Officials with the Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) today (Friday) announced the launch of the new Small Business Utility Disruption Prevention Program. The program will provide short-term relief to eligible small businesses and nonprofits that faced significant hardship in the payment of utility bills for service provided during the months of disruption to their business due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The program offers grants up to $7,500 to be applied to utility bill debt for eligible small businesses.

IEDA and Iowa Finance Authority Director Debi Durham says “Iowa’s small businesses and nonprofits keep our communities and our economy moving forward, and they have been hit hard in these unprecedented times. We are proud to work with our utility partners statewide through this new program to help reduce the burden and position small businesses for recovery and growth.” A funding allocation of $14.5 million from the CARES Act is available to IEDA for this initiative. To be eligible to receive assistance, businesses must have:

• a physical (non-residential) location in Iowa and 50 or fewer employees;
• not received funding from the IEDA’s Small Business Relief Grant Program;
• experienced a COVID-19 loss of revenue on or after March 17, 2020, that resulted in unpaid bills for electric or natural gas service provided between March 17, 2020, and June 30, 2020; and
• remained in operation or re-opened at the time of application.

For a full list of eligibility requirements, additional information and to apply, visit iowabusinessrecovery.com. Applications will be accepted between July 17, 2020, and August 21, 2020, or until funding is depleted, whichever comes first. Applications will be reviewed in the order received. Assistance will be awarded based on application completeness and eligibility until all funds have been exhausted.

Questions regarding the Small Business Utility Disruption Prevention Program can be submitted via email to energyrecovery@iowaeda.com or by phone at 1.855.300.2342.

The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department reports the arrest Thursday night of 51-year old Donald Richard Anson, from Council Bluffs. Anson was arrested following a reported assault at a residence on Wildwood Road, in Council Bluffs. He was charged with Domestic Abuse Assault/1st offense – causing injury. Thursday afternoon, Pott. County Deputies served 28-year old Michael Benjamin Seely, of Council Bluffs, with a warrant for Violation of Probation. Seely was being held in the Pott. County Jail when he was served.

Thursday morning, 42-year old Dustin Alan Crisler was arrested for OWI/1st offense, following a traffic stop and 290th and Pioneer Trail, in Pottawattamie County.

(Radio Iowa) – For many years, Iowans have heard about gasoline prices, holiday travel forecasts and vehicle safety reports from Triple-A-Iowa spokeswoman Rose White — who’s retiring next week after nearly five decades on the job. White started at the motor club’s Omaha-Council Bluffs office as a teenager in 1973, just months before the oil embargo and when gas cost 39-cents a gallon. “I was just getting out of high school, going to college at night, and found this very important opportunity at AAA,” White says. “I had no idea I was going to stay there so long. I actually had other ambitions, but fell in love with the company and its mission right away.”

One of White’s first duties was to supply data for AAA’s then-brand-new Fuel Gauge Report which tracks gas price fluctuations across the state and nation. Iowa’s traffic fatality numbers peaked in the 1970s when the annual death toll was often into the 700s. Last year, Iowa recorded 322 traffic deaths, and with the coronavirus pandemic, we’re on track for a record low.  “The advancements that have been made in technology are vastly improved from what we had seen back in the 1970s,” White says. “The newer cars come equipped with all types of new technology, collision avoidance, automatic braking, those are going to help prevent crashes and save lives. It’s very encouraging to see the advancements that have been made.”

Throughout her long tenure, White has worked in the association’s public affairs division, which she’s directed since long before the new millennium arrived. “I have probably done thousands of interviews, some on the national news, one involving Dan Rather, Connie Chung, ‘Good Morning, America,'” White says. “It’s been a wonderful experience, a wonderful journey and I’ll forever hold in my heart all the special moments that have taken place during my nearly-50-year career at AAA.”

It’s exceptionally rare for someone to stay with the same company for so long, and White, who’s now 65, was asked if she had any advice about her professional longevity:  “One of the things is just find a job that you love, and clearly, I did and I feel so very blessed to have been in this position for so long.”

White’s final day on the job is August 1st. She plans to travel more and says she’ll devote more time to her granddaughter.

(Radio Iowa) – Authorities say video from businesses in Dallas, Texas, shows two vehicles with Iowa license plates fleeing the scene of a shooting there in January, and five of the seven suspects are now in custody.  Records released by the Dallas Police Department show three of the people in custody are from Iowa and two are from Illinois. Authorities say two other suspects from Iowa are still on the run. Based on the list of agencies involved, the suspects may be from the Quad Cities and Ottumwa. According to a statement from the Dallas P-D, the video footage shows the suspects outside one of the vehicles before the shooting. Police say their investigation determined the group of three women and four men allegedly traveled to Texas to engage in prostitution and decided to rob a man and woman sitting in a vehicle at a stoplight near a public park in Dallas.)

From the Dallas, TX, police:
Darrell Anthony Rice (B/M/26) of Iowa. (In Custody)
Terrance Donnell Harris (B/M/28) of Illinois. (In Custody)
Lindsey Nicole Berhenke (W/F/27) of Illinois. (In Custody)
Lamonta Omar Payne (B/M/32) of Iowa. (In Custody)
Kayla Jean Hobert (W/F/29) of Iowa. (In Custody)
Gregory Lionel Carter Jr (B/M/29) of Iowa. (At Large)
Ashley Marie Allison (W/F/25) of Iowa. (At Large)