(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa State Education Association and the Iowa City Community School District are filing a lawsuit in Johnson County against the governor and the requirement that schools returning to classes have at least 50 percent in-person instruction. The lawyer for the teachers union, Jay Hammond, says the I-S-E-A is seeking one thing.

“What we are asking the court to determine is that ultimate authority to determine the content and to effectuate the content of a plan to return to school lies with the individual school boards of every school district across the state of Iowa,” Hammond says. He says they are alleging the governor’s emergency order violates the Iowa Constitution.

“Which summarized states that state government is charged with the responsibility of protecting the health and welfare of the citizens of this state to the greatest extent that it can,” according to Hammond. “The governor is not protecting those rights — her proclamations are unconstitutional as a result,” he says. Hammond says they also take issue with the way the governor has interpreted the law passed by the Iowa Legislature in their special session that says classes should be primarily held in person.

“We are alleging that the governor has exceeded her authority under Senate File 2310 — and in fact does not have the authority to determine the minimum amount of online learning. Or to set the standards and criteria when a school closing may be ordered due to the COVID-19 environment,” Hammond says. Hammond says they hope to get an injunction against the state.

“A hearing as to whether the court believes there is merit to the lawsuit. And if so, has the authority to issue a temporary injunction — which would then restrain any enforcement of these proclamations,” Hammond says. A spokesman for the Iowa City Schools says they have approved a 50-50 learning plan that meets the state guidelines while the lawsuit is being heard.

CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) — An increase in coronavirus cases has prompted Iowa prison officials to stop admitting inmates from county jails to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville. The Department of Corrections said Wednesday that 59 inmates have tested positive in the last week out of nearly 800 tests conducted at the center.

When officials believe the virus is no longer spreading in the facility, they will end the suspension. Staff implemented enhanced quarantine and testing measures after an inmate tested positive for the coronavirus last week.

Inmates typically are temporarily assigned to the center before being sent to another prison in Iowa’s system. The Coralville center usually admits about 65 inmates a week from jails.

Audubon Police Chief Matt Starmer, Wednesday afternoon, released a list of 28 people who were arrested over the past eight-weeks, plus an undefined list of nearly a dozen people who were cited for “Dog At Large” violations. Information with regard to the dates and additional details concerning the arrests were not included in the Chief’s report:

• Kent Henriksen, 60, (5) counts of Forgery and (5) counts of Theft
• Joseph Douglas Jensen, 36, Driving Under Suspension
• Troy Gene Mack, 35, Domestic Abuse Assault
• 16 year old male for Juvenile Court Terms Violation
• Larry Duane Phipps, 59, Poss of Meth, Poss of Marijuana; Paraphernalia
• David Howard, 53, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia
• Nina Bruns, 34, Driving While Barred
• Angela Sue Barclay, 40, Keeping a Vicious Dog
• Jessica Lee Mack, 26, Public Intoxication
• Allison Dawn Heuton, 36, Child Endangerment
• Rae Beth Horton, 24, Violation of No Contact Order
• Joseph Michael Hartl, 36, Operating Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated
• Zachary James Vesper, 25, Warrant for Failure to Appear In Court
• Rickie Don Bohlmann, 65, Obstruction of Emergency Communication
• Charles Dean Emig, 36, Operating Motor Vehicle While Intoxicated
• Angela Sue Barclay, 40, Warrant for Failure to Appear in Court
• Jeremiah Micah Jobe, 36, Warrant for Failure to Appear in Court
• Rickie Don Bohlmann, 65, Domestic Abuse Assault
• Tauna Jean Bohlmann, 55, Domestic Abuse Assault
• 4 male juveniles, 14-16 years old, Burglary 3^rd degree and Theft 5^th
• Clay Lamar Perry Sr., 58, Child Endangerment
• Ashlie Lynette Kluver, 32, Warrant for Other Agency
• Michael Ohara Sherrod, 55, Warrant for Other Agency
• Misty Dawn Winfield, 40, Violation of Parole.
• Owen Daniel Anthofer, 28, Dog Annoyance/Disturb the Peace
• As well, 11 other individuals were cited for Dog At Large violations.

(Des Moines, Iowa/AP) – A spokesman for Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds says that the state is correcting a major flaw in its coronavirus data that backdated thousands of positive and negative test results. Reynolds spokesman Pat Garrett said that the state’s data system had been erroneuosly recording the results of people who were tested on multiple occasions. He said that an individual’s most recent result, whether positive or negative, was “unintentionally attributed to the date of their first test.” That means thousands of recent results were being recorded in the system as having occurred in March, April, May and June.

Three people were arrested on drug charges last week, in Harlan. According to the Harlan Police Department, last Saturday, 34-year old Zachary Thomas Scheffler, of Harlan, was arrested following a traffic stop. Scheffler was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and prohibited acts penalties.

And, on Aug. 12th, 18-year old Morgan Ann Schwery, of Harlan, and 18-year old Faith Marie Howard, of Prairie City, were arrested following a traffic stop. Schwery was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with failure to display license plate, minor in possession of alcohol, minor in possession of tobacco, possession of controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia, and prohibited acts penalties. Howard was transported to the Shelby County Jail where she was charged with possession of a controlled substance and possession of drug paraphernalia.

This past Sunday, 38-year old Jeremy Loyd Jolley, of Manning, was arrested following a traffic stop, in Harlan. Jolley was transported to the Shelby County Jail where he was charged with driving while revoked.