(Radio Iowa) -Gasoline prices rose almost 50-cents a gallon in Iowa in the past month, and they’re still climbing. Brian Ortner, spokesman for Triple-A-Iowa, says prices should start to level off very soon. “We’re at $3.78 a gallon, up 13-cents from a week ago which isn’t the greatest news, but as the weather starts to cool — and that’s a big component of this — hopefully, we’ll see some relief coming,” Ortner says. “As the summer travel season ends, the demand for gasoline will also help with the amount of supply that’s currently available.”

A month ago, gas was averaging three-30 a gallon in Iowa. Ortner says the steamy weather is key in the pump price hike.  “A big factor in those prices going up is the extreme heat that we saw last month,” he says. “It played a role in the recent spike in prices because some refineries had to pull back their production. Some of those refineries work in 100-degree weather, but we were seeing temperatures of 103, 110 in the areas where the refineries are.”

So far, no tropical storms have hit the oil producing states of the Gulf Coast region this year. Triple-A spokesman Gene LaDoucer says international issues are also driving factors in the price increases. “Russia and Saudi Arabia have agreed to further their production cuts,” LaDoucer says. “That is coupled with extreme heat in the United States, which is resulting in additional maintenance, requirements at refineries and reduced output. Couple that with the extremely high travel volumes this summer.”

Prices vary widely across the state, as Council Bluffs is averaging three-68 a gallon, while Dubuque is at three-88. Triple-A says the national average is three-82. The latest check (8/9/23) shows gasoline prices in Atlantic average $3.84 per gallon. The lowest is $3.78 and the highest is $3.90/gallon.

(Radio Iowa) – The State of Iowa is using 21 million dollars in pandemic relief money to buy a fully furnished office building and move all 540 employees out of the Wallace State Office Building that sits across from the state capitol. The 45 year old Wallace State Office Building has windows on its southern facade that reflect the image of the Capitol Building, but the Wallace Building has been in dire condition for decades. The windows leak. The roof is in rough shape. The parking garage has been closed for years due to falling chunks of concrete.

The heating and ventilating system is out of whack and some employees have said they suffer from “sick building syndrome.” The state Executive Council has approved buying a two-story office building on the west side of Des Moines. Staff from the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing who’ve been working in the Wallace Building are moving into that facility.

Iowa Department of Agriculture employees in the Wallace Building will move into the Hoover State Office Building a few blocks away. It will be up to legislators to decide what’s done with the decrepit Wallace Building. A report presented to the state Executive Council indicates demolition costs could be recouped by selling the corner lot in downtown Des Moines where the Wallace Building now sits.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – Officials with Google have announced the company is investing $350 million this year at its Council Bluffs data center campus. This builds on Google’s more than $5 billion investment in the state since breaking ground on the site in 2007.

Google’s continued investment in technical infrastructure, including its data centers, plays a critical role in supporting the company’s AI innovations and growing Google Cloud business. The Council Bluffs data center is one of Google’s largest facilities and helps power popular digital services — like Google Cloud, Workspace (which includes Gmail, Docs, Sheets and more), Search and Maps — for people and organizations worldwide.

In Iowa, Google has created jobs for over 900 people in a variety of full-time and external supplier roles, including computer technicians, engineers, and a variety of construction, food services, maintenance, and security roles. As a pioneer in computing infrastructure, Google’s data centers are some of the most efficient in the world. Google was the first major company to set an ambitious 2030 goal to run its business on carbon-free energy (CFE), every hour of every day, in all of its data centers and campuses worldwide.

U.S. Senator Joni Ernst said “It’s great to be in Council Bluffs to celebrate new opportunities and jobs for the community. Additional investments at this data center will be a boon to southwest Iowa, and I am proud that highly-skilled Iowans are working to keep the internet up and running for those around the nation and world.”

Council Bluffs Mayor Matt Walsh said “From infrastructure investments to investments in community initiatives, Google’s continued commitment to Council Bluffs is apparent.“The new investment announced today in the Council Bluffs data center facilities, along with Google’s support of the new co-working hub, will continue to provide a ripple of economic impact throughout our community.”

As part of Google’s long-term commitment to the state, the company announced a $250,000 grant to Advance Southwest Iowa Corporation will support the creation of the first-ever co-working entrepreneurial hub in Council Bluffs. This collaborative space will help local entrepreneurs overcome the challenges to starting and running a successful business by providing a variety of services and resources. Small businesses are the backbone of the economy, and the hub will help strengthen the local community through knowledge-sharing and networking opportunities.

