(Radio Iowa) – A group of Black leaders and activists are holding events around the state, trying to get the word out that most Iowans with past felony convictions are now allowed to vote. Representative Ras Smith of Waterloo is a member of the Black Caucus in the Iowa House. “If we have to stand up as citizens and make sure that we empower people and let them know of their rights, we will do that,” Smith says.

Governor Kim Reynolds signed an executive order in early August that restored voting rights to an estimated 35-thousand Iowans with felony convictions. The secretary of state’s office says at least 25-hundred of them had registered to vote by mid-October. Smith says it’s not too late to reach the other 30-thousand with a social media campaign or some sort of direct contact. “I’m calling upon our state government to do your job,” Smith says. “Step up. Support us in these efforts.”

On October 2nd, just before the early voting period began in Iowa, the secretary of state launched a website — restoreyourvote.iowa.gov — to inform people with felony convictions about their voting rights. Last weekend was the deadline for PRE-Election Day voter registration, Iowa law allows voters to register at their precinct on Election Day and cast a ballot.

The Creston Police Department reports the arrest at around 2:20-a.m. today (Thursday), of 27-year-old Dustin Michael Boyd. Boyd, who is from Creston, was arrested for OWI/1st offense.  He was taken to Union County Jail and released after posting bail. There were two separate arrests on Wednesday, in Creston. Wednesday afternoon, 27-year-old Mariah Kay Bernita Swanson, of Creston, on a warrant for Failure to Appear. She was taken into custody and transferred to Adams County Jail. And, Wednesday night, 25-year-old Indra Bahadur Guragai, of Creston, was arrested at his residence for Public Intoxication. Guragai was taken to Union County Jail, where his cash or surety bond was set at $300.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s largest supermarket chain claims it’s the first in the nation to install an automated grocery cart cleansing system, an effort to calm fears about COVID-19. Hy-Vee spokeswoman Dawn Buzynski says the Sterile Cart system is like a mini car wash for shopping carts. “Customers don’t have to do anything,” Buzynski says. “They grab their cart and it’s fully sanitized by the system, then they return the cart and employees put it through the Sterile Cart system after every use.”

The system has a very small footprint — about four-by-six feet — and it cleans several carts quickly and consistently. She says it eliminates the need for store employees to manually wipe down every cart throughout the day. “Each shopping cart is fully sanitized, not just the high-touch areas, but from top to bottom with a hospital-grade disinfectant,” Buzynski says. “It is 99.9% effective at killing the germs and viruses that cause illnesses, including coronavirus.”

The makers of the system say it can cleanse one to two carts per second. “We want to put our customers’ mind at ease with making sure that we are using the most innovative and effective sanitization measures that are out there,” Buzynski says, “because people shop where they feel safe.”

West Des Moines-based Hy-Vee plans to have the Sterile Cart system installed in about 200 of its stores in eight states by the end of November.

New, positive cases of COVID-19 have spiked since 10-a.m. Wednesday, the number of deaths is once again in the double digits, and another record for hospitalizations has been set. The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) today (Thursday) reports (as of 10-a.m.) 2,469 new cases of the virus, 11 more deaths and 605 hospitalized since yesterday. Pre-existing medical conditions account for 1,108 of the deaths. Positive cases of COVID-19 since the beginning of the pandemic stand at 121,913. Deaths number 1,691. Persons who have recovered from the virus number 91,401.

In the KJAN listening area, Pottawattamie County has recorded one more COVID-related death, for a total of 45, and has 74 more positive cases. Positive cases in Cass County are up 13, to 418. Adair County has 14 new cases, Harrison County has 18 more. Mills County reports 12 new cases, Madison County has 11 additional cases and Guthrie County has 10 more cases.  (See the list below)

The IDPH reports 956,844 Iowans have been tested so far. Negative test results number 833,269 to date. The Individual positivity rate as of today is 12.7% (compared to 12.6% previously), and the 14-day rolling average is 11.8 (compared to 11.2% previously). Among those hospitalized, 135 are in an ICU, 113 have been admitted since Wednesday, and 56 are on a ventilator, (up from 51 Wednesday). In western/southwest Iowa: hospitalizations stand at 43 (two less than previously mentioned); nine people are in an ICU (compared to 13 yesterday); nine were admitted (there were eight admitted Wed.), and three are on a ventilator, compared to two previously.

Long-Term Care (LTC) facility outbreaks are up to 75 (from 71 yesterday), 2,180 patients/staff at LTC’s have tested positive, and 907 have recovered. Deaths at LTC’s are up to 831 (from 828 yesterday).

In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases in each county, along with the 24-hour change in case numbers {+#}; the number of persons recovered, and the total number of [deaths] (if any), since the pandemic began,

• Cass, 418 cases {+13}; 286 recovered; 3 deaths
• Adair, 195 {+14}; 74; 1
• Adams, 84 {+1}; 47; 0
• Audubon, 157 {+3}; 97; 1
• Guthrie, 418 {+10); 265; 15
• Harrison County, 695 {+18}; 318; 15
• Madison County, 373 {+11}; 267; 3
• Mills County, 420 {+12}; 212; 3
• Montgomery, 187 {+3}; 153; 7
• Pottawattamie County, 3,366 {+74]; 2,458; 45
• Shelby County, 396 {+7}; 337; 2
• Union County,  264 {+4}; 222; 4

An accident involving two, City of Red Oak-owned vehicles, caused $105,000 damage altogether. According to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, at around 3:07-p.m., a 2020 Dodge 3500 pickup driven by 59-year old Richard E. Allen, of Corning, was being backed up 4th Street. The left rear of the pickup made contact with the left rear of a 2009 Pierce Arrow Fire Truck that was legally parked on 4th Street. There were no injuries reported. The accident remains under investigation. Authorities say the issuance of citations is anticipated.

The collision caused an estimated $5,000 damage to the pickup truck utility bed, and about $100,000 to the cargo bed of the fire truck.