(Updated 10-a.m./24-hour update) Officials with the Iowa Department of Public Health report on their Coronavirus dashboard, that after more than 24-hour of no virus-related deaths, four people have died, for a total of 725, and 273 more Iowans have tested positive for COVID-19, for a total of 31,929 positive results. Among the latest positive cases, two were reported in Cass County, which brings the total number of cases here to 24, with 18 having recovered. In Shelby County, one more positive case of COVID-19 was reported, for a total of 114, with 100 having recovered.

The IDPH website said 512 of the state’s deaths involved Iowans with pre-existing conditions. COVID-19 outbreaks at long-term care facilities account for 384 of the state’s total deaths. The number of LTC outbreaks stands at 17. Positive test results at those facilities amount to 356, with 269 having recovered from the virus.

Iowa DPH reports 165 hospitalizations, of which 44 patients are in intensive care. A total of 27 people with virus symptoms were admitted to a hospital since Monday, and 20 are on ventilators. The TestIowa program reports 848,808 completed assessments, with 339,040 having been tested, and a total of 306,564 testing negative. According to the Iowa DPH, 34,068 Iowans received serology tests. Of those tested, 31,664 tested negative and 2,371 tested positive.

In the area hospitalization report (RMCC 4): there are five people hospitalized (1 more than yesterday); 3 in an ICU (Compared to 2 Monday); 1 person was admitted and no one was on a ventilator. In the KJAN listening area: Pottawattamie County has 737 positive COVID-19 cases with 635 recovered. All other area counties (aside from Cass & Shelby) have had no changed results from what was posted Monday on the IDPH website.

(Radio Iowa) – The president and C-E-O of the Food Bank of Iowa says a record number of meals went out in June. Michelle Book says in 2016 when she first arrived, they were serving about 800-thousand pounds of food each month and this June they had just short of two million pounds served. The organization serves 55 counties in the state. Book says the demand looks to continue in July as the federal coronavirus 600 extra dollars in unemployment comes to an end.

She says those who have had extra unemployment will see those dollars go away and at a time when kids continue to be home from school and away from free meals. “And children are home from college as well and seniors are still shut-in, and we are seeing a bigger demand on our local school pantries and our food pantries,” Book says. Book says they expect things to be challenging as the economies of the state and country continue working out of the pandemic.

She says their parent organization Feeding America is telling them to prepare for an increased need two-and-a-half times what they normally would do and through December of 2021 as the economy recovers very slowly. Book encourages anyone who is struggling to call. “If people need help, this is the time to get help,” according to Book. “Don’t wait until you are down to your very last dollar and can’t pay your rent. If you need help — go to our website to find a food pantry nearest you. And our website is www.foodbankiowa.org.”

Book says those who are interested in donating can also go to the website. She says the increased demand for food has put more demand on their vehicles and everything else involved in getting the food out.

At least two people were injured during a collision in a construction zone northeast of Council Bluffs on Interstate 80, Monday afternoon. According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2002 Cadillac Escalade driven by 41-year old Carri Hillis, of Minden, and a 2004 Chrysler PT Cruiser driven by 41-year old Rebecca Hewitt, of Des Moines, were traveling eastbound on I-80 in the right lane, with the PT Cruiser in front of the SUV.

Traffic was being shifted into the right lane due to road maintenance, which caused traffic to come to a stop. When Hewitt stopped her vehicle, Hillis braked but was unable to stop in-time. After her SUV rear-ended the Chrysler, the Cadillac rolled onto its side and came to rest in the ditch. The PT Cruiser came to rest in the median. The accident happened at around 4:10-p.m. near mile marker 12.

Both drivers and occupants of the vehicles were treated for their injuries.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:20 a.m. CDT

