(Updated 3/24/22) – Police in Red Oak, Wednesday evening (March 23rd), arrested a man for OWI/1st offense, following an investigation into a property damage accident. Authorities said the incident occurred at around 7:45-p.m. in the 400 block of East Reed Street, at Fountain Square Park. The driver of the suspect vehicle, identified as 67-year-old Randal Joe Barr, of Red Oak, was located at the intersection of 2nd and Prospect Street, along with a 2003 Ford Ranger pickup.

The pickup sustained an estimated $6,000 damage. Barr was checked for injuries by Red Oak Rescue personnel, but was not to have been injured. He was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, and held on $1,000 bond.

The City of Red Oak sustained an estimated $5,000 in damages to multiple city-owned objects at Fountain Square Park, and, a Chevy Malibu, registered to Russell Skellenger, of Red Oak, was broad-sided, sustaining about $1,000 in damage during the incident. The car was parked in the 700 block of N. 2nd Street, when it was struck.

(Marne, Iowa) – Rescue crews from the Marne Fire Department and Cass EMS in Atlantic were dispatched to a two-vehicle, personal injury accident this (Thursday) morning. The incident, which occurred on I-80 eastbound near the 52.5 mile marker, was reported at around 6:27-a.m.  An injured elderly female was said to be in one of vehicles, that was in a ditch. Additional details are currently not available.

(Radio Iowa) – Morningside University is buying more than 70 acres of farmland in Sioux City from Woodbury County that will be used to expand agricultural opportunities for the college’s students. Tom Paulsen heads the agricultural and food studies department at Morningside and says hands-on learning is vital for agricultural careers. Paulsen says, “A lot of our students go back to family farming operations and having the opportunity to work in the agronomy sector, the crop production sector, as well as all the other opportunities we have for them is going to be critical for their future success.”

Lessons like crop-scouting or hybrid analysis will move out of the classroom and onto the farm. Paulsen says the land will give students the opportunity to learn everything from budgeting to hybrid selection.  “When the students have the opportunity to be engaged, and to actually manage something themselves and make decisions that are meaningful, not just theoretical, it’s a whole different aspect to the quality of their educational experience,” he says.

The farm sits just five miles down the road from the university. Paulsen says students could start using the land as early as next year. He hopes the addition can help expand the department’s offerings.

(reporting by Kendall Crawford, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa S-E-I-U 199 union representing healthcare workers has merged with a similar union in Minnesota to form a new 50-thousand member organization called S-E-I-U Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa. Iowa union member Dawn Shannahan is a teacher at the University of Iowa Hospitals and says both unions face many of the same battles. “Having a larger voice, joining with Minnesota, is going to help us so much,” she says. Shannahan says they can now share resources.

“That means that we can collaborate even more and it allows us to have even more power. And more power is going to allow us to fight and win — not only for our workers here at the hospital — but workers across the state of Iowa,” Shannahan says. Barbera Stanerson was the president of the Iowa union and now becomes of vice president of the newly merged organization. “What I feel is the most important thing we were going to get out of this merger is that it is reassuring workers in Iowa that we are not alone in this fight,” according to Stannerson.

Barbera Stanerson w/SEIU

Stannerson says she also believes the merger will go beyond current members to help others. “Who also have been struggling with Iowa’s anti-labor laws,” Stannerson says. “Our goal is to build a strong union so our members’ safety and economic security are no longer ignored. The playing field will become more level — because when we do better — everybody does better.”

Mayo, HealthPartners, and Mercy One have facilities in both Minnesota and Iowa. Iowa S-E-I-U 199 had five-thousand members before merging with Minnesota S-E-I-U — which has 45-thousand members.

(Radio Iowa) – Republicans in the Iowa House and Senate have voted to reduce the maximum number of weeks Iowans may receive unemployment benefits by 10 weeks — from about half a year today, down to 16 weeks. Senate Republicans favor an additional step — a one-week delay in delivery of the first unemployment check for a laid off worker. Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, says Iowa would join at least 39 other states that have a one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits.

