(Radio Iowa) – The new fiscal year began in July for the state’s casinos and sports betting operations. Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilko says this may be the first year we get a true read on the sports gambling market in the state. “Every year that we’ve had sports gambling, there has been some factor that we could say impacted the industry in some way. In 2019 the market had just opened, so we did not have very many sports books in the state,” he says. “In 2020 we had the pandemic, in ’21 there were still limited events taking place and schedules were still impacted by COVID.”

This past fiscal year saw double the amount of sports betting in the state compared to the previous year. Ohorilko says that happened as the number of sports books were still just getting launched. “I still think, you know, it will be interesting to see if it increases — one would think it would — because we have a full library of markets to wager on,” Ohorilko says. The rules changed so you didn’t have to sign up at a casino to bet online. Ohorilko says one thing that may impact sports gambling is the sports books aren’t as aggressive in seeking customers as they were when trying to get into the market. “We’re not seeing the marketing and advertising like we did last year. So, it’ll just be something to kind of keep an eye on. Once September, October and November hit, those are the busy times for the sports books, “Ohorilko says.

You are required to physically be in the state to place a sports bet using an Iowa application. Ohorilko says that has led to some cross-border betting. “We believe we see that in northern Iowa at the casino at Diamond Joe, we believe we see some of that in Osceola and definitely in western Iowa. That is something that we see at especially those casinos that are close to states that do not have legal sports betting,” he says.

Ohorilko reminds everyone though to keep the dollar brought in by sports betting in perspective. “Sports betting is very popular. People in Iowa love sports betting. But it really is just a small percentage of the overall casino revenue and taxable revenue,” he says. Sports betting in Iowa topped two-point-four BILLION dollars in the just-completed fiscal year. Ohorilko says 91 percent of the betting is done online.

MARIE ELAINE SUHR, 79, of Atlantic, died Thursday, July 28th, at the Heritage House, in Atlantic. A Mass of Christian Burial for MARIE SUHR will be held 10-a.m. Friday, August 5th, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, in Walnut. Pauley-Jones Funeral Home in Avoca has the arrangements.

A Rosary will be held at the funeral home on Thursday, August, 4th, at 4-p.m., following by visitation with the family from 5-until 7-p.m.

Burial is in St. Patrick’s Cemetery.

MARIE SUHR is survived by:

Her sons – Scott (Natalie) Suhr, of Adair; Brian Suhr, of Josephine, TX; and Kevin (Sarah) Suhr, of Overland Park, KS.

Her brothers – Ted (Mary) Filipowicz, of Eatonton, GA; Ray (Karen) Filipowicz, of Elkhorn, NE

13 grandchildren; and her in-laws.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says the U-S shouldn’t let China dictate the itinerary of any American traveling abroad, especially someone as high-ranking as U-S House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. She’s in the midst of an Asian tour and is visiting Taiwan, which has prompted China to issue a series of threats while flexing its military muscles. Grassley says, “We cannot have any government telling any member of Congress what country they can go to — or not go to.”

China considers Taiwan part of its territory, and Republican Grassley says it’s -not- a mistake for Democrat Pelosi to visit the island, which would send a message the U-S supports Taiwan’s independence. A Chinese official reportedly said, “Those who play with fire will perish by it,” in regards to Pelosi’s travel plans. “It would show a very definite weakness on our part in our dealing with China,” Grassley says, “if we would lend credence to their threat that we better not go to China.”

Pelosi would be the highest ranking U-S official to visit Taiwan since then-House Speaker Newt Gingrich stopped there in 1997. “I’m a strong supporter of Taiwan as well, and it’s been 35 or 40 years since I visited Taiwan,” Grassley says. “I don’t have any desire to go back again, but if I wanted to, I’d do it regardless of what the Chinese government said about me.”

One report says China’s state-run media implied Pelosi’s jet would be shot down before it would be able to land in Taiwan.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors held a brief meeting this (Tuesday) morning, during which they accepted the resignation of Beth Peterson as Safety Coordinator. Peterson, also serves the an Election Clerk for the County. A Safety Coordinator basically serves as a responsible for planning, implementing and overseeing company’s employee safety at work. Their main duty is to ensure that the company is in compliance and adheres to Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) guidelines to to reduce work-related injuries.

The Board currently has no candidates for the position. Anyone interested should contact the Montgomery County Auditor’s Office. The Board of Supervisors will eventually act on appointing a person to the position.

In other business, Barry Byers, with the Montgomery County Secondary Roads Department, gave a report on the department’s activities.

