(Radio Iowa) – A new survey finds Iowa’s hotels lost nearly ten-thousand jobs during the pandemic and almost two-thousand of those jobs have yet to return. Jenn Clark Fugolo, spokeswoman for the American Hotel & Lodging Association, says it’s a challenge the industry is facing not just in Iowa, but nationwide. “We recently did a survey among AHLA members and 97% of hoteliers said that they’re experiencing a staffing shortage and nearly 50% say it’s severe,” Fugolo says. “Also consider at the macro level that the labor force participation rate, just in general, is not where it was pre-pandemic.”

In addition to the lost jobs, the survey says Iowa’s hotels also lost 420-million dollars in room revenue alone during the pandemic. Fugolo says hotel owners in Iowa are striving to lure new workers to the industry. “They have increased wages. Nearly 90% reported doing so,” Fugolo says. “The majority of them are also offering greater flexibility and expanded benefits, so when you look at that package holistically, the hotel industry becomes a really great place to join and to stay.” While hotel employees often get deeply discounted rooms when they vacation, she says another benefit of working in the industry is the ease of upward mobility.

“It is not uncommon to start entry-level and quickly advance because of the programs in place to learn and acquire new skills, everything from certifications and a very specific point of study to free tuition, tuition reimbursement, apprenticeship,” Fugolo says. “All of these things are in place to really support an employee in their journey to advance.” Not only are there positions open like front desk and housekeeping, but she says there are opportunities in other areas, including in maintenance, sales and event planning. The association says Iowa has more than 700 hotel properties representing more than 51-thousand rooms and employing more than 65-thousand people across the state.

(Radio Iowa) – DARE officers in Iowa gathered this week in Le Mars for their annual conference. The Le Mars Police Department and Assistant Chief Justin Daale hosted the statewide conference. He says one of the topics of discussion was the dangers of vaping among elementary students. “You know, we’re seeing a lot in middle school and high school but when you start trickling down to elementary you know what programs are going to work what can you do to talk to these kids about the dangers of vaping and smoking so we learned some new techniques new programs that dares coming out with,” he says.

Daale says kids are lied to about vaping, that it’s safer than smoking. DARE stands for Drug Abuse Resistance Education, and he says they try to talk to kids about making good decisions about vaping. He says that also pertains to use of social media by students. “A lot of stuff happens over social media. So we went over a few new social media lessons that DARE’s coming out with in how we can keep kids safe online,” Daale says, “not just kids, but what parents can look for, you know, on their kids, cell phones or iPads or whatever they have just to keep them safe also.”

Daale says the officers talked about the connection between social media and human trafficking.  “We’ve had a lot of questions in the community about either trafficking or sex trafficking victims on how we can alert the community and kids, you know, what to look for how to stay away or how not to get trapped into that trafficking situation” Daale says. “So, you know, it all starts with social media. It all starts with something simple, who you can and can’t trust on online.”

The school resource officers will incorporate what they learned at the conference into their contacts with students and parents in the next school year.

(Radio Iowa) – A University of Iowa study finds businesses that take public stands on political issues may drive away potential job applicants who don’t share the same views. Chad Van Iddekinge, a U-I professor of management and entrepreneurship, says when a corporation makes a statement on topics ranging from abortion to gun control, it’ll impact public perception.

“This is something that organizations need to deal with and it can affect the quality and the type of applicants that express interest in an organization,” Van Iddekinge says. “That, in turn, can have ripple effects in terms of the workforce of the company.” With “Help Wanted” signs hanging in so many windows, companies may have to walk a fine line on social issues. If they don’t take a stand, they may be seen as insensitive, but if they do pick sides, they may turn off potential employees.

Chad Van Iddekinge. (U-I photo)

“Over time, if an organization chooses to publicize their political beliefs, that will tend to attract people who share those beliefs and result in a more kind of homogenous organization,” Van Iddekinge says, “and people who may have different political views may feel, become more isolated.”

As part of the research, people were asked if they’d consider applying for jobs at six major companies. Three are identified as being more conservative, Home Depot, State Farm Insurance and Exxon Mobil, and three are more politically progressive corporations, Apple, Facebook and Google.

“We did find that applicants are more concerned about that,” Van Iddekinge says. “An organization’s political affiliations and stances can affect their decisions about whether to apply for a position, and even some people reported that it influenced their ultimate selection decision in terms of whether to join an organization based on their politics.”

