(Radio Iowa) – The 70th Annual Shrine Circus in Sioux City is the latest event to fall victim to the pandemic. David Krogh, a spokesman for the Abu Bekr Shrine in Sioux City that hosts the event, says the circus that had been postponed from the spring to late October inside the Tyson Events Center has now been cancelled.

Shrine Circus, Sioux City

“We’ve had blizzards we’ve dealt with. We’ve had hot weather we’ve dealt with, rain, you name it. We’ve lived through it for 70 years with Abu Bekr,” he says, “but with the current situation with the coronavirus, we just wanted to make sure that our community stays safe.” For more than two decades, the Shriners in Sioux City have had a contract with Carden International, the family-owned company that tours with the animals and circus act.

Krogh says last week the firm announced all its circuses for the rest of 2020 are cancelled. “So that left us with no real option,” Krough says. Krogh says organizers will now shift their focus on to preparing to host the circus in mid-April next year.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:45 a.m. CDT

WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Unions representing workers at 10 chicken processing plants in six states are suing the U.S. Department of Agriculture to challenge a policy that allows companies to increase production speeds that the unions say puts workers at risk. The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union and local unions representing plants in Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Mississippi and Missouri joined with nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen to file the lawsuit in federal court in Washington. The lawsuit alleges that the waivers first allowed in 2018 violate the Administrative Procedure Act, endanger worker health and put them at risk during the coronavirus pandemic by making adequate distancing nearly impossible.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The Corrections Department announced the death of another inmate who was infected with the coronavirus. The department says 48-year-old Timothy Louis McGhee Jr., was pronounced dead Monday night. After an examination by the Johnson County medical examiner, the department concluded Tuesday that the death was likely due to the coronavirus and other preexisting medical conditions. McGhee’s death is the third of an Iowa Corrections Department inmate that was likely related to COVID-19, the illness caused by the coronavirus. McGhee was serving a 15-year sentence for three convictions of second-degree theft from Linn County. His sentence began Oct. 31, 2018.

ELDORA, Iowa (AP) — Authorities have reported an outbreak of coronavirus at Iowa’s center for male juvenile offenders in Eldora. Television station KCCI reports that 12 students and five staff members at Eldora Boys State Training School have tested positive for the virus. The first case at the facility was reported last week. Officials say all students and staff at the facility are now being tested. The school holds about 70 youth from across the state. News of the outbreak comes as state health data released Tuesday showed seven more COVID-19 deaths and another 253 confirmed cases from the day before.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa City and the University of Iowa have worked out a deal that will preserve a 177-year-old house and provide space for the university’s Nonfiction Writing Program. The Gazette reports that new location would be part of a “writing neighborhood” near two other historic buildings that house the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and Iowa’s International Writing Program. The city is offering the $1 million piece of property, which is currently a parking lot, at no cost to the university. But a city assessment put the cost of moving and renovating the Sanxay-Gilmore House at over $1.23 million. University officials say the school plans to cover those costs with a “substantial gift.” Officials declined to give details on the donation.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa City and the University of Iowa have worked out a deal that will preserve a 177-year-old house and provide space for the university’s Nonfiction Writing Program. The Gazette reports that new location would be part of a “writing neighborhood” near two other historic buildings that house the Iowa Writers’ Workshop and Iowa’s International Writing Program.

A general view of the Sanxay-Gilmore House is seen, Tuesday, July 28, 2020, in Iowa City, Iowa. The city of Iowa City plans to give the property to the University of Iowa in exchange for a campus commitment to move the historic house to a new site, where it would be renovated and become home to the University of Iowa Nonfiction Writing Program. (AP Photo/Ryan J. Foley)

The city is offering the $1 million piece of property, which is currently a parking lot, at no cost to the university. But a city assessment put the cost of moving and renovating the Sanxay-Gilmore House at over $1.23 million. University officials say the school plans to cover those costs with a “substantial gift.” Officials declined to give details on the donation.

WAVERLY, Iowa — Wartburg College President Darrel Colson announced Monday that all students enrolled full-time during the 2020-21 school year will be eligible for a fifth year at the college tuition free. The offer was extended to ensure all current students impacted by the changes necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic could get the full Wartburg experience, which extends beyond the academic programs to include co-curriculars like student government, student media, music ensembles and intercollegiate athletics.

Wartburg College President Darrel Colson

“At Wartburg, we take pride in our holistic approach to education; we offer a rigorous academic program with an emphasis on living one’s learning,” Colson said. “Because the pandemic has interrupted so many of our normal activities, we want to ensure that our graduates receive the full benefit of a Wartburg education. Offering free tuition for a fifth year seems to fit the bill; students can return for another semester or year to complete any activity they feel as if they left unfinished.”

In mid-March, as the coronavirus began to spread worldwide, Wartburg pivoted to remote learning, canceling all spring athletic events, concerts and other gatherings on campus. Though the college plans to resume in-person classes in late August, campus life will continue to be impacted as students, faculty and staff work to keep the campus and Waverly communities safe.

“We cannot be sure what to expect this year, and therefore we cannot be sure that the year will meet our students’ and their families’ expectations,” Colson said. “Whether they are first-year students just beginning their journey as a Knight or seniors contemplating that next step, we want to ensure that all of our current students are given every opportunity to live the fullness of the Wartburg experience.”