Allie Hopkins, Google Head of Data Centers, Iowa and Nebraska said “Iowa is building the infrastructure for American innovation. It’s home to one of Google’s largest data centers, providing the infrastructure for digital services and AI innovations that serve people and businesses around the world. We’re proud to be building it here in Iowa and today’s investment underscores our long-term commitment to the Council Bluffs community and the entire state.”

Google has a history of supporting projects and initiatives that help bridge the digital divide in Iowa. Google was a key partner in the effort to bring the BLink community Wi-Fi network online for Council Bluffs. Google has also supported STEM learning for over one thousand Iowa students through hands-on learning opportunities like the Iowa STEM Council and CS First coding events. Since 2009, Google has awarded more than $3 million to local schools and nonprofit organizations including efforts to expand computer science education and upskilling Iowans to help grow their careers and expand their businesses.

Throughout Iowa, 177,000 Iowa businesses have connected with their customers through Google, and Grow with Google has partnered with more than 160 organizations in the state to train tens of thousands of Iowans on digital skills, including public libraries, chambers of commerce, and more. Last year alone, Google helped provide $1.45 billion of economic activity for thousands of Iowa businesses, publishers, nonprofits, creators and developers.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report the arrest at around 10:25-a.m. today (Tuesday), of 63-year-old Thomas Oscar Anderson. Anderson, who is from Red Oak, was arrested for False Reports to a Public Entity – a Simple Misdemeanor. Anderson was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on a $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – The Board of Regents today (Tuesday) approved the University of Iowa’s request to purchase the financially troubled Mercy Hospital in Iowa City for 20 million dollars. University of Iowa president, Barbara Wilson, told the Regents that the university and Mercy have a long history. “Many of our employees are part connected as neighbors and as family members and friends across the two institutions. And so we’ve been very anxious to watch what’s happening with Mercy Iowa City,” Wilson says. Mercy filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, and the hospital would join U-I Healthcare if approved by the bankruptcy court.

“We recognize that the outcome is, of course in the hands of the bankruptcy court. But we share a goal to preserve the ability to offer health care access to a wide variety of individuals, both in the community and beyond,” Wilson says. U-I Vice President for Medical Affairs, Denise Jamieson says they do not know how long the process will take. “We know that this bankruptcy proceeding is very complex, and it’s going to take some time to play out in the court. And there. It’s an evolving situation, we still have many unanswered questions,” Jamieson says. She says Mercy will continue serving its patients through the bankruptcy.

“It’s critically important that as this moves through the courts, Mercy Iowa City continues to see patients and there not be disruption in care,” she says. “And this will really help all of our patients receive organized timely, high quality health care services from both Mercy Iowa City as well as University of Iowa Health Care.” Jamieson says they are excited about a potential future where the two would join together us one, and says they think this would be in the best interest of the state’s health care needs. Jamieson says U-I Healthcare will work with Mercy through the process.

” Over the next weeks, days, weeks, months, we will spend time collaborating with Mercy Iowa City’s current employees and leadership to better understand their needs and their ideas and their concerns, and to understand which services will best serve the community,” Jamieson says.

The U-I proposal to buy Mercy Iowa City came after the hospital’s main investor Preston Hollow called for the hospital to be placed in receivership. Preston Hollow had invested 42 million dollars into Mercy and says it’s evaluating the deal before taking further action. Mercy Iowa City had rejected the University of Iowa’s offer of more than 600 million dollars to buy the facility two years ago and turn it into a community division of the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.

(Radio Iowa) – Top state officials have hired a Washington, D.C. law firm to investigate TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media giant. The state’s Executive Council has approved a contract with Cooper and Kirk, a law firm that worked on the state of Indiana’s lawsuits against TikTok. Indiana filed two lawsuits against TikTok in December, accusing the company of violating child safety and data security laws. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird recommended that firm represent the State of Iowa in possible litigation against TikTok as well an investigation of the company.

In late 2022, Governor Kim Reynolds issued an executive order that bans TikTok from all devices owned by state government. It also prohibits state agencies from having TikTok accounts.

(Radio Iowa) – A southwest Iowa high school football coach has been placed on administrative leave after his arrest on public intoxication and marijuana charges and the Clarinda school board will meet in closed session tomorrow (Wednesday) to consider his future in the district. Twenty-nine-year-old Collin Jeffrey Bevins of Clarinda was arrested at a music festival in Guthrie Center in late July. According to the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office, security guards were trying to eject Bevins from the event and sheriff’s deputies helped get him out of the concert area. Witnesses told deputies Bevins had been trying to fight with other men at the concert.

