(Radio Iowa) – State medical director Dr. Caitlin Pedati says having students move around a classroom every few minutes creates more opportunities for the coronavirus to spread.  “The advice that we’ve provided is that rather have people interaction more and create more person to person interactions, really you want to have fewer person to person interactions,” she says.

The Iowa Starting Line website indicated a few Iowa school districts are asking students to get up and move around every 12 to 14 minutes, moves that could avoid quarantining students who were — for at least 15 minutes — within six feet of someone who tests positive for Covid. “I wouldn’t suggest that as an approach,” Pedati says. Some schools are doing the exact opposite of encouraging periodic movement and, instead, are keeping students and teachers together in pods throughout the day to prevent the potential spread of the virus through a school building.
“We’ve got a virus that moves from person to person and so minimizing person to person interactions is how you can minimize the transfer of this virus,” Pedati says.

Waukee administrators say they’re recommending students stand up and move up to five times an hour to promote healthy habits, but all students in a classroom will still be asked to quarantine if one tests positive for the virus. The Des Moines Register reports Woodbury-Central School District officials are evaluating whether shuffling students around every 12 to 14 minutes would prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Two, out-of-state men were arrested on drug charges Thursday night, in Creston. According to Creston Police, 19-year old Brandon Montrell Thompson, of Kansas City, MO., and 18-year old Josiah Ahmad Reed, of Sheffield, AL., were arrested at the Union County Jail. Both were charged with Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense. Thompson posted bond and was released. Reed was being held in the Union County Jail on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

And, 34-year old Skylar Allen Rufenacht, of Creston, was arrested today (Friday), at around 4:50-a.m., for Domestic Abuse Assault with Intent to Inflict Serious Injury/1st offense. Rufenacht was being held without bond in the Union County Jail, until seen by the magistrate.

Creston Police said also, a man reported the passenger side mirror on his vehicle was damaged sometime between 12-a.m. and 7-a.m., Thursday. The vehicle had been parked in a lot behind a business located near the 200 block of N. Elm Street. The damage was estimated at $100.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:05-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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(Radio Iowa) – After many weeks and — in some areas months — of dry weather and varying degrees of drought, Iowa’s seen several days of steady rain. Lawns that had turned brown are starting to green up again and state climatologist Justin Glisan says the rainfall is in the form that is most beneficial. “If we look at the last seven days, we’ve actually had a good majority of those days where we’ve had measurable rainfall across the state,” Glisan says. “It’s been this gentle rainfall over hours and over days, the kind of rainfall that soaks in.”

While western Iowa has been in the worst shape with drought, that’s the area that’s gotten the least rain, while eastern Iowa is being drenched. “Radar indicated six to eight inches in eastern Iowa between Waterloo, Dubuque and Cedar Rapids,” Glisan says. “You look at the central part of Iowa, estimates of two to three inches, and then moving towards the Iowa-Nebraska border, anywhere from one to three inches.”

Here in Atlantic, as of 7-a.m. today (Friday), rainfall for the week amounts to 2.89-inches. While plentiful in some areas, he says the rain isn’t enough to fully eradicate the drought in Iowa. “In the worst areas of the state, that west-central corridor where we’re seeing D-3 drought, those precipitation deficits go back six to eight months and they’re about eight to 12 inches,” Glisan says. “But, we have had improvement in eastern Iowa where we’ve seen those heavier amounts.”

The rain should continue for many areas of the state at least part-way into the weekend, with dry weather expected next week. Longer range, Glisan says the rest of the month is likely to be cooler and drier than normal, which would be a benefit for farmers and the harvest.

AMES, Iowa – Sept. 11, 2020 – The Iowa Department of Transportation has recently released an update to the Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan to reflect today’s operating environment and current needs of Iowa’s public transportation system. The Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan update has been under development over the last 18 months, including researching the historical trends in demographics and passenger transportation usage, forecasting future projected needs within the public transit system, and devising strategies to address any challenges.

Some of the key findings identified within the Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan include the following.

• A number of challenges exist which inhibit the public transit system from achieving its potential, including use of older transit vehicles, having a limited pool of qualified transit vehicle drivers, perceptions of overcrowding on transit vehicles, and rapidly changing technologies such as on-demand ride hailing apps and automated vehicles.
• Iowa’s rural transit regions continue to see a decrease in population and an increase in the age of riders while urban transit regions are experiencing population growth and an increase in population density. This presents unique challenges for ensuring all Iowans have adequate means of getting to work, to medical appointments, or any other destinations.
• Based on recent studies, there is a net positive return-on-investment for public transit, indicating that net economic benefits are realized for every dollar invested in providing public transit services.
• There is a current need to address accessibility of the public transit system for all riders while supporting workforce development by connecting employees with jobs. Recent pandemic responses also show a need to support essential segments of the economy by ensuring a reliable transportation system continues to operate regardless of disruptions.

With the completion of this Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan, the planning process transitions into implementation. During this phase, the Iowa DOT will expand on the partnerships it has formed with key stakeholders in order to help guide investments among all of Iowa’s 35 public transit systems and support Iowa’s vision of rightsizing the system.

As this Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan is implemented through various projects and activities outlined in the strategies section, the impact of these efforts will be measured and used to refine our approach to public transit and inform future Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan updates. If you are interested in learning more about Iowa’s Public Transit Long Range Plan and related information, please visit https://iowadot.gov/iowainmotion/Modal-Iowa Public Transit Long Range Plan.

