(Radio Iowa) — After record flooding in western Iowa much of last year, runoff into the Missouri River system is expected to be above-normal again this year, but the experts say the runoff will be well-contained in the reservoir system. Kevin Grode, with the U-S Army Corps of Engineers in Omaha, says we’ve already had a couple of relatively dry months and that’s been a big help.  “Below-normal precipitation in April led to below-average runoff in most of the upper basin,” Grode says. “Precipitation in the upper basin has been well below normal, with some areas of the Dakotas receiving less than half their normal precipitation.”

Grode says the runoff forecast has been dramatically reduced. It originally called for three-point-two million acre feet of runoff during April but they recorded about one-point-three million acre feet less.  “The 2020 calendar year runoff forecast for the upper Missouri River basin above Sioux City is 32.2 million acre feet or 125% of average,” Grode says.

Grode says the Corps of Engineers is still expecting above-normal runoff each month this year. “Even with the below-normal precipitation that we’ve seen, we’ve seen above-average runoff in each of the first four months of the year due to the very wet soil conditions,” Grode says. “We are still forecasting slightly above-average runoff for each of the remaining months of 2020.” He says above-normal river releases all winter allowed the Corps to add more flood storage capacity in the upstream reservoirs.

(Radio Iowa) — The U.S. government is going to start buying three BILLION dollars of meat, dairy and produce from farmers, to supply food banks. The announcement came after Vice President Mike Pence heard sobering assessments of the farm economy during a forum in West Des Moines on Friday. Senator Chuck Grassley says farmers are losing a lot of money. “Things aren’t very good out there on the farm,” Grassley said. Senator Joni Ernst says farmers from corner to corner of the state are impacted.

“Hearing the distress in the voice coming from our beef cattle producers, our dairy farmers, our egg and poultry farmers, especially our hog farmers,” Ernst says, “even those folks engaged in row crops and biofuels like ethanol.” American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall says farmers are experiencing a perfect storm with a pandemic in the middle of a trade war with China.

“We had high hopes and now we’re wondering whether or not the president’s going to be able to keep their feet to the fire and make them come good on the commitments of buying $40 billion worth of agricultural products,” Duvall said.

Duvall and both of Iowa’s U.S. senators also called for an investigation of allegations that meat packers are engaged in price fixing.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:15 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — State health officials said 13 more people with COVID-19 have died in Iowa to give the state a total of 265 deaths. The Iowa Department of Public Health said Sunday the number of coronavirus infections in the state grew by 287 to a total of 11,959 cases of COVID-19. The actual number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick. For most infected people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say a motorcyclist died after crashing with an SUV driven by an unlicensed teen in downtown Des Moines. The Des Moines Police Department said the crash happened around 5:15 p.m. Saturday when a turning Jeep Cherokee failed to yield to an oncoming Harley Davidson motorcycle. The two vehicles crashed in the downtown intersection. The 52-year-old Des Moines resident who was driving the motorcycle, Troy Alan Matice, was critically injured and died later at a hospital. Police say the SUV was driven by a 15-year-old Des Moines resident who doesn’t have a license and wasn’t accompanied by an adult.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Nine more people have died of the coronavirus in Iowa, bringing the state’s total to 252. New numbers from the Iowa Department of Public Health also show that the number of infections also increased Saturday to 11,671, up by 214 from Friday. For some infected people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe illness or death. But for most people, it causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Illinois say an Iowa man charged in 1990s serial killings “does not appear to have been involved” in the unsolved 1992 slaying of a college student. The Illinois State Police says that Clark Perry Baldwin is not a suspect in the death of 21-year-old Tammy Zywicki. Its statement appeared to rule out what had seemed to be a promising lead in the case of Zywicki, who was abducted after experiencing car troubles on Interstate 80 near La Salle, Illinois in 1992. Police arrested Baldwin, a former truck driver, at his home in Waterloo, Iowa on Wednesday. He’s charged in the deaths of three woman from the early 1990s.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Health officials say the number of coronavirus cases in Nebraska has topped 8,000, and four more deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported. The Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services said the number of coronavirus cases in the state increased by 403 Saturday to 8,234. The number of deaths related to the virus outbreak increased to 96.

One of the new deaths was a Douglas County man in his 60s who did not have any underlying health conditions. Details of the other three deaths weren’t immediately available. For most people, the virus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks.

The number of COVID-19 related deaths in Iowa is now 265. That’s up 13 from Saturday’s report. The IDPH Sunday said 74, 174 people have been tested, with 11,959 (16.1%) cases coming back as positive for the virus, an increase of 288 from the last report. 5,154 Iowans have recovered from the virus, that’s an increase of 143. The actual number of infections is thought to be far higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected with the virus without feeling sick.

