OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A new survey of bankers suggests the economy is growing in rural parts of 10 Plains and Western states. The survey released Thursday showed that the overall index for rural parts of the region improved to 55.9 in January from December’s 50.2. Any score above 50 suggests a growing economy.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says hiring remains strong across the region. Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming were surveyed.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Republican legislative leaders have introduced a resolution that would declare there is no right to an abortion under the Iowa Constitution. The proposed constitutional amendment introduced Thursday is a response to a 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling striking down a law requiring a 72-hour waiting period for women seeking an abortion.

The court said in that ruling the state constitution guarantees women freedom to make their own health decisions, including whether to have an abortion. A constitutional amendment must pass this year, next year and then win approval of voters in a statewide election.

(Radio Iowa) — Before the impeachment trial began, U-S Senate leaders managed to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement today (Wednesday), cementing a major new trade deal that’s been years in the making. Iowa Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, says this is a vital pact with our neighbors to the north and south and promises a tremendous boost for the Iowa economy.

Ernst says, “Our farmers, manufacturers and small business owners need certainty and predictability and getting this deal done with our top two trading partners, Mexico and Canada, gives them exactly that.” Iowa is the nation’s number-one pork producer, and in 2018, Canada and Mexico bought more than 40-percent of all U-S pork exports. Iowa is also the country’s number-one egg producer and the U-S-M-C-A will raise U-S exports of poultry and eggs to Canada alone by 207-million dollars.

“This is a huge, long-awaited, wonderful arrival for Iowa,” Ernst says. “Iowa exports more to Canada and Mexico than we do to our next 27 trade partners combined. This is a big deal.” A report from the U-S International Trade Commission says the U-S-M-C-A will raise the nation’s gross domestic product by more than 68-billion dollars and will create nearly 176-thousand jobs, while boosting farm and food exports by at least two-point-two billion dollars. Ernst says, “The USMCA is truly a win for everyone, especially my fellow Iowans.”
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As the impeachment trial proceedings against President Trump begin in the U-S Senate, Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says she’ll take her seat and do as required as an impartial juror, but she’s not overjoyed by the process. “A lot of us do see it as a political exercise,” Ernst says. “When you can go back and look at the number of House Democrats who, before he was even sworn into office, stated that they were going to impeach President Trump.” The two articles of impeachment were passed in the U-S House on December 18th, but since then, Ernst notes how House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a Democrat, has delayed sending the articles to the Senate.

“Just as we observed the rush to get things done in the House and then, wow, I guess it really wasn’t that urgent because they’ve been sitting on those darn articles for over a month,” Ernst says. “The whole process has really been odd or unusual or bizarre.” Of herself and her fellow senator-jurors, Ernst says: “We will hear the record that has been presented by the House, all of the information they were able to put together and present with those articles of impeachment. We will be as fair as possible.”

(Radio Iowa) — The leader of the Iowa National Guard, Major General Ben Corell, says a major deployment of Iowa soldiers is coming this year. “Over the past years the number of federal mobilizations have been relatively light. This will change in the next couple of months — as a number of Iowa Army National Guard Units will mobilize and deploy, Corell says. General Corell says there are currently around 100 soldiers and airmen deployed overseas. “By this time next year — we expect to see over two-thousand Iowa National Guard members deployed overseas,” Corell says. “They will in support of operations in the European Command, the Central Command and the Africa Command.”

Maj. Gen. Ben Corell

Corell says it has been almost ten years since this many guard members were activated for federal duty. “This will be the largest number of our personnel deployed since 2001, involving nearly 30 percent of our Iowa National Guard force structure,” according to Corell. “Based on projections, these mobilizations will begin this may, they will continue through this summer, and will complete the mobilizations by this summer. Mission requirements can and do change — but this is what we are currently expecting.” Corell announced the deployments during the annual state of the National Guard address today (Thursday) to the Iowa Legislature.

“I recognize the challenges that these deployments represent for our servicemembers, their families, our employers and our Iowa National Guard communities. We have always been fortunate here in Iowa to have incredible support across this state,” Corell says. “We are reassured by our previous experiences as the Iowa National Guard once again prepares to send soldiers and airmen into harms way.” General Corell did not identify in his speech the specific units that will be deployed.

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – An inmate who fled a Waterloo residential reentry center as he neared the end of his prison time was sentenced Thursday in Cedar Rapids to six more months in prison. Franklin Foster had pleaded guilty in October to escaping from custody. He was given 71 months in federal prison after pleading guilty in 2014 to being a felon in possession of a firearm. Prosecutors say he left the reentry center last June after being told he was going to be punished for violating rules. He was arrested eight days later.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Iowa inmate Gentric Hicks has spent 43 years in prison for a murder that his lawyers say his deceased half-brother actually committed. Now 73, Hicks is seeking DNA testing on a hunting cap the killer left at the scene of the fatal shooting at a southeastern Iowa motel that could either prove his innocence or affirm his guilt. Hicks is serving a life sentence for the May 23, 1976, murder of 28-year-old Jerry Foster at the Hill Crest Motel on Highway 61 outside Fort Madison. His petition claims his prosecution was based on flawed eyewitness and fingerprint analysis testimony.

A single-vehicle accident that took place sometime between 10-p.m. Wednesday and 8-a.m. today (Thursday), in Shelby County, claimed the life of a woman from Carroll County. The Iowa State Patrol says a 2002 Ford F-150 pickup driven by 32-year old Amber Sauvago, of Breda, was traveling west on Highway 37, when it struck a bridge. The pickup then entered the north ditch, where it struck a tree before coming to rest on the northeast side of the intersection with County Road F-16.

Sauvago, who was wearing her seat belt, died at the scene. The State Patrol was assisted by deputies with the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office and crews with Dunlap Rescue.