DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health on Friday reported 823 new coronavirus cases and 5 additional deaths. As of 10 a.m. Friday, IDPH reported 1,017 deaths since the pandemic began. LECLAIR, IA (IRN) – A second person has died after two boats collided in the Mississippi River near LeClaire Sunday. Both were on the same boat. A woman in the other boat had minor injuries. IOWA (IRN) – White House experts urged Iowa officials to require residents to wear face masks in public in most urban areas and several rural counties, and to close bars in those areas. The suggestions go beyond steps ordered by Gov. Kim Reynolds, who has declined to impose such mandates and has said she trusts Iowans to act appropriately. The “hot zones” include the Des Moines area, Council Bluffs, Cedar Rapids, Waterloo, Dubuque, Iowa City, Ames and the Quad Cities. DUBUQUE, IA (IRN) – American Airlines will stop flying to Dubuque and 14 other cities in the country for at least a month starting on October 7. The reason behind the cancellations is low demand and the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – It just got harder for the Des Moines School District to continue with fall sports. On Thursday, the IHSAA and the IGHSAU sent a letter to schools backing up what the Iowa Department of Education said last week: If a school district goes all-virtual, they can’t play sports. Monday night, the Des Moines school board voted to go fully virtual, but said they would continue activities despite the Department of Education’s position.

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Medical Society says fewer Iowans with COVID-19 would have died if more was done sooner. Leaders say Iowa needs more extensive testing and should have put restrictive mandates in place at the beginning. Iowa has now surpassed 1,000 deaths in the pandemic. CORALVILLE, IA (IRN) – An increase in coronavirus cases has prompted Iowa prison officials on Wednesday to stop admitting inmates from county jails to the Iowa Medical and Classification Center in Coralville. The Department of Corrections said 59 inmates tested positive in the last week out of nearly 800 tests conducted at the center. DAVENPORT, IA (IRN) – Clean-up is underway at a Davenport shop after a truck crashed through the storefront Tuesday. Davenport police said two vehicles collided causing one of them to hit the Little Rock and Gem shop. No one was hurt. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – New data collected by the National Weather Service shows even stronger winds than initially thought during the derecho, according to meteorologists. The Quad Cities office of the agency released new storm reports on Wednesday morning. Winds are now estimated to have been over 140 mph.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – The National Weather Service says last week’s derecho was unprecedented. They now estimate peak wind gusts of 110 to 130 mph in parts of Tama, Benton, and Linn counties. They say this was an unprecedented event due to the extent of the damage and how long the winds lasted. There have been derechos of similar strength. One in 1998 had winds of 123 miles per hour in Washington, Iowa. Another in 2011 had winds up to 130 miles per hour in Vinton. Last week’s derecho topped them all because of how long the winds lasted. Winds in the Linn County and Cedar Rapids area were likely in excess of 100 mph for nearly an hour. NWS meteorologists say those strong winds usually only last 10 to 15 minutes DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – It’s “game on” in Des Moines. Maybe. The Des Moines School Board made the decision Monday night to continue activities and athletics. That goes against the guidance released Friday by the Department of Education. That guidance states if a school goes to an all-virtual model, as Des Moines has done, then activities would be suspended. Des Moines schools are listening to their board — not the state — and continued to practice Tuesday to prepare for their seasons in all fall sports. AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University reports 34 more students tested positive for the coronavirus during the final round of move-in testing over the weekend. In total, 175 students tested positive, which is 2.2% of all students tested. All students who tested positive will isolate for ten days. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says Gov. Kim Reynolds has blocked his request to join a lawsuit that seeks to prevent changes to the U.S. Postal Service that Democrats claim could threaten mail-in voting. Miller announced Tuesday that he wanted to join the lawsuit planned by more than 20 states that seek to stop budget cuts and operational changes that are disrupting mail deliveries. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig released more statistics about the widespread crop damage across the state following a devastating derecho on August 10. The USDA reported that 57 counties were impacted by the damaging storms, with 8.2 million acres of corn and 5.6 million acres of soybeans being impacted.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – President Trump is visiting Cedar Rapids to look at the storm damage firsthand today. Cedar Rapids was one of the hardest-hit cities in the state. The president will also meet with Gov. Kim Reynolds and state and local officials. Reynolds is asking for nearly $4 billion of federal help. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – A state agency says it is working to fix a data error on Iowa’s coronavirus website that lowers the number of new confirmed cases and therefore downplays the severity of the current outbreak, just as schools are deciding whether to reopen. The error means the Iowa Department of Public Health has been reporting fewer new infections and a smaller percentage of daily positive tests than is truly the case. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – One person is dead after a crash on Highway 100 in Marion on Monday evening. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says a Toyota Corolla didn’t yield to traffic on Highway 100. They were then hit by a Toyota Tundra truck. The driver of the Toyota Corolla was killed. BETTENDORF, IA (IRN) – A 17-year-old faces several charges after police say he and another person stole cars and led the police on a high-speed chase through Bettendorf. The stolen Honda minivan he was driving crashed into Bad Boyz Pizza where police were able to arrest him. A stolen Ford Taurus managed to elude police. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Meteorologists with the National Weather Service have done additional surveying of the damage path from last Monday’s derecho, finding peak estimated wind speeds of 130 mph at one point in Linn County. Over 30,000 people in Cedar Rapids were still without power Monday night.

WASHINGTON, D.C. (IRN) – President Donald Trump will tour storm damage in Iowa Tuesday, a day after approving a disaster declaration for the state after a derecho caused massive damage August 10. Trump will be in Cedar Rapids Tuesday to tour damage and meet with Gov. Kim Reynolds to discuss the local, state and federal response. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – TSA agents caught a man with a 9 mm caliber handgun loaded with nine bullets, including one in the chamber, in his carry-on bag at Des Moines International Airport yesterday. TSA officers contacted Des Moines police, who responded to the checkpoint, and confiscated the firearm from the traveler before citing him on a weapons charge. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health on Monday reported 395 more positive coronavirus cases and 3 additional deaths. As of 10 a.m. Monday, there have been 978 deaths since the pandemic began. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds has requested an expedited Presidential Major Disaster Declaration after the derecho on Aug. 10. The request estimates that Iowa will need approximately $4 billion from the federal government in order to recover. In the estimates, she includes 8,273 homes that were destroyed or had major damage, $23.6 million for the damage of public infrastructure and $21.6 million for removal and disposal of debris. CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – Alliant Energy and Linn County utilities continue to restore power to customers across eastern Iowa after Monday’s derecho. Approximately 95% of residents have power. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – A man and a woman were arrested in Des Moines Saturday after fleeing from police in a stolen car and taking refuge in a house with a 13-year-old boy. The boy was not injured. AMES, IA (IRN) – Pictures and videos of parties in Ames this past weekend are causing concern on the ISU campus while the COVID-19 pandemic continues. One student said, “there were… bunches of people walking on the streets. No masks. Nothing. No social distancing.” The university said if students wanted to complete the fall semester on-campus, ignoring safety and health policies must stop.