“It is also the opportunity when you make sure that everybody who is applying is eligible, that benefits have been paid out on that person and most importantly, probably, is that the level of fraud may be kept down,” Schultz says. Schultz says Senate Republicans are going to stand firm and insist that this be part of the final bill.

“There’s a mindset that takes place,” Schultz says. “…They are told: ‘Your benefits start in a week’…They immediately go look for something and they better their lives.” Governor Kim Reynolds has said these two moves will address Iowa’s workforce shortage by getting unemployed Iowans back to work more quickly. Representative Michael Bousselot, of Ankeny, is the Republican who led House debate of their plan to cut the number of weeks of unemployment benefits.

“Getting back to work is more important than ever,” Bousselot said. “…It’s important for Iowa families, but it’s most important for hardworking Iowans, for hardworking Iowans who I’ve heard from, who we’ve all heard from, who say that they own a business and they can’t fill the jobs that they need.” Bousselot says cutting jobless benefits to a maximum of 16 weeks ensures the stability of Iowa’s Unemployment Trust Fund for workers, like a waitress he met in Ankeny.

“She says: ‘I keep working and working and working to get ahead…I don’t understand why people are getting paid not to work,'” Bousselot said. “…We need to make the system that we’re talking about solvent for her.” Representative Chris Hall, a Democrat from Sioux City, says the state needs to attract more residents rather than come up with more punitive policies.

“Is the solvency of the Unemployment Trust Fund at risk? No,” Hall says. “And nobody’s buying the governor’s rational that garbage policy like this will have a positive economic impact.” House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst) of Windsor Heights says the plan punishes people who’ve been fired through no fault of their own. “This is short sighted,” Konfrst said. “This is mean and this is wrong.” Democrats say the state should be boosting investments in child care and affordable housing to address the workforce crisis.

Representative Timi Brown-Powers, a Democrat from Waterloo, says there’s a workforce shortage here because Iowa is a low-wage state. “We don’t respect our workers. We have shown that time and time again,” Brown-Powers says. “In fact, this particular bill is a slap in the face of hardworking Iowans.” Senator Tony Bisignano, a Democrat from Des Moines, says these moves aren’t Iowa Nice and he got into a brief shouting match with Republicans in the Senate last (Wednesday) night.

“I don’t know how we get any lower than this,” Bisignano. “…The governor of this state chooses this as our direction?…This is your party’s agenda at its worst.” Last fall Governor Reynolds announced she intended to refocus the state agency that manages unemployment benefits on “rapid re-employment.” Bousselot — who used to be the governor’s budget director — emphasizes that, too.

“It’s about key jobs that are open,” Bousselot says. During her Condition of the State address in January, Reynolds said unemployment benefits had become a hammock for some and contributes to Iowa’s labor shortage.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Agriculture has issued an order canceling all live bird exhibitions in response to the bird flu outbreak. The order prevents bird exhibitions at fairs and other gatherings and also prohibits live birds from being sold or transferred at livestock auction markets, swap meets, or exotic sales. The Department’s order begins immediately and lasts until 30 days have passed without confirmation of a new infection in domestic poultry in the state.

The Ag Department says Iowa currently has more than six million birds impacted by the bird flu across five commercial and backyard poultry flocks.

(Lewis, Iowa) – ISU Field Agronomist and Extension Outreach Aaron Saeugling, Wednesday (March 23rd), provided the latest answer to the questions of “How dry are we,” and “Is there a lack of subsoil moisture this spring?” Saeugling says he wants to put into perspective where we are, related to past and current conditions in southwest Iowa. (See the chart below for monthly precipitation dating back to 2014).

