(Radio Iowa) – Former northeast Iowa Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer is now working in the Biden Administration. Finkenauer’s title is Special Envoy for Global Youth Issues. A news release indicates she will be the State Department’s principal public representative on youth-related programs and issues. Finkenauer worked on Joe Biden’s 2008 presidential campaign and, as a member of congress, publicly endorsed Biden before the 2020 Iowa Caucuses.

Finkenauer served four years in the state legislature before being elected to one term in the U.S. House in 2018. She lost a 2020 campaign for a second term and unsuccessfully sought the Iowa Democratic Party’s U.S. Senate nomination this spring.

December 2, 2022 (DES MOINES) – At yesterday’s (Thursday’s) meeting of the Enhance Iowa Board in Des Moines, the Board awarded a Community Attraction and Tourism (CAT) grant totaling $219,840 to a community park in Davenport. The project is expected to cost nearly $1.1-million dollars.

The proposed MLK Park is being designed as an outdoor venue for residents and tourists to learn and engage in the region’s rich artistic, creative, cultural and ethnic history. This park project will display 16 educational panels about the history of Davenport as it relates to persons of color.

The Enhance Iowa Program provides financial incentives to communities for the construction of recreational, cultural, educational or entertainment facilities that enhance the quality of life in Iowa. To date, 104 CAT grants have been awarded by the board, totaling $33,503,023. The next Enhance Iowa Board meeting is scheduled for January 5, 2023.

(Creston, Iowa) – Authorities in Union County say two separate, non-injury accidents happened Thursday night. At around 9:34-p.m., a 2018 Chevy Cruze driven by 18-year-old Lucas M. Lynch, of Creston, was traveling south on Cedar Street near Carpenter Street, in Creston, when the vehicle swerved into the other lane, and struck a legally parked and unoccupied 2013 KIA Optima, registered to a woman from Lenox. Lynch told authorities the accident happened when he thought he saw a car parked on the road in front of him, and took evasive action to avoid hitting it. During the collision, the airbags on Cruz’ vehicle deployed, and the vehicle became disabled. The parked car sustained heavy front end damage. Both vehicles were towed away. The dollar amount of damage from the accident amounted to $15,000. Lynch was issued a citation for Reckless Driving.

The second accident occurred at around 7:18-p.m., in Creston, when a 2012 Chevy Cruze driven by 19-year-old Audrey Isabella Simone Harris, of Creston, was backing out of a driveway, in an attempt to re-enter N. Oak Street, southbound. Her car struck an unoccupied 2011 Mitsubishi Galant. Harris was cited for Failure to have Insurance. Damage from the collision amounted to an estimated $4,000 altogether.

(Creston, Iowa) – Two women were arrested on separate charges, Thursday, in Creston. According to Creston Police, 32-year-old Brooke Marie Carter, of Creston, was arrested Thursday morning and charged with Driving While Barred. She was taken to Union County Jail, and later posted bond.

And, Thursday afternoon, Creston Police arrested 51-year-old Robin Elizabeth Provot, of Creston, on a charge of Disorderly Conduct. She was taken to Adams Co Jail, and was being held on a $1,000 cash or surety bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Senator Joni Ernst has voted to block a strike by railroad workers and impose the labor agreement negotiated at the White House in September, but Ernst says she would have preferred to keep congress out of it. Ernst, a Republican, says President Biden could and should have done more to ensure a fair deal for employees, including her brother, who works for a railroad. Eight unions approved the contract offer, but four unions representing tens of thousands of rail workers rejected it.

Ernst says workers have valid concerns regarding quality of life and attendance policies that are not addressed in the contract and negotiations should have restarted. However, Ernst says a strike would have been catastrophic for the economy, so she voted to block the strike.

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley also voted to intervene in the labor dispute and prevent a strike. Both Grassley and Ernst voted against a proposal to force the railroads to provide seven days of sixk leave to employees — it got just 43 “yes” votes in the Senate.

