The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Ric Hanson.
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The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast with Ric Hanson.
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The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.
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(Atlantic) The Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce’ “Angels of Christmas” Gary and Lucy Newton were honored this past week. The award was presented on Tuesday by Cass County Health System CEO Brett Altman, at the couple’s home.
Pictured are Denise Coder, CCHS; Gary & Lucy Newton and Brett Altman, CCHS. (Phot via the Atlantic Chamber’s Facebook page.
The nominator said Gary & Lucy had spent thousands of hours in the hospital’s auxiliary and volunteer at numerous other functions like the First United Methodist Church Board, serving meals at funerals, RAGBRAI committees, soup suppers, and numerous other fundraisers.
It was also noted the couple “Are always willing to step up to lead or help with any need. Food needed? Lucy brings it with Gary by her side to deliver & they often serve it.”
The Chamber and community thank Gary & Lucy, for exemplifying the Christmas spirit all year long!
The Iowa Department of Public Health Saturday, said there were 396 new COVID-19 cases and no additional deaths over the 24-hour period from 10-a.m. Friday to 10-a.m. Saturday. The health department reported 274,313 total positive cases, 227,669 total recoveries and 3,744 total deaths. Of the state’s 3,744 deaths, 3,438 list COVID-19 as the primary cause, while 306 list it as a contributing factor.
State data shows 1,339,492 Iowans have been tested for COVID-19. Iowa reports a 14-day positivity rate of 12% and a 7-day positivity rate of 9.3% Twenty-eight of Iowa’s 99 counties report a 14-day positivity rate of 15% or higher. That’s down from 30 a day earlier.
COVID-19 hospitalization numbers continue to decline in Iowa. There are 558 currently hospitalized, down 42 from the previous day. There were 76 patients hospitalized in the last 24 hours and there are 114 patients listed in intensive care. The state reports 63 patients on ventilators. Hospitals in western/southwest Iowa (RMCC Region 4) report: 36 hospitalized; 13 are in an ICU; 5 people were admitted, and 8 are on a ventilator.
There are two fewer long-term care facilities reporting COVID-19 outbreaks in the last 24 hours for a total of 125. There are 5,195 positive cases and 3,214 recoveries reported within those facilities. The state reports a total of 1,137 deaths within long-term care facilities
All TestIowa sites were closed Christmas Day. They are scheduled reopen on Monday.
In the KJAN listening area, here are the current number positive cases by County; The # of new cases since yesterday {+} – if any; and the total number of deaths in each county to date:
Here is the latest Mid-America sports news from The Associated Press
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Brandon Johnson made all four his 3-point attempts in overtime and finished with 26 points and nine rebounds for Minnesota in a 102-95 win over No. 4 Iowa. Marcus Carr had 30 points on 6-for-13 shooting from 3-point range and eight assists for the Gophers. They improved to 8-1 overall and 1-1 in the Big Ten despite trailing by seven points with 44 seconds left in regulation. Luka Garza had 32 points and 17 rebounds for the Hawkeyes. They fell to 7-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play.
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Franz Wagner had 20 points and No. 19 Michigan scored 10 straight points early in the second half to pull away from Nebraska in an 80-69 victory Friday. Michigan started slow in its first game since Dec. 13 but stunned Nebraska with the two-minute flurry that began with Isaiah Livers’ 3-pointer. Wagner close it with a 25-footer that put the Wolverines up 53-41 with 14:38 remaining. Nebraska put together an 11-2 run, highlighted by a steal and breakaway dunk by Trey McGowens, and cut the Michigan lead to 64-60 on McGowens’ free throws with 6:20 left. The Wolverines countered with a 7-2 spurt, going up 71-62 on Eli Brooks’ fast-break layup with 4:45 remaining.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs have reached the precipice of the No. 1 seed in the AFC with a nine-game winning streak that includes some heavy hitters with Super Bowl aspirations of their own. But while records alone suggest the Chiefs finally get a breather to finish off the regular-season, facing the losing Falcons and Chargers, both Kansas City coach Andy Reid and Atlanta counterpart Raheem Morris are in agreement that Sunday’s game could be far tighter than the more-than-10-point spread.
