OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — An economist says a monthly survey suggests the economy continued to expand in nine Midwest and Plains states last month but was hampered by shortages of skilled workers. A survey report issued Monday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index dropped to 54.1 in November from 54.9 in October. The September reading was 57.5. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says that in addition to the hiring problems, the supply managers who responded report mounting harm from tariffs and trade disagreements.

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. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

(Radio Iowa) — Dispensaries opened in Iowa Saturday to sell medical marijuana products in the state for the first time. Patients with approved medical conditions were able to buy the products from five dispensaries in the state. William Rose and his 13-year-old son Christian made one of the first purchases in Sioux City. They choose tinctures or drops that go under the tongue. William says they’ve had a registration card to get a similar product in Colorado for Christian’s seizures. He says the drops have helped. “It stopped them. Entirely. As far as we know. And he’s off that seizure medicine. They helped control his seizures, but it was not good for his body,” Rose says.

Rose says now his family doesn’t need to drive to Colorado every three months to get medical marijuana for his son. Medical marijuana is still federally illegal, and Rose says it was scary crossing state lines with it. “We had to get out a stack of cash, cross through Nebraska and supposedly we’d be okay with our card as long as we followed Iowa’s law,” Rose says. “It’s still federally illegal to be crossing state lines and, you know, for a kid. It was kind of terrifying.” Stephen Wilson manages MedPharm’s dispensaries in Sioux City and Windsor Heights. He says he suspects there’s a lot of anxiety among physicians in western Iowa to certify patients for medical marijuana. “We understand that but it’s important for them to know that they aren’t prescribing medical cannabis. All they’re doing is certifying that they have a qualifying condition.,” Wilson says. Some of those qualifying conditions include cancer, untreatable pain and seizures.

In order for people to apply for the program, they have to be certified by a physician. Then, they need to get a registration card from the state to be able to purchase medical cannabis like capsules, creams and oils. Nearly 15-hundred patients and caregivers across Iowa have state-approved cards that allow them to purchase products at one of five dispensaries.

Police in Red Oak were called to a residence in the 700 block of Skyline Drive at around 9:35-p.m., Sunday, in response to an assault in progress. After they arrived, and upon further investigation, 19-year old Jacob David Berggren, of Red Oak, was taken into custody for Domestic Abuse Assault by impeding air and/or blood flow. Berggren was transported to the Montgomery County Jail, where he was being held without bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:40 a.m. CST

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — The trial of an Indiana man accused of killing a Fort Dodge woman has been moved to Mason City. The Des Moines Register reports that a judge on Friday approved the move for 26-year-old Phillip Williams’ trial for first-degree murder in the August 2017 death of 26-year-old Jessica Gomez. Williams’ attorney requested the change of venue, citing pretrial publicity.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has suspended the law license of an Omaha attorney whose office is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Frank Robak Sr.’s Nebraska license was suspended for at least a year on Friday after a client complained that Robak refused to refund his $5,000 retainer after inadequate work on a case. Robak can apply for reinstatement after one year if he shows that he is fit to practice and submits to monitoring for two years.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Flags in Iowa are flying at half-staff to honor a World War II sailor from Iowa killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all flags on state property lowered Saturday to honor Navy Fireman 1st Class Bert E. McKeeman. The date coincided with a burial service set in Council Bluffs for McKeeman’s remains, which were identified in August. McKeeman, of Council Bluffs, was aboard the USS Oklahoma when it was attacked Dec. 4, 1941.

The Red Oak Police Department reports the arrest Sunday of a Red Oak man after being called to investigate an incident at 6:04pm in the 600 block of East Hammond Street in Red Oak. When officers arrived on the scene they made contact with 42-year-old Michael Lee Butcher of Red Oak. After investigation officers arrested Butcher for Domestic Abuse Assault (Aggravated Misdemeanor) and Child Endangerment (Aggravated Misdemeanor). He was taken to the Montgomery County Jail and held on no bond.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Snow continues to fall across much of Nebraska and western Iowa. The National Weather Service says several more inches of snow are expected to fall Sunday on parts of the two states. By the time the storm is finished Monday morning, 5-to-8 inches of snow total are expected in parts of eastern Nebraska and western Iowa.

Roughly 5 inches of snow had fallen in the Omaha area by Sunday morning. Across the river, 7 inches of snow was reported in Council Bluffs, Iowa. In north-central Nebraska, as much as 14 inches of snow was reported in Cherry County.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — The trial of an Indiana man accused of killing a Fort Dodge woman has been moved to Mason City. The Des Moines Register reports that a judge on Friday approved the move for 26-year-old Phillip Williams’ trial for first-degree murder in the August 2017 death of 26-year-old Jessica Gomez. Williams’ attorney requested the change of venue, citing pretrial publicity. Earlier in the week, Williams’ co-defendant in the case, Mackenzie Knigge, also had her trial moved out of Webster County.

Knigge and Gomez, who were once described as friends, were publicly reported missing on Aug. 9, 2017. Knigge was arrested with Williams on Aug. 10 in Lafayette, Indiana. Gomez’s burned body was found in a ditch near Clare on Aug. 12.

Williams’ trial is scheduled to begin on March 4.

Police in Red Oak, Saturday afternoon, arrested 36-year old Bobbie Jo Bruce, of Red Oak. Bruce was taken into custody at around 3:40-p.m., on an Adams County warrant for Failure to Appear in court. She was transported to the Adams County Jail, where Bruce was being held without bond.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 4:050 a.m. CST

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The Nebraska Supreme Court has suspended the law license of an Omaha attorney whose office is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa. Frank Robak Sr.’s Nebraska license was suspended for at least a year on Friday after a client complained that Robak refused to refund his $5,000 retainer after inadequate work on a case. Robak can apply for reinstatement after one year if he shows that he is fit to practice and submits to monitoring for two years.

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — Flags in Iowa are flying at half-staff to honor a World War II sailor from Iowa killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor. Gov. Kim Reynolds ordered all flags on state property lowered Saturday to honor Navy Fireman 1st Class Bert E. McKeeman. The date coincides with a burial service set in Council Bluffs for McKeeman’s remains, which were identified in August. McKeeman, of Council Bluffs, was aboard the USS Oklahoma when it was attacked Dec. 4, 1941.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Overnight rain has turned to snow and sleet for most of Nebraska, as well as much of northwestern and central Iowa. The National Weather Service issued winter storm warning Saturday for northern and central Nebraska, as well as a winter weather advisory for much of eastern, southwestern and the western edge of the state. The warning stretched in northwestern Iowa, including Sioux City.

AMES, Iowa (AP) — As if getting a parking ticket wasn’t bad enough, the city of Ames is informing those who recently paid parking fines that their private information _ including credit and debit card numbers _ may have been stolen. The city said in a news release Friday that a data breach may have affected 4,600 people who paid parking tickets using the online system between Aug. 10 and Nov. 19.

The Clarinda Police Department is reminding citizens of Clarinda about the snow ordinance. The ordinance states that; no person shall park any motor vehicle or other apparatus upon any street of the city that will obstruct the removal of snow when there has been an accumulation of two (2) inches or more. Any vehicle left parked on any street in violation of this ordinance may be impounded, and the registered owner of the vehicle will be subject to a $15.00 parking fine, and payment of all applicable towing and storage fees in order for the vehicle to be released.

The parking ban remains in effect until the snow ceases to fall and the streets have been plowed from curb to curb.