(Radio Iowa) – The Creighton University survey of manufacturing supply managers for Iowa and eight other states was above growth neutral for April after two straight months below the mark. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey.  “The overall Index rose to its highest level since September of last year, and of course that’s a good sign,” Goss says. The survey questions the business managers in several areas and scores the overall index on a 100 point scale. Goss says there’s several positives in the survey. “Inflation is in a moderate range, although it is still a bit tighter than we’d like to see. We asked the supply managers about wage gains and three and a half percent, which doesn’t sound like much it’s better than what we’ve been seeing,” Goss says.

He says the wage gain comes as the wage trend has been a bit down to sideways. Goss says a negative involved workforce numbers. “The supply managers reported that their companies had lost jobs for the month and of course, that’s not good,” he says. “The growth that we’re seeing at employment levels at the national level those are concentrated in certain industries that will be healthcare and government and leisure and hospitality. So manufacturing at the national level has also been declining.” Goss says Iowa has lost around one-thousand manufacturing jobs in the last month, which is not bad compared to other states. “Iowa is holding its own, but again we’d like to see some better numbers in manufacturing — that’s certainly the case for Iowa and for the region,” Goss says. He says all of the states in the index are pretty similar in the overall index.

“Minnesota on the lower end and South Dakota on the higher end. But when you put it all together Iowa is moving I would say, a bit up to sideways in the manufacturing economy. Of course that’s somewhat connected to what we call the durable goods sector and durable goods, again connected to exports. So that’s what we’re seeing,” Goss says.

Goss says some of the managers say the price of fuel and housing are starting to impact their business dramatically.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education met in a regular monthly session this (Wednesday) evening at the High School Media Center. Under the Action Items portion of their agenda, the Board approved the following:

• Renewing a Memorandum of Understanding with Family Connections for another year.
• A Green Hills AEA agreement for paid (managed) services.
• A proposed, modified agreement with the Nishna Valley Family YMCA, re: The Early Childhood Center, Wickman Center, etc., spaces, through the end of  the 2024-25 School Year. The agreement must also approved by the YMCA’s Board of Directors.
• An i-JAG agreement. The District has had an agreement with i-Jag for two-years.
• The Board approved an Operational Sharing agreement for the 2024-25 School Year, with the Griswold CSD for a Transportation Director. ACSD Transportation Director Steve Anderson will split his services 80-20 between the Districts. Griswold has already approved the continued sharing agreement.
• and Sharing Agreements for Boys and Girls Sports: Swimming and Soccer.

The Atlantic School Board also approved the resignations of:  Troy Roach – Speech & Debate Coach (effective 6/30/24, not June 1st, as the previous agenda had indicated), and Caleb Winters, Special Education Para (effective at the end of the current school year).

They also approved Contract Recommendations for the 2023-24 School Year: Makenna Askeland – MS Softball Coach (Summer 2024); Tina Franken – Summer Lunch Position (6/2024 & 7/2024); Terry Hinzmann – Summer Credit Recovery; and Kay Schmitt – Transportation & oversee Voc. Rehab.

And, they approved other Contract Recommendations, for the 2024-25 School Year, include: Jim Brauer – HS Sped Teacher; Amber Moore – 7th Grade Volleyball Coach, Fall 2024, along with Athletic Volunteer Coaches, including: Baseball – Josh McLaren & Darby McLaren, Softball – Bob Gross; and MS Softball Volunteer Coach – Paul Kite.

In her report to the Board, Superintendent Dr. Beth Johnsen spoke about the Home School Program and School Board Recognition month. She said Linda Nichols – CPI/Home School Coordinator – is retiring, so her position is being moved to Cara Andersen. She is currently serving one-quarter time until next year, when she will serve three-quarters time. The full-time (FTE) home school teacher positions will stay the same, according to Dr. Johnsen. She said the home school program continues to grow, with kids being added every year.

With May being School Board month, Dr. Johnsen thanked members of the Atlantic School Board for everything they do.

Board Member Gini Jordan was pleased to report negotiations between the District and its Certified/Non-Certified Staff appear to be going well.

Late last month, the Atlantic Education Association and the Atlantic School District presented proposals for contracts for the next two to three years during a special meeting. Association members proposed a 9% total package increase for the first year, and district officials proposed a 9.27% salary increase.

Lisa Jones, Director of Finance/Board Secretary, said the District’s financials “look really good.” The District is nearly finished with the current fiscal year, she said, with only this month and next remaining. That means they are finishing-up with the little things that need to be purchased yet this year and thinking about their needs for next year.

(Jones said with regard to nutrition, they are still encouraging those who owe money on their lunch accounts to get payments turned in before the end of the school year.) And, while many in the community have reached out and donated to help the lunch account…

(Jones said there’s still a need, “and so we’re asking those parents to find a way to finish that off or set-up a payment plan of some sort….so they’re not coming into next year with a negative balance, because that does roll over…and that’s not how we want the students to start their year.”)

The Board approved: a five-cent increase in Nutrition Meal Prices for 2024-25; Trash, Milk and Bread bids for 2024-25; and, Student Fees, rates and charges. The fees remain unchanged from last year. The JMC portal will have an application for free-and-reduced lunches, according to Finance Director Lisa Jones.