(Radio Iowa) – The economy usually perks up with year-end holiday shopping, but there are few signs of optimism heading into December in the latest survey of business leaders in Iowa and eight other Midwestern states. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says for the first time in recent years, the region’s overall index — or business barometer — plummeted below growth neutral, and it’s now fallen six of the past eight months.

“The Mid-American economy, at least according to the November survey, is not good at all,” Goss says. “It dropped to 48.0 which is the lowest reading we’ve recorded since the early days of the pandemic. That would be in May of 2020, right after the pandemic began, so this was not a good reading.” The individual business barometer for Iowa fell even farther during November. On the zero to 100 scale, where 50 is growth neutral, Iowa dropped two full points, from 49.8 in October to 47.8 in November. In the Creighton survey, supply managers in Iowa and the eight other states were asked about the biggest threats they see looming for the rest of 2022 and into 2023.

“Number one, by far, was higher input prices, so inflation is still rearing its ugly head out there, according to supply managers,” Goss says., “Number two was recession, that’s first time we’ve recorded that in some time. Supply chain disruptions came in number three, and then labor shortages, which is a big issue in this part of the country, and then higher interest rates.” While labor shortages ranked fourth out of five on that list, the survey finds employers across the region are still having significant trouble finding qualified workers to fill vacancies.

“Sixty-five percent of the supply managers are reporting shortage of applicants out there, so they have job openings and not many are coming in to fill those positions,” Goss says. “Regional employment is still down from pre-pandemic levels, that was being February of 2020. We’re off 32,000 workers across the nine states.” There were a few bright spots. Goss says the latest data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics shows in the past 12 months, private wages of all workers in Iowa expanded by a little over five-percent, while manufacturing wages climbed by almost eight-percent.

(Radio Iowa) – President Biden is asking national Democratic Party leaders to make changes for the 2024 campaign — bumping Iowa’s Caucuses out of the lead-off spot and putting South Carolina’s Presidential Primary first. Biden finished fourth in the 2020 Iowa Caucuses, but won the South Carolina Primary a few weeks later. Biden’s list for state contests in 2024 starts with South Carolina on February 5th, followed by New Hampshire and Nevada a week later, then Georgia on the 19th and Michigan on the 26th of February.

Iowa Democratic Party chairman Ross Wilburn says Democrats cannot forget about entire groups of voters in the heart of the Midwest without doing significant damage to the party for a generation. He also emphasizes that Iowa law requires that both major political parties hold Caucuses before any other state votes. New Hampshire also has a state law that requires its primary to be held before a similar election in another state and New Hampshire’s Democratic Party chairman says his state’s primary will be held first in 2024. The Rules and Bylaws Committee of the Democratic National Committee is meeting in Washington, D.C. to recommend which states will hold the early voting contests in 2024.

The full Democratic National Committee will meet early next year to vote on its calendar for state primaries and caucuses. In the past, states that did not follow the party’s schedule were penalized with a reduced number of delegates to the Democratic National Convention.

(Clarke County, Iowa) – A car traveling in the wrong direction on Interstate 35 in Iowa, collided head-on with a semi tractor-trailer, Thursday, killing the driver of the car. The Iowa State Patrol reports a 2008 Chevy Impala driven by 82-year-old Larry Wayne Ross, of Osceola (IA) was traveling south in the northbound lanes at around 6:27-p.m., near mile marker 33, when the car struck a 2015 Peterbilt semi. The driver of the semi – 50-year-old Alsson F. Battin, of Rock Island, IL, tried, but was unable to avoid striking the vehicle.

Larry Ross was transported from the scene by Clarke County Ambulance to the hospital in Osceola, where he died from his injuries. He was not wearing a seat belt. The truck driver was transported to the hospital to be checked-out. The Patrol says he was wearing his seat belt.

(Council Bluffs, Iowa) – A Council Bluffs woman was injured and her husband was arrested, following a stabbing Thursday afternoon, in Council Bluffs. Authorities were notified a little after 4-p.m. about the incident, which occurred in the area of 600 5^th Avenue. Officers responding were informed that the female – 30-year-old Aleen Kau – was stabbed in the neck, allegedly by 31-year-old Angers Kau.