UNDATED (AP) — The federal government says about 6,000 Iowa businesses received loans of $150,000 or more from the Paycheck Protection Program, requiring them to list their business names and addresses. The list released Monday by the Treasury Department includes churches, manufacturers, car dealerships, farm-related organizations and hospitals. Among them is firearms accessories company Brownells Inc. and King Contracting, the construction company founded by U.S. Rep. Steve King but sold to his son in 2003. Another 52,500 Iowa businesses and nonprofit organizations received less than $150,000 and weren’t named by the Trump administration. That secrecy spurred a lawsuit by news organizations including The Associated Press.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa Athletics Department announced four additional positive coronavirus tests on Monday along with one negative test. KGAN-TV reports that the new cases bring the number of positive tests in the athletics department to 21 on 392 total tests. The department is not disclosing which sports the positive tests stem from or if they are athletes or staff. Statewide, the number of confirmed cases rose by 417 to 31,660. The state’s health department also reported two more deaths, bringing the total to 723.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque man and his wife have been sentenced to two years in federal prison for stealing more than $200,000 from his disabled mother. The U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release Monday that 66-year-old H. David Derby and 52-year-old Patti Lynn Derby were sentenced after pleading guilty in September to one count each of wire fraud. The release said the couple stole the money from 2013 to 2017 from his widowed mother, who was a former teacher. She suffered from mental and physical disabilities and was living in an assisted living facility in Dubuque.

FARGO, N.D. (AP) — A judge has ordered the Dakota Access pipeline shut down for additional environmental review more than three years after it began pumping oil. The ruling Monday hands a victory to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and delivers a blow to President Donald Trump’s efforts to weaken public health and environmental protections his administration views as obstacles to businesses. U.S. District Judge James Boasberg in Washington, D.C., wrote that he was “mindful of the disruption” that shutting down the pipeline would cause, but that it must be done within 30 days. Pipeline owner Energy Transfer says it will ask a court to halt the order.

(Des Moines, IA) The Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) announces the distribution plan for $76,268,223 in Food Assistance benefits for Iowa Families. The Families First CoronaVirus Act allowed states to issue Food Assistance benefits to households with children in Pre-K through grade 12 who lost access to Free and Reduced Price School Meals due to pandemic-related school closures in Spring 2020.

There are two ways the 247,785 eligible children will receive their $307.80 in Food Assistance benefits. If their household received Food Assistance benefits anytime in April, May, or June, their benefits will be put on the household’s EBT card on July 15, 2020. 94,354 children will receive benefits on the EBT card. The remaining 153,431 non-Food Assistance children will receive P-EBT cards in the mail between July 14 – 21, 2020.

Eligibility was determined with a detailed match through the Department of Education and Iowa schools that participate in the National School Lunch Program. Iowa is one of few states that did not require an application to receive these benefits. Any child who was an enrolled Pre-K through grade 12 student in the 2019-20 school year in either a public school or non-public school that participates in the National School Lunch Program and received Free and Reduced Price School Meals as of March 16, 2020, was deemed eligible.

“We hope to create advance awareness about the arrival of the P-EBT cards to prevent families from throwing the envelopes away, not realizing what they contain,” said Janee Harvey, DHS Division Administrator of Adult, Child and Family Services. Cards will arrive in white envelopes addressed with the child’s name from an Austin, TX return address beginning July 14, 2020. The cards inside will be white, with black font, with IOWA P-EBT printed at the top, and will bear the name of the eligible child. Families will need to follow the included instructions to activate the card.

Families with current EBT cards will have P-EBT benefits available on July 15, 2020 as well. These benefits will just be added to cards, and families do not need to do anything to activate the additional P-EBT funds. Harvey shared, “A family with three eligible children will receive over $900 dollars through P-EBT. That’s a substantial boost during this time when many are struggling with unemployment and additional childcare costs. In cases where transportation or health concerns are a barrier to shopping in person, we hope families will take advantage of purchasing online. Both Wal-Mart and Amazon online are accepting P-EBT benefits.”

“Ensuring a straightforward user process was top priority as we developed this program. Nonetheless, our call centers and stakeholder partners are prepared to answer questions about how to use or access these benefits,” Harvey stated.

A comprehensive FAQ document in English and Spanish, including eligibility information, and images of the card and envelope, are available on the DHS website here. We encourage the public to visit the website to find answers to all their P-EBT questions.

The federal government says about 6,000 Iowa businesses received loans of $150,000 or more from the Paycheck Protection Program, requiring them to list their business names and addresses. The list released Monday by the Treasury Department includes churches, manufacturers, car dealerships, farm-related organizations and hospitals. Among them is firearms accessories company Brownells Inc. and King Contracting, the construction company founded by U.S. Rep. Steve King but sold to his son in 2003.

Another 52,500 Iowa businesses and nonprofit organizations received less than $150,000 and weren’t named by the Trump administration. That secrecy spurred a lawsuit by news organizations including The Associated Press.