(Greenfield) The Adair County Board of Superviors, Wednesday morning, approved updated wording in Engineer Nick Kaufmann’s contract, with regard to vacation time. The contract calls for 20-days of paid vacation per year, and he is allowed to carry-over vacation time. In his report to the Board, Nick Kauffman said much of the contract rock is done for now, with a project at Delta Avenue and 190th Street on-hold for the time being.

Kaufmann said also, work continues to progress on the N-22 Jackson and W-35 Jefferson bridges.

He said also his shared contract with Union County to serve as their interim Engineer has ended a little earlier than expected. Union County has elected to go with Clarke County for engineering services and sharing of equipment, especially some equipment Clarke County has the Union County does not. Kaufmann said he’s glad to be working strictly for Adair County, once again, for numerous reasons, including the difference in facilities.

In other business, the Adair County Supervisors approved a contract with Infomax for a complete IT Cloud Solution. The system will be installed sometime withing the next six-weeks and should be ready to use by July 1st.

(Radio Iowa) -The University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics is joining a nationwide campaign with 60 other health care providers to encourage more people to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The campaign will specifically target groups who have higher hesitancy rates, like certain ethnic minority groups and those living in rural areas. Mike Brownlee, chief pharmacy officer with U-I-H-C, says they’re looking at new ways to reach out to patients about the vaccine. “One of the things we’re trying to do is incorporate vaccination into our clinic visits,” Brownlee says. “So when you come to have a checkup visit, ‘Hey, have you tried — have you thought about the vaccine, if you haven’t had it yet.’”

The campaign will use advertising and social media to encourage people to get vaccinated. Brownlee says hesitancy is increasing because the vaccine is now available to populations who are at low risk for getting seriously ill from the virus. “We’re trying to help them see the more broad view, how this can not just help them, their families, but everyone in the community,” he says, “and then the more vaccine that we have in the community, the more it slows the spread, it can help everyone.”

State health officials confirm the U-I-H-C did not accept more than 20-thousand doses of its federal allotment this week due to declining demand.

(reporting By Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Two Romanian men who used credit card skimmers in eastern Iowa to try and get debit card information from nearly 200 people were each sentenced to 10 months in prison. Thirty-year-old Stefan Busoi and 29-year-old Razvan Diculescu were sentenced after pleading guilty in November to possession of device-making equipment.

Employees at a bank in Dubuque and police found credit card skimmers and pinhole cameras on three A-T-Ms in June of 2020. They used traffic and A-T-M video footage to determine that the two men installed the skimmers and cameras and arrested them when they returned to an A-T-M.

Both were in the United States unlawfully on fake Greek passports at the time of their arrest

ANKENY, Iowa – APRIL 28, 2021 – The Department of Homeland Security announced Tuesday, that due to circumstances resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the deadline for REAL ID enforcement has been extended from October of this year to May 3, 2023. However, the Iowa Department of Transportation is encouraging anyone who plans to fly on a commercial airline or enter a federal building that checks identification upon entrance to consider obtaining a REAL ID sooner rather than later.

Darcy Doty, Iowa DOT Customer Services Bureau director says, “Currently 53% of driver’s license and ID holders or 1.3 million Iowans have a REAL ID marked card. This is great progress, but we want to assure that anyone who wants a REAL ID obtains one before the deadline and that we are doing all we can to help them bring the correct documentation with them when they come into get a REAL ID.”

SAMPLE of a “Real ID” w/the required gold star

To get a REAL ID marked card, federal law requires you to verify your identity by providing the same documentation you provided when you got your first license or ID card. You will need to visit any Iowa driver’s license or ID issuance location and bring documents that prove your identity, social security number, Iowa residency, and proof of legal name changes – if your name is different from the name on your identity document. You can use our helpful online tool to build a list of documents you need to bring with you. You must obtain the REAL ID marking by making an appointment to appear in person at a DOT facility or receive service in person at a county issuance location. The REAL ID marking is not available the first time through online renewal or a kiosk.

Once the REAL ID star has been added to your card, you will be issued a REAL ID compliant card whenever you renew your license. To determine if you have a REAL ID compliant cards look for the star surrounded by a gold circle in the upper righthand corner of your Iowa issued, driver’s license or ID. If your license or ID is up for renewal you can receive a REAL ID marked card for no additional cost. If you wish to receive the REAL ID marking on your card outside of your renewal period, it will cost $10, or the standard cost of a replacement card.

Customers are not required to get a REAL ID marked card. If you don’t plan to use your state-issued card to fly or enter a federal building you don’t need to worry about getting one. You may also use another acceptable form of ID in place of a REAL ID. In addition, having a REAL ID does not change your ability to use your Iowa driver’s license or ID for uses such as driving, renting a vehicle, writing a check, purchasing alcohol or tobacco, or entering a casino.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports three arrests. At around 8:40-p.m. Tuesday, 38-year-old Marlen Martinez-Solares was arrested following a traffic stop, near Oakland at 390th and Highway 6. She was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense. And, at around 5:20-a.m. Tuesday, 41-year-old Kantauo Mark was arrested following a traffic stop for speeding 77 mph in a 55 mph zone near Highway 6 and 350th Street, which is also near Oakland. Mark was arrested for Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender, and Providing False Identification information.

Monday night, 27-year-old Jacob Dwayne Jens was arrested in Avoca, for Driving While Barred/Habitual Offender. The report said Jens allegedly attempted to hide his red 2005 Dodge Caravan on the south side of a restaurant on the north side of Avoca.

(Des Moines) – The Iowa Department of Public Health, Wednesday (Today), reported there were 547 additional positive COVID-19 cases, for a pandemic total of 393,458, and three additional deaths, for a statewide total of 5,930 since the start of the pandemic. Deaths at long-term care facilities in Iowa account for 2,314 of the total number of deaths statewide.

Iowa’s positivity rates continue to slowly decline. The 14-day average is 4.0%, and the 7-day average is 3.8%. Virus hospitalization are steady, at 184. There are 37 patients in ICU, and 24 patients on ventilators. There were 38 persons with COVID symptoms admitted to hospitals in Iowa over the previous 24-hours, an increase of 20 from Tuesday.

In RMCC Region 4 (hospitals in western/southwest Iowa): 15 COVID patients are hospitalized; eight are in an ICU; two people were admitted with symptoms of the virus, and there remain five people on a ventilator.

Vaccinations administered as of Wednesday amount to over 2.25-million, with more than 999,451 of those vaccinated having their series completed.

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:

Cass, 1,447 cases; {+1}; 54 deaths
Adair, 978; {+5}; 32
Adams, 345 {+2}; 4
Audubon, 516 {+1}; 9
Guthrie, 1,276 {+3}; 29
Harrison County, 1,912; {+3}; 73
Madison County, 1,704; {+3; 19
Mills County, 1,771; {+3}; 21
Montgomery, 1,099;{+2}; 37
Pottawattamie County, 12,015; {+28}; 164
Shelby County, 1,353 {+2}; 37
Union County, 1,321; {+4}; 32