UNDATED (AP) — Iowa State has The Associated Press Big 12 offensive and defensive players of the year and the league’s top coach. The awards come after the Cyclones’ best conference season ever. Running back Breece Hall is the unanimous choice for top offensive player with his league-best 130 yards rushing per game and 19 touchdowns. Linebacker Mike Rose was selected the top defender with his 90 tackles and four interceptions that are both tied for the league lead. Iowa State was 8-1 in Big 12 play in the regular season, a school record for conference wins.
FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. (AP) — The Atlanta Falcons have declared receiver Julio Jones and center Alex Mack out for Sunday’s game at Kansas City. Jones, a seven-time Pro Bowl selection, will miss his third straight game with a hamstring injury. Mack, a six-time Pro Bowl pick, will miss his first game of the season with a concussion. A third starter, left guard James Carpenter, will miss the game with a groin injury. Free safety Ricardo Allen is listed as questionable with a concussion. Allen was a full participant in practice on Thursday. Return specialist Brandon Powell (foot) and defensive tackle Marlon Davidson (knee) are questionable.
UNDATED (AP) — The year in sports was about cancellations, shutdowns, infections and quarantines. Still, for all the anguish, 2020 offered memorable and inspirational moments. Vanderbilt’s Sarah Fuller had one when she became the first woman to play and score in a Power 5 football game. The Los Angeles Lakers honored the late Kobe Bryant the best way they could — by winning their record-tying 17th NBA championship. The Kansas City Chiefs won their first Super Bowl in 50 years. And the Los Angeles Dodgers, in a pandemic-shortened season, captured their first World Series title since 1988. A bit of light amid the darkness.
Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A reprieve from a devastating surge of the coronavirus across the Upper Midwest has given cautious relief to health officials, though they worry that infections remain rampant and holiday gatherings could reignite the worst outbreaks of the pandemic. Johns Hopkins researchers say states in the northern stretches of the Midwest and Great Plains have seen average daily cases drop in the past two weeks, with decreases ranging from 20% in Iowa to 66% in North Dakota. Some epidemiologists believe the most compelling factor for many people who redoubled efforts to prevent infections may be that they experienced the virus on a personal level.
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — U.S. factories have been cranking out goods at a rate that is remarkably close to normal, despite the ongoing spread of the coronavirus. Yet with cases rising in many states, people who run factories are wondering if production can keep up until most of the country gets vaccinated. For the most part, safeguards put in place after the initial wave of the virus appear to have prevented the kinds of large outbreaks that sickened hundreds of workers and forced automakers, meat processors and other businesses to halt production last spring. But industry and union officials say workers live in communities where the virus is surging, making it difficult to stop infections inside the factories.
BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) — A racial equity group is urging the city of Burlington to sever ties with a bank because of an official’s racist Facebook post. The Hawk Eye reports that the Black Leadership Council is outraged that Burlington is still doing business with Farmers & Merchants Bank & Trust after a vice president, Lisa Walsh, used a racist slur against Vice President-elect Kamala Harris in a November Facebook post. The Walsh family owns 53% of the bank. Walsh has been placed on administrative leave. Burlington Mayor Jon Billups told The Hawk Eye that he has been discussing the issue with F&M.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Another 71 people died in Iowa of the coronavirus and there were more than 1,400 new confirmed cases of the virus. The state Department of Public Health reports that in the last 24 hours as of Thursday morning, the additional deaths raised the total number of virus-related deaths to 3,739. There were 1,425 new confirmed cases, increasing the total to 272,444. Data from Johns Hopkins University shows that in the past 14 days, Iowa has reported 691.7 new confirmed cases per 100,000 people. That ranks the state 40th nationally during that period.
(Radio Iowa) – Even though the pandemic has forced the cancellation of in-person visits, the Insect Zoo at Iowa State University is still hosting hundreds of curious kids — and adults — through the wonders of the internet. Ginny Mitchell, the zoo’s education program coordinator, says they’re offering virtual “Live with Bugs” programs via Zoom, Google Classroom and other online platforms.
“We started it by doing it for Girl Scout troops and we have reached people in New York, California, Texas, all over the country,” Mitchell says. “It’s really been an opportunity for the Insect Zoo to expand outside of our Iowa borders.” The hour-long programs are entertaining and educational, she says, and they include very close-up views of all kinds of creepy-crawling critters, including scorpions, tarantulas and even hissing cockroaches.
