Officials with SWIPCO & SWITA (Southwest Iowa Planning Council & Southwest Iowa Transit Agency) – based in Atlantic, has updated their policies, with regard to the current COVID-19 Health Emergency:

The SWIPCO/SWITA office are open, but outside visitors are limited and many staff are working remotely. Please call ahead and be prepared to conduct as much business as possible either over the phone or via email. SWIPCO/SWITA staff are not traveling to meetings except as requested by public health or emergency management.

SWITA SERVICES:

• We are continuing to provide trips, including medical trips, throughout the region if scheduled through our office 24 hours in advance and subject to driver availability. These can be scheduled by calling our office at 712-243-2518 or 800-842-8065. Medical trips scheduled via Medicaid/MCOs are also continuing to run.
• We have suspended SWITA taxi service, which normally operates in Missouri Valley, Harlan, Atlantic, Red Oak, Shenandoah, and Glenwood, because of the close proximity between riders and our drivers. However, we have instituted a temporary service that if scheduled 24 hours in advance and subject to driver availability, we will provide medical trips in those communities at the taxi rate and will honor taxi tickets as payment. Faith in Action and Clarinda Area Volunteers continue to run.
• We continue to operate the Council Bluffs STS paratransit service. It is anticipated to run as long as the Metro fixed route service is operating.
• Our workforce commuter transportation routes to Oakland Foods, Menards, 3HO, and Monogram Foods continue until further notice.
• We continue to provide transportation for the Glenwood Resource Center.

SWIPCO/SWIHTF SERVICES:

• We continue to move housing projects forward if both the contractor and homeowner agree. Our homeownership program continues as normal.
• Mills County and Fremont County flood buyout projects continue.
• Mills County flood disaster mortgage relief payments continue and new applications will be accepted.
• Code enforcement inspections continue, but our inspectors are instructed that if any party self describes as sick or declines to participate, those individual inspections will be deferred until a later date with no penalty.
• New building code inspections continue.
• Business RLF payments may be deferred up to 90 days if requested. You do not need to contact the office at this time, letters will be going out to all loan recipients shortly.

(Radio Iowa) It’s been a year since everyone in the small, northwest Iowa town of Hornick had to evacuate because of flooding. Hornick Mayor Scott Mitchell says there’s been progress, but they still have a long way to go.

Hornick is about 25 miles southeast of Sioux City and had about 220 residents when last year’s flooding hit. Hornick was awarded more than two-million dollars last year to build a protective barrier called a berm around the city, to prevent future flooding. Mitchell says the town is still waiting to start the project.

And the community is waiting for funding from FEMA for the road repairs.

(Reporting by Katie Peikes)

DES MOINES – The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been notified of one additional positive case of Iowans with COVID-19, for a total of 45 positive cases. 765 negative tests have been conducted at the State Hygienic Lab. According to IDPH, this individual resides in Allamakee County and is a middle-aged adult (41-60).

A status report of monitoring and testing of COVID19 in Iowa provided by IDPH can be found here. In addition, a public hotline has been established for Iowans with questions about COVID-19. The line is available 24/7 by calling 2-1-1 or 1-800-244-7431. The governor’s office and the Iowa Department of Public Health will be transitioning to mid morning updates as testing capabilities have expanded.

Gov. Reynolds will hold a press conference today from the State Emergency Operations Center (SEOC) in Johnston, IA at 2:30 p.m. to provide an update to the state of Iowa on COVID-19. Gov. Reynolds held a press conference later this afternoon at 2:30 p.m. The press conference will be livestreamed and posted in full on Governor Reynolds’ Facebook Page.

The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce will close to the public beginning Monday, March 23^rd – Tuesday, March 31^st. According to Chamber Executive Director Bailey Smith, “Multiple local businesses have implemented this guideline to help slow the spread. We will be following their lead and only allowing employees in the building. The community has done a great job of practicing social distancing and have been calling or emailing the office all week. We still encourage people to do this.”

