IOWA (IRN) – Another 11 people with COVID-19 have died, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported Friday, bringing the statewide total to 107. Additionally, another 521 people have tested positive, bringing the statewide total to 4445. NEWTON, IA (IRN) – Wind Turbine Blade Manufacturer TPI Composites is suspending production at its Newton plant to clean the facility and implement more COVID-19 testing. The company said 28 more TPI Newton workers have tested positive for the disease. TPI will be closed until the middle of next week to do another deep-clean and test all Newton associates. TPI said workers will be paid during the production pause. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds is moving closer to announcing specific plans to slowly reopen the state. She said she understands that people want to return to normal life as soon as possible and her disaster proclamation ends with the month of April. Reynolds did not give a timeline for announcing reopening plans. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Ethanol producer ADM says it is idling production at its corn ethanol plants in Cedar Rapids, Iowa and Columbus, Nebraska, furloughing 90 employees in each facility for at least four months. The company says low consumer demand for gasoline also has dramatically cut demand for corn-based ethanol which is blended into gasoline.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health on Thursday released new statistics on COVID-19 in the state. The IDPH reported six deaths and 176 new COVID-19 cases. That brings the statewide total to 3,924 positive cases and 96 deaths. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Workforce Development released new unemployment figures Thursday amid the COVID-19 outbreak. IWD reports the number of initial claims in Iowa, filed between April 12 and April 18, was 27,912. Most job losses are in manufacturing and health care. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Des Moines Police Department and the Iowa Department of Human Services say fewer child abuse reports are coming in and it’s concerning. KCCI-TV reports in Des Moines, the number of calls for a child in need of assistance is down more than 60% compared to this time last year. Police say since kids aren’t going to schools, teachers and staff aren’t seeing them, and reporting abuse. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – While colleges and universities across the country have closed their campuses and moved to virtual classrooms, many students are having to pay for apartments they aren’t using anymore. KCRG-TV reports many out of state students have returned home, and are stuck in leases for apartments they aren’t using. In Iowa City, the Iowa City Tenants Union says there isn’t any legal recourse to help the students. MASON CITY, IA (IRN) – Pandemic or not, the June 2 primary elections in Iowa are still going on as scheduled, so organizers are finding ways to keep people safe and healthy, while still protecting the right to vote. Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is encouraging Iowans to vote in the June primary through absentee ballots, as a way to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Absentee voting begins today.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Another 107 people tested positive for COVID-19, the Iowa Department of Public Health reported Wednesday, bringing the state total to 3,748. Additionally, another seven people with COVID-19 have died, bringing the total of coronavirus deaths in Iowa to 90. WATERLOO, IA (IRN) – Tyson Foods announced Wednesday that the company will indefinitely suspend operations at its Waterloo pork plant this week. The company said its largest pork plant has been running at reduced levels of production due to worker absenteeism and will stop production mid-week until further notice. The facility’s 2,800 team members will be invited to come to the plant later this week for COVID-19 testing. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines-based Meredith Corporation announced that it will cut pay for thousands of its employees due to financial struggles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. 2,225 employees will receive a 15% pay cut. The company said its highest-paid employees will receive pay cuts between 20-40%, totaling around 775 additional pay cuts. All impacted employees will receive one paid day off per week at the company’s lower pay rate. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds launched an initiative Tuesday to test thousands of Iowans for COVID-19. Reynolds’ $25 million TestIowa initiative promises up to 3,000 additional COVID-19 tests per day for Iowans who qualify through the testiowa.com website. Iowans can take a three-step assessment to see if they qualify for a free drive-thru test, with results promised in 48 hours. COLLINS, IA (IRN) – Three people found dead at a Collins residence on Tuesday died from asphyxiation, likely from carbon monoxide gas, according to WHO-TV. When police arrived after a request for a welfare check, they discovered the bodies of three adults inside a travel trailer. The deceased are a 62-year-old female, 41-year-old female, and a 20-year-old male. Three dogs were also found dead inside the trailer.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health on Tuesday released new statistics on COVID-19 cases in the state. The IDPH reported the largest single-day increase in cases at 482. There were also four deaths reported. That brings the statewide total to 3,641 positive cases and 83 deaths. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Restaurant closures due to the coronavirus have contributed to an estimated $5 billion in losses for the pork industry, and almost overnight millions of hogs stacking up on farms now have little value. KCCI-TV reports some farmers have resorted to killing piglets because plunging sales mean there is no room to hold additional animals in increasingly cramped conditions. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds said Monday that Iowa’s meatpacking plants will stay open and continue to spread the coronavirus among workers, warning that shutting them down would be devastating for farmers and the food supply. Reynolds acknowledged that the virus spreads quickly and easily at the plants because so many workers are in close proximity. She said that “we will continue to see clusters of positive cases” in them. MARSHALLTOWN, IA (IRN) – Thirty-four of some 2,400 workers at the JBS pork processing plant in Marshalltown have tested positive for COVID-19, according to the Des Moines Register. Mayor Joel T.S. Greer says, “To everyone who will listen to me: Please stay at home.” OTTUMWA, IA (IRN) – Residents at the Good Samaritan Society in Ottumwa had a different four legged friend to visit them on Monday. Cinnamon the llama had already visited a nursing home in Oskaloosa, and then he came to Ottumwa to bring some joy. With all the uncertainty going on in the world right now, Merle Mann said that it was good to do some good. “I’m glad that we’re doing this. We need good news and we need to be positive so this has been fun.” The group will be continuing their trip across the Heartland, planning on visiting Marshalltown sometime next week.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health on Monday released new statistics on COVID-19 in the state. The IDPH reports four deaths and 257 new cases in Iowa. That brings the statewide total to 3,159 positive cases and 79 deaths. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A large increase in the number of confirmed cases of the illness caused by the novel coronavirus was reported by state officials on Sunday. 389 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed by the Iowa Department of Public Health, the largest single-day increase of the pandemic in Iowa so far. The state’s total number of cases stands at 2,902. A death was reported of an older adult, aged 61 to 80, from the disease in Muscatine County. The state’s total number of fatalities from COVID-19 is at 75. BLACK HAWK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – On Sunday, the Black Hawk County Conservation Board closed a resource area after people defied a proclamation by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds. The board closed the Cedar River Natural Resource area because people continued to not follow guidelines regarding “no congregating.” POLK COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Polk County Sheriff’s Office says a death investigation is underway in Grimes. Authorities found a 35-year-old woman dead at the home upon arrival Sunday. The woman’s 46-year-old fiancé made the 911 call.