The State of Iowa’s Judicial Nominating Commission has posted the interview schedule for the thirty Iowans who have applied to fill the two vacancies on the Iowa Court of Appeals. The vacancies were created when Chief Judge David Danilson retired on January 4, 2019 and Judge Christopher McDonald filled the Supreme Court vacancy on March 7, 2019. Among the Iowans who has applied for one of the vacancies, was 3rd Judicial District Court Judge Julie Schumacher, from Schleswig, who’s set to be interviewed 9:40-a.m. Friday, March 29th.

You can view her application here: https://www.iowajnc.gov/media/cms/SchumacherPart1_98C9A2D4DB5E0.pdf

DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate remained at 2.4 percent in February. The state’s jobless rate was 2.7 percent one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 3.8 percent in February. Beth Townsend, Iowa Workforce Development Director said Friday (Today), that “Despite the brutal winter we have had the past two months, the unemployment rate remains steady at 2.4 percent. Remarkably, we have maintained that rate since June, 2018.”

She said also, “The total number of working Iowans increased to 1,660,100 which is 5,700 higher than January and 25,500 higher than one year ago. In even more good news, the biggest segment of Iowans who found employment in February are those who have been out-of-the-workforce for more than 12 months.” Townsend urged employer looking for workers to stop by or call one of the IowaWORKS Centers around the state. And, if you are looking for a better job or your next job opportunity, she says “We can help you update your resume and sharpen your interview skills as well as assist you in finding new training opportunities available around the state. The time is now to become Future Ready!”

• The number of unemployed Iowans decreased to 40,000 in February from 40,600 in January.  The current estimate is 6,100 lower than the year ago level of 46,100.
• The total number of working Iowans increased to 1,660,100 in February. This figure was 5,700 higher than January and 25,500 higher than one year ago.

Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Employment

In February, Iowa establishments cut payrolls leading to a drop of 5,500 jobs in total nonfarm employment. This was the first monthly drop since September and fueled by losses in private services. Unusually cold and forbidding winter weather may have had some influence on payrolls. Both construction and leisure and hospitality had losses this month. Private sectors accounted for most of the drop this month (-5,000); however, government also decreased slightly due to losses at the local level (-800). Compared to last year, government is now down 1,900 jobs due mostly to cutbacks at the state level and Iowa total nonfarm employment combined is up just 5,800 jobs (+0.4 percent).

Leisure and hospitality pared the most jobs in February (-2,400) with virtually all of the losses stemming from accommodations and food services. Eating and drinking establishments contracted this month, but should rebound in March when the weather supports more traffic and with regional basketball tournaments in the Des Moines area. This super sector has displayed mixed signals over the past several months and shrank slightly versus last year. Trade, transportation, and utilities shed 1,500 jobs due mostly to declines in transportation and warehousing (-900), although retail continued to trend down in February (-700). This was the first monthly loss for this super sector since October. Smaller monthly losses this month included professional and business services (-900), construction (-400), and education and health services (-300). Only three sectors added jobs this month. Other services added 400 jobs to lead all sectors. The financial services sector gained 200 jobs but has shown evidence of tapering down following expansion over the past several years. Natural resources and mining added 100 jobs.

Compared to last February, manufacturing continues to lead all sectors in job growth (+8,400). All other super sector gains are small by comparison and include professional and business services (+600) and construction (+400). The largest notable losses in Iowa’s economy occur in retail trade (-3,000) and accommodations and food services (-1,700).

DES MOINES – Gov. Kim Reynolds sent a letter on Thursday, March 21st, 2019  to President Donald Trump requesting that he grant an expedited Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for 57 counties that have been severely impacted by the recent flooding along the Missouri River and other parts of the state. In the request to the president, Gov. Reynolds also indicated the State of Iowa will need federal recovery assistance in addition to what is granted through a Presidential Disaster Declaration, for agriculture, businesses, homes, and levees. The projected impact to the State of Iowa in these areas is nearly $1.6 billion.

The governor requested funding under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Individual Assistance Program for 12 counties, including (Locally): Crawford, Fremont, Harrison,  Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, and Shelby counties.  Initial estimates gathered by local officials indicated 23,540 structures were affected or received minor damage, and 1,201 received major damage or were destroyed. Individual Assistance Program funding provides disaster-impacted homeowners and businesses with programs and services to maximize recovery, including assistance with housing, personal property replacement, medical expenses and legal services.

Gov. Reynolds also requested funding under FEMA’s Public Assistance Program for the repair or replacement of public infrastructure, including roads and bridges, for 57 counties, including: Adair, Audubon, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Dallas, Fremont, Guthrie, Harrison, Madison, Mills, Monona, Montgomery, Page, Pottawattamie, Sac, Shelby, and Union counties. Local emergency management coordinators, working with local representatives and jurisdictions, estimate damage eligible for funding under the Public Assistance Program at $77.4 million.

