(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission has completed its annual review of financial audits of all the casinos. Racing and Gaming administrator, Brian Ohorilko, says the audits did not turn up any issues. He says the facilities are facing an issue that has been common to most businesses. “We did hear some common themes during those presentations from the facilities many of the facilities had noted that they’re having a very difficult time finding employees in all segments of their operations,” Ohorilko says.

Ohorilko says they’ve had to adapt to the lack of staff. “Inability to find employees has caused situations where maybe restaurants would be closed on certain days or may be closed earlier than they would like, and so we’re still seeing a lot of issues from an employment standpoint,” he says. Ohorilko says there are some areas where they cannot cut back.

“It does put a strain on certain positions like security and in other areas where compliance is and so those are things that that commission continues to monitor and the industry is really still doing a good job given the circumstances,” according to Ohorilko.

The Racing and Gaming Commission reviewed the audit reports at their meeting last week.

(Radio Iowa) – Efforts are underway to try to save the retired Navy vessel named for the five Waterloo brothers who died together in World War II when a Japanese torpedo struck the U-S-S Juneau. “The Sullivans” — a Navy destroyer — is a floating museum in the harbor at Buffalo, New York. Paul Marzello is president and CEO of the Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park. He discovered The Sullivans was sinking last Wednesday due to a breach in the hull. “Anyone on our board of directors, any staff member, any volunteer, any veteran who’s connected to the ship knows what adversity is all about. They’ve been here in times of war. This is something that’s a blip on the screen to the them,” he said. “We will right this ship. It will not go down.”

Marzello spoke at a news conference this weekend. The vessel is listing to its side and multiple news organizations quote the U.S. Coast Guard estimate that there’s a million gallons of water inside the ship. Marzello says it’s unclear what caused the breach.  “We are taking it extremely seriously to make sure we are taking in all the measures to correct her as soon as possible,” he says. “What we will need is a bunch of hands to clean up once we do rightsize her, so that will be our next plan of attack once we figure out what the problem is.”

On Friday, efforts to pump water out were halted as diesel was discovered in Buffalo’s harbor. This weekend divers and equipment began maneuvering inside the vessel to remove contaminants like fuel and oils from inside, to prevent the materials from reaching Lake Erie. The Buffalo News reports a Navy architect and experts from a salvage company will arrive at the site today (Monday) to assess the situation. Buffalo’s mayor says efforts to save the U-S-S The Sullivans will take time.

The five Sullivan brothers died on November 13th, 1942 and the Navy destroyer named in their honor was in service in World War II and the Korean War. It was decommissioned in 1965 and in Buffalo since 1977.

(Hamburg, Iowa) – An investigation into a March 20th personal injury accident in Fremont County, resulted in the arrest on April 13th, of 32-year Ashley Frost, of Hamburg. The Fremont County Sheriff’s Office reports Frost was taken into custody for OWI/1st offense, and Reckless Driving. She was also cited for No SR-22 Insurance, Violation of her restricted license (by having no ignition interlock), and a stop sign violation.

Ashley Frost

(Original report follows):

On March 20th at approximately 7:30-p.m.,  Fremont County Deputies were called to the 1900 Block of Park Street in Hamburg, for a report of a possibly intoxicated female driving recklessly in the yard of a church.

The vehicle, a 1998 Dodge Dakota, driven by 32-year-old Ashley Frost, of Hamburg, Iowa, fled the scene prior to deputies’ arrival. Witnesses advised the vehicle was traveling at an extreme high rate of speed southbound on Washington Street at E Street, where it collided with a southbound 2021 Dodge Ram, operated by Charles Mincer of Lake Toxaway, NC. Frost’s vehicle then left the roadway, entering a culvert at Washington and D Street.

Mincer and his passenger were treated and released at the scene. Frost was transported to Grape Community Hospital with serious injuries.

(Cass County, Iowa) – Two semi tractor-trailer’s collided on Interstate 80 in Cass County, Saturday morning, but no serious injuries were reported, and no one was transported to the hospital. The accident happened at 7:58-a.m. on I-80 eastbound, near the Elk Horn exit (Mile marker 55). Atlantic Fire and Rescue and Cass EMS were dispatched to the scene, where one semi was in the south ditch, and the other stopped on the shoulder of the road.

No other details are currently available.