(Radio Iowa) – The latest data from Iowa Workforce Development shows more than 10-thousand jobs were added to the payrolls at Iowa restaurants and hotels over the last 12 months. Jessica Dunker is C-E-O and president of the Iowa Restaurant Association. “It’s no surprise that we would be showing growth, but I can tell you we would show substantially more growth if there were more people out there to hire.” Dunker says the state’s restaurant industry still has about 10-thousand fewer workers than it did in 2019, before the pandemic hit.

Dunker’s also the president and C-E-O of the recently-formed Iowa Hotel and Lodging Association. “From a recovery standpoint, we are down about 10% from where we were pre-COVID on hotel employees,” Dunker says, “but in the restaurant industry our latest data tells us that 35% of the restaurants in the state are 30% below their pre-COVID staffing levels, so they are desperate to hire people.”

Mike Whalen, founder of The Machine Shed Restaurants, is president and C-E-O of the Heart of America Group which operates hotels as well. The company has job openings at properties in Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Kansas. “We’ve clawed our way back and we’re probably down about 10% from where we were from 2019, but it’s been difficult,” Whalen says. “It’s been a real a challenge and our biggest challenge to get back in business.” Whalen says there is a national trend of people who retired at the onset of the pandemic deciding to go back to work.

“I think we’re probably at the top of that list,” Whalen says. “You know, restaurants and the hotel business can be tough and demanding jobs, but I think you increasingly see that people miss it and come back.” And Dunker says prior to COVID, the fastest growing demographic in the hospitality industry was people age 55 and above. “On the restaurant side, in particular, we are such a part-time industry, we were really seeing that people were un-retiring or doing fun jobs — ‘fun money’ for themselves — in our industry,” Dunker says.

Dunker suggests with a scarce number of teenagers available, older workers and those who may be “un-retiring” are ever more critical for the hospitality industry. Dunker and Whalen made their comments this weekend on “Iowa Press” on Iowa P-B-S.

(Adair County, Iowa) – Officials with the Stuart Fire Department posted on social media this (Sunday) morning, “A reminder to slow down when coming up on any accident.” The post says that at around 3:45-a.m., “Stuart Fire was paged to a multi-vehicle accident involving 2 semis and 2 passenger vehicles at the 91mm west bound I-80. West bound was completely blocked and east bound partially blocked. While processing the scene there was a secondary collision of a semi and passenger vehicle going east bound.”

No serious injuries were reported. Stuart Fire was assisted by Menlo Fire and multiple law enforcement agencies.  (Photos from the Stuart Fire Dept. Facebook page)

A 9-1-1 call about a domestic disturbance early this (Sunday) morning, in Red Oak, resulted in the arrest of 29-year-old Randall Wesley Lynn Butts, of Red Oak. He was taken into custody for Interference with Official Acts. Butts was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

A collision Saturday night on Interstate 29 in Mills County left one person dead. The Iowa State Patrol reports 40-year-old Caleb Wear, of Glenwood, died from his injuries, after being flown by Life Flight to the UNMC in Omaha.

Authorities say a 2011 Toyota Sienna van driven by 47-year-old Bharatkumar Patel, of Papillion, NE, was northbound on I-29 at the same time a 2006 Harley Davidson motorcycle driven by Wear was traveling northbound. For reasons unknown, van struck the rear of the motorcycle, causing both vehicles to leave the road and enter the east ditch. The accident happened at around 9:38-p.m.

Patel was not injured in the collision, which remains under investigation. Fremont and Mills County Sheriff’s Deputies assisted the Patrol at the scene,