Officials with the Pottawattamie County Department of Public Health confirmed a report released from the IDPH, with regard to a second COVID-19 related death. An adult male between 18-40 years old has become the second COVID-19 death in Pottawattamie County. He did not have pre-existing medical conditions, nor did he have contact with another COVID-19 case. He was tested on April 24 and passed away on April 28.

In addition, Pottawattamie County Public Health reports five new COVID-19 cases. The total of COVID-19 cases in Pottawattamie County is now 36. Seventeen individuals have recovered, 16 are self-isolating at home, one is hospitalized, and (counting today’s report), there have been two deaths.

The five new cases are residents of Council Bluffs and include three females and two males. These individuals were tested for COVID-19 between April 24 and April 28. Two individuals are in the 41-60 age range, and three are in the 18-40 age range. Two of them have pre-existing conditions. One of these individuals had contact with an existing COVID-19 case, and four were the result of community spread. Four of these individuals are self-isolating at home.

Pottawattamie County Public Health continues to conduct contact tracing investigations for each COIVD-19 case. A part of contact tracing is assessing risk to the general public. If there is not a risk to the general public, Public Health will communicate directly with the specific contacts identified in the investigation. If and when a risk to the general public is identified, Public Health will publicly identify the location and communicate any actions the public should take.

(Radio Iowa) — Governor Kim Reynolds is responding to questions about why she decided NOT to heed the advice of a University of Iowa report on COVID-19. U-I researchers advised the governor NOT to relax social distancing rules, warning the state could suffer a “catastrophic loss of life.” Reynolds says the 77 counties that will partly reopen on Friday are practically coronavirus-free:

Reynolds says she shouldn’t punish half the state when the spike in COVID cases is in just eight more-heavily populated areas.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Police in Des Moines say a worker has been killed in a construction zone crash in the northern part of the city. Police say the crash happened around 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, when first responders were called to the site. Police say officers arrived to find that a car had lost control, jumped a curb and hit 41-year-old Jorge Lopez Guillen, of Des Moines, who was working within a construction site at the time. Guillen was taken to an area hospital, where he died of his injuries. Police cited the driver, 72-year-old Eugene Davis, of Des Moines, for driving on a suspended license and having no insurance, misdemeanor vehicular homicide and failure to maintain control.

Cass County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Kennon reports residents of Atlantic may have noticed an unusual amount of thick dust in town late this morning. The dust is being blown-in thanks to northwest winds gusting up to 30 mph. The dust is coming from the corn pile at the ethanol plant. Anything south of there can expect to see the dust continue until crews at the plant have a chance to water down the source.

Governor Kim Reynolds reports the State of Iowa has had 467 new, COVID-19 positive test results returned from the State Hygienic and other labs over the past 24-hours, for a total of 6,843 Positive cases as of today (Wednesday). 93% of those positive cases were in the 22 counties where restrictions remain in-place. There were also 1,047 new, Negative COVID-19 test results returned, for a total of 34,494. She said 1,514 Iowans have been tested, for a total of 41,337 (or 1 out of every 6 people per capita). The State Hygienic Lab has a testing capacity of 4,188 persons. Reynold said 2,428 Iowans have recovered from COVID-19, for a recovery rate of 35%.

There have also been 12 new deaths resulting from COVID-19, for a total of 148. The deaths were reported as follows: Seven elderly adults total (Ages 81 & older), one each in Black Hawk, Jasper, Linn, Marshall, Muscatine, Polk and Washington Counties; Three Older adults total (aged 61-80). 1 in Dubuque County, and 2 in Linn Count; 1 middle aged adult (age 41-to 60) in Linn County, and One adult (age 18-to 40) in Pottawattamie County.

Across the six RMCC’s:

• Six Iowans are hospitalized with COVID-19
• 42 have been admitted within the past 24-hours
• 100 COVID-19 patients are in an ICU
• 74 are on ventilators.

There are currently 3,971 In-patient beds available for COVID-19 patients, 549 ICU beds, and 689 ventilators available.