The Chamber will reassess their options, as new mandates are put into place or lifted. Staff will be in the office, Monday – through Friday, from 8 AM – to 5 PM ,to answer phone calls, emails and to continue keeping the community informed on business activity in Atlantic.

The Mills County Sheriff’s Office has released information about a single-vehicle, injury accident that took place Wednesday night. Authorities say 27-year old Derek Gardner, of Shenandoah, was driving a 2012 Dodge north on 330th Street at around 11:35-p.m., when his vehicle went out of control on the loose gravel. The vehicle entered the east ditch and rolled once before coming to rest on its wheels. Gardner was transported by private vehicle to the hospital. His vehicle was declared a total loss.

The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors will continue to meet during the closure of County buildings due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) situation. However, they will be conducted electronically until further notice. Officials say the meetings will be conducted through ZOOM and can be monitored through phone, computer or tablet. Use one of the following options below to join the meeting. Board agendas and minutes will continue to be available on the county website at www.montgomerycountyiowa.com

On a computer or tablet: https://zoom.us/j/519910374?pwd=bjZRT0piRWFSTzI1eDFlSGpZUngwQT09 . Join by phone only: (if a line is busy, please try a different one from the list below) Dial by your location +1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago) +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) +1 346 248 7799 US (Houston) +1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose) +1 253 215 8782 US +1 301 715 8592 US Meeting ID: 519 910 374 Password: 419913 *If joining using a computer and calling in using a phone number above, please be sure to enter your participant phone pin you are assigned. This will allow you to raise your hand if you would like to speak. *If you join by calling in and are not using a computer, press *9 to raise your hand if you wish to speak.

Two separate accidents Thursday claimed one life and resulted in injuries to two other people. The Iowa State Patrol reports 30-year old Delancy Miell, of Robins (IA) died following a collision at around 8:50-a.m. Thursday, near Farmersburg,  in northeast Iowa’s Clayton County. Miell was driving a 2017 Kenworth semi northbound on Highway 13, when he failed to obey a stop sign at the intersection with Highway 52.

Batteries litter the road following a fatal crash in Clayton County. (ISP Photo)

The semi struck an eastbound 2015 Volvo semi, driven by 59-year old Michael Trenkler, of Woodstock,IL.  The collision caused both trailers to be separated. Miell, who was not wearing a seatbelt, died at the scene. Trenkler – who was wearing his seat belt- was injured, and transported by ambulance to the hospital in Elkader.  One of the semi’s was carrying milk, the other vehicle batteries.

The second accident happened at around 3:50-p.m. northeast of Anamosa, in eastern Iowa’s Jones County. The State Patrol says a 2019 Freightliner semi driven by 64-year old Clifford Charles Takes, of Anamosa, was traveling north on Highway 151, and attempting to turn left onto Circle Drive, when a 2005 Nissan Altima traveling in the outside southbound lane of Highway 151 struck the trailer of the semi and came to rest underneath the trailer. The driver of the car was injured and transported to the Jones Regional Hospital by Anamosa Rescue. The name of the driver was being withheld, pending notification of family.

(Radio Iowa) — Activists are calling for major steps to limit the risk of a coronavirus outbreak in Iowa’s prisons and jails. The A-C-L-U of Iowa is recommending the state release some inmates early, as other states have done, to reduce overcrowding and slow the spread of the virus. The union’s Veronica Fowler says the steps are meant to prevent a surge of cases that could overwhelm the health care system. “Prisons and jails are the perfect storm for the spread of this disease,” Fowler says. “You have a lot of people usually jammed into close quarters, there’s no option for social distancing.”

Fowler says the state and counties need to act now, before it’s too late. “We are asking court officials, law enforcement, the Department of Corrections to please as soon as possible, take some rapid measures to prevent this.”  Iowa’s prisons are operating at nearly 23-percent over capacity. The Department of Corrections has canceled visitations due to the coronavirus but has provided few details on its response plan.

(Reporting by Kate Payne, Iowa Public Radio)