(Des Moines, IA) – Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) officials have used the state’s safe haven procedure for the 45th time since the law went into effect. A baby girl, born Sept. 13, was released to the custody of DHS. Specific details are withheld in order to protect the identity of the parents and the children. Through Iowa’s Safe Haven law, parents, or their authorized representative, can leave infants age 30 days or younger at a hospital or health care facility without fear of prosecution for abandonment.

Janee Harvey, DHS Division Administrator of Adult, Children and Family Services, says “The purpose of this law is to protect the lives of newborns who are in danger of abandonment. We want to ensure Iowans know that Safe Haven is an available option if they cannot care for their newborn safely. We recognize that these decisions are often made in the midst of crisis and the protocols are built accordingly.”

Safe Haven prioritizes the health and physical safety of the infant(s), as well as the anonymity of the parent or authorized individual who relinquishes custody of the child.

The Safe Haven law was approved in the wake of a high-profile case in 2001 involving a teen mother in eastern Iowa who killed her home-delivered newborn. Infants who are safe haven babies are placed with currently-approved foster or adoptive families. All states have Safe Haven laws, although provisions differ.

If you are interested in becoming a foster or adoptive parent, please visit
www.iowafosterandadoption.org.

For more information on the Safe Haven procedure: http://dhs.iowa.gov/safe-haven.

DES MOINES, IA – Rep. Cindy Axne (IA-03), Wednesday, announced $14,491,169 in new federal grants to cover repair and reconstruction expenses of federal roads and highways that were damaged in 2019 floods across Iowa. The new grants from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) will cover repair costs for damage along major routes like I-29, I-680, and US-34 – as well as federal roads maintained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Axne says “After last year’s flooding, many of Iowa’s road and highways were damaged – adding additional strain onto our already aging infrastructure. These grants will help restore these roadways and allow traffic to resume at a pre-disaster level and help us keep Iowa on track to a full recovery.”

The grants were awarded as follows:

• $13,978,130 for project sites across Iowa managed by the Iowa Department of Transportation
• $513,039 for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for projects along the Missouri River

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — Police have identified the man and woman who were killed after gunfire broke out this weekend inside a private club in Waterloo, Iowa. The Waterloo Police Department said in a news release Wednesday that they are 22-year-old Da’Curious (Dacarious) T. Burkett of Waterloo and 28-year-old Takeya M. Hogan-Camp of West Des Moines, Iowa.

Police say at least two individuals began shooting at each other at about 3:15 a.m. Saturday. Six other people were also were treated for gunshot wounds and four were hurt by broken glass or other debris while fleeing.

(Radio Iowa) – Federal pandemic relief money has helped keep the state budget in the black. By early September, the State of Iowa had used two-point-eight BILLION dollars in federal money to cover expenses related to the pandemic. About 40 percent of it was spent on unemployment benefits. The official state budgeting year ended June 30th, but there’s a two-month accrual period to settle accounts. That period was even more critical this year as due to the pandemic, Governor Reynolds gave Iowans until July to pay income taxes originally due in April.

According to a news release from the governor’s office, the state has 770 MILLION in cash reserves and 305-and-a-half MILLION dollars was left unspent from the state’s overall budget plan for the last fiscal year.

(Radio Iowa) – With 34 days until the election and last (Tuesday) night’s presidential debate fresh on our minds, Iowans are being warned to be on the lookout for scammers pretending to be pollsters, campaign volunteers, fundraisers — and even candidates. Bao Vang, at the Better Business Bureau, says the crooks can be convincing.

“If you have been a victim, it’s so unfortunate,” Vang says, “Please let us know if you suspect this is happening in your community, head to our website, it’s bbb.org/scamtracker.” The site allows users to zoom in on the state of Iowa and various towns, showing where scams are being reported and what types. Nationwide, there are reports of 215-thousand scams, with dozens of them in Iowa.

“With all of our eyes and ears tuned into the 2020 presidential election, there is no doubt scammers are, too,” she says. “They’re opportunists and they follow the headlines so they’re using fake political fundraising calls to trick us into donating to a favorite candidate.” Vang says common political fraud involves polling calls with fake prize offers, fraudulent fundraising calls and people impersonating candidates asking for contributions.

She recommends donating directly to a campaign’s office — and never give your credit card or personal information out over the phone.

The Guthrie County Department of Public Health today (Wednesday), confirmed another three deaths have been associated with novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Guthrie County. One individual was 52 and two individuals were older than 80. All individuals had underlying medical conditions. The total number of deaths associated with COVID-19 as of today is ten.

Guthrie County Public Health Director, Jotham Arber said “We want to extend our deepest condolences to the individual’s family. We are all in this fight together. Guthrie County Public Health and all of our partners continue to work to limit the spread and impact of COVID-19 in our communities.”

Arber reminds residents they should:

■Wear cloth face coverings in public settings where social distancing measures and other hygiene practices are difficult to maintain.

■Stay at least 6 feet away from others to minimize exposure.

■Anyone who is high risk for more severe COVID-19 illness should continue to stay home.

■Stay home when even mildly ill (the kind of illness that normally wouldn’t prevent you from your everyday activities)

■Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your elbow/upper arm.

■Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.

For up-to-date information on COVID-19, visit the county webpage at www.adairguthriecountycovid.org

Numerous area fire departments are battling flames in a field in eastern Pottawattamie County. Griswold Fire was dispatched to the scene at 49968 Highway 6, at around 2:19-p.m.  Other departments responding include Walnut, Oakland and Hancock Fire.

The flames were being fanned by northwesterly winds at 25-to 35 miles per hour. Additional information is not currently available.