayton County farmer) Erik Oberbroeckling, “Candidates earn the Friend of Agriculture designation by supporting issues that directly impact Iowa’s agricultural economy. With one in every five Iowans employed in agriculture and ag-related industries, it is essential to have strong advocates for agriculture representing Iowa.”