(Radio Iowa) — Winnebago Industries says they’re buying another motor home manufacturer so they can expand into high-priced, luxury R-Vs. The Forest City-based Winnebago announced this morning that it’s entered into an agreement to acquire Newmar Corporation in Nappanee, Indiana for 344 million dollars. Winnebago president and C-E-O Michael Happe says Newmar brands of full-sized motor homes made them attractive to purchase. “Newmar’s talented leadership team, high-quality dealer network, and premium Class A and Super C offerings will enhance the capabilities and profitability of our motorhome segment. They will expand our overall RV portfolio and footprint in North America, and we anticipate it will drive significant value creation for our employees, customers and shareholders,” Happe says.

Happe says when he was hired as the company’s C-E-O in 2016 of the goals of the board of directors was to restore Winnebago’s leadership in the motorized R-V segment. “With the addition of Newmar’s high-quality brand or portfolio, we are taking a significant step forward towards that goal. At the same time, we remain unwavering in our commitment to the Winnebago brand of R-Vs as well and making those products more competitive in the market,” Happe says.”We continue to drive growth in Class B and make progress executing operational improvements across the Winnebago brand, and together with Newmar in the future, we will have a formidable lines of high-quality, innovative products across the motorized segment.”

Happe says Newmar gives them a product they don’t currently offer.  “Newmar offers six R-V models in the 400-thousand dollar to one million dollar high-end motorhome segment which is not an area that our Winnebago brand of R-Vs has traditionally played in,” according to Happe. “Newmar’s premium models will serve to nicely extend our reach and add balance across the segment and fill in the gaps where we traditionally have not had a competitive model or presence.”

Happe says the slight slowdown in the R-V industry in the last two years hasn’t dimmed his outlook for the industry. “We remain confident of the prospects of the North American R-V industry, both in the long-term but also in the short-term. We are extremely realistic about what has happened in the last 18 months, but we are confident that the R-V lifestyle is not disappearing and continues to be healthy in many ways, ” Happe says.

He says Newmar will continue to operate as a distinct business within Winnebago Industries with its headquarters and manufacturing facilities remaining in Indiana.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — The City Council has approved a proposal for removal of a World War II chapel and airman’s housing project on Sioux City airport land. The Sioux City Journal reports that the council OK’d a memorandum of agreement Monday between the city, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Iowa State Historic Preservation Office. The chapel anchors the entrance to Sioux Gateway Airport and is one of the last standing remnants of the wartime air base built for B-17 bomber training.

City documents say the two parcels containing the chapel and housing were developed with uses not compatible with operations of the airport. Plans say the chapel will be moved off airport property, and a nonprofit group will take ownership and maintain it at a new location as a memorial and make it available for event rentals.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Board members of an obscure Iowa government insurance program have spent tens of thousands of dollars in public money traveling to out-of-state resorts for meetings. A review by The Associated Press finds that directors of the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool hold two meetings annually at posh locations such as Florida in February and Michigan in August.

Meeting minutes and spending records show that the practice makes the meetings virtually inaccessible to the public while increasing costs to the pool, which includes roughly 750 counties, cities, towns and other municipalities. One county supervisor says the board’s spending may be excessive, and an attorney calls the out-of-state meetings ridiculous.

Board chairman Jody Smith defended them, saying the Florida meetings coincide with a national conference and Michigan was close to the pool administrator.

(Radio Iowa) — An attack on oil production facilities in Saudi Arabia will lead to higher prices at gas pumps in Iowa and elsewhere. Mark Peterson of Triple-A Iowa says the world’s largest oil facility was hit. “Attacks have taken about 5.7 billion barrels of oil off the market, which is about six percent of the global supply,” he says. “Prior to that, crude oil was healthy around the country. In fact, we were sitting on a global glut.”

Last weekend, gas prices were around two-dollars-and-40-cents ($2.40) a gallon. Experts predict the price will jump about 25-cents by the end of September. Peterson says how long the higher prices last depends upon how long the Saudi facilities are down. “Suffice it to say, we’re going to see some increases at the pump,” Peterson says.

Wholesale gasoline prices were 15 cents a gallon higher nationwide by midday Monday. President Trump has said he’s prepared to tap U.S. petroleum reserves if oil production in Saudi Arabia doesn’t rebound quickly.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press at 3:30 a.m. CDT

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — Board members of an obscure but influential Iowa government insurance program have spent tens of thousands of dollars in public money to travel to out-of-state resorts for meetings. A review by The Associated Press finds that directors of the Iowa Communities Assurance Pool for years have held two of their six annual meetings in other states, usually at posh locations in Florida in February and Michigan in August.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities suspect that two cybersecurity workers charged with breaking into an Iowa courthouse were responsible for a late-night entry into the courthouse in Des Moines. The Polk County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that based on surveillance footage, investigators believe 43-year-old Gary Demercurio, of Seattle, and 29-year-old Justin Wynn, of Naples, Florida, entered the Polk County Courthouse on Sept. 9. The men were charged with burglary after being found in the Dallas County Courthouse.

