DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health on Friday reported 2,621 new coronavirus cases and 14 additional deaths as hospitalizations continue to rise and more counties report high positivity rates. There are 31 counties with a 14-day positivity rate greater than 15%, up from a record 25 the previous day. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – New COVID-19 cases are being reported at Anamosa State Penitentiary and the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville. Officials say they will be organizing mass-testing for inmates and staff in the coming days, to determine which inmates should be placed in isolation. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Police in Des Moines say they’ve made an arrest after a shooting killed a man and injured a woman. The shooting happened Thursday near the grounds of East High School. Officers called to the scene found a 29-year-old woman with a gunshot wound to her leg and learned that a 21-year-old man had been taken to a hospital with a gunshot wound to the chest and later died. Police say 27-year-old Wesley Marquise Bekish is charged with first-degree murder and a weapons count in the shooting. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A federal grand jury has indicted Brandon Tumause Owen, 20, of Cedar Rapids, for one count of Unlawful Drug User in Possession of a Firearm. Officials say Owen brandished an AR-15 rifle during a June protest in Iowa City.

DES MOINES (IRN) – Two-million dollars of CARES Act funding has been earmarked for work to develop a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine in Iowa. Governor Kim Reynolds announced she set aside the money for a collaboration of Iowa industry partners, Iowa State University, and the University of Iowa to advance a nanovaccine candidate. The Nanovaccine Institute at ISU was established in 2013. U.S.A (IRN) – As of Thursday, there have been 83,757 daily new coronavirus cases in the United States, per Johns Hopkins University data. This is the highest single day reporting since the pandemic began. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Vice President Mike Pence hosted a campaign event Thursday at the Des Moines International Airport. Sen. Joni Ernst introduced Pence, and a masked Pence then exited Air Force Two and ran to the podium to address the crowd. Pence asked Iowans to re-elect President Donald Trump to chants of “four more years.” He outlined Trump’s accomplishments, saying the president improved the American economy, cut taxes and increased military and veteran health spending. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Democratic Presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden visits Des Moines today. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie is urging caution tonight on Beggar’s night. The mayor is asking everyone to “limit or reconsider” their festivities this weekend due to growing coronavirus cases in the state. The White House considers Iowa to be a “hot zone.” IOWA (IRN) – Governor Kim Reynolds announced she has set aside $2 million in CARES Act funding to support the development of a next-generation COVID-19 vaccine through a partnership between Iowa State University and the University of Iowa. The funding will help ISU and the U of I leverage their patented technology to advance a COVID-19 nanovaccine candidate that will address the limitations of vaccines already under development.

PLEASANT HILL, IA (IRN) – A teacher with the Southeast Polk School District is accused of sexually abusing one of his students and faces multiple charges. Court documents show 39-year-old Abraham Christopher Smith, of Pleasant Hill, is charged with two counts of third-degree sex abuse and sexual exploitation by a school employee. According to court documents, there was a pattern of intercourse between Smith and a 15-year-old female student. One incident was at the home of the victim and another at a park while stargazing. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Vice President Mike Pence is in Des Moines today, and former Vice President Joe Biden arrives tomorrow. Biden leads President Trump in the most recent polling in Iowa by three percentage points. IOWA (IRN) – Challenger Theresa Greenfield, a property management executive and Democratic nominee, holds a six-point lead over incumbent U.S. Senator Joni Ernst, a first-term Republican, in the latest poll of Iowa voters. The Nexstar Iowa 2020 Research Poll shows Greenfield leading Ernst 51%-45%. BREMER COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A man was arrested after leading authorities on a chase in two Iowa counties on Monday. The Bremer County Sheriff’s office says the chase started in Butler County when they got a report of a truck driving erratically. When a deputy tried to make contact with the driver, he took off. The driver, identified as Nicholas Schwartz, was caught and taken into custody in Tripoli, after he crashed with a Tripoli Police Department squad car. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – A Halloween store in Dubuque is having its best sales year ever despite the pandemic. Erica Foster, store manager of Spirit Halloween, says “we have surpassed our goal for this season, which is absolutely amazing being that we are still before Halloween…normally we don’t hit our sales goal for the whole season until Halloween or the day after when we have our 50 percent off sale.”

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Nearly 600 patients are in Iowa hospitals with coronavirus and state officials are monitoring staffing levels. Iowa has set new hospitalization records eight times in the past nine days. There are currently 596 patients hospitalized, up from a record of 564 the previous day. The state also set a new record with 113 patients admitted in the last 24 hours. The previous record was 101 on Oct. 23. There are 136 Iowans in intensive care, up from 128 the previous day. WEST DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Wells Fargo is reducing its workforce. They’re not saying how many people will be laid off, but that it is across all locations, and the purpose is to “strengthen the company.” As of January, the San Francisco-based company was the largest employer in the Des Moines metro, with about 13,500 employees. FRANKLIN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The case of a missing Hampton man might be solved seven years later following the discovery of a car submerged in water. A 2006 Volkswagen believed to belong to Ethan Kazermak was located submerged in a pond north of Hampton. Kazermak disappeared in 2013, at age 22. Missing person flyers have plastered businesses and homes in Hampton ever since. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – A man is accused of breaking into a home in Cedar Rapids, shooting another man, and kidnapping his ex-girlfriend. The gunshot victim reported he had been shot by Nicholas Hallman, 26, and his 20-year-old girlfriend had been taken from the home by Hallman. Officers were able to find the female victim at her home later. Details on how she was able to return safely are not available. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds is not expected to hold an official COVID-19 news conference until after Election Day despite the pandemic worsening in Iowa. Reynolds last held a COVID-19 news conference on Oct. 7 as the Iowa Department of Public Health reported record hospitalizations. IOWA (IRN) – Iowa is once again a battleground state as the 2020 presidential election draws near. Former Vice President Joe Biden leads President Donald Trump by four percentage points in the latest Nexstar Iowa 2020 Research Poll released on Tuesday.

FAIRFIELD, IA (IRN) – William Lee Brown of Stockport faces charges of involuntary manslaughter and delivery of methamphetamine following the death of a Fairfield man. The charges stem from the July 31st death of Dustin Canaday. Authorities say Brown allegedly provided Canaday with a syringe of meth referred to as “thick.” After using it, he also took a shot Brown made of meth mixed with alka-seltzer. Canaday became ill and then unresponsive. After a 911 call, he was pronounced dead at the Jefferson County Hospital. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – 24-year-old Treshonda Pollion is facing murder charges after a fatal shooting Sunday at Chuck E. Cheese in Davenport. The victim, Eloise Chairs, was the mother of five children, including a 4-week old baby. Witnesses say Chairs got into an argument with another mother after her son’s game card was taken by another child. That’s when Pollion allegedly took out a gun and shot Eloise. One of Eloise’s sisters says she “always put her children first,” and “Eloise was shot in front of her children, blood covering them all.” CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Doctors in eastern Iowa are concerned that the coronavirus pandemic may be preventing people from seeking emergency care, especially in the case of heart attack or stroke. Officials at UnityPoint Health-St. Luke’s Hospital, in Cedar Rapids, say some people are avoiding the emergency department out of fear of contracting the virus. Doctors say delaying care when experiencing the signs and symptoms of a heart attack or stroke could be deadly. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Vice President Mike Pence is planning a visit to central Iowa later this week. Pence will speak at a “Make America Great Again” victory rally Thursday at 1 p.m. at the Des Moines International Airport. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden will travel to Iowa in the final days before the 2020 election. Biden will arrive in Iowa on Friday. Additional details haven’t been released.