Saeugling says “If we look at last year 2020 as a record breaking crop year we notice a few things that spring was abnormally dry with just enough moisture in July to produce a crop. We also notice the October precipitation in 2020m was dramatically lower causing a poor sub soil moisture going into the 2021 crop year.”

“This current crop year,” he says, “We have adequate subsoil moisture based on good October rains in excess of 4 inches. While yes January and February were a record low levels of precipitation the amount so far in march will more than make up for the dry winter.” Saeugling said also, “No  knows what the future holds,  but we are in a better place now for subsoil moisture than in past springs.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Auditor’s Office reports another candidate has filed nomination papers for the November General Election. Officials say Pat Erickson filed papers Wednesday, for the Edna Township Trustee’s position.

There remains one other slot open on the ballot for the same position.

(Radio Iowa) – Winnebago Industries saw second quarter revenues rise by almost 39-percent. The outdoor lifestyle products manufacturer with Iowa factories in Forest City, Lake Mills, Charles City and Waverly matched the record of one-point-two billion dollars set in the first quarter of the fiscal year, compared to almost 840-million for the same quarter of last fiscal year. Winnebago president and C-E-O Michael Happe says consumer demand for the company’s products continues to be strong.

“Through our interactions with our consumers and feedback we receive from our dealers, consumers clearly recognize our products as being differentiated,” Happe says. “This differentiation is a result of our relentless focus on our golden threads of quality, service and innovation. Robust consumer demand is a powerful undercurrent that we believe will continue to propel our company’s growth through the current fiscal year and beyond.” Happe says demand for the company’s products at recent trade shows proves people are continuing to buy recreational vehicles and boats.

“Strong attendance at the recent Tampa RV show and the Miami boat show resulted in retail sales that exceeded our expectations. In fact, most of our retail shows this spring are seeing record sales for our brands,” he says. “This foreshadows a solid spring selling season that is historically reflected in our second-half results.” Happe says market share gains across all segments are evidence of a deep affinity for the company’s brands.

“On a trailing three-month basis through January, our RV market share was 14.3%, up a full 100 basis points from 13.3% for the same period in 2021,” Happe says. “In our marine segment, Bartletta has now grown to be the fifth largest pontoon boat company by market share at 4.6% on a trailing three-month basis through December, and recent retail results show them approaching and breaking the 5% barrier.”

Gross profit for the company in the second quarter was $216.6 million, up almost 40% when compared to $156.6 million for the same period last year.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, IA – The U-S Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa said Wednesday, 53-year-old Jeffrey M. Carley, who is formerly of Treynor, was sentenced Tuesday, March 22, 2022, to five-years in prison for investment fraud. Carley was a financial investment counselor and he owned or had an ownership interest in Carley Financial Group, Prosperity Partners, and Main Street Solutions. From as early as 2013, until December of 2020, Carley encouraged his clients to move money from their traditional IRA accounts to a “self-directed” IRA. Carley then advised his clients to move their money from the “self-directed” IRA to investment opportunities Carley owned or had ownership interest in and advised clients they would receive a financial return. Carley never told his clients that he owned or had an interest in the investments he represented to them as solid investments. Carley also failed to invest the clients’ money and instead used the funds for his personal expenses. Carley pleaded guilty to Wire Fraud on October 22, 2021.

Assistant United States Attorney Richard E. Rothrock in the government’s sentencing brief, said “The defendant…has destroyed the savings of people that trusted him and there is no way to quantify the damage the defendant did to the emotional security of those he stole from. Making this crime even more egregious, it appears, although one cannot be sure, that the defendant flitted away all the money he stole for personal purposes, leaving nothing available to repay the victims.” The sentencing judge noted the length of time the scheme lasted and the harm and age of the victims as some of the aggravating factors in this case she considered in determining the five-year sentence. Following his prison term, Carley will serve three years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $1,364,163.02 in restitution to the victims.

United States Attorney Richard D. Westphal of the Southern District of Iowa made the announcement. The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated the case. This case was prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.