Snyder and Associates Engineer Austin Sonntag reported to the Board the Storage Building project at the High School, that began last year, is in the process of wrapping-up. The final pay application amounts to $3,739.80. The Board passed a Resolution accepting the work on the building.

The Board’s next meeting (A Special Session for to ratify the bargaining agreement with District Certified Staff) will take place May 15th. A Work Session was set for May 22nd.

(Radio Iowa) – A central Iowa T-V sportscaster has realized a life-long dream with the publishing of a book that makes youth baseball a life or death proposition. Scott Reister says the book “Baseball Spy” features a kid named Zane who is trying to find a deadly spy on his team before things go wrong. “And if he doesn’t keep winning kuh-blammi everything goes down so literally in Baseball Spy the book it’s life or death Little League is life or death,” Reister says. Reister says the idea for the story came from his own baseball experience.

“Maybe I was 11 or 12 and I’m about to bat and in this pressure situation, I felt all these eyes on me and I thought, man, it’s not like it’s life or death, right?,” he says. “And then I started thinking, what if it was, what if I didn’t get this hit? Then there’s some bad guy out there about to blow everything up. And I always thought that’d be the coolest idea for a book or a movie, and I never really did anything about it. And I started thinking about if I ever wrote a book that was it, and I finally dedicated myself to figuring out how to write a book.” While the book’s plot includes spies and potential destruction, he says it’s a thriller that adults or kids would like.

“I would say if you’re about that fourth grade age anything younger than that be hard to kind of grasp the plot, but adults love it, kids love it, it’s a great gift especially if you have kids playing baseball, Reister says. He says the book has sold well already and says the plot keeps everyone interested. “There’s two major twists in the story that kind of propel the story forward, and then the end is so exciting, all heck breaks loose in the very end scene,” he says.

Reister had done a lot of writing as a sportscaster, but had to learn a whole new set of skills to write the book. It took him six years to get the book published and he has this advice for anyone who wants to give it a try. “As long as you’re willing to wait and not give up and seek as much advice as possible. And also take your time before you send it to literary agents, you know, you only get one shot at it to write that pitch letter to these agents,” Reister says. “So unless you know you’ve spent all that time on the book, and it’s as good as it can possibly be, don’t rush it. Take your time, get it completely ready, and then start to begin that process.”

Reister’s patience paid off and he now has a deal for two more books, with the ending of “Baseball Spy” setting up the second book, “Football Spy.” He has been busy doing signings are little leagues in central Iowa. You can find the book on Amazon and other book sellers.

Here are some of the upcoming book signings:
Saturday 5/11 3:00-5:00 Barnes and Noble (Jordan Creek)
Tuesday 5/21 6:30-8:00 Beaverdale Books
Saturday 6/8 11:30-1:30 Barnes and Noble (University Clive)
Saturday 6/29 10-12 Urbandale Public Library

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst is blasting the Biden Administration for putting a hold on the shipment of 3500 bombs to Israel.

“This is absolutely unacceptable,” Ernst said. “Withholding any support from Israel is literally appeasing Iran-backed Hamas terrorists while they are still holding our Americans hostage and so I am demanding answers for why the administration is turning its back on Israel and preventing it from defending itself.”

Ernst and a fellow Republican senator returned to the U.S. Tuesday after meeting with allies in the Middle East, including Israeli government officials. “We have yet to hear from the (Biden) Administration on the true reasons why they have stopped these weapons shipments,” Ernst said.

During testimony at a U.S. Senate hearing today, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin confirmed the U.S. had put a hold on a shipment of weapons and that U.S. assistance to Israel could change if there’s a major Israeli operation in Rafah, a major city in southern Gaza. Ernst said the delay in providing military assistance to Israel runs counter to President Biden’s own declarations.

Sen. Ted Budd (R-NC), Israeli PM Netanyahu, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) (photo provided by offices of Budd & Ernst)

“He had stated a while back that his support of Israel was iron clad, so he’s either misleading the people of Israel or he’s just certainly lying to Americans,” Ernst said. “…Hamas is the enemy, not Israel.”

A month ago, congress approved a package that included $26 billion in aid to Israel. Ernst indicated it’s not clear if this delayed shipment is part of that. Ernst said if these are weapons Israel has paid for, “which is often the case,” then they need to be delivered.

“There have been a number of responses again through the media because he has not been forthcoming with any information stating, ‘Oh, it’s a paperwork issue,’ but we’ve also heard, ‘Oh, the president has concerns about the operations in Rafah,’ which is why he stopped those weapons and munitions,” Ernst said, “so we’re seeking clarity, we’re seeking transparency.”

During her Middle East trip, Ernst met with Kurdish allies in Iraq. She also visited American soldiers at U-S installations in Syria and the United Arab Emirates. Israel was the final stop and Ernst met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, other Israeli government leaders and the families of Hamas hostages.

“We still have eight Americans that are held hostage, three of whom we know are deceased,” Ernst said. “We really want to see the return of our five American hostages.”

Ernst said too many Americans have forgotten what happened in Israel on October 7, 2023.