(State News) – Two separate accidents in eastern Iowa Monday, claimed the lives of two people. The Iowa State Patrol reports the first happened in Chickasaw County at around 9-a.m.  Officials say 70-year-old Steven Demaray, of New Hampton (IA) died, when his pickup left Highway 63 near 270th Street south of New Hampton. The vehicle entered the median, and struck a concrete overpass support pier. Demaray was transported to the hospital in New Hampton, where he died from his injuries. He was wearing a seat belt. The accident remains under investigation.

The second accident happened at around 10:45-p.m. Monday, in Johnson County. The Patrol says 59-year-old Jay A. Statser, of West Liberty, died when the SUV he was driving went out of control on Interstate 80 westbound, and entered the north ditch before hitting the bridge pillar for the Highway 1 overpass and coming to rest in the ditch. Statser died at the scene. That accident also remains under investigation.

Police in Red Oak have arrested a woman on a Red Oak Police Department warrant for Harassment in the 3rd Degree. 65-year-old Marcia Elaine Lehman, of Griswold, was taken into custody in the Red Oak Legion Park, at around 4:30-p.m., Monday. She was transported to the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – A moose has been sighted in northwest Iowa. Chris Larue of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says it’s likely the same moose spotted in Luverne, Minnesota on Halloween. “It apparently decided to wander down Main Street over there and a couple of days later it was sighted in Lyon County between Rock Rapids and Little Rock.” Rock Rapids, Iowa, is about 23 miles south of Luverne, Minnesota.

Larue says it’s not unusual for moose to make their way into Iowa. “It does actually periodically happen,” Larue says. “Since I’ve been here the last 20 years, this is probably the fourth or the fifth moose that kind of appeared in Iowa.” Larue is a biologist on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ wildlife management staff — working Lyon, Osceola, Dickinson, Sioux and O’Brien Counties, the five counties in Iowa’s northwest corner. Larue says the moose sighted in Lyon County is a young male.

“Sometimes these things are just typical wanderlust,” Larue says. “Otherwise they could maybe have a little bit of a health issue which gets them disoriented and they can just kind of get headed into a direction until they figure out to head back to the habitat they’re supposed to be in.” Moose typically stay near lakes, streams or swampy areas and they avoid warm climates. An adult moose can be 10 feet tall and weigh more than a thousand pounds.

“We do encourage folks to let us know where they are when they see one because we don’t want them to get into a location that would be dangerous — near a highway or something like that,” Larue says. “Obviously we do not encourage people to approach them because they are very unpredictable.”

The antlers of an adult moose can weight up to 40 pounds. Moose tend to have a heightened sense of smell and of hearing, but most moose have poor eyesight. A female moose was sighted in Plymouth County this past January.

(Atlantic, Iowa) –  Beginning tomorrow (Wednesday, Nov. 17th), the City of Atlantic’s Park and Recreation Department will have nine wooden, painted “turkeys” hidden around parks in the City, for people to find and take selfies with. Take selfies with all nine turkeys when you find each one, and then leave them for others to enjoy.

Parks and Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen says “We lost our turkeys and we need help finding them all.”

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa’s Drug Czar is looking to address the record number of alcohol and drug-related overdose deaths in the next year. Dale Woolery says on the drug side it’s not a simple solution.”It’s not a one-dimensional issue — it’s at minimum a two-dimensional issue where we have to work on reducing the demand here — but we also need to work on reducing the supply,” he says.

The state broke up eight meth labs in 2020 — the lowest number in more than 20 years. But the amount and purity of meth smuggled from Mexico into Iowa remains at or near all-time highs, and Woolery says the amount of other drugs is also increasing.”Everything I hear is that for instance, cartels in Mexico are doing more production of synthetic drugs, and so the supply is going up and prices are coming down, and that’s helping to fuel the demand,” according to Woolery.

He says a federal and international effort is needed to slow the drug flow.”I’m encouraged by recent news that U-S and Mexico officials at high levels are talking about this vary issue and hopefully we will see a plan of action coming soon,” he says. Woolery says the Governor’s Office of Drug Control Policy that he leads is encouraging everyone to help those who need treatment. “We need to have eyes on one another and we need to identify needs and act accordingly and get help,” he says.

He says if you are struggling with drug addiction, there is help you can get, and it is confidential. “There is no wrong door for getting help and any Iowan who needs help — or if you have a loved one or anyone else you know who needs help and you are not quite sure where to go for it –there is a statewide helpline 24/7 in the Iowa Department of Public Health’s YourLifeIowa.org,” Woolery says.

