Mills County Public Health officials, Sunday, reported four additional, positive cases of COVID-19. Authorities say the cases are all adults age 18-to-40, who contracted the virus through a known contact. The data currently show 51 confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Mills County, with 34 persons having recovered. Officials say a total of 2,084 individuals have been tested for the virus, to-date.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating an eastern Iowa arrest after video posted on social media showed a handcuffed Black man having a seizure and apparently struggling to breathe after officers used pepper spray on him. Dubuque officials say an internal investigation will review the Friday night arrest of Yoosuf Moment. Police say Moment resisted officers before pepper spray was used.

Moment was treated at a local hospital and released after he was ticketed on suspicion of driving without a valid license and interfering with police. City Manager Mike Van Milligen said in a statement that officials are aware of concerns about the incident and a thorough investigation will be conducted.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating a fatal shooting in Cedar Rapids. Cedar Rapids Police say gunshots were reported around 4 a.m. Sunday in southwest Cedar Rapids. Officers found a person with a gunshot wound who later died at the scene. Police did not immediately release the victim’s identity or any other details about the shooting. No arrests were announced Sunday morning.

All photos submitted to KJAN News

Spontaneous combustion of 1,000 big bales of hay is believed to be the cause of a fire in building in Bridgewater early this (Sunday) morning. Bridgewater Fire Chief Daryl Christensen told KJAN News the call about a fire at 204 W. 1st Street came in at around 12:30-a.m. The property is owned by Dennis Lundy, of Lundy Farms. Just before daylight, a construction excavator was brought-in to gain better access to, and containment of, the flames, but Christensen said once a fire of that nature starts, there’s not much that can be done.

Bridgewater Fire requested mutual aid from more than a half-dozen area fire departments, including Adair, Anita, Atlantic, Fontanelle, Greenfield, Massena, Orient and Wiota.  Numerous tanker trucks were called-in along with additional manpower. Atlantic’s aerial (or, ladder) truck was requested at 1:24-a.m.

Water was being drawn from a dry hydrant at Mormon Trail Lake, near Bridgewater. The Adair County Ambulance was also on the scene to provide fire fighter rehab. Flames were still shooting through the roof of the building, at around 4:15-a.m. By 5-a.m., most of the fire departments were released from the scene.

Chief Christensen said Bridgewater Fire crews were on the scene until around 7-a.m.

The Atlantic Planning and Zoning Commission is set to meet 5:30-p.m. Tuesday, in the Council’s Chambers at City Hall. During their session, the Commission will consider three site plans for:

1. Nishna Valley Cycle – for a new industrial storage building at 2500 East 7^th Street.
2. Cass County Health System – their proposed renovation and a small addition, parking layout change, along with landscaping improvements to their hospital at 1501 East 10^th Street
3. and for TFF, Inc., out of Omaha, which holds the deed to 301 Elm Street (the site for the County’s ambulance service). Midwest Air (which replaced Medivac) wants to build a new addition to the structure that includes living quarters for staff as they await calls.

With the hope that schools will re-open this fall, the Cass County Democratic Party is again sponsoring its annual School Supply Drive, to begin Monday, July 13th and continuing through August 14th. Coupled with the school supply drive will be a Food Drive. County Democratic Party Chair Sherry Toelle says “This is the 9th year that the Party has held the school supply drive. We have always been overwhelmed by the support of Cass County for this important event. We want our children to start the year off right, with new supplies.”

Toelle says “We are also sponsoring a food drive, realizing that there are far more food insecure people this year due to high unemployment and the pandemic. We generally have a food drive at least once a year but, because this is a major election year, I decided to do both drives at the same time since we will be busy during the fall. I do want to stress that both drives are non-partisan events. We don’t care if you are a Democrat, Republican, No Party, or not registered to vote; it is far more important than politics to meet the needs of our local children and families.”

