Police in Creston (IA) report three arrests took place over the weekend. A little after 1-a.m. Saturday, 23-year-old James Allan Erlbacher, of Earling, was arrested in Creston for OWI/1st offense. Erlbacher was taken to the Union County Jail where he was later released on $1,000 cash or surety bond. And, at around 3:15-a.m. Saturday, 39-year-old Nicole Irene Leusink, of Winterset, was also arrested for OWI/1st offense. Leusink was taken to the Union County Jail where she was later released on $1,000 cash or surety bond.

At around 12:06-a.m. Sunday, Creston Police arrested 32-year-old Cody John Courtney, of Thayer, for Failure to Affix Drug Stamp for 7 or more grams, Intent to Manufacture/Deliver Meth Over 5g, and Possession of Controlled Substance. Courtney was transported to the Union County Jail where he is being held on $40,000 cash or surety bond.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Cass County Transfer Station(Landfill) and Recycling Center report, the Station/Recycling Center will be closed this Wednesday, November 30th, so that co-workers can attend memorial services for long time employee and friend Gerald Peck, who died November 22nd. The facility will otherwise be open for business during their normal operating hours for the remainder of the week.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa State University economist Peter Orazem says while there have been gains, the number of Iowans who are working continues to lag pre-pandemic levels. “If you look at Iowans under the age of 45, labor force participation rates actually went up. It’s Iowans over 45 where labor force participation rates went down and they really went down for people over 55,” Orazem says. “…We don’t think that they’re coming back and so that’s going to be holding back the Iowa economy in terms of its ability to make up for for its lost labor.” Iowa had one of the oldest labor forces in the country prior to the pandemic and Orazem says it appears many who opted to retire in the past 18 months are not going to return to the workforce.

“We’re lagging the rest of the U.S. in terms of recovery of employment and that’s holding back, actually, the Iowa economy,” Orazem says.” Ten days ago, the Iowa Workforce Development agency announced the state had added back all the jobs that were lost due to the pandemic. Orazem says the total number of employed Iowans still remains about one percent below pre-pandemic levels — and the labor participation rate is about two percent below what it was in February of 2020.  “We’ve had three straight quarters of negative Gross State Product, which would meet the classic definition of a recession,” Orazem says.

Orazem made his comments during a weekend appearance on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

(Radio Iowa) – Finding a reliable, affordable used car online can be a hassle, especially with pre-owned vehicles in such short supply, and Iowans are being warned that scammers are aiming to take their hard-earned money. Lisa Schiller, at the Better Business Bureau, says the first warning sign is that the car is listed at a super-low price.  “When you contact the seller, you’ll then find out that the vehicle is actually located in another city,” Schiller says, “but luckily for you, the seller knows a transport company that can deliver the vehicle to you — and that is a red flag.” The crooks may try to get you to pay for the transportation with a money order or gift cards, and if you do that, the money is gone and so is the car.

She says, “Your vehicle will not actually be delivered because the sale was a scam and the con artist was in cahoots with the third party make-believe transport company.” Schiller says you should always insist on seeing the car in person and get it inspected before making any payments.  “If you get really vague answers, if the seller gets defensive or aggressive or if they can’t confirm their location or the location of the vehicle, you’re probably dealing with a scammer.”

Schiller also reminds people to insist on all of the paperwork to ensure the sale is legit.