Officers say when they searched Bevins, they found he had a vape cartridge that contained T-H-C. He’s been charged was possession of marijuana and drug paraphernalia and public intoxication. Bevins was an All-American at Northwest Missouri State University and was a defensive end for the Iowa Barnstormers when he was hired as Clarinda’s head football coach in 2019.

A preliminary hearing for Bevins is scheduled for August 18th, with an arraignment set for September 8th where Bevins will enter his plea to the charges.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office has released information with regard to three accidents that took place between July 27th and August 6th. At around 8:45-a.m. Sunday (Aug. 6), a 2010 Chevy pickup driven by 15-year-old Lucy Rose Knutter, of Adair, was traveling west on White Pole Road, when the teen failed to negotiate a left curve. The pickup continued straight and went onto the right shoulder and veered left. The teen over-corrected, sending the pickup into the westbound ditch, where it flipped over onto the driver’s side. No injuries were reported. Knutter was cited for Failure to provide proof of financial liability-accident related. The Chevy K1500 Silverado pickup sustained $10,000 damage, and was declared a total loss.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says at around 6:30-p.m. on August 1st, a runaway vehicle caused a total of $9,500 damage, but no one was injured. Authorities say Marvin Meyer was operating a Bobcat ski-steer loader and attempting to drive it up onto a trailer near 7157 Andrew’s Terrace at Lake Panorama. The Ford F-350 pickup truck and trailer were parked at the top of a hill, in a parked position. Once the Bobcat got onto the trailer, the vehicle and trailer began to move forward, downhill. The truck, trailer and skid steer loader – with Marvin Meyer inside – went down the hill and struck a parked 2012 Honda Accord in the driveway at 7157 Andrew’s Terrace. No citations were issued.

And, on July 27th, a 2017 Mitsubishi Outlander Sport SUV driven by 22-year-old Erika Marie Martell, of Jefferson, was traveling south on Highway 25 at 180th Street, when the vehicle struck a deer. The accident happened at around 4:48-a.m. Martell was not injured. Her SUV sustained $3,000 damage.

(Guthrie Center, Iowa) – a Man from Texas escaped injury, but faces charges, following a fiery crash late Thursday night, in Guthrie County. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports 26-year-old Owen Douglas Carpenter, of Tuscola, TX, was charged with OWI/1st offense, and Dominion/control of a firearm/offensive weapon by a Felon, following an investigation into the crash that happened at around 11:47-p.m., at Fig Avenue and 140th Street, in Guthrie County.

Authorities say Coon Rapids Fire was dispatched a little after 1-a.m. Friday to a fire near the Whiterock Conservancy, after a citizen reported seeing something on fire in the area, with lots of black smoke. Fire crews arrived and were able to locate the source of the fire in a ravine on the west end of a field, north of 140th Street, between Fig and Dogwood Avenue. When fire crews arrived, no one was around the vehicle, a 2019 Nissan Frontier. The vehicle was a total loss.

Photo courtesy the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office.

A Guthrie County Deputy arrived on the scene at around 2:16-a.m., Friday, and was informed fire crews located a man about 100-yards west of the vehicle in a fence row. The man was laying on his back, unresponsive, but breathing, and appeared to be intoxicated. The man was identified as Owen Carpenter. While surveying the scene, the Deputy located what appeared to be a magazine to a weapon, with a burned handgun sitting in what was the center console of the vehicle. The gun turned out to be a Glock 17.

Carpenter’s breath alcohol content tested at 0.221%. Carpenter was prohibited from possessing a weapon, following his plea of guilty to a Felony in Texas, for Possession of a Controlled Substance.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors received a weekly update from County Engineer Karen Albert, during their meeting this (Tuesday) morning, in Red Oak.

She said applications for a truck driver’s position are open until the end of the day Monday, August 21^st. Applications are available on the County’s website and at the Engineer’s Office, and may be dropped-off at the Engineer’s Office or e-mail to them. A CDL is required . If you don’t have one, you will have 60 days from the beginning of employment with the County to obtain it.

Karen Albert said also….

And, the contractor working on the Montgomery-Page road south of Villisca, has started placing rock on the road to stabilize the road prior to seal-coating the road.

The Montgomery County Board received a County Information Technology update from IT Director Sonia Morrison.

In other business, the Montgomery County Supervisors approved reports for Sheriff’s and Recorder’s Fees, and claims payable for August 10^th. They tabled discussion and/or action on Tuckpointing, because one of the bids won’t be available until sometime on Wednesday.