Food pantries and the schools will do the actual distribution of the donated items. Suggested items for the school drive include everything from pencils to spiral notebooks to book bags and also should include non-traditional items such as facial tissues, hand sanitizer, plastic zip-top storage bags, and copy paper. Non-perishable items such as canned and boxed food items are needed; cleaning supplies, personal hygiene items, zip-top storage bags or other food storage containers are also welcome.

There will be drop-off sites around the County (See the list below). Toelle says  “We are also looking for a drop-off site in Wiota so if anyone has suggestions, please call [her] at 712-243-4861.”

Drop-off sites include:

• Anita: City Clerk’s Office; Library; Main Street Market; Rusty Razor; Rolling Hills Bank.
• Atlantic: Fareway (school supplies only); private home at 10 E. 13th St.; YMCA; Rolling Hills Bank
• Cumberland: City Hall; Houghton State Bank
• Griswold: Rolling Hills Bank; City Hall; Telephone Company, Houghton State Bank
• Lewis: Library
• Lyman: Lyman Cafe
• Marne: Library outside Post Office
• Massena: Library; FNB Bank; Economy Food Mart

Red Oak Police, Saturday night, arrested 59-year old Tony Joe Christensen. The Red Oak man was taken into custody at around 9:40-p.m. in the 1800 block of N. Broadway Street, for Public Intoxication. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

BRIDGEWATER, Iowa (KJAN) — Firefighters from more than a half-dozen area fire departments are on the scene this morning, of a large structure fire in on W. 1st Street, in Bridgewater. The page went out at around 12:30-a.m. Crews from Bridgewater, Adair, Anita, Atlantic, Fontanelle, Greenfield, Massena, and Orient were called to the scene, with Atlantic sending its ladder truck. As of 4:15-a.m., flames were reported to still be shooting through the roof of the building, four pumper trucks were running lines and at least eight tankers were shuttling water drawn from a dry hydrant at Mormon Trail Lake, near Bridgewater. The structure was apparently being used to store hay. Additional details were not immediately available.

UNDATED (AP) — The number of women having abortions in Iowa climbed last year, a turnaround that critics blame on the state’s controversial decision to withdraw from a federally funded family planning program. After decades of plummeting abortion numbers, the state last year recorded 3,566 abortions. That is 8% more than the previous year. The Des Moines Register reports last year’s increase came after the number of Iowa abortions dropped 56% from 2008 to 2018.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Health officials in Iowa report that six more people have died in the state from COVID-19. As of Saturday afternoon, the toll for coronavirus-related deaths reached 748 in Iowa. The state also reported 34,647 confirmed COVID-19 cases. Officials suspect the actual number of people with COVID-19 is much higher than the state-released statistics indicate because many people with mild or no symptoms do not get tested. The health department reports 178 coronavirus patients were hospitalized on Saturday, up from 169 who were hospitalized a day earlier.

Firefighters from more than a half-dozen area fire departments were called to a large structure fire in 200 block of 280th Street (W. 1st Street) in Bridgewater, Sunday morning. The page went out at around 12:30-a.m.  Crews from Bridgewater, Adair, Anita, Atlantic, Fontanelle, Greenfield, Massena, Orient and Wiota were all requested to provide mutual aid. Atlantic’s aerial (or, ladder) truck was requested at 1:24-a.m. Tanker trucks were provided by Anita, Wiota, Orient and other departments.  Sources say water was being drawn from a dry hydrant at Mormon Trail Lake, near Bridgewater. The Adair County Ambulance was also on the scene to provide fire fighter rehab.

Flames were still shooting through the roof of the building, at around 4:15-a.m. By 5-a.m., most of the fire departments were released from the scene. Bridgewater Fire crews were expected to remain on-site for several more hours while the building smolders, and to knock down any flare-ups. (Update 6:40-a.m.) – Just before daylight, a construction excavator was brought-in to gain better access to, and containment of, the flames.

Photos of the Bridgewater fire submitted to KJAN News.

The structure was apparently being used to store hay.

Additional information, along with a cause of the blaze, was not immediately available.