OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A new report says a monthly economic survey index for nine Midwestern and Plains rose slightly in January. The survey report issued Monday says the overall Mid-America Business Conditions Index climbed to 54.8 last month from 54.4 in December.  Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, says growth for companies outside of energy and agriculture will more than offset expected declines in those sectors.

The survey results from supply managers are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests economic growth, while a score below that suggests decline.

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

The Iowa Department of Transportation reports Highway 6 between Council Bluffs and the Highway 48 turn-off to Griswold, remains closed early this (Monday) morning. The DOT closed the 48-mile stretch of road when blowing and drifting snow caused whiteout conditions and resulted in some vehicles becoming stuck on the pavement, in snow drifts.

The road will remain closed until crews can clear the drifts and remove vehicles currently stuck.

Enrollment in Iowa’s public schools continued to increase this school year according to figures from the Iowa Department of Education. “For the fourth year in a row we’ve see the total number of students in Iowa public schools increase in the 14-15 school year. “It’s nice to see a continued climb after about 17 years of a decrease in student enrollment rates,” according to Jay Pennington, chief of the Department’s Bureau of Information and Analysis. School enrollment was up four-tenths of one percent to 480-thousand-772 students in grades K through 12.

Pennington says an analysis of census data and kindergarten enrollments indicate the upward trend in enrollment won’t continue. “I think we are going to see a slight decline, similar to what we’ve seen in the birth totals,” Pennington says. “But it’s not going to be a significant drop, unlike the 17-year decline, where we saw thousands of students leaving Iowa schools.” The increase in enrollment follows the slow, steady trend in population increases. Pennington says the overall population increase is showing in Iowa schools, as is the diversity of the student population. “This past year we saw the most minority students every in Iowa public schools So we are going to see about the same number of students in public schools, but a continuing change in the diversity,” he says.

Schools in suburban areas continue to show the most gains. “If we look at a five-year trend as an example, and we look at different size categories in which we classify schools, you can see smaller school districts overall — the likelihood that they are going to decline — is higher and the larger districts, the likelihood that they are going to see in creases is much greater.” The five schools with the largest increase in enrollment in the last five years were: Waukee (31%), Bondurant-Farrar (27%), Dallas Center-Grimes (21%), Ankeny (20%) and Seymour (18%). Four of the five are suburban Des Moines districts. Pennington says the continued declining enrollment in rural districts means more will look at consolidating.

“With the beginning of the 2014-15 school year, we saw eight consolidations compared to the year before. Beginning with the 15-16 school year, we are going to have two additional,” Pennington says. “But certainly with the those declining enrollments in those smaller districts, the way for them to stay financially viable — as well as provide adequate course offerings to their students — they need to consolidate.”

The districts that saw the biggest declines in enrollment this school year were: Ventura, which lost 33 percent; Walnut, which lost 25 percent; Corwith-Welsey, which lost 25 percent; West Harrison, which lost 20 percent and Northeast Hamilton, which lost 19 percent. The 2014-15 enrollment summary by school district is available online at the Education Department’s website.

(Radio Iowa)

Patrons of the Nodaway Valley School District will gather tomorrow (Tuesday) to vote during a school bond special election. The $8.8-million bond, if approved, would help to build a proposed, new elementary building.The current building is nearly 60-years old. Officials say it would cost $6.5-million to renovate the existing facility, which is not currently energy efficient, is difficult to maintain, and not ADA compliant.

Nodaway Valley Superintendent Casey Berlau has stated that the proposed, new structure would likely be  located north of the current elementary in the current parking lot. It would include a safe room/storm shelter. Parking would be moved closer to the high school building and parking would also exist south of the new elementary. If the bond issue passes, the board will make a final decision as to the location of the building and input from the public will be considered.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — More than 6 inches of snow fell across much of eastern Nebraska and Iowa Sunday. Des Moines observers reported 10 inches of snow there yesterday morning.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The winter storm has forced airlines to cancel some flights in Nebraska and Iowa, but the airports are operating normally despite the snow. The main problem area Sunday for airports in Omaha, Lincoln and Des Moines was flights headed to and from Chicago. Most of the cancellations involved one of Chicago’s two major airports O’Hare and Midway. Des Moines International Airport spokesman Andrew Wall says a few flights were cancelled Sunday, but those were mostly the ones that go back and forth to Chicago all day.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As Iowa’s modified Medicaid expansion hits the one-year anniversary mark, some enrollees will be asked to pay small monthly premiums because they haven’t completed a physical exam and health questionnaire. For Governor Terry Branstad, those health requirements were key provisions for expanding Medicaid in Iowa using funding from President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The only time of year Kevin Moreland eats meat is when he serves as a judge at the Des Moines bacon festival’s food competition. The Des Moines Register reports Moreland again served as a judge at the Blue Ribbon Bacon Festival on Saturday. Moreland has only been a vegetarian since 2010, and he did it to help him meet his fitness goals.

The first committee votes on a bill that would raise the state fuel tax by as much as a dime a gallon may come this week at the statehouse. For several years, the idea of phasing-in a gas tax hike was considered, but never enacted. House Speaker Kraig Paulsen, a Republican from Hiawatha, says this year is different. “It would appear to me that the memberzhip is moving towards 10 cents,” Paulsen says, “and likely all at once.” More than 200 county and city officials, along with road builders, flooded the statehouse last Wednesday to lobby for a fuel tax increase.

“Clearly the Iowans who are supporting it are making many more contacts to the General Assembly than those who oppose it and, in fact, some Iowans have contacted me that at one time were not O.K. with it and now they’re saying, ‘This is the right thing to do,'” Paulsen says. Paulsen, Republican Governor Terry Branstad and Senate Democratic Leader Mike Gronstal have all said it will require “bipartisan support” for a gas tax hike to pass the legislature, however. Gronstal defines that in the senate as 13 Republicans joining 14 Democrats to vote yes.

“It depends on the level of support amongst Republicans,” Gronstal says. “…I’m hesitant to go much further than that.” Rob Solt is president of Iowans for Tax Relief and he questions why legislators aren’t “reallocating” gas tax revenue, so cities and counties get more of it. “I believe that the DOT has found $215 million of needs, but I think that that $215 million can come out of the resources they’re already getting,” Solt says. Senator Tod Bowman, a Democrat from Maquoketa, is chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, where a bill on this subject may emerge this week. Bowman says the D-O-T has already cut and reallocated for several years.

“I don’t think we can get ourselves out of this problem by being more efficient,” Bowman says. “We continue to look for efficiencies — and that’s what we need to do — but we need additional revenue to really solve the problems.” And the Iowa D-O-T’s director says while an immediate, 10-cent hike in the state gas tax will raise enough to address next year’s 215-million dollar shortfall, vehicles will continue to get more fuel efficient — and reduce the number of gallons of gas sold in Iowa. In addition, construction costs will continue to rise as federal tax money for transportation projects is expected to remain flat.

(Radio Iowa)