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) — A Dubuque woman who authorities say stole more than $48,000 from her elderly aunt has been given two to five years of probation. Dubuque County District Court records say 54-year-old Kathryn Billmeyer was sentenced last week and was ordered to pay back the money to her aunt’s estate. Prosecutors say Billmeyer’s daughter, Anna, used the woman’s credit card to buy nearly $1,600 worth of items. She, too, was sentenced to probation.

LAKE OF THE OZARKS, Mo. (AP) — A 43-year-old St. Joseph man could face up to 20 years in prison after pleading guilty in a Lake of the Ozarks boating accident that killed a man. Cletus Barsch pleaded guilty on Sept. 10 to one count of boating while intoxicated resulting in a homicide and two counts of boating while intoxicated resulting in serious physical injury. Sentencing will be March 11. The accident in May 2018 killed an Iowa man.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Federal officials say the amount of water flowing down the lower Missouri River this year is approaching the 2011 record and a third round of flooding is expected this week after unusually heavy rains upstream.

Heavy rains dumped more than four times normal in parts of Montana, Nebraska, North and South Dakota last week. That triggered flood warnings and forced the forecast for how much water will flow down the Missouri River to jump to 58.8 million acre feet. That will be second only to 2011’s 61 million acre feet.

The Corps of Engineers doesn’t expect major problems or threats to cities with the latest flooding — provided the temporary repairs made to levees since the spring hold up. But communities along the river are bracing for problems.

Downstream, residents of Hamburg, Iowa, will be keeping a close eye on the repaired levees around their town that was inundated in the spring to be sure the patches will hold up. Completely repairing the levees damaged in the spring is likely to take several years and cost more than $1 billion. “Anybody I talk to I tell them to be prepared,” said Mike Crecelius, the emergency manager in the southwest Iowa county that’s home to Hamburg. “There’s been no relief at all this year.”

In March, massive flooding caused more than $3 billion in damage in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri. In June, flooding returned and inundated many of the same places because most damaged levees remained broken. The river will remain high throughout the fall because the Corps of Engineers plans to continue releasing large amounts of water into the river to clear out space in the reservoirs ahead of winter.

Officials with the Mills County Emergency Management Agency, Monday, said elevated Missouri River levels will cause increased flood risk for Southwest Mills County this week. Residents West of Interstate 29 and S. of Lambert Ave. are cautioned to be alert and consider evacuating the area. Increased water may also be an issue West of Interstate 29 and S. of Hwy 34 as well as the Pony Creek Drainage District. Exact effects of this River level are hard to determine, so extreme caution is advised. Excessive rain in the northern river basin and pending increased output from Gavin’s Point Dam are causing a prediction of 29.4 ft. on 9/20 at the Plattsmouth Gauge, 3 feet above flood stage. Currently, the River is at 27 ft. at the Plattsmouth Gauge, a 2 ft. increase from last week.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — The University of Iowa says it has contacted Iowa State after the Hawkeye Marching Band was subjected to “inappropriate actions” during Saturday’s football game between the two rivals.

The statement from Iowa athletic director Gary Barta on Monday did not include details and said only that “we have contacted Iowa State athletics administration and are working to gather additional information.”
No. 18 Iowa rallied to beat Iowa State 18-17 on the road. The game at Jack Trice Stadium lasted nearly 6 ½ hours after a pair of weather delays, and some fans from Iowa State’s student section ran onto the field during the second interruption before being sent back by security.

Iowa’s band, like the team itself, was booed heavily by the Iowa State student section when it entered the stadium before kickoff.

The Adair County Sheriff’s Office reports just two arrests took place over the past week. On Sept. 9th, 47-year old Bobby Glen Agan, of Stuart, was arrested by Stuart Police, on a Cass County warrant for Domestic Abuse Assault/display or use of a weapon – 1st offense, and Assault while displaying a dangerous weapon. Agan was turned over to Cass County Deputies. He was released from custody on Sept. 12th.

And, 42-year old Brandy Dawn Johnson, of Perry, was arrested Sept. 9th, for Driving While License Denied or Revoked (OWI related), and OWI/3rd offense. She was taken into custody by the Iowa State Patrol, following an investigation into an accident on Interstate 80 near mile marker 88, a little before 5-p.m. Sept. 9th.

The Trooper found a Chevy Suburban hung-up on the north side guard rail and partially in the ditch. Motorists advised the Trooper that the female driver of the vehicle had walked away in the north ditch. She was located and identified as Brandy Johnson. Johnson failed the Standard Field Sobriety and Preliminary Breath Tests, during which she tested out at a .223 Breath Alcohol Contact (BAC) (nearly 3 times the legal limit). At the Adair County Sheriff’s Office, Johnson blew a BAC of .179 (slightly more than twice the legal limit).

Johnson was released from custody the following evening.