Officers located the man close to the area and placed him under arrest. Aleen Kau was taken by private vehicle to Jennie Edmundson Hospital where she sought treatment for a significant stab wound to her upper back near the base of the neck. She was eventually referred to UNMC, due to the severity of the wound, at this time the injury is said to be non-life threatening.

Angers Kau (CB PD photo)

During the investigation it was learned that the couple are married, and that their children were present during the assault. The children were not injured during the incident. Angers Kau was transported to Pottawattamie County Corrections and booked in on charges of Attempted Murder, Felony Domestic Abuse, Child Endangerment, Disobedience to Police and Public Intoxication.

Anyone who may have witnessed this incident is encouraged to contact Council Bluffs Police at 712-328-4728 or the Crime Stoppers hotline at 712-328-7867.

(Atlantic, Iowa)  – A new event and “places” resource guide for families is now available for those living in Southwest Iowa. A Community For Kids is excited to share the release of their new FREE app and website for Atlantic and its surrounding communities. This digital guide is full of family-friendly places and events happening all within a 30-mile radius of Atlantic.

“After running ‘A Community for Kids’ Facebook group for several years, it was very evident with the growing number of events and questions that a better way to source and organize information was needed,” said owner and creator, Chelsie Rush. “I knew families were missing out on stuff that was just in a neighboring community, or even their own, because they didn’t know about it. The ‘A Community for Kids’ guide was born as a solution, and an answer to,
‘what can we do this weekend?’” 

This digital guide is the response to the need for parents to easily find what they are looking for at their fingertips. Some of the helpful tabs the guide features include:
● Places to explore that families may be unaware of, including location and pictures of
what’s available of area playgrounds, pools, splash pads and more as well as additional
information about each of them.
● Calendar of events as well as flyers for featured events in the area,
● Map and Google directions to each place and so much more!

Right now the digital guide even has a special seasonal “Christmas” section with things such as Christmas events, lights and programs! New information is constantly being added or updated so check back frequently to find something you may not have seen before.

“There are so many family-friendly events and activities going on in Atlantic that a lot of families are missing out on because they just don’t know where to go look for information. We’re really excited about this app and the opportunities it’s not only going to provide families, but also the opportunity event holders and businesses will have to highlight what they have to offer,” said Bailey Smith, Executive Director at the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce.

To access the guide and add it to your phone display as an “app” for easier access and availability even when offline, just visit acommunityforkids.com.

Thank you to the support of presenting sponsors, Nishna Valley Family YMCA, Cass Health and Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, as they supported the idea and funded the start-up to get it up and going. Additional sponsors supporting the continuation of information being added to the guide are Shift ATL, Stanton Community Foundation, Central Church of Christ, Rush CPA & Associates and Rolling Hills Bank and Trust.

“Sponsors will be a vital part of keeping the guide updated and available for all the communities,” said Rush. “We are so thankful for the sponsors that have committed to helping our area be a great place to raise a family, and want to help share their hard work!” A Community For Kids is now accepting 2023 sponsors to support the guide to keep it growing
to build strong communities.

“The City of Stanton has many exciting things happening in the community for all ages. The Stanton Community Foundation is excited to partner with a local area organization focused on youth as we continue to grow and provide a quality education, activities and events for young families in our community.” Said Jenna Ramsey, Stanton Community Development Director about Stanton’s support of the guide.

Sponsor information can be found under the information section on the guide or by emailing acommunityforkids@gmail.com. Events and places to be listed in the guide can be submitted to be added to the app at any time as well. There are quick forms in the information tab in the guide as well to help do so. Go check out acommunityforkids.com and find a great activity to enjoy together this month!

There is so much going on you will be sure to find something everyone can enjoy. Any questions on the guide, how to get your events or business listed, or how to help support A Community For Kids, please contact Chelsie at acommunityforkids@gmail.com.