The Audubon County Road Department reports that the contractor doing some pavement patching work on four miles of County Road N36 has finished their work. The section of road was on N36 or Pheasant Avenue, between U.S. Highway 44 and F32 or 190^th Street. The road is now back open to traffic.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) today (Friday) announced the first case of West Nile virus infection reported in 2019, an older adult (aged 61 years to 80 years) male from Audubon County who has since recovered.

“Humans get infected with West Nile virus through a mosquito bite,” said IDPH Medical Director, Dr. Caitlin Pedati. “Until the state’s first hard frost, whether it’s for work or play, being outside means there’s a risk for West Nile virus infection.”

Iowans should take the following steps to reduce the risk of exposure to West Nile virus:

• Use insect repellent with DEET, Picaridin, oil of lemon eucalyptus or IR3535.
  • Always read the repellent label and consult with a health care provider if you have questions when using these types of products for children.
  • For example, oil of lemon eucalyptus should not be used on children under 3 years of age and DEET should not be used on children less than 2 months of age.
• Avoid outdoor activities between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts, pants, shoes and socks outdoors whenever possible.
• Eliminate standing water around the home because that’s where mosquitoes lay eggs. Empty water from buckets, cans, pool covers and pet water dishes. Change water in bird baths every three to four days.

In 2018, 104 Iowans were diagnosed with West Nile virus and nine Iowans died. For more information on West Nile virus, visit https://www.idph.iowa.gov/cade/disease-information/west-nile-virus.

The Council Bluffs Police Department is investigating a reported assault and robbery early Friday on the Bob Kerry Pedestrian Bridge.

Omaha Police were contacted by 4 males and 1 female at the Double Tree Hotel, stating they were assaulted and items were stolen from them while they were on the pedestrian bridge. Officers located the crime scene on the Iowa side of the bridge and requested assistance from Council Bluffs PD at 2:54am.

The suspects were described as 4 black males and 1 black female. The victims had minor injuries and had money, wallets, and cell phones stolen.

If anyone has any information on the case they are asked to contact Council Bluffs Police Investigations at 712-328-4728 or Crime Stoppers at 712-328-STOP.

w/ Chris Parks

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SUTHERLAND, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say a 78-year-old man died after a tractor rolled over on top of him in northwest Iowa.

The O’Brien County Sheriff’s Office says Gary Jungjohan had a mower attached to the tractor Wednesday evening and was mowing the north shoulder of a street in Sutherland when the tractor rolled into the ditch and landed atop him.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa (AP) — Officials say reconstruction work on a secondary runway will affect Sioux Gateway Airport flight plans for some American Airlines passengers who’ve already booked trips.

The airport will be shut down for portions of seven days in August and two days in September. The shutdowns will require some passengers to fly out of different airports or change their flight dates.

Airport director Mike Collette says he doesn’t know how many passengers will be affected. The airline will contact the passengers to advise them of the cancellations and provide them with options.

The airport will be closed for commercial and general aviation traffic from 8 a.m. Aug. 15 through 8 p.m. Aug. 18; from 8 a.m. Aug. 23 through 8 p.m., Aug. 25; and from 8 a.m. Sept. 14 through 8 p.m. Sept. 15.

The airport sits just west of Sergeant Bluff in Woodbury County.

(Radio Iowa) — Runway construction and repairs at Sioux Gateway Airport is already affecting Sioux City’s 185th Air National Guard refueling wing. Colonel Mark Muckey, the base commander, says they have had to move their giant refueling planes to another base. “What we did a couple of weeks ago in preparation for this, we essentially relocated the majority of our operations to Topeka, Kansas,” he says.

Until the longest runway is available for the unit’s refueling planes, The 185th also has been using Omaha’s Offutt Air Force Base for some operations. Muckey says maintenance crews have moved parts to the other locations, plus the air crews have relocated. “Certainly the team here is ready to tackle this,” Muckey says. Even though the massive planes have been moved, personnel at the 185th are preparing for an upcoming mission overseas — to Guam.

“That deployment is leaving out of Lincoln, Nebraska, so we’re going to get the tails up there in the next couple of days and then this weekend, we’ll actually get everybody ready here, put them on a bus down to Lincoln and then we’ll launch out of there to go to Guam, ” Muckey says. “That’s about 80 folks out of the 185th, headed over there for a couple of months.”

Colonel Muckey took over as the 185th’s commander a few weeks ago and he says shifting planes and getting airmen ready for deployment are just part of the job. “It’s something different every day,” Muckey says. The Sioux Gateway Airport will close temporarily during three time periods in August and September.

The first planned closure will begin Thursday, August 15th at 8:00am and run through Sunday, August 18th, at 8:00pm. Sioux Gateway Airport will also close the following weekend from Friday, August 23rd through Sunday, August 25th. The final closure will run from Saturday and Sunday, September 14th and 15th. The F-A-A is financing 90 percent of the runway improvements.

The Adams County Sheriff’s Office says a 15-year-old male was arrested at around 6:42-p.m. Thursday, on a Class-B Felony charge of Sexual Abuse in the 2nd Degree. The unidentified teen was arrested after Adams County Deputies were contacted about the possible sexual assault of a minor.

The suspect teen was transported to the Central Iowa Detention Center, in Eldora.

A traffic stop at around 5:07-p.m., Thursday on Highway 34 east of Stanton, resulted in the arrest of a Montgomery County man. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 38-year old Alan Joe Turpen, of Villisca, was speeding 100 mph in a 55 zone when he was pulled over. Turpen was arrested for OWI/2nd offense and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where his bond was set at $2,000.

The Cass County Democratic Party will hold its 8th Annual School Supply Drive for students attending Cass County schools. It will be held from July 15th through August 15th. Party Chair Sherry Toelle says “Anyone who has purchased school supplies lately knows how much they cost. And, if you have several students in school, it is even more dramatic an expenditure.”

Toelle says “That is why we are announcing our 8th Annual School Supplies Drive, which is strictly a non-partisan event. It is important for a child to have new school supplies when school starts so that their self worth is not damaged by a lack of new supplies. Not every family can afford to buy all the supplies on the schools’ recommended list. That is where this drive comes in.”

She says “We are asking the community to donate school supplies, including non-traditional items such as facial tissues, disinfecting wipes, pint and quart sized plastic bags, and copy paper to name a few.” School supplies will be distributed to the three school districts in Cass County before school starts.

Drop-off sites are available across the county:

• Anita: City Clerk’s Office; Library; Main Street Market; Rusty Razor; Rolling Hills Bank
• Atlantic: Fareway; private home at 10 E. 13th St.; YMCA; Rolling Hills Bank
• Cumberland: Telephone Company; Library; City Hall; Houghton State Bank
• Griswold: Rolling Hills Bank; Library; City Hall; Telephone Company, Houghton State Bank
• Lewis: Library
• Massena: Library; FNBank; Economy Food Mart

You can also drop off donations at the Cass County Democratic Party’s Fair Booth or their AtlanticFest Booth.