OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A report says a business conditions index for nine Midwest and Plains states has surged again — a sign of continued improvement in regional economic conditions. The report released Monday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index hit 62.1 in March, compared with 59.7 in February. The January figure was 57.3. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says 20 percent of the survey participants reported rapidly expanding economic growth in their areas.

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

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are trying to identify the body of a man found on a riverbank in southern Des Moines. Police say a pedestrian reported around noon Sunday that he’d spotted the body below a bridge over the Raccoon River. The body appears to have been at the spot for some time and showed no obvious signs of injury. A forensic examination has been ordered.

House Speaker Linda Upmeyer says part of this year’s “enhanced” anti-harassment training for lawmakers has emphasized that all 150 members of the House are in positions of authority. “The things you say to people, the way you handle yourself can be interpreted differently when you’re in that position,” she says. Legislators represent a wide range of occupations and personal experiences when they meet as a group in Des Moines. Upmeyer says the training has reviewed how legislators are perceived by others. “We have to remind them that you guys do have sort of an authority position when it comes to the employees and that’s something we’ve worked hard to make sure is clear,” Upmeyer says.

Upmeyer hired a human resources director for the legislature last fall, shortly after a fired staffer in the Iowa SENATE was awarded more than a million dollars to settle her sexual harassment lawsuit. Late last week, Upmeyer told reporters she “can only speak for the House.”

(Radio Iowa)

The mental health reform bill the governor signed into law last week may ease the way for Iowa psychiatrists to report potentially dangerous patients to the police. A court recently ruled mental health professionals could be sued if someone under their care ends up harming themselves or others. Emily Piper, a lobbyist who worked on the bill, says the new law spells out when a psychiatrist could be sued for not speaking up “We want those parameters to be really clear,” she says, “so that when you get into the position of making that professional judgement, you are not exposing if you did not believe those parameters were met.”

Under the new law, a psychiatrist who doesn’t report to police would be immune from a lawsuit unless a patient was threatening a clearly identifiable victim or victims. And reporting threats would still be voluntary. Piper says the law balances the safety and confidentiality concerns. “We think that it creates a better partnership between those mental health professionals and law enforcement in terms of somebody who is clearly exhibiting signs of either injuring themselves or others,” Piper says.

Other states have passed similar laws recently. Piper is a statehouse lobbyist for the Iowa Mental Health Counselors Association, the Iowa Psychiatric Society and the Iowa Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.

(Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — OneJet is discontinuing its nonstop flights between Omaha and Milwaukee. The Omaha World-Herald reports that the service will end April 12. A OneJet spokesman says the airline is in the process of upgrading its fleet from seven-seat jets to 30-seat jets and making adjustments to its service accordingly. The airline began offering the service in November. It offered two flights per weekday between Omaha and Milwaukee.

OneJet flies small jets to and from regional markets, such as Columbus, Ohio; Louisville, Kentucky; Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.