COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – One person has been killed and one injured in a Council Bluffs house fire.
The fire began a little after 7:15 a.m. Friday, and arriving firefighters found two people who already had escaped. Fire Chief Justin James says a disabled man was rescued from the main floor and taken to a hospital. Another person’s body was found in the basement.

The names of those involved haven’t been released. James says the fire likely started in the basement. The cause is being investigated.

The U-S Small Business Administration saw a drop in both the number and total dollar amount of loans it made to Iowa merchants during 2014. Dennis Larkin, in the S-B-A’s Cedar Rapids office, says the agency made 440 loans during the year and 155 of them were to new businesses, while the rest were to existing businesses.  “We were down about 85 loans from the year before, from 2013,” Larkin says. “We’re disappointed to see that the decrease was spread across both of our major loan program types. We saw disappointing decreases in ethnic loan breakdowns, women and veterans as well.”

The total value of the loans to Iowa businesses for the just-ended fiscal year reached 149-million dollars, compared to nearly 195-million the previous year. Larkin says the agency needs to do a better job of working with Iowa lenders to help them understand how S-B-A programs could be of value, providing access to capital for their clients. Larkin says, “We’re going to redouble our efforts with Iowa lenders to try to understand what their needs are and how their needs can fit with our programs and do a better job on our part of promoting the programs that we do have and trying to find ways to help lenders tailor our programs to the situation, to the clients, the customers that walk in the door.”

While the S-B-A saw drops in both the numbers and dollar value of the loans made in Iowa, nationwide, S-B-A loan numbers were up 12-percent and rose more than seven-percent in dollar amounts. “We’re not quite sure just what it is that we can do to help boost the SBA lending activity in Iowa,” Larkin says. “We’re determined to do that but we’re going to have to do a lot of listening and a lot of soul searching to see if we can’t find ways to turn this around, to help more small businesses in Iowa.”

Loans were made during the fiscal year in 65 of Iowa’s 99 counties. The SBA report says the loans created 1,440 jobs in Iowa and retained 2,796 jobs. Larkin says more than 95-percent of all businesses in Iowa are considered small businesses. Larkin is Acting Deputy District Director of the S-B-A in Iowa.

(Radio Iowa)

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MOVILLE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have released the name of a 27-year-old man who was killed in a rollover crash near Moville in northwest Iowa. He was identified as Joshua Worrell, of Sioux City.

The Iowa State Patrol says Worrell was eastbound on U.S. Highway 20 when his car left the roadway, ran into a ditch and rolled, coming to rest on its top. The patrol says the accident was reported around 10:50 a.m. Thursday but occurred sometime overnight.

The cause is being investigated.

Police in Creston report the arrest Wednesday night of a local man, on drug charges. Ely Will, of Creston, was taken into custody in the 100 block of north Pine Street by police who were assisted by the Creston P-D’s K9 Unit. Will faces charges that include Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of a Controlled Substance/Marijuana, and Possession of a Controlled Substance with the Intent to Deliver/Methamphetamine. Will was later released from the Union County Jail on $10,000 bond.

And, on Jan. 1st, Creston Police arrested Ryan Douglas Neal, of Orient, on a charge of Public Intoxication. Neal was later released from the jail on $300 bond.

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A monthly report shows an improved economic outlook over the next three to six months for nine Midwestern and Plains states. A survey report issued today (Friday) says the overall Mid-America Business Conditions Index jumped to 54.4 in December from 51.3 in November.

The survey results from supply managers are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests economic growth, while a score below that suggests decline. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says drops in grain and fuel prices have helped companies with close ties to consumers.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A man has died following a single-vehicle rollover crash in northwest Iowa. The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office says the crash happened Thursday morning on U.S. Highway 20. The driver was traveling eastbound when his car left the roadway, entered a ditch and rolled.

The name of the driver has not been released. The crash remains under investigation.

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City man accused of fondling an 8-year-old girl has pleaded not guilty.
The Sioux City Journal reports 45-year-old David Winne entered his plea Wednesday in Woodbury County District Court to one count of indecent contact with a child.

Winne is accused of touching the girl over her clothes while she was sitting on his lap at his home last year. A complaint in the case says Winne also asked the girl to touch herself. Court documents say Winne told authorities he did not remember the incident.

The National Weather Service in Des Moines reports significant travel concerns are expected Saturday evening into Sunday morning over much of central Iowa. A two part system, with the first looking to pass over Missouri overnight tonight into Saturday will provide the potential for a wintry mix over south-central to southeast Iowa Saturday morning. The second and stronger piece of energy will bring the main snow band across central Iowa late Saturday afternoon and into Saturday evening.

With the sharp cold front Saturday evening, strong northwest winds combined with falling snow will likely lead to areas of blowing snow and visibility restrictions late Saturday evening into Sunday morning. Temperatures are forecast to quickly plummet with the strong push of cold air Saturday night and may result in roads becoming icy and causing significant travel concerns. Generally 1 to 4 inches of snow is forecast over central Iowa by late Saturday night with the higher amounts along and south of Interstate 80 and east of Interstate 35.

Again, the snow amounts are not the major concern, it is the falling snow coupled with the very strong winds Saturday night into Sunday morning. Bitter cold temperatures and wind chills are expected all day Sunday into Sunday night and the cold will persist through much of the work week. Another clipper system looks to bring accumulating light snow to northern Iowa Monday night into Tuesday.