(Radio Iowa) – The 127 employees of a grain processing plant in Cedar Rapids are now on strike. Ingredion Incorporated has been in negotiations since June with its union on a four-year contract. The existing contract ended Monday morning and union members voted to strike. The local union president was on the picket line and says they’re prepared to go as long as it takes to get a contract his members can agree to. “We’re far apart right now. I’m hoping soon that they’ll come back to the table. I don’t look for it this week but I hoping next week that they contact (me), and my committee and I can come back to the table and start negotiating again,” he says.

The workers are part of The Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union. Mitch Kacena has been at the plant for three and a half years. He said the company’s current offer would cut his pay from twenty-eight dollars an hour to twenty-six. That’s a drop of several thousand dollars each year. It’s his first strike. “I’ve never really been around before either. It’s kind of a whole new thing for me,” he says.

A spokesperson at Ingredion’s corporate office in Westchester, Illinois said there may be temporary facility stoppages, but the company plans to continue operating the facility and fulfill orders.

(reporting By Zachary Oren Smith, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – The operators of a Dubuque entertainment venue say they have recovered funds involved in an overseas hack. The Five Flags Center says hackers attempted to initiate a wire transfer of money from the Center’s account at MidWestOne Bank in late June to an account in Hong Kong. Five Flags Center says in a statement they worked with MidWestOne Bank, local authorities and the F-B-I to find the source of the attack and stop the transfer before it could be completed.

Published reports say the attempted hack involved 300-thousand dollars.

(Radio Iowa) Much of Iowa’s expected to roast in this week’s heat wave — which may end up lasting much longer — and it follows a very steamy July. State climatologist Justin Glisan says the just-ended month was one-degree warmer than normal statewide and we had one-inch less of rainfall than the average. Glisan says Iowa’s farmers are especially concerned about forecast models that show more of the same during August. “We’re getting into the teeth of the growing season but also the warmest part of the year for Iowa late July and August,” Glisan says, “and we’re definitely going to turn on the furnace this week.” The Climate Prediction Center is releasing its maps for expected temperatures and precipitation during August — and both show the hot, dry trend will continue for Iowa during the month ahead.

“It doesn’t bode well for the drought conditions that we’re seeing, especially in northwestern Iowa where we have D1 to D3 drought, the extreme drought category,” Glisan says. “We would like to see timely rainfall to hold the crop on, but right now, the probabilities, they’re not working in our direction.” If there’s a bright spot to the past month, Glisan notes there was no severe weather anywhere in Iowa during July.

“We don’t have severe weather, we don’t have thunderstorms, we don’t get rainfall and hence, drought conditions expand,” Glisan says. “We saw similar behavior last year at this time. Drought was more pervasive last year, D1 to D2 across much of the northern two thirds of the state.” While we’re in the third year of a La Nina pattern, Glisan says it’s still too early to say if the warmer, drier weather will last into the fall months.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report one arrest and one non-injury accident occurred, Monday. Officers arrested 51-year-old Sally Mae Petersen, of Red Oak, for Breach of Peace (a simple misdemeanor). Petersen was booked into the Montgomery County Jail and held on a $300 bond. And, a woman who told Police she had too much to drink, was involved in an accident Monday evening.

Authorities report 79-year-old Ladonna Marie Peterson-Figley, of Red Oak, told Police she was coming back from a restaurant. While pulling into a parking stall, her depth perception was off due to her state of intoxication. The 2014 GMC Terrain SUV she was driving struck a legally parked 2014 Nissan Altima, owned by Robert Fensterman. The woman told police she didn’t recall hitting the car, but due to her red vehicle and the red paint on the Nissan, Police said there was sufficient evidence to connect the damage to Peterson-Figley’s vehicle.

She was transported to the Montgomery County Memorial Hospital and informed about implied consent. Charges are pending the results of her blood test. Damage from the collision amounted to $1,700.00

(Creston, Iowa) – Officials with the Creston Police Department report the arrest at around 5:22-a.m. today (Tuesday), of a man wanted on a Council Bluffs Police Department warrant. 42-year-old Jullio Cesar Villapando Castro, of Creston, was wanted for Failure To Appear on an original Probation Violation charge. Villapando Castro was transported to the Union County Jail and held without bond while he awaits extradition to Council Bluffs.

Authorities said also, a man residing in the 500 block of N. Division Street, in Creston, reported Monday morning, that someone had stolen his backpack from his 1998 Jeep Cherokee, while the vehicle was parked at his residence. The backpack contained: a Kline wire stripper; Nebo pen light; 3 sets of Allen wrenches; A set of step bits, and three college text books.

The loss was estimated at $250.00.