The Union County Sheriff’s Office reports one arrest and one incident of vandalism. At around 6:15-p.m. Tuesday, 58-year old Timothy Allan Sly, of Lorimor, was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center, on a Union County warrant for driving while barred. Sly was released from the Union County Jail on $2,000 bond. And, at around 2:30-p.m., Tuesday, a woman from  Lorimor reported that her son’s 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee had been vandalized recently. The damage was estimated at $3,000.

Atlantic, IA—Cass County Health System (CCHS) officials announced today (Wednesday), that two employees have tested positive for COVID-19. CCHS Chief Executive Officer Brett Altman says “We are happy to say that our employees are only experiencing mild symptoms right now, and we expect and hope that both get well soon.” The employees contracted COVID-19 from sources outside of the CCHS. The employees are isolating at home until they are considered recovered in accordance with the recovery criteria from the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH).

While the staff members were always appropriately masked and protected while near patients, CCHS officials felt it was necessary to go above and beyond the current contact tracing procedures to notify any patients who were cared for by these staff members, as well as to inform the community of these new cases. CCHS Chief Nursing Officer Amanda Bireline says “We had five patients who received care from these employees. In our investigation, we found that there was no significant risk to the patients because of our use of PPE (personal protective equipment) – gloves, masks, and proper hand hygiene were properly observed. Yet, when we put ourselves in the shoes of the patients and their families, we felt like the right thing to do was to tell them.”CCHS officials have spoken with the patients who were impacted.”

In alignment with IDPH guidance, CCHS is also keeping home other staff members who worked in close contact with the employees who have tested positive for COVID-19. This is a precautionary safety measure put into practice by CCHS to minimize the risk of spreading the illness. Altman said “All along, we have been planning and preparing for the day when COVID-19 started to impact our community and staff. Without a doubt now, we’re at that point where there are real implications, and this likely won’t be the only impact on our workforce. We have an excellent team in place to strategize how we continue to safely care for patients, families, and the communities we are privileged to serve, but we still need everyone’s help to prevent the spread of the virus.”

Bireline added, “Despite these positive cases, we feel that there is no additional risk to our patients or the patients that we served at the time. We acted quickly to isolate the cases, and we are monitoring and testing the exposed staff members.” All patients and visitors at CCHS are screened at the entrance for fever and COVID-19 symptoms, and everyone in the facility is masked. CCHS also maintains a COVID-19 hotline for questions and concerns, as well as a Respiratory Care Clinic to serve patients with any respiratory symptoms that is in a designated space away
from other patients.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — A federal judge has denied an Iowa drug kingpin’s requests to delay his execution, which is scheduled for Friday. U.S. District Judge Leonard Strand wrote Tuesday that he would not intervene to delay Dustin Honken’s execution date due to the coronavirus pandemic.

FILE – In this Aug. 18, 2004 file photo, Dustin Honken is led by federal marshals to a waiting car after the second day of jury selection in federal court in Sioux City, Iowa. A federal judge has denied the Iowa drug kingpin’s requests to delay his execution, which is scheduled for Friday, July 17, 2020. U.S. District Judge Leonard Strand wrote Tuesday, July 14 that he would not intervene to delay Honken’s execution date due to the coronavirus pandemic. He said the Bureau of Prisons was in the best position to weigh the health risks against the benefits of carrying out the execution. (Tim Hynds/Sioux City Journal via AP, File)

He said the Bureau of Prisons was in the best position to weigh the health risks against the benefits of carrying out the execution.

Strand also denied Honken’s motion to declare his execution void due to an alleged procedural error by the government. He affirmed the executive branch’s power to set the date for executions.

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

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The Creston Police Department reports 45-year old Lance England, of Creston, was arrested at around 2:35-a.m. today (Wednesday), on a Union County warrant for the Purchase/Possession of Depiction of a Minor in a Sexual Act/1st offense. England was arrested at the Union County Law Enforcement Center and later released on $2,000 bond.

Tuesday evening, 35-year old Charlie Brown, of Gravity, was arrested in Creston for a Sex Offender Registry Violation. He was later released on $2,000 bond.

And, Tuesday morning, Creston Police arrested 28-year old Brandon Haley, of Clarinda, on a Union County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Possession of a Controlled Substance/2nd offense. Haley was arrested at the Union County LEC and later released on a $300 bond.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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The Beef show was held Tuesday at the Adams County Fair in Corning.  Here are the results:

• Grand Champion Heifer:  shown by Makayla Houck
• Reserve Champion Heifer:  shown by Cash Brammer
• Grand Champion Cow/Calf:  shown by Danna Shires
• Reserve Champion Cow/Calf:  shown by Jasmine Wilbourne
• Grand Champion Feeder Calf:  Shown by Danna Shires
• Reserve Champion Feeder Calf:  shown by Danna Shires
• Grand Champion Bucket Bottle Calf:  shown by Nora Paul
• Grand Champion Pen-of-Three:  shown by Dylan Stormer
• Grand Champion Market Beef:  shown by Norah Lund
• Reserve Champion Market Beef:  shown by Ada Lund
• Champion Junior Showman:  Nora Paul
• Champion Intermediate Showman:  Cash Brammer
• Champion Senior Showman:  Makayla Houck

A video broadcast of the show is available on the KJAN TV page:  https://www.kjan.com/index.php/kjan-video-network/kjan-tv-2/

The Cass and Audubon County Community Foundations report applications are now being accepted from organizations providing charitable services in either Cass or Audubon County. As part of this fall grant cycle, $30,375 is available to support Cass County nonprofit organizations and community projects, and $46,500 is available for nonprofits and community organizations in Audubon County. The deadline to apply for funds through the online application process is September 1.

