(Creston, Iowa) – Police in Creston, today (Wednesday) cited a man for Reckless Driving, following an investigation into a property damage accident that occurred a little after 1-p.m. Wednesday. Authorities say 18-year-old Marcus Eugene Carney, of Creston, was driving a 1999 Toyota Avalon westbound on the Spillway Road, and traveling approximately 50-mph in a 15 mph zone.

The vehicle went out of control on a slight curve in the road just before the campground, and began to fishtail. The car left the road and entered the campground, where it struck a legally parked, and unoccupied 2016 JayFlight camper. The vehicle then struck a water hydrant in the campground, causing it to bend.

Carney was not injured. Damage to the car, camper and City of Creston hydrant, amounted to $8,200 altogether.

(Radio Iowa) – A monthly survey shows the economic pictures for Iowa and the Midwest are darkening, with a few sunny breaks in the clouds. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the overall figures for Iowa sank during May, as did the numbers for the nine-state region. Goss says the survey of business leaders and supply managers showed hiring slowed during the past month.

“Regional employment still remains well below pre-pandemic levels, about 1.4% below pre-pandemic levels,” Goss says. “We’re still moving. We’re crawling out of this economic downturn, but we’re doing somewhat better, and we’ll see how that trends out in the weeks and months ahead.” According to the survey, the greatest economic threats for the rest of 2022 include supply chain disruptions, inflationary pressures, higher interest rates and labor shortages.

“Inflation will remain high for the rest of the year, but I expect it to come down a bit,” Goss says. “There’s some indicators that inflation is declining. Economic growth will likewise slow for the rest of the year but we’re still in the positive range right now. Supply chain disruptions and delays will lengthen, but I think even there, we’ll see some improvements.” The inflation index for May rose to 91.7 on a scale of zero to 100, that’s up from 89.7 during April. The survey asked supply managers how much more they expect prices to rise during the second half of the year.

“For the next six months, they expect 8.7% growth. Of course, you double that and annualize it, that’s 17.4% in the wholesale price index. So that’s some big, big time numbers in terms of growth and wholesale prices,” Goss says. “So of course, that will spill over into consumer prices in the weeks and months ahead.” Again, using the zero to 100 scale, Iowa’s overall economic index for May fell to 59.6, dropping significantly from 69.8 in April. Despite that, Goss says: “Both durable and non-durable goods manufacturers in the state are growing at a solid pace with companies linked to the farm economy expanding at a healthy rate.

The state’s leisure and hospitality industry has benefited from this healthy growth, but employment in this industry remains 8,300 jobs (5.7%) below pre-pandemic levels.”

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Persons wanting to conduct business with the Cass County Treasurer’s Office can expect to find changes in how often the office is open for business, as a result of what can only be described as a mass exodus of office staff. Cass County Board of Supervisors Chair Steve Baier confirms most of the staff have resigned and taken other jobs, while another will be retiring. Baier said he didn’t want to speculate on why the staff quit, but that “Sometimes the dynamics can change a little bit and all of the sudden you’ve got more than just a ‘tempest in a teapot.” Baier said those who have resigned include one who Treasurer Tracey J. Marshal had recently hired because the person “felt like she didn’t get any training, and she felt awkward trying to help people,” according to Baier.

He said “Tracey’s been involved in the State Treasurer’s organization and hasn’t always been in [her] office, been out of the Treasurer’s Office a lot since January, and I don’t think that’s helped matters.” Baier said also, in his view, “Ashley McDermott knew how to do just about everything there. I’m not sure she had certifications (such as CDL),” but she “had the broadest scope of knowledge,” and “that’s like losing your All-Star pitcher.” McDermott was offered a job with Solutions in Atlantic, he said.

Tracey Marshal issued the following statement Wednesday evening:

“Sometimes change happens unexpectedly, over the last few months we have been losing staff. I have hired one new staff member and interviewed several others, waiting for the posting time period and approval. I have always had a good relationship with my staff. It’s been a bit stressful with many changes from federal and state mandates, along with county conflicts. My staff have been recruited by other companies with better paying positions and more flexible for their families. I support each one of them for the dedication while they worked here and there new adventures. As you know the work force is changing everywhere. I hear it every day from other counties and businesses. I am very proud of my accomplishments, including the presidency of the state association. We are working on finding and training employees.

