ATKINS, Iowa (AP) — Sheriffs officials in eastern Iowa say a driver who reached speeds over 100 mph while fleeing a traffic stop died after crashing his car. The crash happened early Wednesday, after a Linn County sheriff’s deputy tried to pull over a car in Atkins, leading to a chase that reached 115 mph. Investigators say the chase ended just after 4 a.m. when the fleeing car drove off a Benton County road and crashed into a culvert. Officials say the man driving was ejected and died at the scene.

A woman also in the car was seriously injured and flown to an Iowa City hospital. The names of the man killed and woman hurt have not been released.

The Iowa Department of Public Heath at 10-a.m., Wednesday, reported an additional 688 positive COVID-19 test results returned from the labs since Tuesday, for a pandemic total of 364,876. There were also two additional deaths reported, for a total of 5,501. Long Term Care facility deaths account for 2,181 of the State’s total number of deaths.

The number of Long-Term Care facility COVID-19 Outbreaks down to a dozen, after declining to 14 the previous day. Hospitalization numbers continue to yo-yo. The latest reports shows 191 hospitalized with COVID, compared to 224 on Tuesday and 197 on Monday. COVID patients in an ICU stand at 40. There were 28 patients admitted to hospitals over the 24-hour reporting period (compared to 34 Tuesday), and 11 patients remain on a ventilator.

Hospitals in Western & Southwest Iowa report: 11 people remain hospitalized for COVID; four COVID patients are in an ICU, three patients with COVID symptoms were admitted over the past 24-hours, and one person remained on a ventilator.

Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate is 4.1%, while the seven-day rate is 4.2%.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

• Cass, 1,355 cases; {+13}; 51 deaths
• Adair, 921; {+2}; 28
• Adams, 327 {+2}; 4
• Audubon, 488 {+1}; 9
• Guthrie, 1,166 {+0}; 28
• Harrison County, 1,793; {+0}; 69
• Madison County, 1,548; {+1}; 18
• Mills County, 1,630; {+0}; 20
• Montgomery, 1,043; {+3}; 36
• Pottawattamie County, 10,791; {+27}; 143
• Shelby County, 1,217; {+6}; 33
• Union County,  1,267; {+5}; 31

(Radio Iowa) – More than a hundred protestors of all ages came to Sioux City on Tuesday to speak out against a plan in the Sioux City Catholic Diocese to combine smaller parish churches. Two busloads of people and several more in cars came from places like Carroll, Odebolt, Arthur and Kiron. Roger Dentlinger, from Holy Name parish in Marcus, fears the policy change will harm communities whose residents would have to travel if their town loses its church. “Certainly for the older population, especially in inclement weather, they’d be forced to travel to neighboring towns,” Dentlinger says. “In some situations, that may be a matter of seven or eight miles and in other places, it may certainly be a matter of 20 or 30 miles.”

photo via Radio Iowa, courtesy KSCJ

Diocese officials say there aren’t enough priests to go around so smaller churches would be consolidated by 2025. Dentlinger says there are other options. “The Catholic mass that we attend each weekend, we’d like them to consider possibly even having a rotating schedule,” Dentlinger says. “If you can’t have a mass every weekend in our church, we would be very happy to have mass every other weekend or once a month if need be.” Deacon Mark Prosser, director of pastoral care for the Sioux City Diocese, says a priest shortage isn’t the only issue they are facing. “There’s a multifaceted impact on our diocese with less people in many of our rural communities translating to less people in the pews,” Prosser says. “There are less people practicing their faith, especially in the mainstream churches including Catholicism. And then a reduction in the sacraments, be it baptisms, marriages, confirmations, and so on.”

Prosser says lessening the frequency of services or a rotating schedule isn’t the solution. “As an example, you have three churches in a grouping and A has mass this week, and then B next week, and C and so on,” Prosser says. “What occurs for the most part is, those living in town A go that week, but they don’t go week B and they don’t go week C. It’s whenever it’s close.” Prosser says 50% of the 48 priests currently serving will reach retirement age in the coming decade, while there are only eight men currently in the seminary to fill those vacancies. Bishop R. Walker Nickless came out to speak briefly to those protesting. He blessed the gathering and said he hears them, and that the diocese was doing the best it could with the priests it has.

A traffic stop early this (Wednesday) morning in Pottawattamie County resulted in a brief pursuit and and arrest. The Pott. County Sheriff’s Office reports Deputy Jeremy Harker conducted a traffic stop near Shelby, on a 2003 Dodge Stratus at 385th and Whippoorwill. The incident happened at around 12:40-a.m. The driver of the Stratus, 32-year old Adam Wayne Thomas, of Council Bluffs, was eventually taken into custody. He faces charges that include: Eluding, plus participating in a Felony or resulting in serious injury; Conspiracy with intent to manufacture/delivery more than 5 grams of Meth, but less than 5 kilograms; Operating a non-registered vehicle; Possession of Drug Paraphernalia; Reckless Driving; Violating the rules of a fully controlled access facility, and Violation of Parole.

