OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A second straight monthly survey of nine Midwest and Plains states suggests a slowdown in the region’s economy. A report issued Thursday says the overall Mid-American Business Conditions Index dropped to 47.7 last month, compared with 49.6 in August.

Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he cited the strong U.S. dollar and global economic weakness among the reasons for the region’s economic slide.  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. A score below that suggests decline.

The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.

Police in Council Bluffs are investigating an armed robbery that took place at around 2:40-a.m. today (Thursday). Officers were called to the Hy-Vee Store at 2323 West Broadway, by a man who said as he was leaving the store after purchasing at pack of cigarettes, he was approached by a white male subject who asked for a cigarette. The victim said he would sell the other man a cigarette for 25-cents.

The subject paid for the cigarette, and as the victim was leaving, he heard the man demand the entire pack of cigarettes. The victim said the man produced a knife as he demanded the cigarettes from him. The victim complied and gave the pack to the suspect. The suspect and the other two males he was with then fled the area on foot and could not be located.

The suspect was described as between 18 and 23 years old, about 6-feet 2-inches tall, and weighing about 150-pounds. He was wearing a dark colored hooded sweatshirt. No one was injured during the incident and this investigation is ongoing at this time.

A man suspected in a stabbing incident early this (Thursday) morning in Grant, was arrested after fleeing the scene and being located by a k9 unit. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says 52-year old Derrick Geaton Zucco, of Grant, was found hiding in a brush pile after being tracked and located by the K9 team. Zucco was charged with Aggravated Domestic Assault and was being held without bond in the Montgomery County Jail. Additional charges are expected following completion of an investigation.

His arrest followed a call to authorities from 402 U Avenue in Grant at midnight, where a man had been stabbed multiple times. The caller told authorities the suspect fled on foot. The unidentified victim was transported by Griswold Rescue to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital for treatment. A report on his condition was not released.

Assisting in Zucco’s arrest was the Iowa State Patrol, Red Oak Police and Deputies with the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.

• Corrects his age to 52 instead of 59 as mentioned in early press release.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office says a Stanton man was arrested Wed. night for allegedly supplying alcohol to a person under the legal age. 21-year old Benjamin Carroll Johnson arrested in the 200 block of Center St. in Stanton, at around 8:15-pm. He was cited into court and then released from the scene.

Red Oak Police report three people were arrested on separate charges, Wednesday. At around 9:40-p.m., 23-year old Jordan Charles Quick, of Red Oak, was arrested on a charge of Simple Assault. Quick was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 cash bond.

Police arrested 32-year old Vincente Torales-Bautista at around 7:20-p.m. on a Montgomery County warrant for Failure to Appear on an original charge of Driving While Suspended. Torales-Bautista was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 cash bond.

And at around 2:50-p.m., Wednesday, Red Oak Police arrested 15-year old James Dean Kelly, of Red Oak. Kelly was charged with Criminal Mischief in the 5th degree, following an investigation into an incident at the Red Oak High School that took place last Saturday. The teen was later released to the custody of a parent or guardian.

The captain of a new naval ship bearing the name of Sioux City surprised members of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce Tuesday by unveiling the ship’s official crest. U-S-S Sioux City, Commander Kevin Ralston and eleven members of his crew to unveiled the crest that includes several local symbols. Ralston says they came to Sioux City a few months ago to do some research and then put together the design. The crest includes the Sergeant Floyd monument and the roof line of the Badgerow Building downtown.

Image from the Sioux City Journal.com

“We are really, really happy with the crest and the way it turned out, and we hope that you are too,” Ralston says. Ralston says he and the crew are working to get the littoral combat ship ready to begin its duty. “We’re actively engaged in training, we’re getting ready and doing our best to prepare to take the U-S-S Sioux City to sea and represent the U-S Navy overseas,” Ralston says.

The U-S-S Sioux City is expected to be commissioned in the spring of 2017.  Work began on the ship in 2014 with the keel laying at Marinette Marine, in Marinette, Wisconsin.  When complete the USS Sioux City will carry a crew of 95 on missions as long as 21 days.  The ship weighs 3,500 metric tons, and measures nearly 380 ft. long.

(Radio Iowa)

A year-long initiative to reduce fatalities on rural roadways is being launched today (Thursday) in five Iowa counties. Patrick Hoye, chief of the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau, says this is the second year for the High Five Rural Traffic Safety Project. “When we looked at crash data, rural crashes in Iowa account for 78-percent of our traffic fatalities. So, we were looking for a rural project to turn that around,” Hoye said. The counties participating in the project this year are Boone, Jackson, Lee, Monona and Poweshiek.

They were selected because of their relatively high rates of crashes on rural roads and low seat belt compliance rates. The project will involve an increased law enforcement presence in the five counties and officers visiting high schools to talk to young drivers about obeying traffic laws and keeping their focus on the road.

And then also, working with the Department of Transportation and their engineers,” Hoye said. “We’re taking a look at doing road safety audits in these counties. Are there engineering issues that are causing some of these crashes?” Last year, the project included Allamakee, Fremont, Marion, Palo Alto and Webster Counties. Each county recorded an increase in seat belt usage with the most significant increase occurring in Allamakee County.

“When the program started, we did a pre-seat belt survey and 61-percent of the residents of Allamakee County surveyed were buckled. Upon completion, it had gone to 87-percent,” Hoye said. Roughly 80-percent of Iowa’s total roadways are considered rural in nature. Funding for the overtime enforcement efforts is provided by Federal Highway Safety Grants, according to Hoye.

(Radio Iowa)