(Radio Iowa) — The June survey of business leaders in Iowa and eight other Midwestern states signals positive growth for the region over the next three-to-six months. Ernie Goss, an economist at Creighton University, says while things are starting to pick up after several down months, international trade troubles continue to cloud the regional and national outlooks “Tariffs restrict buying from abroad,” Goss says. “A lot of our supply managers are finding it more expensive to buy from abroad. Likewise, selling into Chinese markets where the Chinese have retaliated, that’s been a real challenge.”

The Creighton survey found the regional economy expanded at a slower pace than the rest of the nation for the first half of 2019, Goss says, but overall, hiring for the region’s manufacturing sector for June was up significantly.  “The number-one challenge over the next 12 months is finding and hiring qualified workers due to almost-record low unemployment rates in most of the region,” Goss says. “Forty percent of supply managers indicated that was their number-one challenge.”

Still, according to the June survey, better than 71-percent of supply managers supported continuing current tariffs on China or even raising them. Finding workers to fill open positions remains a daunting chore. “Both the U.S. and the region’s employment growth are slowing down, and that’s somewhat troubling, but that’s what we’re seeing,” Goss says. “Some of that is related to finding and hiring qualified workers, but there have been negative impacts from floods and from trade.”

Goss says the recent surveys indicate both durable and non-durable goods producers in Iowa are seeing positive gains in economic activity. Figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show Iowa workers have experienced a solid 3.6 percent increase in hourly wages over the past 12 months, above the national gain of 3.1 percent over the same period of time.

The area’s latest and/or top news stories at 7:06-a.m. From KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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WESTFIELD, Iowa (AP) — A former city clerk has been charged with stealing from the city in northwest Iowa. Plymouth County court records say 50-year-old Angela Sorensen is charged with theft and ongoing criminal conduct. Sorensen’s preliminary hearing is scheduled for Monday.

Station KTIV reports that Sorensen had been clerk in Westfield from May 25, 2013, until she quit in August 2017. A special state audit of the city books shows auditors identified nearly $40,000 of utility payments to the city that were never deposited.

Auditors also said Sorensen was overpaid by more than $13,000 during the 4½ years, and said she wrote herself about $4,300 worth of unauthorized checks.

(Radio Iowa) — A charging bull caused an all terrain vehicle accident in northwest Iowa. Fifty-two-year old Joseph Eickholt of rural Hinton was checking his cattle Friday evening when a bull had turned and started charging after Eickholt and the ATV. In an effort to escape the bull, Eickholt drove through a wash-out causing his ATV to roll, throwing Eickholt from the machine. Eickholt was able to place a cell phone call to his family, who found him lying in the pasture. Eickholt was airlifted by a medical helicopter to Mercy One of Sioux City. Officials say his condition is not known, but determined not to be life threatening.

BRIGHTON, Iowa (AP) — Authorities say the body of a missing kayaker has been found in southeast Iowa. A news release from Washington County says the body of 52-year-old David Woodson was recovered around 4:40 p.m. Monday. He was reported missing Saturday night, after his kayak flipped in the Skunk River near Brighton. He didn’t resurface.
The search began Saturday night, continued without success on Sunday and resumed Monday morning. Woodson lived in Brighton.

Firefighters from Walnut and Harlan were called to assist Avoca Fire at a possible house fire in Avoca. The incident occurred at 907 N. Frost Avenue, at around 2:53-a.m., when residents thought they had smoke coming from a register in the home. A Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputy arriving on the scene reported two residents of the home had safely evacuated, but there was no smoke or flames visible.

Walnut and Harlan Fire were told to “disregard” the response at around 3:07-a.m. About 10-minutes later, it was determined there was no fire, and all units returned to service.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 2:30 a.m. CDT

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The chief executive officer of an Iowa-based banking company has been appointed to be the state’s top banking regulator. Gov. Kim Reynolds says she’s named Northwest Financial Corp. CEO Jeff Plagge to superintendent of the Iowa Division of Banking.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Principal Financial Group says it has closed its purchase of Wells Fargo’s Institutional Retirement & Trust business. Principal says with the closing, it is beginning the integration of the Wells Fargo retirement business that includes 401k, pension, executive deferred compensation, employee stock ownership plans and asset advice. Principal previously announced the $1.2 billion deal would be financed with cash and senior debt financing.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new report says a June survey of business supply managers suggests economic growth will continue over the next three to six months in nine Midwest and Plains states. The report issued Monday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index rose to 55.4 last month from 54.3 in May. The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline.