And, at around 1:35-p.m. Tuesday, 44-year old Jolene Gibbons, of Council Bluffs, was arrested in Council Bluffs, for Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense – causing bodily injury.

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

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Police in Creston, Tuesday afternoon, arrested a man wanted on a Union County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault with injury, and, Dominion or control of a firearm, by a Felon. 37-year old Adrian Jacques, of Creston, was arrested at a residence on E Adams Street, and transported to the Union County Jail, where his cash-only bond was set at $6,000.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:07-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Cass County 4-H Endowment committee is hosting the annual 4-H Endowment Pancake Supper with a twist this year. The 2021 event, set for Thursday, March 18, will offer drive-through meals only, from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. on the Cass County Fairgrounds in Atlantic.  The Pancake Man will be dishing up fresh pancakes and sausage to go, with a choice of juice, milk or water. Supporters can drive through the fairgrounds and enjoy a pancake meal to-go for $7 per plate ($5 for youth under 6). Pancake patrons should enter the fairgrounds from 10^th street via Fair Avenue, on the west side of the fairgrounds by the Sunnyside Park tennis courts. Signs will direct cars through the grounds to the pickup location at the back of the community center.

The annual silent auction will be moved to an online format this year. Bidders can find auction packages and learn more on the Cass County Extension website- www.extension.iastate.edu/cass – or Facebook page (@CassCoIAExt). The auction is expected to be live online by Monday March 8 to give bidders time to view packages and place their bids. The auction will remain open through the pancake supper, with winning bidders able to pick up items from the Extenison office the following week.

Proceeds from the 4-H Pancake Supper and silent auction directly benefit the Cass County 4-H program.  The money raised goes to the Cass County 4-H Endowment, a fund to offset the 4-H Program Development Fee, support scholarships, and provide dollars for youth programs including Clover Kids and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) activities.

The 4-H Program Development Fee is $30 per youth each year to enroll. Instead of having individual 4-H’ers and families take on that expense, the Cass County Extension Council, and the 4-H Endowment Committee pick up this expense. The Cass County 4-H Endowment also offers opportunities for youth to get involved in the 4-H program by attending camps and conferences and offering scholarships to graduating seniors.

For more information on the Pancake Supper, Endowment or 4-H program contact the Cass County Extension Office at 712-243-1132 or xcass@iastate.edu.

A traffic stop in Red Oak Tuesday evening, resulted in the arrest of 31-year old Austin Ray Aherns, of Red Oak. Red Oak Police say Ahrens was taken into custody for Driving While Barred. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $2,000 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – An Iowan who says he discovered what he describes as a “world changing” truth about his conception is urging Iowa legislators to make fertility fraud a crime. Mark Hansen says he wishes this scenario on no one. “In 2014, with a 23-and-me over-the-counter DNA test, my suspicions were confirmed that my mother’s doctor was indeed my biological father,” Hansen says. Hansen’s mother was devastated.

“At first she refused to believe I was the doctor’s son,” Hanson says. “After explaining the scientific side of DNA tests and the relative matches I found on 23-and-me, her disbelief changed to feeling violated.” Hansen says there are a variety of forms of fertility fraud. “Doctor-donor fraud, like my story; donor ID fraud where the patients ask for one donor and get another; donor background or medical history fraud where the donor isn’t upfront about potential genetic issues,” Hansen says. “and then even fertility clinic fraud where records are incorrect or donations are used excessively.”

Hansen testified Tuesday at an Iowa Senate subcommittee hearing on a bill that would create criminal penalties for “assisted reproductive fraud.” Hansen says it would give him legal standing to sue — which he does not have now. A representative of the Iowa County Attorneys Association agrees with that assessment, and says she was quite blown away by the stories Hansen and others shared with legislators.

Two women from Washington state described getting the results of DNA tests and learning that the family history they thought they knew was not accurate. Traci Portugal says her parents, who sought fertility treatments in California, were defrauded.  “My discovery has been devastating and has left me at times with severe depression,” she says. Portugal told Iowa legislators laws are being considered in states like Nebraska, Colorado and Ohio to make fertility fraud a crime.

Indiana was the first to act — after a retired Indiana doctor was fined 500-dollars and lost his medial license, but faced no other legal consequences. He is believed to be the father of at least 50 of his patient’s children who discovered they were siblings after taking an Ancestry-dot-com test.