(Radio Iowa) – The latest data from Iowa Workforce Development shows more than 10-thousand jobs were added to the payrolls at Iowa restaurants and hotels over the last 12 months. Jessica Dunker is C-E-O and president of the Iowa Restaurant Association. “It’s no surprise that we would be showing growth, but I can tell you we would show substantially more growth if there were more people out there to hire.” Dunker says the state’s restaurant industry still has about 10-thousand fewer workers than it did in 2019, before the pandemic hit.

Dunker’s also the president and C-E-O of the recently-formed Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association. “From a recovery standpoint, we are down about 10% from where we were pre-COVID on hotel employees,” Dunker says, “but in the restaurant industry our latest data tells us that 35% of the restaurants in the state are 30% below their pre-COVID staffing levels, so they are desperate to hire people.”

Mike Whalen, founder of The Machine Shed Restaurants, is president and C-E-O of the Heart of America Group which operates hotels as well. The company has job openings at properties in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kansas. “We’ve clawed our way back and we’re probably down about 10% from where we were from 2019, but it’s been difficult,” Whalen says. “It’s been a real a challenge and our biggest challenge to get back in business.” Whalen says there is a national trend of people who retired at the onset of the pandemic deciding to go back to work.

“I think we’re probably at the top of that list,” Whalen says. “You know, restaurants and the hotel business can be tough and demanding jobs, but I think you increasingly see that people miss it and come back.” And Dunker says prior to COVID, the fastest growing demographic in the hospitality industry was people age 55 and above. “On the restaurant side, in particular, we are such a part-time industry, we were really seeing that people were un-retiring or doing fun jobs — ‘fun money’ for themselves — in our industry,” Dunker says.

Dunker suggests with a scarce number of teenagers available, older workers and those who may be “un-retiring” are ever more critical for the hospitality industry. Dunker and Whalen made their comments this weekend on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

(Adair County, Iowa) – Officials with the Stuart Fire Department posted on social media this (Sunday) morning, “A reminder to slow down when coming up on any accident.” The post says that at around 3:45-a.m., “Stuart Fire was paged to a multi-vehicle accident involving 2 semis and 2 passenger vehicles at the 91mm west bound I-80. West bound was completely blocked and east bound partially blocked. While processing the scene there was a secondary collision of a semi and passenger vehicle going east bound.”

No serious injuries were reported. Stuart Fire was assisted by Menlo Fire and multiple law enforcement agencies.  (Photos from the Stuart Fire Dept. Facebook page)

A 9-1-1 call about a domestic disturbance early this (Sunday) morning, in Red Oak, resulted in the arrest of 29-year-old Randall Wesley Lynn Butts, of Red Oak. He was taken into custody for Interference with Official Acts. Butts was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

A collision Saturday night on Interstate 29 in Mills County left one person dead. The Iowa State Patrol reports 40-year-old Caleb Wear, of Glenwood, died from his injuries, after being flown by Life Flight to the UNMC in Omaha.

Authorities say a 2011 Toyota Sienna van driven by 47-year-old Bharatkumar Patel, of Papillion, NE, was northbound on I-29 at the same time a 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Wear was traveling northbound. For reasons unknown, van struck the rear of the motorcycle, causing both vehicles to leave the road and enter the east ditch. The accident happened at around 9:38-p.m.

Patel was not injured in the collision, which remains under investigation. Fremont and Mills County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted the Patrol at the scene,

(Mt. Ayr, Iowa) – Sheriff’s officials in Ringgold County are asking for the public’s help in solving a shooting that resulted in the death of a horse. Authorities say a horse was shot and killed the weekend of May 14th two-miles south of Kellerton, in the area of Highway P-68 and 250th Street. The Hilltop Veterinary Clinic confirmed the cause of death and recovered a bullet.

Anyone with information about the incident should contact the Ringgold County Sheriff’s Office or your local authorities.

Photo via The Ringgold County S/O Facebook page.

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report the driver of a 2000 Buick Lucerne suffered suspected minor/non-incapacitating injuries during a single-vehicle accident that occurred at around 5:20-a.m., Saturday. 18-year-old Colby Wayne Burg, of Creston, was traveling south on Elm Street and was looking at his phone to check a music app, when he lost control of the car.

The vehicle went off the road and damaged a City of Creston road sign (valued at $100) before hitting a set of concrete steps, causing significant damage ($3,000) to the vehicle. Burg was not transported to the hospital, and there were no citations issued.

Omaha, NE. —The Metropolitan Area Planning Agency (MAPA) is seeking public feedback for 33 transportation improvement projects in Omaha and Council Bluffs. A trail, plans and studies to upgrade access for bicyclists and pedestrians, as well as several intersection improvements, are part of the propositions, which total over $58 million.