The governor also requested funding to conduct hazard mitigation activities for the entire state.

(Radio Iowa) — Extreme flood damage to Missouri River levees has officials concerned they won’t be fixed in time for more possible flooding this spring. The Benton/Washington Levee District runs from just south of Thurman to the Missouri line. District president Pat Sheldon says that stretch of levee has had numerous breaches. Sheldon worries the U-S Army Corps of Engineers may not be able to get the levee repaired quickly enough and they’ll have to let Mother Nature run her course. Sheldon says, “There’s not much we can do unless they can come in and do some temporary repairs around our breeches to give us some protection so people can go home.”

Sheldon says it’s unclear how much repairs may cost, but in 2011 — following the last major floods — about 150-million dollars was spent to repair levees just in Fremont County. He fears this time, it will be much more costly as the damage is severe.  “Big ruts of erosion down the side where we had overtopping, which is water flowing over the top of our levees, eating away the sod and the soil, and the material that makes our levee strong,” Sheldon says. “That’s how our breach on our district started.”

He says it’s possible the entire system may need to be rebuilt, but with more flooding likely in the weeks ahead, he’s not sure anything can be done in time.

(Thanks to Katie Peikes, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) — The Midwest flooding is forcing Amtrak’s California Zephyr to take a detour between Chicago and Omaha. Amtrak restored service between those cities and Denver, Colorado by detouring over a Union Pacific Railroad route in Illinois and Iowa. The detour is to the north of the regular route and results in a temporary suspension of service to Burlington, Mt. Pleasant, Ottumwa, Osceola and Creston. The Illinois stops missed by the detour at Naperville, Princeton and Galesburg are served by other Amtrak trains. The California Zephyr travels through seven states from Chicago to Emeryville, California near San Francisco.

Anyone who has questions about their reservations should call Amtrak at 1-800-872-7245 or go to www.amtrak.com.

The Iowa Supreme Court, in its ruling this week, affirmed sentence of a man found guilty in 2016 Pottawattamie District Court cases for crimes related to his sex acts with two minors in separate cases.  49-year old Kenneth Edward Petty plead guilty to charges of lascivious acts with a child and sexual exploitation of a minor. He challenged his guilty pleas and sentences, claimed he was denied the right to counsel. Petty said the district court failed to comply with the Iowa Rule of Criminal Procedure in accepting his guilty pleas.

He contended that the the court did not adequately inquire into the alleged communication breakdown in the attorney-client relationship, imposed a surcharge in violation of Ex Post Facto clauses of the Iowa and U-S Constitution, and that the court erroneously ordered restitution without first determining his reasonable ability to pay. The Iowa Supreme Court determined Petty did not preserve error on his guilty pleas challenge, and that the record on appeal is insufficient to conduct an ineffective-assistance of counsel analysis. The Justices also found the record on appeal was insufficient to determine whether the lower court adequately inquired into the alleged communication breakdown. Both claims for post-conviction relief were left in-tact, if Petty wishes to pursue them,

The court agreed that the imposition of a surcharge was in violation of Ex Post Facto clauses, and that the lower courts’ erroneously ordered restitution without first determining his reasonable ability to pay, was in violation of the rule of law. They subsequently vacated both and remanded the sentences back to the District Court for entry of a corrected sentence and re-sentencing consistent with the IASUPCO opinion.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Office reports three men were arrested on separate charges, Thursday. 31-year old Bradley Adam Myers, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Pott. County Courthouse, on a State of Iowa warrant for Contempt of Court/Violation of a No Contact or Protective Order. 27-year old Christopher J. Plaza, of Omaha, was arrested after appearing in court. He was taken into custody on warrants for for felony Burglary in the 2nd Degree/Breaking & Entering, and Criminal Mischief in the 2nd Degree/Destruction/Damage or Vandalism of property. His bond was set at $15,000 altogether. And, 51-year old Derrick Dale Altena, of Sanborn, was arrested Thursday night for OWI/1st offense, after deputies investigated a vehicle that had crashed into a ditch and was abandoned. When law enforcement arrived on the scene, Altena was there, and showed signs of impairment. His bond was set at $1,000.

All three men were booked into the Pott. County Jail.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — A woman who admitted stealing thousands of dollars from a Des Moines soccer club has been sentenced. Polk County District Court records say 34-year-old Brandi Preul pleaded guilty last week to felony theft. She was given a suspended prison term of five years, three years of probation and fined $750. She also was ordered to pay an undetermined amount of restitution.

Authorities say she stole more than $41,000 from the Greater Des Moines Over the Hill Soccer Club , which operates the Central Iowa Coed Soccer League. Preul was the league’s  commissioner to a time last year.