An additional COVID-19 outbreak was reported at a LTC (Long Term Care facility), for a total of 30. Nearly 1,070 positive cases have been reported in staff and patients at those communities. Polk and Linn Counties have the most outbreaks at LTC facilities, affecting 253 and 241 persons, respectively.

In southwest Iowa, the COVID-19 database shows the following positive cases of the virus in these counties:

• Crawford County: 176
• Pottawattamie County: 85
• Guthrie County: 33
• Shelby County: 19
• Harrison County: 17
• Audubon & Page Counties: 10 each
• Mills County: 8 cases
• All other area counties south of I-80 have less than 5 positive COVID-19 cases since they were first recorded. (More info. here: https://coronavirus.iowa.gov/pages/case-counts)

The IDPH shows:

• 413 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 (up 11 from Saturday)
• 157 are in an ICU (down 4 from Saturday)
• 46 were admitted to a hospital over the previous 24-hours. (up 16 from Saturday)
• The number of patients on ventilators has steadily increased since cases were first reported in April, to rolling 14 day total of 1,219.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police say a motorcyclist died after crashing with an SUV driven by an unlicensed teen in downtown Des Moines. The Des Moines Police Department said the crash happened around 5:15 p.m. Saturday when a turning Jeep Cherokee failed to yield to an oncoming Harley Davidson motorcycle. The two vehicles crashed in the downtown intersection.

52-year-old Troy Alan Matice, of Des Moines, who was driving the motorcycle was critically injured, and died later at a hospital. Police say the SUV was driven by a 15-year-old Des Moines resident who doesn’t have a license and wasn’t accompanied by an adult. Authorities said failure to yield right of way and an unlicensed, inexperienced driver significantly contributed to the crash.

Cumberland Rescue and Medivac were dispatched at around 6:05-a.m. today (Sunday), to a rollover accident with injuries. The accident involving a 2004 Chevy Colorado, and registered to a subject out of Fontanelle, happened near 68526 690th Street. Two people inside the vehicle were said to have been outside the pickup, with a female complaining of head pain. Authorities said at least one person was transported to Greenfield. No other details are currently available.

Officials with Pottawattamie County Public Health, Saturday, report four NEW COVID-19 cases, all of which are residents of Council Bluffs. The new cases include three females and one male. Two individuals are age 18-to 40. Two are 41-to 60-years of age.

The total of COVID-19 cases in Pottawattamie County is now 84. Currently, 44 individuals are self-isolating, two are hospitalized, 36 have recovered, and there have been two deaths.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a third suspect in an Iowa shooting death has been arrested in Texas. Iowa City officials say the Lubbock County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office took Reginald Little into custody Friday. He is awaiting extradition to Iowa to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Kejuan Winters in Iowa City.

Officers called to the scene of the April 20 shooting found Winters inside a home suffering from gunshot wounds. He later died at the scene from his injuries. A co-defendant told police the shooting happened during an attempted robbery.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:35 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Nine more people have died of the coronavirus in Iowa, bringing the state’s total to 252. New numbers from the Iowa Department of Public Health also show that the number of infections also increased Saturday to 11,671, up by 214 from Friday. For some infected people, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause severe illness or death. But for most people, it causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up in two to three weeks.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in Illinois say an Iowa man charged in 1990s serial killings “does not appear to have been involved” in the unsolved 1992 slaying of a college student. The Illinois State Police says that Clark Perry Baldwin is not a suspect in the death of 21-year-old Tammy Zywicki. Its statement appeared to rule out what had seemed to be a promising lead in the case of Zywicki, who was abducted after experiencing car troubles on Interstate 80 near La Salle, Illinois in 1992. Police arrested Baldwin, a former truck driver, at his home in Waterloo, Iowa on Wednesday. He’s charged in the deaths of three woman from the early 1990s.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a third suspect in an Iowa shooting death has been arrested in Texas. Iowa City officials say the Lubbock County, Texas, Sheriff’s Office took Reginald Little into custody Friday. He is awaiting extradition to Iowa to stand trial on charges of first-degree murder in the shooting death of Kejuan Winters in Iowa City. Officers called to the scene of the April 20 shooting found Winters inside a home suffering from gunshot wounds. He later died at the scene from his injuries. A co-defendant told police the shooting happened during an attempted robbery.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — As coronavirus hotspots erupted at major U.S. meatpacking plants, experts criticized extremely tight working conditions that made the factories natural high risk contagion locations. But some Midwestern politicians have pointed the finger at the workers’ living conditions, suggesting crowded homes bear some blame. The comments include a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice’s remark that an outbreak didn’t seem to have come from “regular folks.” Outraged employees and advocates call the comments elitist and critical of immigrants in the meatpacking workforce. The main union for meat plant employees said Friday that at least 30 workers have died from the virus.