The 33 projects are part of the Transportation Improvement Program, which is a six-year document, and are being considered for federal transportation funding. The program also includes highway maintenance and expansion, Metro Transit projects and aviation projects.

Public comments can be made from now through June 22nd. Interested persons are invited to attend an open house at the MAPA offices on June 8th from 4-5:30 p.m. Written comments may be submitted by 4:30 p.m. on June 22 via email (mapa@mapacog.org) or U.S. mail (MAPA, 2222 Cuming St., Omaha, NE 68102).

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Authorities say alcohol is believed to have been a factor in a collision between a car and a van that took place at around 4:30-p.m. Friday in Pottawattamie County. The crash resulted in three people being transported to the hospital.

The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2004 Honda Element driven by 28-year-old Betsy Shaddy, of Neola, was traveling east on Interstate 80 near mile marker 11 northeast of Council Bluffs, when the vehicle crossed the median and struck a westbound 2018 U-Haul Econoline van driven by 28-year-old Patrick Drazkowski, of Coon Rapids, Minnesota.

Following the collision, the car went off into the west ditch. The van flipped multiple times before coming to rest just off I-80, in the ditch. Both drivers were injured, along with a passenger in the van, 26-year-old Mitchell Drazkowski, of Coon Rapids, MN. Betsy Shaddy was transported by Underwood Fire/Rescue to Jennie Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs. The occupants of the van were transported to Mercy Hospital by Council Bluffs Fire/Rescue. All of the crash victims were wearing their seat belts.

The accident remains under investigation.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says the baby formula shortage in the U.S. is due to a lack of foresight and action by the Democrat administration. “Back in February Abbott’s Sturgis Michigan facility closed down following a voluntary recall of baby formula. The Biden administration’s FDA should have developed a plan to prevent shortages then — but they sat on their hands for months,” Hinson says.

The baby formula is regulated by the FDA and Hinson says that’s important to keep it safe, but they need to be able to react to these types of situations. “We still haven’t seen a plan from the FDA in my mind there is no excuse for this incompetence,” Hinson says. “Last week I called for the FDA to provide a clear timeline for getting formula back on the shelves as well as a plan to prevent future shortages. This cannot happen again,” she says.

Hinson says a plan proposed by Speaker Nancy Pelosi that passed the House threw money at the problem, but didn’t provide a long-term solution. Hinson and fellow Republicans Mariannette Miller-Meeks and Randy Feenstra voted against the Pelosi bill. Democrats Congresswoman Cindy Axne voted for the measure.

Cong. Hinson recently spoke about the baby formula issue on the House floor. (CSPAN screenshot)

Hinson says families looking for special formulas may find some relief soon. “Abbott is releasing certain types of metabolic formulas that were previously on hold. If that applies, parents should be calling Abbott the 800 number is 1-800-881-0876. And they can call that number for assistance and start the process in getting some of that formula as quickly as possible,” according to Hinson.

The president announced that he is invoking the Defense Production Act to try and help speed up the restocking of the formula.”We’ve been in direct conversations with Abbott, and before the President’s announcement yesterday (Wednesday) we had already received word from them that they are working to not only get that plant operational but that we should be in a place where shelves are backstopped within four to eight weeks,” Hinson says. She says the president’s action does not go to the root of the problem in creating a plan for the FDA to deal with the situation.

Hinson made her comments during her weekly conference call with reporters.

(Radio Iowa) – Mason City’s mayor has just returned from a trip to New York City where he presented the “Key to the City” to the cast and crew of the current Broadway production of “The Music Man,” which was created by Mason City-native Meredith Willson. Mayor Bill Schickel says he had a fabulous time along with his family and others from Mason City in representing the community.  Mayor Schickel says, “My counterpart, Mayor George Shinn, played by Jefferson Mays, a Tony-award winning actor in his own right, I was able to present the key to him in a ceremony right before the show and extend an invitation to him and the rest of the cast to attend our Band Festival next year.”

“It was a “very warm welcome,” Shickel says and it made him proud to be a Mason Citian. Wednesday was the 120th anniversary of Willson’s birth. Schickel gave a rave review of the musical. “It was beyond fantastic,” Schickel says. “Honestly, I’ve never been to a Broadway show before, but it was very…I mean…all the actors…it was exciting! It just made me proud to be from River City.”

The musical premiered on Broadway in December of 1957, running for 1,375 performances before closing in April of 1961. A 2000 Broadway revival ran for just under 700 performances. The current Broadway revival began previews on December 20th and opened on February 10th and has received six Tony Award nominations, including “Best Revival of a Musical.”