The Iowa Department of Public Health said Wednesday there are an additional 52 positive cases of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the state. That brings the total to 549 cases. The total negative number of tests now stands at 7,304. There are also two new coronavirus-related deaths in Iowa, both of which involved an elderly person who was 81 years old or older. They lived in Polk and Washington Counties.
A new projection, from a study being cited by national health officials, shows 777 Iowans will die of COVID-19 through Aug. 4, with the peak of the outbreak hitting the state April 17. This is according to state-specific estimates from the Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation, a University of Washington program. But Iowa Department of Public Health Deputy Director Sarah Reisetter said yesterday those models are flawed because they do not take into account measures taken by Iowa officials to close schools and businesses.
At her daily news briefing yesterday, Gov. Kim Reynolds said another disaster declaration is coming, perhaps as early as today…it’s expected to address when, or if, schools can return to session in state this school year.
A survey of supply managers in a Iowa and eight other Midwest and Plains states is showing more signs of the coronavirus pandemic’s disruptive economic impact. The Mid-American Business Conditions index sank in March to 46.7 – its lowest reading since September 2016. Even worse, Creighton University economist Dr. Ernie Goss says the survey’s confidence index plunged to a record low of 14.5.
Despite the coronavirus, construction is set to begin on the 16th Avenue SE floodgate in Cedar Rapids next Tuesday. The 16th Avenue bridge will be closed to motorists, pedestrians and cyclists throughout the summer, before re-opening this fall. A detour has been put in place for both motorists and trail users via the 12th Avenue bridge. Access to Czech Village will remain open via C Street SW and 16th Avenue SW. The intersection of 2nd Street SE and 16th Avenue SE in NewBo will also remain open.
Authorities say two people were killed when a helicopter crashed and burned in west-central Iowa. The crash was reported Tuesday afternoon in Audubon County, a few miles east of Hamlin. Authorities say the aircraft hit a power line before it went down. The two killed were from Minnesota. The crash is being investigated.
The June 2nd Iowa Primary election will still be held, according to Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, but as commissioner of elections, he’s sending every registered voter in the state an absentee ballot to limit the number of people voting in person. Pate says June may seem a long way off, but action is needed now; Pate notes that his office will need to send out two million ballots, one for every registered voter in the state…and that will require some lead time.
One person is dead and three others were hurt in a two-car collision early last evening. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says deputies were called to 12001 Ellis Road just after 5:30 p.m. First responders found two vehicles had collided headon. The driver of one car was pronounced dead at the scene. Three people in the other car, 30-year-old Bryce Wagehoft of Coralville, 23-year-old Wendie Beard of Vinton and 33-year-old David Nelson of Palo were all taken to hospitals for treatment. The identity of the person killed has not been released. The accident remains under investigation.
Two Iowa Renewable Fuels Association (IRFA) members kicked off the new month of April by sending the second and third donated shipments of ethanol to the state of Iowa to be used by Iowa Prison Industries (IPI) to continue their production of much-needed hand sanitizer. This week’s donations were made by Iowa ethanol producers Southwest Iowa Renewable Energy (SIRE) and Lakeview Plymouth Energy. It follows donations of ethanol and glycerin made earlier by Absolute Energy and Western Iowa Energy. The hand sanitizer produced is being distributed for free by the state for priority use.
A Denver man has been arrested, accused of taking a new pickup truck from a Waterloo dealership in January. When police recovered the red 2020 truck, with a suggested retail price of $70,000, they found 24-year-old Terry Christopher Stover’s fingerprints on the manufacturer’s sticker, which had been removed from the window and placed inside the vehicle. Police arrested Stover on Tuesday on a charge of first-degree theft. The truck had been parked in a fencedin area at Witham Ford and was taken sometime around Jan. 6. It was found a few days later in Cedar Falls with Oklahoma license plates attached.
