(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Business Council’s third-quarter Economic Outlook Survey shows a continued positive outlook among its business members for the next six months. I-B-C executive director, Joe Murphy, says while it is the fifth straight positive survey, a couple of issues continue to persist. “We are still facing extreme pressures from a workforce shortage perspective, and increasing bottlenecks in the supply chain for Iowa companies,” Murphy says. The labor shortage is directly linked to the supply chain problem.

“We don’t have enough truck drivers to move the supplies, we don’t have enough people out on the west coast in the Port of Los Angeles to offload those cargo containers. There’s not enough people out there to move the empty containers so more trucks can get in,” he says. Sales expectations fell just lightly as did the employment index fell. The survey found 55 percent of businesses expect their workforce to grow, and 40 percent do not anticipate any change in employment. One hundred percent of the businesses in the survey say hiring is somewhat difficult to very difficult.

“Once those goods are here in Iowa, there’s a bottleneck with individuals not being employed at our companies,” Murphy says. “And so, those supply chain issues are really at the root cause stemming from that workforce issue — and that’s really concerning for us moving forward.” The third-quarter survey’s overall economic outlook index is nearly 66 — with 50 or above being positive.

“We’re optimistic about the future — but the whole point of these surveys is to forecast what some of these issues are currently or on the horizon,” Murphy says. “If these issues don’t become less of a burden for companies, you’ll start to see that optimism number start to trickle backward. We’ve seen that before in our surveys if you look at some of our historical data.” Murphy says Iowa needs to continue working on solutions to the problems or face the possibility of businesses looking to other states.

“That means less money coming into Iowa, less property tax base, etcetera. And so that’s really the danger here long term. And that is something you’ll continue to see the Iowa Business Council work against,” Murphy says. The Iowa Business Council is made up of of 22 chief executives from Iowa’s largest organizations. The I-B-C says one in six jobs in Iowa are tied to an Iowa Business Council company.

(Radio Iowa) – The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sioux City has announced a man from South Dakota side of the Sioux City metro has been sentenced to four years in prison for trading guns for drugs. Forty-year-old Brandon Christiansen is from McCook, Lake, South Dakota. He claimed to be a gun collector when authorities searched his home last year, but there were no guns in the house.

Federal prosecutors say Christiansen illegally acquired as many as 56 guns over a seven and a half year period and traded the guns for drugs. According to a news release for the U.S. Attorney’s Office, some of the guns were semiautomatic and capable of firing off large capacity magazines.

Purchase records presented in court showed Christiansen bought at least 23 guns from five different gun stores in Sioux City and Sioux Falls. Authorities say five of those guns were found during drug investigations that did not involve Christiansen.

Atlantic, Iowa- Officials with Cass Health said Thursday, that the Iowa Organization for Nursing Leadership (IONL) has named Cass Health Chief Nursing Officer Amanda Bireline as the 2021 Outstanding Nurse Executive. Bireline said “I am grateful for and humbled by this recognition. Never could I claim success alone, though. This award belongs as much to our Cass Health team as it belongs to me. I am forever grateful to the people who have put a little faith in me along the way and allowed me to join them in their journey to make a difference in the lives of others.”

As Chief Nursing Officer (CNO) at Cass Health, Bireline serves as the primary executive overseeing hospital nursing and clinical services. She gained clinical and leadership experience in a variety of healthcare settings, including a for-profit residential substance abuse treatment center, a non-profit hospice home, rural health clinics, and critical access hospitals. Bireline received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Administration with a certificate in Organizational Leadership from the University of South Dakota.

Cass Health CNO Amanda Bireline (Photo submitted)

In 2019, she participated in the first American Organization for Nursing Leadership (AONL) Nurse Executive Fellowship. The AONL Nurse Executive Fellowship is a highly interactive nine-month program designed for nurses in a senior executive role. Throughout the program fellows develop critical executive competencies to lead in complex systems and to influence and inspire the nursing workforce and others.