He says the pandemic kept many people away from the help they needed in isolation, and he hopes people will now seek it out to get the treatment they need.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The City of Atlantic’s Park and Recreation Department Director swore-in the newest member of the Parks Board, Monday evening. Bryant Rasmussen administered the Oath of Office to Shirley Jensen, who was unopposed in her bid for the seat vacated by Stuart Dusenberry, and who won the election on Nov. 2nd.  Jolene Smith was nominated by the Board to serve as President, and Erin McFadden was nominated to continue serving as Vice-Chair.

Parks & Rec Director Bryant Rasmussen administers the Oath of Office to Shirley Jensen.

In other business, Rasmussen confirmed the park restrooms in Atlantic have been closed and prepped for the season. He said the final straw in deciding to close the restrooms was vandalism in the form of feces found smeared on the walls of the Camblin Addition restroom. Also related to the restrooms, Bryant said he would like to see the hand dryer fixed in the women’s restroom at Camblins, and add some hand dryers to the City Park. That would alleviate the problem of those towels being used to plug the toilets, and it would mean one less thing to clean-up. He said he’s working with local electricians to get a bid on how much it would cost to fix the hand dryer at Sunnyside and add the ones to the City Park.

Bryant said also, there were 13 applicants for the Assistant Parks and Rec position, including one person from Idaho, who was interviewed Monday. He told the Board he and Jolene Smith should be finished with the interviews by next Monday. Rasmussen said also, he received a bid of $5,470 from Resort Contract Furnishings, of Wyckoff, NJ, for the purchase of 10 11-foot fiberglass market umbrellas and 75-pound steel base with wheel. The Board approved moving forward with the purchase. Bryant said the City has the option to get multiple colors or combinations thereof. The umbrellas would take 12 weeks to ship, and will likely be requested for delivery later this Spring.

Bryant Rasmussen said also, the basketball hoop at Cedar Park was installed thanks to a donation from the Lion’s Club. All that’s left in the Spring is to line the court. The Atlantic Street Department put down the concrete for the court. The Parks and Rec Department is preparing for the Winter Sports season, with cross country skis, ice skates and sleds all ready to go. If the weather cooperates, Rasmussen said they can get the ice skating rink up and running. The basketball court was sealed so there shouldn’t be anywhere near the loss of water they experienced in years past.

In other news, the Parks and Rec Department is preparing for a “Turkey Hunt,” with wood cut-out turkeys hidden in the City Parks. Visitors can take a selfie with the turkeys and send them in, with the possibility of winning some “grab bag” prizes. Nine turkey’s will be hidden through the City parks, but Bryant won’t give any more clues as to where. And, the Scarecrow Contest in Downtown Atlantic raised about $200 for the Atlantic Food Pantry, he said.

On the heels of the recently completed Tour de Parks Bike Ride in Atlantic, Rasmussen said someone donated a tandem bike to the Parks and Rec Department on Monday. The bike will be inspected to make sure it’s oiled and ready to go. And, as we’ve previously mentioned, the Festival of Trees is a multi-day event, sponsored by the Cass County Unit of the American Cancer Society. It takes place December 2nd-5th of this year and will again be held at the Catholic Parish Center,105 West 5th Street in Atlantic. The Atlantic Parks and Rec Department will have a tree in the festival.

One other note: Rasmussen said the Harvest Market is coming up on Monday, Nov. 22nd. The Parks and Rec Department will have squirrel feeders for sale. “They’re little picnic tables,” Bryant said. Jolene Smith added, “They’re really cute.”

OMAHA, Neb. (Nov. 15, 2021) – While the U.S. economy will experience a strong holiday buying season, Creighton University economics professor Ernie Goss, Ph.D., expects that consumers will see higher prices, fewer bargains and a lack of in-demand products due to supply chain disruptions, worker shortages and soaring inflationary pressures.

Goss produces two monthly economic surveys at Creighton—the Mid-America Business Conditions Index of manufacturing supply managers in nine states and the Rural Mainstreet Index of financial institution CEOs in rural areas of 10 states. Based on survey economic indicators, he has identified trends that will impact shoppers this holiday season.

Strong retail growth but high inflation due to supply chain bottlenecks – Stores within the
Mid-America and Rural Mainstreet regions are expected to see strong sales this season, with growth rising up to 10% from last year. Unfortunately for retailers, approximately 5% of the increase in net sales is due to inflation caused by supply chain bottlenecks and labor shortages. These supply chain bottleneck disruptions are related to transportation delays and truck driver shortages. In response, 30% of supply managers reported intentional hoarding or stockpiling of inventories to reduce the risks of the supply chain disruptions.