Dynastes hercules beetle (ISU photo)
“We talk about millipedes, which are important decomposers, and of course, have hundreds of legs,” Mitchell says. “We watch them walk and we talk about their defense mechanisms — they secrete a liquid that makes them smell and taste bad — and then we talk about the difference between a millipede and a centipede.” The zoo’s long list of residents even includes seven species of walking sticks, along with a host of other insects, spiders and arthropods. Mitchell says the virtual classes are versatile, allowing students in a classroom or those on laptops or tablets at home to enjoy the tour.
“We encourage the kids to get outside. That is one of the main points of the Insect Zoo, to get outside and to look for bugs yourself,” she says. “I always issue a challenge to the kids to go outside and find some bugs that are like the ones that we looked at — and to send me a picture of it.” With advance planning, the ISU Insect Zoo can even send a selection of live bugs to the classroom to provide actual hands-on learning.
(Radio Iowa) – Congressman-elect Randy Feenstra says it’s time for the U.S. Department of Justice to address allegations of price fixing in the livestock industry. “The packers, they’re making all kinds of profits, so we’ve got change it,” Feenstra says. “We’ve got to break up the monopoly.” Four companies — J-B-S, Smithfield, Cargill, and Tyson — control more than 80 percent of the beef packing industry. And while beef consumption and consumer prices soared during the early months of the pandemic, profits did not trickle down to producers. The prices for cattle sold at market fell.
Feenstra, a Republican from Hull, says his in-laws raise livestock, so the financial reality hits close to home. “It’s just painful to see, especially when live cattle is at $1.50, if you can get that now,” Feenstra says, “and then you have boxed beef at a high of $227 or somewhere thereabouts.” Boxed beef is the wholesale price of cuts of meat. Feenstra, who hopes to become a member of the U.S. House Ag Committee when he’s sworn into office on January 3rd, says it’s time for congress to examine the Packers and Stockyards Act. The law was drafted to assure fair competition and fair trade practices in the livestock industry.
“That act has been on the books for decades and we don’t use it and there is a problem,” Feenstra says. “There is a massive concern.” The law was originally passed in 1921. A major update in 1976 gave the U-S-D-A authority to issue fines for anti-competitive practices in the meat packing industry.
Feenstra made his comments during a recent appearance on the Iowa Press program on Iowa P-B-S.
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — A reprieve from a devastating surge of the coronavirus across the Upper Midwest has given cautious relief to health officials, though they worry that infections remain rampant and holiday gatherings could reignite the worst outbreaks of the pandemic. Johns Hopkins researchers say states in the northern stretches of the Midwest and Great Plains have seen average daily cases drop in the past two weeks, with decreases ranging from 20% in Iowa to 66% in North Dakota.
Some epidemiologists believe the most compelling factor for many people who redoubled efforts to prevent infections may be that they experienced the virus on a personal level.
(Radio Iowa) While some Iowans’ homes were visited by a sleigh and eight tiny reindeer last night, it’s hoped there’s not a visit today (Friday) from a fire truck. Andrea Vaspis, public education director for the National Fire Protection Association, says if you’re trying to add some holiday ambience to the room by lighting a few candles, do so with caution.
Vaspis says, “Candles, on average, cause 21 homes fires a day in the United States with the peak days of candle fires being Christmas Day — at almost three times the rest of the year — and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.” December is the peak time of year for candle fires and studies find almost three of every five December home fires are started by candles.
“Candles are great but they are an open flame and when they’re placed too close to a mattress, bedding, cartons, decorations,” Vaspis says. “People leave the room and think they’ll be gone for 30 seconds but they’ve actually left for a lot longer, and now this candle is left unattended.” Christmas Day is also one of the top three days of the year for home cooking fires, but she says lighting candles may only increase the risk of a disaster.
“The key here is, if you’re going to use a candle, make sure it’s on a sturdy base. Make sure it’s at least 12 inches — one foot away — from anything that can burn,” Vaspis says. “We are big supporters of battery-operated candles because you can use them anywhere and not worry about putting them with your decorations.” Christmas tree fires don’t happen often, but when they do, they tend to be serious.
An association report finds, on average, one of every 52 reported home fires that began with a Christmas tree resulted in a death, compared to an average of one death per 135 total reported home fires.