Of the total allocated funds in Cass County, $1,000 is restricted to the community of Griswold, and $29,375 is available to support projects throughout the county. Of the total allocated funds in Audubon County, $2,650 is restricted to the Exira area, $2,220 is designated for the community of Audubon, and $41,630 is available to support projects throughout the county.

Beginning July 15, application details, a fact sheet, and a link to the application form can be found online by selecting Cass (or Audubon) County under the County Listing at www.swiowafoundations.org. Applications will only be accepted through the online system. Only those organizations providing services in Cass or Audubon County are eligible to apply IN THEIR RESPECTIVE COUNTY ONLY. They must be able to demonstrate broad community/county support and be an IRS-approved 501(c)(3) Public Charity, a local municipality, or a fiscally sponsored project.

Both Community Foundations aim to improve the quality of life in their counties, by supporting community needs in the areas of civic engagement, culture, health, education, and social services. The objective of the grant program is to fund projects that will have a permanent impact on, and in, the two counties. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, for Fall 2020, both the Cass County Community Foundation will entertain requests for program and operating support, in addition to the historic focus on items of permanence.

The grant funds are made possible by the generosity of Cass and Audubon County Community Foundation donors. To inquire about donating to either the Cass County or Audubon County Community Foundation, please contact the Community Foundations of Southwest Iowa staff or any board member listed below.

Gifts to permanently endowed funds through the Cass County Community Foundation may be eligible to receive a 25% Endow Iowa Tax Credit.

Board members of the Cass County Community Foundation are Chair, Kristi Burg of Massena; Vice Chair, Gary Maas of Anita; Secretary/Treasurer, Roland K. Landsness, Esq. of Atlantic; Royal Bierbaum of Griswold; Sue Hunt of Atlantic; and Mark D. Kyhnn, CPA of Atlantic. Board members of the Audubon County Community Foundation are Chair, Genelle Deist of Audubon; Vice Chair, Joel Hoegh of rural Brayton; Secretary/Treasurer, Megan Wagner of Audubon; Gina Benton of Exira, Bob Blomme of Audubon; Steven B. Hansen of Audubon; and Donna Olson of Kimballton.

Please contact Stacey Goodman (stacey@omahafoundation.org) or Tess Houser (tess@omahafoundation.org) at 800-794-3458 with application-related questions. All completed grant applications will be considered at the October Board meeting, with applicants being notified of funding decisions by the end of October.

(Radio Iowa) – The manager of the University of Iowa’s Van Allen Observatories says if the clouds clear, Iowans should take advantage of a very rare opportunity to see a comet this week. Caroline Roberts, who also coordinates the U-I’s Astronomy Laboratory, says to spot this spectacle in the sky, you’ll either have to stay up late or set the alarm to get up early. “About an hour-and-a-half before sunrise is going to be best, that’s about 3:30 to 4 o’clock AM,” Roberts says, “but also, it is viewable after sunset which is a lot more convenient for people, and that’s about an hour or an hour-and-a-half after sunset, so maybe 10:30 to 11 PM.”

Comet Neowise (NASA photo)

Its full name is Comet C/2020 F3 NEOWISE, or just NEOWISE for short. The comet gets its name from the orbiting NASA space telescope which discovered it, called NEOWISE, for Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. If you want to see the comet, you’ll have to be looking in the right place — low on the horizon, depending on when you venture out. “If you hold your fist out above the horizon, the comet’s about 10 degrees — the size of your fist — up from the horizon,” Roberts says. “If you’re looking in the morning, you want to look towards the north-northwest. If you’re looking in the nighttime, you want to look towards the north-northeast.”

Unlike a meteor, which makes a fast, bright streak across the sky, the comet will appear stationary and you don’t need any special equipment to see it. “Using binoculars, using a telescope is going to improve your view of the comet, but it can be seen with the naked eye,” she says. “It’s just going to be a faint, fuzzy point in the sky.” Binoculars or a telescope should help reveal the comet as a bright spot in the dark sky along with its trailing white tail. By next Monday or so, the comet will appear to rise higher in the nighttime sky, while it will become impossible to see in the early mornings. NEOWISE is a fairly large comet, about three miles across. Chicken Little can rest assured, the sky isn’t falling, and Roberts says this distant, icy ball will not threaten life on our planet.

“We know exactly where it’s going and we know what its path in the sky is going to be,” Roberts says. “While it is traveling between the sun and the Earth, there’s no risk of it encountering the Earth. It’s going to pass by us very, very far away.” NEOWISE is considered a long-period comet, which means it won’t be back around for about 7,000 years.