(Harlan, Iowa) – Officials with MidAmerican Energy report 225 customers in Shelby County were without power as of just before 2-p.m., today (Thursday). The company serves 2,028 residents and businesses in the county.

(Radio Iowa) – The head of Iowa Workforce Development says the state’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for November rose one-tenth of a point from October to three-point-one percent. Workforce director Beth Townsend says the increase was expected, even with the anticipated hiring of seasonal workers for the holidays.  “No, it wasn’t a surprise. We’ve been seeing a regular increase for quite some time due to anxiety and uncertainty, given the national election,” Townsend says, “so no, not surprised.” The national unemployment rate also rose for the month to four-point-two percent, more than a full point above Iowa’s rate. Townsend says Iowa typically has a better showing than the U-S figures.

“We have a much higher labor force participation rate,” she says. “The labor force participation rate nationally is 62.5 and our rate actually increased in November for the first time in 2024, so we’re at 66.3% which is good. We want to see it trending upwards.” Another bright spot in the report, according to Townsend, was that 16-hundred Iowans came back to the labor force in search of a job.  “I think the rate still reflects a little bit of uncertainty, and you didn’t have enough time between the election and the end of the month to see a whole lot of new hiring or things of that nature that would bring the unemployment rate down,” she says, “but we did see more people return to the workforce, and that is always a good sign. It was 1,600 people, so we’re very, very happy about that.” Townsend says it’s possible we’ll see better numbers for December, though she admits there may not be a significant shift upwards until spring.

“Well, I would hope so,” Townsend says, “but again, given that the new administration has not started yet and there hasn’t been significant changes in economic policy at this time, there’s going to be a lag between when a new administration comes in and starts implementing their own policies and when business and economy can catch up.” There are still about 50-thousand open jobs posted on Iowa-Works-dot-gov and Townsend says anyone who’s on the hunt for a new employment opportunity should log in.

(Radio Iowa) – The Iowa Lottery Commission has signed off on major changes to the multi-state Mega Millions game slated to begin in April. Lottery C-E-O Matt Strawn says the changes are designed to draw more players. “The Mega Millions Consortium, which is a group of states that actually governs the Mega Millions game, thoroughly researched and designed these changes to provide a variety of options new excitement and the large grand prize jackpot amounts that players in research say is necessary for those premier lotto games today,” Strawn says. The cost of Mega Millions ticket will go from two to five dollars, with the promise of a bigger payout.

“The Mega Millions starting jackpot will more than double to 50 million dollars and with the redesign, the grand prize jackpot will grow faster and produce more frequent to billion dollar plus jackpots,” he says. Strawn says all levels of prizes will increase. “There will no longer be any break even prices, so the smallest prize in the revamped game will be doubling your ticket price. So ten dollars, twice the purchase price,”Strawn says. Players now have to pay an extra dollar for the multiplier that increases the jackpot. Strawn says the multiplier now comes automatically with every ticket and will randomly increase your winnings from two up to ten times. Your the odds of winning the Mega Millions jackpot will improve.

“Dropping from about one in 303 million to about one in 290 million,” he says. “And correspondingly, the overall odds of winning any prize in the game will also improve. “The first drawing of the reconfigured  Mega Millions game is set for Tuesday, April 8th 2025.

Iowa is one of 44 states along with the District of Columbia and the U-S Virgin Islands which sell Mega Millions. The game is 20 years old, but Iowa didn’t start selling it until 2010.