Iowa Radio News

DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health on Tuesday reported another 492 new coronavirus cases and 9 additional deaths. As of 10 a.m. Tuesday there have been 1,048 deaths in Iowa since the pandemic began. URBANDALE, IA (IRN) – Urbandale police are looking for a suspect who stabbed a woman but say there is no danger to the public. They have a suspect under investigation. WASHINGTON, D.C. Iowa’s congressional delegation wrote a bipartisan letter toSecretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue to ask him to grant assistance to the state’s farmers affected by the derecho on August 10. Governor Kim Reynolds asked the federal agency for relief for farmers in 57 Iowa counties affected by the derecho, which would allow them access to special disaster funds. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Board of Medicine issued a face mask advisory Monday to help slow the spread of coronavirus in the state. According to the advisory, the Iowa Board of Medicine decided to join the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in recommending face mask use. The advisory recommends that Iowans wear masks in public and when around people they don’t live with. AMES, IA (IRN) – The Ames Community School District said Monday it will go forward with a phased-in “Return to Learn” plan despite having its waiver for online learning denied by the Iowa Department of Education. The district’s four-week plan allows 25% of students to attend classes each day by splitting students into numbered groups. Other school days would be done remotely. After four weeks, the district plans to transition into a hybrid learning plan with 50% of students in class.

HARDIN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – The Iowa State Patrol has identified three people killed in a crash in Hardin County Sunday. At approximately 7:30 p.m. Sunday, 25-year-old Spencer Bultman was driving a Chevy Avalanche the wrong way on Highway 20 near S27 when he struck a Chevy Equinox. Three people, including a child, in the Chevy Equinox died at the scene. The driver, 44-year-old Cristy Gutierres, a passenger, 38-year-old Mario Zubia and another passenger, 11-year-old Jessie Gutierres died in the crash. Six-year-old Isabel Gutierres was transported via air ambulance to a Des Moines hospital with serious injuries. All four are from Story City. Bultman had minor injuries. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – The Iowa Department of Public Health has confirmed the first child death in Iowa due to COVID-19. Health officials said the child was under the age of 5 and had underlying health conditions. They said the death happened in June. The State Medical Examiner concluded the investigation into the death on Aug. 6. IDPH officials said, “the child’s death was publicly reported this weekend after ensuring the individual’s identity would remain protected and notifying the family.” HARDIN COUNTY, IA (IRN) – A wrong-way driver smashed into an SUV Sunday night in Hardin County, killing two adults and a child, according to the Iowa State Patrol. Crews flew a second child to a Des Moines hospital with serious injuries. The wrong-way driver experienced only minor injuries. AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University police are investigating what they are calling “racist criminal activity.” A staff member reported their residential storage room was burglarized and vandalized with racist slurs. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Gov. Kim Reynolds and Sen. Joni Ernst will speak during the Republican National Convention. Reynolds will speak Tuesday, and Ernst Wednesday.

CEDAR RAPIDS, IA (IRN) – As of 8 am Saturday, 12 days after the derecho, around 8,000 people in Iowa do not have power. Most of those customers are in Linn County with just over 7,000 people without power. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – Video posted to social media shows a vehicle driving through protesters in Iowa City on Friday night. No one was seriously hurt. Iowa City Police said they did not receive any calls regarding a vehicle driving into people. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa announced Friday its plan to discontinue four sports programs at the end of the 2020-21 academic year. Those programs include men’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s tennis. AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University this week opened the ISU Creamery. It’s not only an ice cream shop, featuring ISU themed flavors, but a program to teach dairy science skills. That would include making not only ice cream, but cheese and dairy products. One professor says, “You’ve heard of microbrewery, we have a micro creamery here at Iowa State.”

IOWA (IRN) – Iowa’s economy has recovered about half the jobs it lost from the immediate shock of the COVID-19 pandemic. The state’s unemployment rate dropped to 6.6% in July from 8.4% the month earlier, according to survey data released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics on Friday morning. The survey indicates that the state added about 29,300 jobs last month. AMES, IA (IRN) – Iowa State University’s President Wendy Wintersteen announced Friday that there will be repercussions for those not practicing safety guidelines in gatherings. Students are required to wear masks and be 6 feet apart if attending a gathering on-campus or off-campus. Wintersteen said that there will be discipline, including suspension, if students do not comply. DES MOINES, IA (IRN) – Des Moines Public Schools officials are promising legal action after their waiver to begin the school year with online-only instruction due to COVID-19 concerns was denied by the Iowa Department of Education on Friday. DECORAH, IA (IRN) – The City Council in Decorah approved a face covering mandate on Friday. The council voted 6-1 to approve the ordinance, but will not go in effect until it is signed and published by the Mayor. Governor Reynolds has said cities do not have this authority. IOWA CITY, IA (IRN) – The University of Iowa announced Friday its plan to discontinue four sports programs at the end of the 2020-21 academic year. Those programs include men’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s swimming and diving, and men’s tennis.

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.