In one part of the study, people were asked to identify the political leanings of the six companies. Van Iddekinge says they were more accurate in identifying the liberal-leaning organizations which, he suggests, means there’s more awareness of the political stances of those organizations and less awareness of those that are more conservative.

(Radio Iowa) – The second of three mobile medical simulation training trucks created for Iowa is now in service in Sioux City. Sioux City Fire rescue training officer, Terry Ragaller, says they are putting it to use right away to train area first responders on trauma and medical conditions that may occur during RAGBRAI.

“Such as a bicycle crash, heat-related illnesses, maybe a car crash — things that we have a likelihood of seeing,” he says. “So this is a great opportunity for us to partner with them to do some high-intensity training and to do it at a level that we can offer in our area right now.” The first truck was delivered in June to Iowa City and the U-I College of Nursing. The program is funded with an eight-million-dollar grant from the Helmsley Charitable Trust.

Sioux City medical simulation truck. (KSCJ photo)

Brian Rechkemm is the program coordinator for the medical truck, and says they include three mannequins — an infant and an adult male and female — that are used to train in the treatment of all manner of injuries “Some of them may never even have seen a lair doll mannequin, but when they see it and the capabilities of it and what this bus can do — it’s going to be pretty amazing,” he says. Rechkemm says they can provide a realistic look at any number of emergency situations.

“We can set that and we can say hey you know this is what you need to do and we can run through those scenarios so that when they actually see it the first time in the field they’re not like ‘oh my god I’ve never seen anything like this before, they’re more accustomed to it and they’re like ‘oh yeah we did training on this,’ so we can go right through it,” Rechkemm says.

A mannequin from the truck. (KSCJ photo)

The latest truck will cover the western third of Iowa and will be housed at the Sioux City Fire Rescue Training Center. The third truck will cover central Iowa and will be headquartered in Des Moines when it is ready in the fall.

(Johnston, Iowa) — The top enlisted man for the Iowa Air National Guard was arrested Wednesday night on an OWI charge, after he crashed the vehicle he was driving, at Camp Dodge. According to reports, 57-year-old Command Chief Master Sergeant John T.J. Fennell, of Sioux City, was booked into the Polk County Jail a little before 2-a.m. Thursday, on charges of operating while intoxicated, first offense, and leaving the scene of an accident.

Fennell registered a .282 alcohol reading on a preliminary breath test, according to court documents. The first accident occurred at the Camp Dodge Truck Entrance Road gate at Northwest 70th Avenue, the second at Camp Dodge’s main entrance and the third at the camp’s Range S11. A Polk County sheriff’s deputy caught up with Fennell as he was driving away from the scene of the third accident, according to the criminal complaint.

Command Chief Master Sergeant John T.J. Fennell (Polk Co. S/O booking photo)

Fennell’s name is not listed on the National Guard’s leadership team on their website, where it says that page is “under construction.” He was named Command Master Chief in 2017. Fennell enlisted in the Iowa Air National Guard in 1988.

In a statement to the media, the Iowa National Guard said it was working with local law enforcement officials in the investigation. “Isolated incidents of misconduct go against the stated values of the Iowa National Guard. We are working to provide the necessary resources to the individual and his family,” a spokesperson for the Guard said.

(Radio Iowa) – International opera star Simon Estes, a Centerville native, says his nearly six decade long career on the opera stage is drawing to a close.  “Most opera singers retire between 50 and 60 years of age…I’m almost 84 and a half,” Estes said, with a laugh. “I’ll be 85 my next birthday in March.” Estes, a baritone, plans to continue singing and advising students at Iowa State and the Des Moines Area Community College — but he will retire from opera after his last performance in Porgy and Bess with the Des Moines Metro Opera on July 24th.

“I really thank God that he’s given me this longevity not only in life, but having sung opera — I made my debut in West Berlin in 1965,” Estes said. Opera requires substantial strength in the singer’s core to control breathing and project the voice. Estes says there are some key reasons he’s been able to perform opera into his 80s.

“First of all, I think God gave me very special vocal cords or vocal folks, as the doctor’s say,” Estes says “…I never smoked. I didn’t drink alcohol. I didn’t take any drugs, of course…I was very disciplined always. I only sang the right repertoire at the right time in my life.” Estes made his comments during an interview on Talk of Iowa on Iowa Public Radio. Estes played the lead in Porgy and Bess at the New York Metropolitan Opera in 1985.

