BETTENDORF, Iowa (AP) — A local investment group has bought an eastern Iowa steel castings company that filed for bankruptcy protection in March. Scott Tinsman Jr. represents the Tinsman family, which is part of the group, and he said Friday the group bought 100 percent of the Sivyer Steel assets from the bankruptcy court in July. The price: $6.5 million.
The company’s new name will be Sivyer Steel Castings LLC. New CEO Michael Baxley says the company plans to renovate its Bettendorf facility and update its equipment. The company also hopes to add to the list of more than 240 employees.
Sivyer produces medium to large steel castings for the mining, military, passenger rail and oil and gas industries. Company officials say a slowdown in orders, especially from the mining industry, forced the bankruptcy filing. Tinsman says Sivyer has “hit the bottom, and we’re on the way up.”

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped slightly to 2.5 percent in August, giving the state the second-lowest rate in the country. Iowa Workforce Development reported Friday that the unemployment rate dropped from 2.6 percent in July and was down from 3 percent a year ago. Iowa was only behind Hawaii, which has the nation’s lowest rate of 2.1 percent.

The number of unemployed people in Iowa dropped to 42,800 in August, with the total number of working Iowans climbing to 1.64 million.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — The Missouri River’s fluctuating water levels are keeping crews busy fixing broken sewer lines and filling sinkholes around Council Bluffs. The Daily Nonpareil reports that the Army Corps of Engineers believes the river will fluctuate between 23 feet and 28 feet deep over the next week. The agency says the water rises as upstream dams release water in order to reduce flood risk along the lower Missouri River.

Dan Christensen is the sewer department supervisor for Council Bluffs Public Works. He says the river’s ebb and flow has created several sink holes in the city. The issue has been complicated by heavy rain and drainage issues. Christensen says city workers and contractors are working as fast as possible to repair the holes, but more sinkhole issues could arise.

(Radio Iowa) — Powerful winds and heavy rain hit northwest Iowa last (Thursday) night, leaving a mess behind. Emmet County was one of the areas hit hardest with destructive winds and heavy rainfall. There were reports of power outages, as well as numerous trees and branches down.

Extensive damage occurred at the Green Plains ethanol plant office in Superior, and damage to equipment and trucks was reported to have taken place at the Superior Co-op. Part of the roof was torn off, along with blown out windows and an outside wall was ripped off the structure.

There were also reports of buildings and homes in the Estherville area that sustained extensive damage. As a precaution, several businesses along Central Avenue were evacuated because of a natural gas leak. Iowa Lakes Community College evacuated students from two dorm buildings due to downed power lines. All students were safe and were able to return to the dorms later in the evening.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Insurance Division has fined a Florida man and revoked his license, alleging he’d scammed people who were buying health insurance. The division said in a news release Thursday that it ordered Covals Douze, of Coconut Creek, Florida, to pay fines and fees totaling nearly $44,000. The division also revoked Douze’s nonresident insurance producer license and barred him from reapplying for licensure for 15 years. Division spokesman Chance McElhaney says that, among other violations by Douze, people were told they were purchasing a health insurance policy but instead received a life insurance policy.

Sheriff’s officials in Pottawattamie County say a man being held in the Pott. County Jail on a Driving While Barred charge, now faces an additional charge of Possessing Contraband in a Jail facility. 26-year old Nathanael Lee Romick-Sleep, of Council Bluffs, was charged Thursday with the narcotics violation, and returned to the custody of jail staff. His bond on the Possession charge was set at $5,000. And, a traffic stop Thursday afternoon on a pickup in Crescent, resulted in the arrest of 49-year old Joseph Bernard Duffy, of Crescent. Duffy was taken into custody for Driving While Revoked. No listing of him was found on the Pott. County Jail roster this (Friday) morning.

More State and area news from KJAN News Director Ric Hanson.

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A traffic stop at around 2:40-a.m. today (Friday), resulted in a pursuit that reached speeds of up to 100-miles per hour. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office reports deputies tried to stop a 2002 Mitsubishi Eclipse at the intersection of Highway 71 and 235th Street. The vehicle continued south on Highway 71 at a high rate of speed. The chase ended on Montgomery-Page Street, west of Highway 71, when the car attempted to travel down a mud road, and slid into the ditch. The driver, identified as 25-year old James Robert Castillo, of Bedford, tried to flee on foot and ignored Deputies’ commands to stop. He was taken into custody in an open field south of his vehicle, after the Montgomery County K-9 was deployed.

Castillo was charged with felony Eluding, along with Possession of Methamphetamine, Possession of Marijuana with the Intent to Deliver, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, and Interference with Official Acts. Castillo was also cited for Speeding 100-mph in a 55 zone, Driving While Suspended, Having No Insurance, Operating a vehicle without registration, fraudulent use of registration, and a stop sign violation.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Deputies with the Adams and Page County Sheriff’s Departments, Red Oak Police, the Montgomery County K-9 Unit, Clarinda EMS and Snyder’s Towing.

Shelby County Emergency Management Agency Operations Manager Jason Wickizer reports, that at about 6:30-p.m. Thursday, Shelby County 911 received a call in reference to a motorcyclist who had been blown off the road while in route from Harlan to Sioux City. The motorcyclist indicated he was in a ditch and injured, with his motorcycle on top of him. The man did not know where he was, and that his phone had gone dead. Based upon his probable route and rate of travel, Incident Command was established in Dunlap, with Shelby County assuming Incident Command.

Nine search teams from Harrison, Shelby, Monona, and Crawford Counties deployed. An additional six fire departments staged and were ready to deploy. At 9:41-p.m., a farmer had located the motorcyclist, who refused medical treatment. The search was subsequently called off. The man’s name was not released.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A former Omaha Tribal Council member has been sentenced to five years of probation and told to pay more than $13,000 in restitution for misusing federal funds. Court records say Forrest Aldrich was sentenced Thursday in U.S. District Court in Omaha. He’d pleaded guilty in June to misapplication of health care benefit program funds. Other federal charges were dropped in exchange for his plea. The records show he’s already repaid more than $4,000.

Aldrich was one of nine tribal officials accused of misusing federal funds by awarding themselves nearly $389,000 in bonuses. Officials say the bonuses were paid from Indian Health Service funds meant to provide health care to members of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska who reside on the Omaha Reservation in Macy in northeastern Nebraska and in western Iowa.