Hiring headaches impact the shopping experience – The second most important factor restraining the U.S. economy is a hiring shortage. As a result, shoppers can expect to encounter longer checkout lines and less customer service assistance – something that hasn’t been seen in decades.

More consumers will shop in-store instead of online – While online shopping increased last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many consumers will shop in-store to avoid transportation delays that could cause their holiday gifts to arrive late. Consumers also are more likely to shop local than previous seasons because of rising fuel prices. However, with many business closures, shoppers will have fewer retail options, particularly outside of metropolitan areas.

Less bargains and empty shelves ‒ Consumers will see fewer deals this holiday shopping season due to hiring shortages, supply chain disruptions and surging inflation rates. Consumers who shop earlier will be more likely to encounter deals than last-minute shoppers.

More cash to spend – With two federal stimulus programs and an unprecedented Federal Reserve expansion, consumers will likely increase their cash-to-credit ratio this holiday shopping season, resulting from shoppers having a significantly larger cash cushion than in 2020.

Holiday travel – With less travel restrictions this year, individual and family travel are expected to increase. More people will be driving to their destination instead of flying due to fears of flight delays and cancellations across the country because of current hiring shortages. Business travel will remain weak.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Corrections is continuing to try and find ways to hire new people to work in the state’s prisons. Corrections director Beth Skinner recently told the Board of Corrections they are working on retention too. “Because one thing we are learning this year, is that we can hire a bunch of people, but we’re losing people out the front door. And it’s like, my analogy was like, it’s like filling up a water jug with holes in the bottom of it,” Skinner says. She says they have talked with other state agencies to get ideas to adjust the hiring process.

“Looking at how we can change up our interview process in terms of making it just more efficient. Getting people in the door to meet us to get to know us. Reduce as many barriers as possible,” she says Skinner says they still need nurses –but have found the competition tough — even when they offer a three-thousand dollar incentive. )”Hospitals are doing 10, 15-thousand sign-on bonuses, or they are having traveling nurses and temps, and they are making really good money and we can’t compete,” according to Skinner.

“What we have to do is talk about as a career, as a public servant, as a profession, and how you’re giving back to your communities by serving and working in corrections.” Skinner says they have better benefits — but that isn’t an incentive to some. “The Millenials, the young people from high they are thinking about the 15-thousand dollar bonus — and the pay,” Skinner says. She says that’s an issue in some cases with corrections officers — as Nebraska is offering a 15-thousand dollar sign-on bonus.

The Clarinda Police Department is asking the public’s assistance in locating Cynthia Karen Miles who was last observed in Clarinda on the evening of Thursday, November 11th at shortly before 10:00 p.m. Cynthia is 64 years old, 5’9″. 170 lbs., blue eyes with shoulder length gray hair. She does not have a vehicle. Miles walked away from a local shelter.

If you see Cynthia, please call the 24 hour dispatch center at 712-542-1419.

Cynthia Miles

DES MOINES – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller, Monday (today), honored five Iowans for their efforts to stop the abuse and fraud of their fellow community members during the office’s inaugural Consumer Protection Hero recognition ceremony in the Iowa Capitol Rotunda. Miller said  “Today, we honored these exemplary citizens for their dedication and service to those in their communities who have been or could have been the target of fraudsters. These individuals have gone above and beyond to protect their fellow citizens.”

One of those who was honored, was Scott Kilmer, of Exira. Kilmer was driving a customer to a bank in West Des Moines in early 2020. The trip wasn’t out of the ordinary for the Yellow Cab driver, but as their conversation continued, it was apparent something was amiss. The 83-year-old woman was preparing to withdraw $38,000 from her account and transfer it to someone she didn’t know. She received a call from a man claiming to be with the IRS, urgently telling her a family member needed funds to pay a bill or he’d be sent to jail. Kilmer knew this was the hallmark of a scam. He and a bank representative spoke with the woman and convinced her she was being scammed. Kilmer then notified the Attorney General’s Office, providing information about those who attempted to scam the woman.

(Pictured (l to r): Randy Meier, Carla Houston, Attorney General Tom Miller and Scott Kilmer.)

The other who were honored can be found HERE. The AG’s Consumer Protection Hero award was created to shine a spotlight on the work everyday citizens do in their communities. Whether these individuals use their knowledge of scams to educate the public or recognize when others may be the target for scams or financial exploitation, they are heroes in the eyes of the AG’s Consumer Protection Division.