ADEL, Iowa (AP) – A Dallas County-owned care facility for the disabled has been fined $7,500 for failures connected to the death of a resident.The facility in Adel is often called the county home. State inspectors say a resident who had a history of choking on food was given crackers and left unsupervised on May 7. About 15 minutes later, another resident reported to staff that the resident with the crackers appeared to be choking. The resident was pronounced dead later at a hospital.

The Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals fined the facility $7,500 for failing to adequately supervise residents. The state report does not identify the deceased resident.

An official with the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) will address the Cass County Board of Supervisors, Wednesday morning. Tom Bouska, with the regional DHS office is scheduled to speak to the board with regard to changes to the DHS’ services.

The changes to be announced are coming on the heels of word 37 Iowa Workforce Development Offices would be closing by month’s end, including the office here in Atlantic. According to Carol Morgan of the IowaWORKS Business Relations office in Council Bluffs, the department’s office in Harlan was closed Friday. Five more offices in Atlantic, Glenwood, Red Oak, Shenandoah, and Clarinda are set to be closed tomorrow (Wednesday). Morgan will be responsible for meeting the needs of businesses and potential employers in Southwest Iowa, including the Harlan, Atlantic, Glenwood, Shenandoah, and Clarinda areas. The Red Oak area will be serviced by business marketing specialist Marsha Wilson.

The state will continue to have Southwest IowaWORKS Regional Integrated offices located at Council Bluffs and Creston with office hours of 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. For access to services from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Monday through Friday, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, job seekers and businesses can call 1-866-239-0843. The Council Bluffs Center can be reached at (712) 242-2131 and the Creston Center can be reached at (641) 782-2119.

In other business, the Cass County Board of Supervisors Wednesday, will set the date for a public hearing on the proposed redistricting and representing plan of the Temporary Cass County Redistricting Commission. The Board will also review bids taken by the Iowa DOT and award contracts for, two bridge replacement projects. The bridges are located over Turkey and Seven-Mile Creeks, on 620^th Street and Victoria Road, respectively. The Supervisors will also review the bids and award contracts for Hot Melt Asphalt and Portland Cement Concrete patching on certain county roads, and approve a quote for a new excavator to be used for ditch cleaning.

The Supervisor’s meeting begins at 9-a.m. at the courthouse, in Atlantic.

Iowa is participating in a nationwide program started by Google which partners with several business groups to offer free web development along with related tools and training to small businesses. The director of the small business development center at Iowa Western Community College in Council Bluffs, Sue Pitts, says many small companies need some help setting up effective websites. Pitts says when they do have websites, they may not be using them.
You can have your brother’s sister’s brother put up a page that you never ever look at,” Pitts says,”so I think some people think they have a website but they might not. Or if a business is in existence, they may have had a website six years ago that they haven’t really looked at.”

Pitts says more people are using the web to search for what they need, and then doing business on-line. Pitt says “if you’re not found online you might not be found at all, you might be just passed over.” She says she walks down the street in her neighborhood after the Yellow Pages are delivered they are in the recycle bins at almost every house.

Pitts says many customers make up their minds about what to buy before ever stepping into a storefront. She says the good news for businesses is that it’s getting easier and less expensive to build an effective web presence. The governor’s office says six out of 10 Iowa small businesses are without a website. Business owners can learn more about the Google program during workshops planned at several locations around the state next month.

(Radio Iowa)