News reports say new information is expected to be released this (Friday) morning regarding a missing Page County man. According to a Missing Persons Case Network Facebook post, a silver alert has been canceled for 80-year-old Donald Eugene “Gene” Ripley, as he was found dead. Ripley had been missing since early last Thursday morning, when he left Uvalde, Texas, and had not been seen since.

Ripley was last seen driving a red Chrysler Town and Country Minivan. The license plate was last read in Denton County, Texas, approximately 28 hours after he left Uvalde. Texas authorities issued a silver alert following the initial report of his disappearance.

(Radio Iowa) – Shenandoah residents will pause at midday today (Friday) to mark a significant moment in our nation’s history. “A Day to Remember” is the theme of the city’s annual Patriot’s Day commemoration, honoring those who died in the terrorist attacks on September 11th of 2001. As in previous years, the event will start with a familiar sound.

That’s the Shenandoah Fire Department’s sounding of the “Four-Fives,” honoring firefighters and other first responders who lost their lives responding to emergencies that day.  Distinguished local residents have provided keynote addresses in past ceremonies — including one directly touched by the 9/11 attacks. In 2018, Kim Leininger of Essex was the speaker. Leininger was the aunt of Douglas Ketcham, a New York stockbroker with Cantor Fitzgerald, who was working on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center’s North Tower when a hijacked plane crashed into it. Leininger relayed the story of Douglas’ final moments. “When he called that morning, he said he didn’t know what had happened, but his room was filled with smoke and he was under his desk, calling on his cell phone. He said the door to the fire escape was locked, and no one could get out,” Leininger says. “He said he loved us, but he didn’t know what might happen. That was the last we ever heard from him.”

In 2019, Page County Veterans Affairs executive director Janet Olsen recalled how victims awoke on that warm, sunny day in 2001, not knowing of their fates. “Most of us got up this morning and didn’t have a whole lot of things to worry about,” said Olsen. “Me, personally, it was what flavor of Pop Tart am I going to eat? So, a gorgeous beautiful day. But, let me tell you something, the day that this happened on 9/11, there were 2,752 people just like us, American citizens, who had the same dilemma, whether they wanted blueberry or strawberry. They woke up, they took care of their families, and they went to work — and we lost them.”

Shenandoah Mayor Dick Hunt is this year’s keynote speaker. Shenandoah High School’s Marching Mustangs will play the National Anthem. The Shenandoah American Legion’s Color Guard will also participate in the 12:10 p.m. ceremony at Bogart Park.

(Radio Iowa) – With 53 days left until Election Day, a handful of prominent Republicans are traveling the state in a red bus, rallying with Iowans who support President Trump. Matt Schlapp is chairman of the American Conservative Union. “They tell us in the swamp that we support a liar. Have you ever met a politician that has told more truth?” Schlapp said and the crowd responded: “No.”

Schlapp spoke to about 100 people gathered in a Trump campaign office in Des Moines late Thursday afternoon. Eric Branstad, senior advisor to Trump’s campaign in Iowa, urged the crowd to volunteer to make phone calls — and vote early so they can drive voters to the polls on Election Day. “I need everyone to do everything they can for the next several weeks to get there,” Branstad said.

Matt Whitaker, an Ankeny native, served three months as Trump’s Attorney General. He touted Trump’s law and order message and criticized N-F-L players who kneel during the National Anthem. “I’m not watching this. Are you watching this?” Whitaker asked and the crowd yelled: “No!” Whitaker continued: “I will not give a dollar to my money to any organization that supports a radical, socialist agenda.”

By the end of today (Friday), Whitaker and others on the Trump bus will have made stops in a dozen Iowa cities this week. Those stops include: Sioux City, Fort Dodge, Mason City, Waterloo, Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Newton, Des Moines, Ottumwa, Washington, Coralville and Davenport.

(Radio Iowa) – Students in Des Moines Public Schools will continue with virtual classes as the school board wrestles with its response to a judge’s ruling AND the state’s refusal to waive a requirement that students spend at least half their time in a classroom. Des Moines School Board members held a two-and-a-half-hour work meeting last (Thursday) night.

Board member Kalyn Cody says Covid case counts in Polk County haven’t declined enough and he wants the district to continue classes online for at least nine weeks — until the first quarter ends. “Our conditions are not favorable for opening our doors,” he said. “Everywhere else in the world has figured this out.” Board member Kimberly Martorano says the board simply cannot hope the governor is bluffing about forcing students to make up time spent online rather in the classroom — and extending the school year would cost the district at least a million dollars per day.  “I think we owe it to our students and our families to get into compliance and to do it safely,” she said. “…It’s very scary to know that the lives of our students and our staff are in our hands right now.”

Terre  Caldwell-Johnson is among the board members who met with officials from the Iowa Departments of Education and Public Health earlier in the day. “I think we have a state and governor that has extended an olive branch…We need to maximize that opportunity to our benefit,” Caldwell Johnson said. “…So instead of putting up road blocks, I’m willing to build bridges and I’m willing to move mountains to bring our kids back.”

Other board members say the state’s largest school district may not have enough teachers if students return to classrooms, since some teachers may decline to be inside school buildings for health reasons. Superintendent Thomas Ahart says in addition to finding teachers, transporting kids to schools is a challenge in the district. “What we’re finding is we have bus drivers who are literally afraid for the health and their life,” Ahart said, “and we’re losing bus drivers faster than we can hire and train new drivers.”

Twenty percent of ALL the school bus drivers in Iowa are over the age of 70 and well over half of all Iowa school bus drivers are over 60.