DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped significantly in July but remained far higher than the rate before the coronavirus pandemic led to an economic slowdown. Iowa Workforce Development reported Friday a 6.6% unemployment rate, down from 8.4% in June. The rate was more than twice as high as July 2019, when the state recorded a 2.7% rate. The number of Iowa residents without jobs dropped from 137,700 in June to 107,300 in July.

(Radio Iowa) — Many Iowans have held off on their summer travel plans due to COVID-19, pushing things back to fall. While some airlines are offering heavily discounted fares in hopes of luring travelers back, Iowans planning a fall fling will find plenty of changes, especially with scheduling. Kyle Potter, editor for the website ThriftyTravler.com, says airlines have cut the number of flights dramatically. “Where you might have had a handful of different flight options every day — early morning, mid-morning, a few throughout the afternoon and evening — now that’s usually down to just one or two flights a day no matter where you’re looking to go,” Potter says. “In some cases, you might need to make a connection.”

Potter says it doesn’t hurt to make plans in advance because airlines say they’ll let passengers change flights without paying a big fee. They can also cancel the flight or get a voucher for the value of the ticket, so he says there’s little risk involved in planning ahead. “If you do book a flight far in advance, odds are it’s going to change between now and whenever you get on the plane,” Potter says. “So certainly it may make sense to be a little bit more nimble, wait until the last minute or definitely expect that the ticket that you booked may not be the flight that you take.”

Another change with the pandemic, masks are now mandatory on all flights. On August 9th, domestic air travel topped 800-thousand passengers, the highest number since March 17th. Still, that’s still down 69-percent from a year ago. Potter says the federal CARES Act is helping airlines cover payroll expenses through September.

The Derecho that struck the Midwest on August 10th, brought hurricane force winds of up to 140-miles per hour to parts of Iowa, caused millions of dollars in property damage, and a loss of at least 43-percent of the State’s corn and soybean crop. It also disrupted lives by knocking out power to more than 200-thousand homes and business. As of this (Friday) morning, approximately 14,500 power customers remained in the dark, with the bulk of those (over 12,000) residing in eastern Iowa’s Linn County.

“Zorro,” the baby raccoon. Photo courtesy Dr. Alan Farnsworth, DVM,

The major wind event was not kind to animals, either. In Adair, Veterinarian, Dr. Alan Farnsworth, found a female baby raccoon that he is nursing back to health. The Vet says he found the little critter the afternoon of August 15th.

Farnsworth gave the female raccoon subcutaneous fluids, which perked her up. He then began feeding her with a kitten milk replacer out of a little pet nursing bottle.

Doc Farnsworth says she’s drinking about 25-cc’s of milk replacer four-times each day. The goal, he says, is to eventually release “Zorro,” as he calls her, back into the wild in less than two months. She currently resides in a cage at his veterinary office in Adair, and is frequently visited by people who bring their animals in for care, or who just wanted to take a peek at the guest bandit.

Farnsworth said distemper and parvo-virus are the most common-type of maladies that affect raccoons in the wild. He says if you find a young raccoon in the wild, it’s best to leave it alone, because the mother will often come back for them. But this case was different.

Because raccoons are social creatures among their own kind, Farnsworth brought her a little stuffed animal she enjoys holding. The Vet says he’s trying hard not to become attached to her, because he knows she has to leave eventually.

Farnsworth has served the area as a Veterinarian for the past 43-years.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – Everyone who sees the damage from last week’s derecho is coming to the same conclusion — it is one of the worst natural disasters ever in the electrical industry. Hundreds of crews have traveled from across the U-S and Canada to help restore power in the wake of the storm that caused extensive damage to the electrical grid and left hundreds of thousands in the dark.

Alliant Energy’s Joel Schmidt has spoken with many of the utility crewmembers. “Comments we’re hearing from contractors, frontline, tree-trimmers, people that are working in emergency ops centers that have come from long distances: worst I have ever seen, unbelievable, toughest conditions by far,” he says.

Schmidt says some homes are so damaged it’s still unsafe to restore their electricity. As of this (Friday) morning, more than 14,000 customers across the state were still without power.

(reporting by Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

One person suffered a laceration to their arm and shoulder pain, during a single vehicle accident early this (Friday) morning, in Montgomery County. According to dispatch reports, the accident happened at around 5:27-a.m. west of Elliott, near 110th and Avenue F. The female accident victim was said to be unable to get out of her vehicle. Griswold Rescue responded to the scene. Additional details are currently not available.

(Updated 10-a.m., 8/21) Here’s the latest information from the State of Iowa’s Coronavirus website (The COVID-19 Dashboard): The IDPH says there are two more, positive COVID-19 cases in Cass County, for a total of 102, and four more people have recovered for the virus, for a total of 79. Adams County has two more cases, for a total of 20. There were three more cases reported in Guthrie County (155 total), 13 additional positive cases in Pottawattamie County (1,484 total), and 20 more recovered (total of 1,155). And, Shelby County has four more cases, for a total of 203, and a total of 183 recovered.

Statewide, there have been an additional 823 positive test results, for a total of 54,533, and 5,653 negative test results, for a total of 517,395, and a positivity rate of 9.3%.  Officials say a total of 585,493 Iowans have been tested, so far. And five more deaths were reported since 10-a.m. Thursday, for a total of 1,017.  The Iowa Department of Public Health reports of those who died, 721 had a pre-existing medical condition. Officials say 545 of the deaths occurred at long term care facilities. Recoveries from the virus number 42,826.

There are currently 293 COVID-19 patients hospitalized across the state, six fewer than Thursday. IDPH lists 81 patients in intensive care, eight less than reported Thursday. There were 43 people admitted to hospitals across the state, and 32 patients on ventilators. In western/southwest Iowa: Three less people were hospitalized, for a total of 14; Six are in an ICU, and one person was admitted to area hospitals. There is no one on a ventilator, according to the latest data.

There are coronavirus outbreaks in 34 of Iowa’s long-term care facilities. The IDPH reported 1,009 positive cases and 607 recoveries, from within those facilities.

Here are the latest positive case numbers for southwest/western Iowa since 10-a.m. Thursday (County; Positive Case #’s; number of persons who have (recovered); {deaths since the outbreak began}. Counties with changes have highlighted numbers over the previous 24-hours:

• Cass County: 102 cases; (79); 2 deaths
• Adair County: 42 cases; (20); 1 death
• Adams County: 20 cases; (16)
• Audubon County: 30 cases; (22); 1 death
• Guthrie County: 155 cases; (118); 5 deaths
• Montgomery County: 66 cases; (55); 4 deaths
• Pottawattamie County: 1,484 cases; (1,155); 31 deaths
• Shelby County: 203 cases; (183); 1 death.

Sheriff’s officials in Montgomery County say an Essex man, 42-year old Jerry J. Richardson, was arrested Thursday afternoon, following a traffic stop. Richardson was taken into custody for Driving While Barred. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office reports a traffic stop Thursday on a speeding vehicle resulted in the arrest of a Montgomery County man on numerous charges. Thomas Anderson, of Red Oak, was arrested for Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense – Methamphetamine, and Introducing contraband into a jail (a Class-D Felony). He was also cited for Speeding, Failure to Provide Proof of Insurance, failure to carry a registration card, and stopped a vehicle on a paved roadway.