Audubon County Attorney Sarah Jennings has resigned from her post. According to reports, Jennings – who has served as the Attorney for Audubon County for three-years – tendered her resignation last week so that she could be closer to her family in the southern U-S.

And, while the Board of Supervisors will review and act on their options to fill the position, officials say surrounding counties have offered to have their attorneys help-out on an interim basis.

Jennings had two years remaining on her term.

Cass County Communications reports they have received multiple calls of a large power outage. AMU has been contacted and is working to fix the issue.

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s Coronavirus dashboard today (Thursday, as of 10-a.m.), said there were 918 new (Positive) COVID-19 cases reported since 10-a.m. Wednesday, including four in Cass County, bringing the total to 126. Positive test results statewide to-date, amount to 76,968. Officials said also 14 deaths have taken place, for a total of 1,248 to-date. Another death was reported in Pottawattamie County, for a total of 37. It had been four days since the last death was reported in the area.

Officials say 6,055 lab results have been processed since Wednesday. The data show of those: 5,360 came back Negative and 669 were positive. A total of 719,628 Iowans have been tested for the virus, with recoveries amounting to 55,767 since the pandemic began. For a positivity rate of 10.7%.  The 14-day statewide positivity rate is 8.4%. The data also shows an increasing number of children under age 17 have tested positive for the virus. More than 2,700 educators have tested positive for the virus.

Of those who died, 858 had a pre-existing condition, and 657 of the deaths took place at a Long-Term Care (LTC) facility. In the KJAN listening area: Adair County cases increased by two to 59; Guthrie County has three more cases; Pottawattamie County shows 27 additional positive COVID-19 test results; There are three new cases each in Shelby County and Madison County; Union County cases amount to 111, or six more than on Wednesday.

Across the State, hospitalizations are down by 20 to 271. The number of patients with COVID-19 who are in an ICU is up six, to 85; 34 people were admitted to a hospital with symptoms of the virus, 10 fewer than Wednesday, and 36 patients were on ventilators. In western/southwest Iowa, hospitals report 13 people are hospitalized with COVID-19; 7 are in an ICU; Two people were admitted to an area hospital with symptoms, and one person remains on  ventilator.

There is one more LTC outbreak, at 39, with 925 patients/staff testing positive for COVID-19, and 454 have recovered.

Here are the latest positive case numbers for southwest/western Iowa (County; Positive Case #’s; number of persons who have (recovered); {deaths since the outbreak began}.

• Cass County: 126 cases; (113); 2 deaths
• Adair County: 59 cases; (42); 1 death
• Adams County: 27 cases; (23)
• Audubon County: 49 cases; (31); 1 death
• Guthrie County: 208 cases; (155); 5 deaths
• Montgomery County: 84 cases; (79); 5 deaths
• Pottawattamie County: 1,888 cases; (1,566); 37 deaths
• Shelby County: 238 cases; (226); 1 death.
• Madison County, 191; (150); 2 deaths
• Harrison County, 164 cases; (151); 2 deaths
• Union County: 111 cases; (84); 3 deaths.
• Mills County: 153 cases; (112); 1 death.

KELLOGG, Iowa  – The Iowa Department of Public Safety reports authorities are investigating the death of a person found in a Jasper County ditch, Wednesday evening. According to their report, at around 5:32-p.m., the Jasper County Communication Center received a report of a fire in the 8100 block of North 67th Avenue East in rural Kellogg.

Responding emergency personnel found an active fire in the roadside ditch. After extinguishing the fire, a deceased body was located.

At this time, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office and Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation are treating the death as a homicide. The investigation is ongoing and additional information will be released when available.

Anyone with information related to this investigation is asked to contact the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office at 641-792-5912.

(Radio Iowa) – Hundreds of bars, taverns, nightclubs and breweries in four Iowa counties reopened last (Wednesday) night after being closed for 20 days. The bar closures and re-openings in Black Hawk, Dallas, Linn and Polk Counties are part of the governor’s pandemic decrees. Governor Reynolds is warning there will be quicker state enforcement of social distancing in all bars and restaurants in the state.

“We have a speedier due process through the Alcoholic Beverages Division for existing bars and restaurants that don’t follow the health declaration requirements,” Reynolds says.

There are fines for first and second offenses. A bar or restaurant will lose their liquor license on a third offense if it continues to let customers skirt the social distancing requirements. Customers must be seated while eating AND drinking in a bar or restaurant in addition to the six-feet of separation standard.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As coronavirus deaths push past 1,200 and cases continue to rise Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds stands firm in her opposition to requiring masks or authorizing local cities and counties to enforce face covering mandates widely viewed by medical professionals and scientists as an effective way to slow COVID-19 spread. Reynolds encourages Iowans to wear masks but says orders are not enforceable. She’s been photographed recently at GOP events hugging and talking closely with others without a mask but claims she does wear one and says photo snapshots aren’t reflective of her practice. Community virus spread continues to be high in some counties which lead to a government recommendation of a statewide mask mandate, but Reynolds has declined to enact one.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) — Gov. Kim Reynolds says there is nothing inappropriate about her decision to spend nearly $449,000 in federal coronavirus relief money on salaries for aides in her office, including her chief of staff and spokesman. Reynolds responded at a press conference for the first time about a report posted Sunday by the online blog Bleeding Heartland. The report indicated 21 employees on Reynolds’ staff will have more than 60% of their salary paid by the federal emergency funds from March 14 through June 30. Reynolds says federal rules clearly allow salaries to be paid for workers whose job requirements are significantly changed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

KEYSTONE, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol says one person died and five juveniles suffered minor injuries when a van hit a school bus in northeast Iowa. The crash happened Wednesday morning on a county road in Benton County. The patrol says a person driving a van veered onto the road’s shoulder then over corrected and hit the school bus. The driver of the van died at the scene. Five students on the bus were injured. The bus driver was not hurt. No names have been released and the investigation is continuing.

(Radio Iowa) – Northwest Iowa’s Sioux County continues to have the highest coronavirus positivity rate in Iowa. At 5 p.m. today (Wednesday), the state’s online dashboard indicated Sioux County’s Covid positivity rate was 27 percent. Reporter Mark Buss has checked with the county’s public health agency, which is called Community Health Partners:

In an email response from Community Health Partners, officials there say they’ve been closely watching the 14-day positivity rate over the last month and are very concerned about it. They say they have been working with the Iowa Department of Public Health to help evaluate what is driving Sioux County’s percentage rates up. They know for sure the county’s experiencing community spread. At this time, however, they do not have any data to support that there has been a specific outbreak, nor do they have any data to suggest the colleges are driving this number. CHP will make a statement when they have those answers.

Two of the counties that are adjacent to Sioux County have the second and third highest Covid positivity rates. Lyon County’s rate is nearly 22 percent. Plymouth County’s is 16 percent.