Iowa Workforce Development reported 10,747 Iowans filed initial unemployment claims in the most recent week…nearly double the number from the week before…but IWD says an increase was expected, primarily due to construction and manufacturing claims from Thanksgiving week. Continuing weekly unemployment claims increased in Iowa last week by 9,409 from the previous week. That makes a total of 43,121 continuing weekly unemployment claims. An increasing percentage of people in Iowa have indicated to IWD that their unemployment claims are not related to COVID-19. Last week nearly 59.3 percent of claimants indicated the claims were not COVID-related. November through February are typically the months that see the most unemployment claims due to seasonal layoffs in construction, agriculture, landscaping and manufacturing.
Iowa public health officials have posted another 99 coronavirus related deaths, raising the state’s death toll to 3,120. The state this week modified the methodology for counting COVID-19 deaths and that added 399 deaths to the state total in the past three days. Iowa coronavirus positive cases increased by 2,246 yesterday pushing the state total to 251,028. Hospitalizations and admissions are lower, with 863 people hospitalized with COVID-19. Hospitalizations and new positive cases have been trending lower, giving health care officials hope that Iowa may have avoided a post-Thanksgiving surge. Concerns remain around Christmas and New Year holiday gathering activities.
The Iowa Attorney General’s Office warned Iowans yesterday of scams related to Amazon accounts and gift cards. The office has received reports from Iowans of unwanted calls and emails regarding Amazon account information and payments made in Amazon gift cards. Iowans are warned not to respond to calls asking to confirm Amazon or other retail purchases, not to call customer service phone numbers listed in unsolicited emails and not to give out personal information over the phone. And a reminder to review emails carefully before clicking any links or attachments.
An administrative judge has approved a $76,000 penalty against an Iowa cattle feedlot for violating the Clean Water Act. The judge ruled that Tony and Joshua Brown, who operate Riverview Cattle in Armstrong, discharged pollutants from their cattle feedlot on 41 days into the East Fork of the Des Moines River. The Environmental Protection Agency said the business did not obtain a federally required permit for the discharges. The cattle company contended the pollutants never reached the river. An Administrative Judge agreed with the EPA and found the feedlot liable for Clean Water Act violations.
The trial of a man charged in the killing of University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts has again been delayed because of the coronavirus outbreak. Cristhian Bahena Rivera was supposed to stand trial on first-degree murder beginning Jan. 25. But the Iowa Supreme Court in November ordered that all trials in the state be put on hold until Feb. 1 as virus cases increased. This week, court officials rescheduled Rivera’s trial to May 17. Investigators say Rivera stalked Tibbetts while she was out for a run in July 2018 in Brooklyn, Iowa, and stabbed her to death. After a massive police and volunteer effort to find Tibbetts, authorities say, Bahena Rivera led them to her body.
An Iowa City man was arrested on Wednesday night after police say he attempted to rob a convenience store while waving a knife. Police responded to a report about the ongoing incident at the Delimart located at Highway 1 West just after 10 p.m. When officers arrived, they found that the on-duty employee was able to escape and the suspect had locked himself in the office of the store. One of the officers talked the suspect into dropping the knife. After that the suspect, 23-year-old Jonathan Patrick St. John, was taken into custody without incident. He’s been charged with robbery in the first degree, assault with a deadly weapon and going armed with intent. Officials say the store clerk told them St. John made several motions with the knife that made him feel threatened. Officials also said St. John apologized for threatening the clerk and robbing the store, telling them someone in his head told him to perform those actions.
Joe Biden has formally selected more members of his proposed cabinet should he take office next month, including former Iowa governor Tom Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture. Vilsack served two terms as the 40th governor of Iowa from 1999-2007. He then held the position of Secretary of Agriculture for eight years in the Obama Administration—the only Obama cabinet member to serve the full two terms. Senator Chuck Grassley tweeted that Vilsack “understands the importance of preserving the family farm and the significance the biofuels industry”, consistent with what he told KXEL News earlier this week. Vilsack will be introduced in his new, old role this afternoon in Delaware.
The Des Moines Police Department is searching for the person responsible for shooting two teens during a home invasion. The shooting occurred around noon yesterday in the 1400 block of 22nd Street. According to police, suspects came to the door and fired shots. A 17-year-old was in critical condition after being shot in the stomach and a second 17-year-old is in serious condition after being shot in the rear. Police did not share a suspect description but said they believe the shooting to be a targeted crime.
Police have identified a man whose body was found last week inside a Sioux City apartment used by transients. The body of 61-year-old Daniel Harden was found Dec. 1st inside the apartment building. An autopsy used to identify the body ruled Harden’s death to be a homicide. Investigators said Harden appeared to have been beaten and had likely been dead for about a week when his body was found. The apartment is part of a complex where 33-year-old Solomon Blackbird was shot a month earlier, and later died. Police have said the two deaths did not appear to be related.
A reward continues to grow after a bald eagle was shot over the weekend.
The Wright County Conservation Board said the bald eagle was found south of Rowan and northwest of Dows. X-rays showed the eagle had two holes in the head. Authorities believe the eagle was possibly shot last Saturday from a nearby bridge. Anyone with information should call the Iowa DNR tip hotline at 1-800-532-2020 or contact the local sheriff’s office or conservation board. Donations to help solve the shooting have now topped $3,000.
