The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports four arrests took place over the past week:

• 63-year-old Michael Allen Bloom, of Greenfield, was arrested Sept. 14th in Bridgewater, on a Taylor County warrant. He was transported directly to meet with Taylor County Deputies.
• 55-year-old Michelle Renee Evans, of Bridgewater, was arrested in Greenfield Sept. 15th, on an Adair County warrant for six counts of Animal Neglect with serious injury or death. She remains in the Adair County Jail on a $12,000 cash or surety bond.
• 36-year-old Derik Wayne Bud Pickrell, of West Des Moines, was arrested Sept. 16th, on two separate Adair County warrants for Violation of Probation. He was being held on a $2,000 cash or surety bond.
• And, 45-year-old Scott William Richard Funke, of Grimes, was arrested Sept. 16th in Greenfield, on a Polk County felony warrant for Dominion/Control of a firearm by a domestic abuse offender, and Possession of a Controlled Substance/1st offense. His cash/surety bond was set at $4,500.

(8-a.m. News) (Griswold, Iowa) – While other school districts in Iowa (predominantly the larger cities) are enacting mask mandates as a means to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Griswold School District Superintendent Dave Henrichs says that’s not the case in his District.

(There will be no mask mandate, but the school will implement its COVID Tracker again this year on the District’s website, indicating how many students and staff have tested positive. To date, he says, there have been 8 students [2 elementary &, 6 MS/HS students] that have tested positive. No teachers have tested positive. All have recovered with the exception of one HS student.)

Last year at this same time, there were 10 positive cases. With regard to District Enrollment, Mr. Henrichs said there were 79 students who open enrolled-out, and 22 who open enrolled-in. The out numbers sustained, meaning they actually gained three overall-in students. Henrichs said also, a group working on a daycare facility spoke with the Board Monday evening.

The Board Monday, approved district personnel changes/hires and resignations.

And, the Griswold School Board approved Lifetime Activity passes, with certain criteria in mind, for former Griswold educators, staff and certain volunteers.

A man from Osceola was arrested Monday night, in Creston. Authorities say 25-year-old Adrian Ramos Maciel was taken into custody at around 8:45-p.m., in the 300 block of N. Pine Street in Creston, for OWI/1st offense. He was later released on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Public Health released new COVID-19 data on Monday. The health department said 11,138 additional positive virus tests in the last 7 days, down from 11,439 the previous seven-day period. That brings the total positive tests to 472,681 since the start of the pandemic. Iowa’s 14-day positivity rate is up from 9.2% to 9.4%. Those 18 and under account for 29% of positive cases, by far the largest group. However, that age group accounts for only 7% of those hospitalized with COVID-19.

The state reports 579 patients hospitalized with the virus, down from 581 from the last report. IDPH reports 78% of those hospitalized with COVID-19 are not fully vaccinated, while 90% of those in ICU for COVID-19 are not vaccinated. There are now COVID-19 outbreaks reported in 29 long-term care facilities.

The number of Iowans vaccinated against the virus continues to tick upward. The health department reports 3,395,253 vaccine doses administered in the state, with 65.2% of those 18 and older fully vaccinated and 67.8% of those 12 and older with at least one dose.