In 2020 and 2021, Bireline used the skills learned as an AONL fellow to co-teach two sessions in the IONL Nurse Manager Leadership Workshop. Her programs entitled “Personal and Professional Accountability for Nurse Leaders,” and “Strategic Management for Nurse Leaders,” armed new nurse leaders with skills for advancing the nursing profession. She has been asked back to teach in the 2021 – 2022 workshops due to the popularity and success of her previous sessions.

“Amanda is a vital member of our leadership team at Cass Health and is a well-respected health care leader throughout the state. Amanda is smart, humble and has an amazing work ethic,” said Cass Health CEO Brett Altman. Both Altman and Bireline noted that the clinical teams throughout the hospital deserve much of the credit for three national awards including Performance Leadership Awards, Top 100 Critical Access Hospital awards, and most recently, the Top 20 Critical Access Hospital overall award winner. Additionally, Cass Health has been selected as a Des Moines Register Top Workplace in Iowa for seven consecutive years due to high employee satisfaction.

“Amanda is truly exceptional with her skills, knowledge, and leadership. I have found Amanda to be enthusiastic, polite, honest, intelligent, compassionate, loyal, and hard working. Simply stated, she is the best CNO I have ever had the privilege of working with,” said Altman.

Bireline was recognized on October 7th as a part of the Iowa Hospital Association’s Virtual Annual Meeting.

(Corning, Iowa) – The Adams Sheriff’s Office today (Thursday), released information about two arrests and one accident that took place in September. Authorities say on Sept. 26th, Deputies responded to a motor vehicle accident in the 1400 block of 260th Street, in Nodaway. Upon further investigation, a 17-year-old male received a juvenile referral for being a Minor in Possession of Alcohol. The teen was cleared by EMS personnel and released to the custody of his parents.

On Sept. 24th, Adams County Deputies arrested 43-year-old Benjamen Leroy Kirsch, of Villisca. He was taken into custody at the Montgomery/Adams County line, on three active warrants for Failure to Appear. Kirsch was additionally charged at the Adams County Jail, with Interference with Official Acts. He was held without bond until appearing before the magistrate.

And, on Sept. 17th, Deputies conducted a traffic stop on Highway 34 at Quince Avenue at around 9:53-p.m.  As a result, 38-year-old Angel Valdovinos Rodriguez, of Creston, was arrested on two active warrants for Failure to Appear. He was transported to the Adams/Union County line, and transferred to the custody of Union County Deputies.

(Radio Iowa) – A fourth candidate has announced he intends to compete in the Iowa Democratic Party’s 2022 Primary for U.S. Senate — and the chance to challenge Republican Chuck Grassley’s bid for an eight term. Seventy-one-year-old Bob Krause of Burlington ran unsuccessfully for the party’s Senate nomination in 2010 AND 2016. He’s released a recorded statement on YouTube. “I was eight years old when Grassley was first elected to the Iowa House…and then I saw him move on to the U.S. House and the United States Senate,” Krause said, “and 41 years later I can tell you those 41 years were not good for Iowa and they were not good for the nation.”

Bob Krause (Ballotopedia.org photo)

Former Iowa Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer of Cedar Rapids, former Crawford County Supervisor Dave Muhlbauer and Glenn Hurst, a doctor from Minden, are the three candidates who announced they’re seeking the spot on the ballot to challenge Grassley next year. Krause says he’s running because he fears Republicans will try to sabotage the 2022 election. “We are in the midst of a gathering storm and this election is about saving our democracy from destruction,” Krause said. “Simply put, I can to be part of the solution.”

Krause announced in 2013 that he would run for governor, but he endorsed another candidate a few months later and did not file the paperwork to have his name on the 2014 primary ballot. In the 1970s, Krause served three terms in the state legislature. In 1978, he ran for state treasurer, losing to the Republican incumbent.

The Page County Sheriff’s Office reports Deputies responded Wednesday to a residence in the 700 block of Iowa Avenue, in College Springs. The call was in reference to  a family disturbance. During the investigation, a resident of the residence, 49-year-old Steven Dean Lundvall, was arrested on a Nodaway County, Missouri warrant for Failure to appear, on original charges of DWI and Resisting / Interfering with Arrest for a Felony.

Steven Dean Lundvall

Lundvall was transported to the Page County Jail and held without bond, pending extradition hearings for transfer to Missouri.