(Radio Iowa) — A few Iowa counties are now seeing gasoline prices averaging a dollar-10 a gallon, the lowest prices we’ve seen in many years. Rose White, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says prices have been falling during the coronavirus pandemic on a state and national level, with the country’s average gas price now at a dollar-77. “But in Iowa, it’s 30-cents lower at $1.47, in fact, it’s down about 36-cents in Iowa just during the past month alone,” White says. “If we compare it to a year ago, it’s down $1.27, meaning, every time a motorist fills their tank, they’re saving about $19.”

Last week, crude oil trading was actually in negative numbers, though it’s rebounded some since then. “Crude is currently trading at about $12.89 a barrel, but that is still very far below profit levels,” White says, “and so we are hearing about the shutdown of some operations.”  Some refineries are also shutting down because there’s no place left to store the fuel they’d be making. While some businesses in 77 Iowa counties are reopening on Friday, White predicts gas prices will remain low for a while. “We’re actually anticipating further erosion of prices at the pumps,” White says. “We’re expecting the national average to fall to probably about $1.65 before they start rebounding any because of the production cuts.”

Gas prices in Iowa’s metro areas range from the cheapest, at a dollar-25 in Davenport, to the most expensive, a dollar-68 in Council Bluffs. Iowa’s gas prices are among the ten cheapest in the U-S.

Carroll County Public Health today (Wednesday), announced the County’s second positive case of COVID-19. The virus was found following test results for a resident living in Carroll County. The case will not be on the IDPH map today, but should be there by tomorrow (Thursday). Officials say contact tracing is occurring at this time regarding the affected patient, who is 41-to 60 years of age.

Carroll County Public Health Director Nicole Schwering said “We continue to remind residents to take preventive measures to slow the spread of this virus. It is important for everyone to stay home as much as possible and to practice social distancing – this simply means to stay away from groups of people, keep a six-foot distance from other individuals, and wear a mask while in public settings.”

DUBUQUE, Iowa (Telegraph Herald) — Iowa-based furniture maker Flexsteel Industries has announced it will permanently close its Dubuque manufacturing facility. The Telegraph Herald reports that the company announced the closure this (Wednesday) morning, minutes before a conference call to discuss its latest quarterly earnings. The Dubuque plant employs about 150 people. The company announced its facility in Starkville, Mississippi, also will close, and blamed a drop in demand of some products that has been exacerbated by the new coronavirus pandemic.

The closure follows the company’s two-week shutdown of the Dubuque plant last month and its announcement that it would lay off about 100 in Dubuque, including about 40 people at its corporate headquarters.

The Nishna Valley Family YMCA in Atlantic has been closed since Governor Kim Reynolds issued a State of Public Health Disaster Emergency on March 17th, ordering all fitness centers, gyms and health spas to close. Those restrictions are being slowly lifted, effective this Friday, May 1st. Dan Haynes, Executive Director of the Nishna Valley YMCA, says a Re-Opening Task Force was assembled last week, to determine the course of action necessary to re-open certain business safely and within IDHP guidelines.

One of the guidelines requires YMCA visitors to maintain a six-foot separation, which can be a challenge, given the number of workout machines and stations available at the Nishna Valley Y.

(He says they’ve moved some equipment to one of their two gymnasiums, and then taking the mantra of “A Machine in between.)

That means there must be a six-foot separation between users of machines or pieces of equipment. They also expect members and the public to use common sense in sanitizing the machines and equipment.

(He wants you to clean the machinery before and after use. Sanitizing stations will also be available to help you protect yourself and fellow patrons of the YMCA.)

Misting machines are already in use for sanitizing large areas, and will continue to be used by the YMCA staff. The Y itself won’t be open until May 4th. Their pool won’t be open until at least May 18th. The locker rooms will remain closed as well until the order is lifted, but the bathrooms will still be available. YMCA programs will slowly be brought back as conditions warrant. Child Watch and Youth programs will not be available until the Governor approves them.

(He said the 1st week or 2, the building will open for persons 18 or older, only.)

Haynes says they will be closed May 9th and 10th, in order to reevaluate the previous days’ operations and what needs to change or improve. He said they are working closely with health officials to remain in compliance with the guidelines and rules for re-opening Friday, and will continue to do so until restrictions are eased fully.

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds’ Wednesday press conference on COVID-19. We plan on having live audio of the presser on KJAN as well. The press conference is set to begin at approximately 11:00 a.m.