KNOXVILLE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities in southern Iowa’s Marion County say a man trapped under a trailer has died. The Marion County Sheriff’s Office says someone called 911 around 5:30 p.m. Saturday and said medical and other help was needed at a Knoxville address. The sheriff’s office identified him as 53-year-old Richard Shilling, who lived in Knoxville. The office says Shilling had been working under the trailer when a jack supporting it failed.

Police in Red Oak arrested 36-year old Joseph Aaron Nelson, of Red Oak, on two counts of Child Endangerment Monday evening, after they received a report of children left unattended inside of a hot car near the Dollar General Store.

Joseph Aaron Nelson

When officers arrived, they found two children inside of a vehicle, which was turned-off and had one window down. The outside temperature at the time was around 90 degrees. Witnesses said the children had been inside the vehicle for 10-to 15-minutes.

The children – a 5 month old female and a 5-year old male – were removed from the vehicle and placed inside of an ambulance to cool down. While medics were attending to the children, Nelson came out of the store. He was taken into custody at around 5:22-p.m. and transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where his bond was set at $2,000.

Red Oak Police remind parents and care givers, to consider the following during warmer months:

• Never leave a child or pets in an unattended vehicle, even with the windows down.
• Make it habit to open the rear door of the vehicle every time you park, to ensure no one is left inside.
• To enforce that habit, place an item that you can’t start your day without – such as a purse, briefcase, employee badge, phone, etc. – inside your vehicle in the back seat.
• When at home, keep your vehicle locked at all times, even in the garage.
• Never leave keys within reach of children.
• If a child is missing, immediately check the vehicle, floorboards and trunk of all vehicles in the area.

According to the National Weather Service, 16 toddlers have died in 2019 as a result of being left in hot vehicles. The Red Oak Police Dept. is asking citizens to keep an eye out for children or pets left in vehicles on hot days, and to call 9-1-1 if you see any unaccompanied child or pets, in distress.

(Radio Iowa) — Minnesota Senator Amy Klobuchar is the first of NINE Democratic presidential candidates planning to campaign in Iowa this week, heading into a flurry of festivities surrounding Independence Day.

Radio Iowa photo of the Atlantic event

Klobuchar started out Monday afternoon speaking to a crowd of Democrats in Atlantic, mentioning her appearance in last week’s candidate debate in Miami.

Without mentioning the name of any rival, Klobuchar told the crowd she isn’t the candidate who’ll be making a bunch of “huge promises.”

Klobuchar later told reporters candidates need to make sure what they promise can get done soon after they take office. And she seemed to strike a contrast with former Vice President Biden, who has touted his ability to work across party lines.

(Radio Iowa photo)

“It’s not a goal just to say: ‘Hey, I get along with people,'” Klobuchar said. “That’s great. O.k., maybe that’s fun if you want to, like, go out for dinner or something, but it won’t accomplish anything. What matters is what are the results and if one of the ways to get results is to push the envelope on the first 100 days, I’m going to do it.” In the months leading up to Iowa’s 2020 Caucuses, Klobuchar said she’ll be “all over” Iowa in the same way she’s campaigned in neighboring Minnesota.

Klobuchar’s campaign hosted a potluck Monday evening, in Adel. One of her staffers used Klobuchar’s recipe for a “hot dish” featuring tater tots and pepper jack cheese. Klobuchar won a “hot dish” contest with the recipe a few years ago.

The Union County Sheriff’s Office said Monday (July 1st), that a woman from Lorimor reported late Thursday morning, someone had entered her home and had taken three tv’s, two tv stands, three DVD players, 200 DVD’s, clothing, jewelry, two kids’ beds, an I-Pod tablet, frozen meat and other frozen items, plus an X-Box. Theft, which had occurred sometime earlier that day, resulted in a loss of about $3,950.