The Cass County Memorial Hospital’s Board of Trustees will meet 8-a.m. Wednesday (Sept. 16), in Conference Room 1 (Just inside the Main entrance/atrium). During the meeting, the Board will hold a Public Hearing on the Plans, Specifications and Form of Contract, for Bid Package #2 – 2021 Addition/Renovation Cass County Health System.

Back on Aug. 26th, CCHS announced construction would begin August 31st, on their main entrance parking lot, Lot A. The parking lot renovation is being completed in two phases, which allows half of the parking lot to remain open to patients and visitors only. The project is expected to last through November.

The parking lot construction kicks off the first phase of CCHS’s master facility plan initiative that includes parking lot renovations, electrical upgrades, remodel of the Atlantic Medical Center clinic, as well as several other updates.

The Creston Police Department says a woman residing in the 100 block of N. Sycamore Street, reported an incident of Theft, Monday. The woman said sometime between 3-a.m. and 6-a.m., Monday, an unknown man entered the garage at her residence and took a camping tent. The loss was estimated at $100.

A District Court Judge has sentenced a northeast Iowa man to prison for receiving and distributing child pornography. 24-year old Hunter Morgan Uhde, of Thornton, was ordered to serve a little more than 13-years in prison, plus five years of supervised release to follow his prison term. Uhde is also required to pay $100 to the Crime Victims’ Fund and $27,000 in restitution. He will have to comply with the State’s sex offender registry requirements upon release.

Authorities say on February 14, 2020, Uhde pleaded guilty to Count One of a two-count Indictment. The investigation began in February 2019 with a tip from the Homeland Security Cyber Crimes Center based on activity through the “Kik” app in relation to a username associated with Uhde between November and December 2018. A search warrant was conducted on Uhde’s residence in Coralville, Iowa. Agents found multiple electronic devices containing child pornography. Uhde admitted to possessing child pornography on his phone and participating in illicit activities involving child pornography.

After forensic examination of Uhde’s devices, Uhde was found to have possessed 1,400 images and two videos of child pornography. The matter was investigated by United States Department for Homeland Security and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). The case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.

The Iowa Department of Public Health’s Coronavirus dashboard today (as of 10-a.m. Tuesday), said there are 508 new (Positive) COVID-19 cases and 12 deaths have taken place, since 10-a.m. Monday. Officials report there: is a total of 75,275 Positive cases to-date (2,983 since Monday); 2,705 new Negative cases (For a total of 630,386); 54,257 Iowans have recovered from the virus, and there have been a total of 1,233 deaths since the pandemic began. IDPH reported 707,186 Iowans have been tested for COVID-19.  Officials reported an 8.6% positivity rate over the last 14 days.

Of those who died, 855 had a pre-existing condition, and 651 of the deaths took place at a Long-Term Care (LTC) facility. In the KJAN listening area: Adair and Union Counties have one more positive case each, of COVID-19. Guthrie County has four more cases.

Across the State, hospitalizations are up 12 to 284. The number of patients with COVID-19 who are in an ICU is 71 (1 less than Monday); 36 people were admitted to a hospital with symptoms of the virus, and 29 patients are on ventilators. In western/southwest Iowa, hospitals report: two less patients are hospitalized for a total of 11; one more person was placed in the ICU (6 total); no people were admitted to a hospital, and one person remains on  ventilator.

There are two more LTC outbreaks, at 36, with 869 patients/staff testing positive, and 396 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: 122 cases; (113); 2 deaths
• Adair County: 57 cases; (40); 1 death
• Adams County: 27 cases; (21)
• Audubon County: 46 cases; (29); 1 death
• Guthrie County: 205 cases; (151); 5 deaths
• Montgomery County: 83 cases; (78); 5 deaths
• Pottawattamie County: 1,828 cases; (1,555); 36 deaths
• Shelby County: 234 cases; (222); 1 death.
• Madison County, 184; (147); 2 deaths
• Harrison County, 162 cases; (149); 2 deaths
• Union County: 105 cases; (84); 3 deaths.
• Mills County: 149 cases; (105); 1 death.