LE MARS, Iowa (AP) – Workers have had to move 24,000 items from a library in a small city in western Iowa before beginning a $350,000 renovation on the building.
Le Mars library director, Shirley Taylor, tells the Sioux City Journal that library staff and volunteers from various city departments helped move the items from its downtown building to a temporary home across the street.

The library closed earlier this month to allow staff to prepare to move its inventory to the Eagles Club building across the street. It’ll serve as the temporary library until late fall. The Eagles Club is scheduled to open for business as the town’s library on May 1st. Taylor says the library renovation will include a new entrance and shelves as well as a redesign of the building’s interior.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a warrant used to search a suspected drug dealer’s residence even though a deputy failed to sign the application. Friday’s 4-3 ruling exposed differences among justices on whether officers and judges should be held to exacting standards when authorizing searches or if seemingly minor bureaucratic oversights can be excused.

At issue was an application that Scott County deputy Dan Furlong prepared to authorize the search of a Davenport home where a suspected drug dealer was staying.

Furlong didn’t sign the application spelling out why he believed there was cause for the search. But he verbally swore under oath to the information before Judge Henry Latham, who signed the warrant but failed to circle words in two spots indicating he found probable cause. The majority says the warrant is valid.

DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate decreased slightly to 3.1 percent in March. The state’s jobless rate was 3.8 percent one year ago. The U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 4.5 percent in March. Beth Townsend, Director of Iowa Workforce Development, says “Unemployed Iowans continued to leave the labor force in March. The reduction in Iowa’s total labor force represents a smaller pool of qualified applicants and is making it difficult for businesses to fill positions. Total nonfarm employment showed little hiring among Iowa businesses this month resulting in a net decline in jobs.”

The number of unemployed Iowans decreased to 51,900 in March from 53,800 in February. The current estimate is 12,100 lower than the year ago level of 64,000. The total number of working Iowans increased to 1,640,200 in March. That figure was 500 higher than February and 2,900 higher than one year ago.

Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Employment
Iowa businesses pared jobs for the first time since November, lowering total nonfarm employment down to 1,580,600 jobs. This month’s decline was small in magnitude (-500), and generally due to losses in the private services sector. Government also contributed to this month’s drop with 500 jobs lost this month. Public sectors now lag behind last year’s mark by 700 jobs, whereas the state combined is up 8,100 jobs versus last March.

Within private sectors, leisure and hospitality posted the largest decline this month (-2,000). All of the losses in this sector this month were posted in arts, entertainment, and recreation. Accommodations and food services were unchanged since February. Most other sector declines this month were minor and included losses of 200 jobs in trade, transportation, and warehousing. This sector was hampered by larger than expected cutbacks in retail trade. Information services and professional and business services each shed 100 jobs in March. Job gains were led by construction (+1,100). This sector has added 2,700 jobs since January. Education and health services increased this month (+700) and have added jobs for four-consecutive months. Several sectors experienced incremental gains including manufacturing, finance, mining, and other services.

Annually, six of the ten private sectors have added jobs, led by professional and business services (+4,400). These gains have been fueled by increased staffing in administrative support and waste management services (+2,700). Education and health services have advanced steadily (+3,500), and finance has added jobs consistently since August and is up 3,100 jobs. Alternatively, losses continue to be led by manufacturing (-3,600) and primarily the result of cutbacks in durable goods factories (-3,100). Construction regressed slightly from last year’s historic highs and actually trails last year’s mark (-2,000). Information continues to reorganize and streamline services and is down 1,300

Visit www.iowalmi.gov for more information about current and historical data, labor force data, nonfarm employment, hours and earnings, and jobless benefits by county.

Police in the eastern Iowa town of Clinton say a message was posted on social media about 9:30 last (Thursday) night which threatened the safety of students and staff at Clinton High School. The threat, posted on Instagram, indicated something would happen at the school today. Clinton School Superintendent Deb Olson says police quickly determined who posted the threat. “We’ve visited that person’s house, talked to the parents and had things taken care of by about 1:30 this morning,” Olson says. “Obviously, there will be ramifications to this.”

On his Twitter account this morning, the principal of Clinton High School said disciplinary action is already underway. Olson says school is in session as usual in Clinton this morning and extra precautions are being taken.  “Not only will Officer Sparks be there early today, our school resource officer,” Olson says, “but there will be extra patrols around the building this morning as well.”

Clinton police were able to determine the threat was “not credible,” according to Olson. “I am fully satisfied that the threat does not exist any longer and that we will move forward today,” Olson says. “I would just reassure everybody in our community that things are as they should be.”

No names were released.

(Radio Iowa)