The Audubon County Sheriff’s Office reports two people from Minnesota died in the Tuesday afternoon crash of a helicopter. Their names were being withheld pending notification of family. Authorities say on Tuesday afternoon a person in the area of 240^th and Robin Avenue, heard a loud sound and observed a helicopter crashing. The individual called 911. Guthrie County received the call and relayed the information to Audubon County.

Audubon and Exira Fire and Rescue Departments were dispatched to the scene. Upon arriving, it was observed the helicopter and the area around it was on fire, due to a power line that had been taken down in the crash.  Witnesses have said the copter hit a power transmission line before crashing into the ground and bursting into flames. Debris from the crash struck a passing, nearby pickup truck, but no one in the vehicle was hurt.

The crash investigation and determination of cause is being handled by the FAA, assisted by the Iowa State Patrol Technical Investigation and the Audubon County Sheriff’s Office. Assisting Tuesday night was the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, Guthrie County EMA, Audubon County EMA, Audubon Fire & Rescue, Exira Fire Department and Audubon County Secondary Roads crews.

The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) is deploying a comprehensive approach to address food insecurity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as WIC, will continue for all current, and new or returning WIC participants. IDPH submitted and received approval of several federal waivers to Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) to ensure continued and expanded access to WIC foods.

Families First Coronavirus Response Act:

• WIC is available to support you. WIC benefits will continue as normal. Call your clinic with questions.
• April’s WIC benefits will be available for use on Wednesday, April 1.

Purchasing WIC Items in the Store:

When shopping for WIC items, please consider the following shopping tips during this time:

• When shopping, please be patient. Stores want to provide what you need, but they have been extremely busy and are working hard to stock the shelves as quickly as possible.
• When shopping, planning ahead and arriving at the store earlier in the day may help you find the products needed.
• When shopping, use the CDC guidelines for social distancing: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV. At this time WIC food purchases can only be redeemed inside of WIC approved stores.
• Call ahead and be sure your store’s hours haven’t changed.
• WIC foods will be available throughout the entire month of April – the rumors that WIC foods will run out is not true.
• Purchase what you would normally purchase. There is no reason to stockpile food. Both your benefits and the food products in stores will be available throughout the month.

If you are having issues finding specific WIC foods, call your WIC clinic or the state WIC office at 1-515-281-6650 for assistance.

(Radio Iowa) — Pranksters may love today’s date, but it’s no April Fool’s joke that the rent is due and many Iowans are out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic. While most evictions in Iowa are being postponed, Iowa Legal Aid litigation director Alex Kornya says tenants should still pay their rent or work out an agreement with their landlord. “Landlords cannot terminate someone’s lease if they don’t pay rent,” Kornya says. “Now, this doesn’t mean that rent does not continue to accrue during this time, it just means that a landlord can’t terminate their lease during this time.”

While Iowans cannot be evicted for not paying rent, Kornya says they -will- have to pay, eventually. “The obligation to pay rent continues,” he says. “Rent will continue to accrue and at some point, when the moratoriums are lifted, the tenants are going to have to be able to either make arrangements with their landlords or pay all the rent that has accrued over this time.”

A state order postpones most evictions until April 17th, a date that may be pushed back still further. A federal moratorium on certain evictions extends until July, for people in qualifying housing programs and those living in properties with federally-backed mortgages. More information is available on the Iowa Legal Aid website: iowalegalaid.org

(Reporting by Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)

Police in Creston report two recent break-in’s, and two arrests. Tuesday afternoon, 68-year old James Goodman, of Diagonal, was arrested in Creston for Violation of a Protection Order. Goodman was released from the Union County Jail on a Promise to Appear. And, Tuesday night, 30-year old Rachel Colburn, of Creston, was arrested at her home, on a Union County Warrant charging her with Fraudulent Practice in the 5th Degree. Colburn was released from the Union County Jail on a Promise to Appear.

Tuesday morning, a man residing in the 600 block of N. Pine, in Creston, reported to the Police Department, that sometime during the overnight hours of March 26th-27th, someone broke into his storage unit located at 801 W Townline. Multiple toy tractors were taken from the unit. The loss was estimated loss at $700.  Monday afternoon, a man residing in the 100 block of S. Stone Street, in Creston, told police that sometime between 12-a.m. and 7-a.m., Monday, someone entered several vehicles parked at his residence and took a gift card out of one of the vehicles. The loss was estimated at $54.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A survey of supply managers in a nine-state region of the Midwest and Plains is showing more signs of the coronavirus pandemic’s disruptive economic impact. A report released Monday says the Mid-American Business Conditions index sank in March to 46.7 — its lowest reading since September 2016. The survey’s confidence index plunged to a record low of 14.5. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.