A notice posted on the Courthouse main entrance states “Cass County Treasurer’s Office Hours Starting June 3, 2022,” as:

8:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Closed on Tuesday’s

Property Taxes and Motor Vehicle Renewals: The best way is by mail or online. www.iowatreasurers.org

A BILL OF SALE is required for all Motor Vehicles purchases. We will process your payments as they come in. Please provide a telephone number in the event we need to contact you.

Please use the yellow drop box outside- envelopes are in the side box.”

(Radio Iowa) – U-S Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is unveiling hundreds of millions of dollars in new U-S-D-A grant and loans to do things like establish grocery stores in underserved areas, build more cold storage facilities for fruits and vegetables and support training for employees in the meat and poultry industry. “With these investments, the transformed food system will mean more, new and better markets, generating better income for producers,” Vilsack says, “and better choices and prices for consumers.”

Vilsack says 155 million dollars in federal grants will be available to set up grocery stores in rural and urban communities that are considered “food deserts.” Six-hundred million will be awarded to expand or build new facilities that process and store fruits and vegetables. Three-hundred million is set aside to bolster organic food production. “The process for becoming an organic producer is complicated and financially difficult, especially during the early days of transition when expenses can be high and income limited,” Vilsack says. “I believe a transformed food system needs to make that process less complicated and the financial costs of that transition easier to bear.” Vilsack says other U-S-D-A initiatives will be expanded to support urban gardening as well as public schools that buy locally produced food.

Vilsack is using 400 million dollars to set up a new network of U-S-D-A centers that will help food producers and buyers connect on a regional basis and navigate their financial options. “Our transformed food system will expand capacity and competition and increase that competition in all sectors,” Vilsack says, “and, when it does, both producers and consumers will benefit.”

A new 100 million dollar fund will be for companies that come up with healthy, but less expensive menu items for school lunch programs. Vilsack says the goal is to spur innovation — but to also make school lunch options more attractive to the kids who eat the food. All of this new U-S-D-A spending was approved by congress in 2021 as part of the American Rescue Plan.

(Radio Iowa) – A bill passed late in the legislative session that places a two-year hold on new gambling licenses will impact the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission’s meeting Thursday in Emmetsburg. Racing and Gaming administrator, Brian Ohorilko says he anticipates the Commission will pause the licensing process. “At least at this point, it’ll be difficult to do much in terms of moving forward with an application process and until that moratorium is out — if indeed that bill goes into law,” Ohorilko.

Governor Kim Reynolds has not yet indicated if she will sign the casino moratorium bill into law. Organizers in Cedar Rapids wanted to Commission to consider an application for a casino there after the Linn County gambling referendum passed. “The Commission at the March meeting had indicated that they were prepared to accept applications and that occurred after the commission had been approached by stakeholders in that community that they were ready to file an application. Obviously, that was after the referenda had passed in November 2021,” he says. Ohorilko says the process was just getting started. “There really hasn’t been any due diligence or any considerable amount of time put in by the commission members with regard to the process,” Ohorilkoh says.

Many things could change in the Iowa casino landscape in two years if the bill goes into law. One of those is the start up of gambling in Nebraska. “Rules have been filed in that state, ground is broken in a number of locations, the different locations have different timelines. I think it’s possible that we’ll see some temporary facilities this fall or winter,” Ohorilko says. He says all of the Nebraska facilities will likely be up and running next year — which will have an impact on Iowa casinos. Ohorilko says it’s hard to know what other changes might happen if the moratorium happens. “Two years can go fast, but it’s also a lot of time in terms of economic conditions with respect to casinos,” he says. “If you were to look two years back from today’s date, no one would have expected the ups and downs that that industry would have gone through and so, so I can’t say for sure.”

Two other attempts to get a gambling license in Cedar Rapids were denied.