This month’s seven performances of Porgy and Bess at the Des Moines Metro Opera have been sold out. Estes is playing the role of the lawyer and is also a producing advisor for the run of the show. Estes is a graduate of the University of Iowa and the Juilliard School of Music. He has performed more than 100 roles with 84 major opera companies around the globe.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Fire Marshall has released the cause of an explosion that took place at an Ida County residence on July 6th. An investigation by the Fire Marshall and the Ida County Sheriff’s Department determined that the blast at 2362 carriage avenue near Battle Creek was caused by an underground gas leak in the liquid propane line. The explosion injured three people who were inside the home at the time. No updates are available on the condition of those victims.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller issued a statement today (Thursday) urging the Iowa Legislature to support a “red flag” law in Iowa that he says would help reduce gun violence. Red flag law involves reporting concerns to the police who can temporarily take a gun away from someone. Miller, a Democrat, says Iowa should take advantage of 750 million dollars allocated to states to develop and implement red-flag laws, or extreme risk protection orders. Miller says studies show that such laws work. Miller said. “Red-flag laws empower family, friends, and others to prevent tragedies.”

Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, a Republican was asked about the possibility of a Red Flag law here following a news conference earlier this week. Reynolds reiterated her stance that a Red Flag law isn’t the only answer. “When we focus on one solution to the issues that we see, you know, that active shooters, we tend to not think about what other solutions are, and we eliminate potential things that we could do, you know, right away,” Reynolds said. Reynolds says adding another law doesn’t end the problem.

“No matter how many laws or rules you have on the books, if somebody has evil within their heart, you can’t handle that. If somebody has, you know, horrific parents that they’ve been raised with, you can’t, laws can’t change that,” she says. “Or if there’s a mental illness that we’ve not been able to provide access and treatment to help them live a better life.” Reynolds says she is not ruling out Red Flag laws. But says Illinois had a red flag law in place and people were still killed by a gunman in the Highland Park shooting.

“It didn’t stop it. So, we’ll take a look at everything, but it’s a balance and how we move forward,” she said. Democrat lawmakers have made attempts to introduce legislation for Red Flag laws, but Republicans control debate in the House and Senate, and have not advanced any legislation on the issue.

(College Springs, Iowa) – An investigation into an incident late Monday evening in College Springs, resulted in an arrest. The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports Deputies were called at around 7:25-p.m. to a motor vehicle accident near the intersection of Missouri Avenue and Spruce Street, in College Springs. An investigation determined 39-year-old Gelena Ann Gladman,  of College Springs, was the operator and only occupant of a 2013 Nissan.

Witness’s said that Gladman was “passed out” with the vehicle running and her foot on the brake. Witness’s were unable to gain entry to the vehicle as the vehicles doors were locked as the vehicle was in gear. Witness’s tried to wake Gladman up and Gladman took her foot off the brake, causing the vehicle to move. The vehicle struck a stop sign and then came to rest in the back yard of a residence on Spruce Street after striking a trash container.

Gelena Gladman

Gladman was evaluated by Clarinda EMS and released. Gladman was arrested for OWI 2nd Offense. She was transported to the Page County Jail where she was held on a $2,000 bond pending further court proceedings. The Page County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by Clarinda Ambulance service, Clarinda Fire Department, and College Springs Fire & Rescue.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Two men from Omaha were arrested Wednesday morning in Mills County, following a traffic stop on Highway 34. Sheriff’s officials report 34-year-old Darnell Travon Lee and 32-year-old Jerome Dupree Matthews, were taken into custody for Possession of a Controlled Substance. Their bonds were set at $1,000, each. And, 34-year-old Jessie Amanda Harman, f Glenwood, was arrested on Hammond Avenue in Mills County at around 10:30-p.m. Wednesday. She was charged with OWI/1st offense and held on a $1,000 bond.

A woman from Glenwood was transported to the hospital by Glenwood Rescue, after her vehicle struck a deer. 41-year-old Kathryn Hartley was driving a 2015 Hyundai westbound on Highway 34 at around 9:50-a.m. Wednesday, when a deer crossed in front of her vehicle near Hilman Road. The animal was struck by the left front portion of the car.