w/ Ric Hanson
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (6.2MB)
Subscribe: RSS
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The ongoing drought – combined with the global economic turmoil – is hurting business in nine Midwest and Plains states and increasing worries about the possibility of another recession. A report released today (Wednesday) says July’s Mid-America Business Conditions Index plunged below growth neutral for the first time since 2008. The index hit 48.7, compared with 57.2 in June. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the drought will hurt farm income and the strengthening dollar hurts exports.
The survey of business leaders and supply managers uses a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Any score above 50 suggests growth while a score below 50 suggests decline for that factor. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Police in Red Oak report an Elliott teen has been arrested on forgery and possession of stolen property charges, following an investigation into stolen checks. 17-year-old Cheryl Ann Hallcock was taken into custody Tuesday on two felony counts of Forgery, and two simple misdemeanor charges of Possession of Stolen Property. The teen was arrested in connection with an investigation to a report by a male victim of the crime that some of his checks had been taken and used without his consent. Hallcock was transported to the Juvenile Detention Center in Council Bluffs. Officials believe others were involved in the crime, and additional arrests are expected, as their investigation continues.
One of Iowa’s hottest-ever Julys is behind us now, but forecasters say the August ahead won’t be much different. State climatologist Harry Hillaker says the prolonged drought of the past several weeks put this July among the stickiest in Iowa’s history, though the wealth of month-end data is still being tabulated. “Generally, you’re looking at probably the third-hottest July on record for the state of Iowa and that’s based on 140 years of records,” Hillaker says. “The last time we would’ve had a hotter July is probably going to be 1936 and the other one that was hotter was way back in 1901.”
Here in Atlantic, the average High for the month was 94-degrees. The average Low was 66. We had four days when the temperature was 100-degrees or greater. The hottest day was July 25th, when we hit 102-degrees. There were only three days during the month, when the High temp in Atlantic was less than 90-degrees. Some areas of the state will finish off the month being several inches short on rainfall. In Atlantic, we received just a trace of rain last month.
When the numbers are all in statewide, this July will likely be the fifth-driest July in Iowa history, he says, and the month is among some notorious company. Hillaker says “The top three are: 1886 brought us the driest summer on record, 1936 was our hottest summer on record, and 1894, the third-driest July, ended up being the driest growing season on record.” Just because we’re in a new month doesn’t mean there’ll be a new forecast. Hillaker says it looks like August will be more of the same. “Temperatures, at least in the beginning part of August, I still expect will be averaging well above normal,” he says. “Normal highs right now are about 85 or so so 90s is well above normal.” There’s a chance for a few more rain showers on the horizon but “nothing looks very substantial.”
Temperatures for the next week are expected to be above-normal but not as extreme as the past couple weeks. Forecasters also say another sustained period of 100-degree-plus weather is not likely, at least for the next few weeks.
(Radio Iowa/Ric Hanson-KJAN)
Here’s the Freese-Notis forecast for Atlantic & the KJAN listening area, along with weather data for Atlantic, from KJAN News Director, Ric Hanson….
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (821.3KB)
Subscribe: RSS
MARY ANN FESER, 93, of Earling, died Sun., July 29th, at the Little Flower Haven Nursing Home. Funeral services for MARY ANN FESER will be held 10-a.m. Fri., Aug. 3rd, at the Little Flower Haven Nursing Home in Earling. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Harlan has the arrangements.
There is no public visitation.
Burial will be in the St. Mary’s Cemetery in Portsmouth.
MARY ANN FESER is survived by:
Her brothers – Floyd Feser, and Mark Feser, both of Harlan.
Her sisters – Mildred Lang, of Omaha, and Joyce (Leonard) Graeve, of Harlan.
DONNA L. (Ruddy) WALP, 70, of Audubon (& formerly of Marble, NC), died Mon., July 30th, at the Exira Care Center. Funeral services for DONNA WALP will be held 10:30-a.m. Sat., Aug. 4th, at the 1st Presbyterian Church in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.
Friends may call at the funeral home, where a visitation will be held from 9:30-a.m. until the time of service, Saturday.
Burial will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.
DONNA WALP is survived by:
Her husband – Joseph Walp, of Marble, NC.
Her brothers – Michael (Dianna) Ruddy, of Audubon, and Charles (Tammy) Ruddy, of Centennial, CO.
Her sister – Kaye Nowatzke & friend Jim Wiskus, of Audubon.
Other relatives, and many friends.
Today: Mostly sunny. Hot. High in the upper 90s. South wind 5 to 10 mph. Highest heat index readings 100 to 105 in the afternoon.
Tonight: Partly cloudy through midnight…then mostly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms after midnight. Low in the lower 70s. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Thursday: Hot and humid. Partly sunny with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. High in the mid 90s. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Highest heat index readings 100 to 102 in the afternoon.
Thursday Night: Partly cloudy. Low in the lower 70s. Northeast wind 5 to 10 mph.
Friday: Mostly sunny. High in the mid 90s. Southeast wind 5 to 10 mph. Highest heat index readings 100 to 102 in the afternoon.
Friday Night: Mostly cloudy. Low in the lower 70s.
Saturday: Partly sunny with a 30 percent chance of thunderstorms. High in the upper 80s.
Saturday Night: Partly cloudy with a 20 percent chance of thunderstorms. Low in the lower 60s.
Sunday And Sunday Night: Mostly clear. High in the mid 80s. Low in the mid 60s.
Officials say the shift away from round-the-clock institutional care for people with disabilities has led to layoffs at the largest employer in the Dallas County town of Woodward. Twenty-seven jobs at the Woodward Resource Center were eliminated Tuesday. Roger Munns, a spokesman for the state agency that manages the facility, says that adjusts staffing levels to the reduced number of disabled residents.”Both of our facilities, at Woodward and Glenwood, have worked very hard, vigorously, to try to find community or home-based placements for people with disabilities and we’ve been very successful, averaging about a dozen new placements from both places,” Munns says. “As a result of this, budgets and staff have been reduced.”
In the past five years, there’s been a 25 percent reduction in the number of full-time residents in the Woodward facility. “There are fewer people to care for,” Munns says, “and, obviously, you need fewer staff.” On Monday, nearly 700 people were employed to care for 181 disabled residents. A total of 27 staff positions were eliminated Tuesday, but some union workers who got layoff notices will be able to take the position of an employee in a similar job who has less seniority. As the number of Woodward residents declined in recent years, layoffs had been avoided through staff turnover.
“Normal attrition — people leaving for other positions — but there wasn’t very much turnover at Woodward,” Munns says. “There were very few people who left for the incentive for early retirement a couple of years ago. As a result, there are more people (on staff) than the budget can support.” The Glenwood Resource Center in western Iowa is the permanent home for 263 disabled residents. Managers of that facility say they’ll be able to manage reduced budgets without layoffs this year.
(Radio Iowa)
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube
RSS