w/ Ric Hanson

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OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A new monthly survey suggests the economy remains strong in nine Midwest and Plains states and business will continue to improve in the months ahead.  The overall index for the region declined to 55.6 in June from 56.2 in May, but any score above 50 suggests growth.
 
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says business leaders expect slower growth in the next few months. Modest job growth is also expected as the hiring index dropped to 53.7 in June from May’s 59.3.
 
The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. The survey of business leaders and supply managers uses a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth while a score below that suggests decline.

Police in Red Oak report the arrest on Sunday of a woman on Child Endangerment charges. Officials say officers responded to a call about an infant that was inside a car parked near a store, with its windows up and the engine shut-off. It was unclear how long the two-year old child had been inside the vehicle.

While Police searched the store for the driver of the vehicle, other officers removed the child from the car and placed her in a patrol car. The infant was said to be sweating and breathing hard. Red Oak Rescue crews examined the child, who began to have less labored breathing during the examination.

The child’s grandmother, and driver of the vehicle, 56-year-old Vicky Sue Allen, of Red Oak, was located about 30 minutes later. Allen was taken into custody on a charge of child endangerment. She was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $2,000 bond.

Authorities notified the child’s father, who took custody of the girl and brought her home.

A traffic stop Friday evening in Taylor County resulted in numerous charges. Lenox Police stopped a pickup at around 8-p.m. in the 500 block of West Nebraska for equipment violations and for the driver failing to wear a seatbelt. The driver denied having identification on him but identified himself as 46-year old Tinoco Alvarez, of Lenox.

A routine check of his drivers status showed he did not have a Iowa drivers license and that he was wanted on an arrest warrant from California. At that time he was handcuffed and searched. The search located a California identification card in the name he provided as well as a Kansas identification with his picture but in a different name. during questioning he admitted using the false name to obtain employment.

Alvarez was arrested and charged with failure to have a drivers license, failure to have insurance, failure to wear a seat belt and identity theft, a Class D Felony. Additional charges are pending further investigation. He was transported to the Taylor County jail for processing

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — With a historically productive legislative session wrapped up and bills signed with suitable pomp, Republican Governor Terry Branstad is setting himself up to run for an unprecedented sixth term in 2014. Although Branstad isn’t indicating his plans, his powerful political operation is gearing up this summer with staffing and fundraising.

FAYETTE, Iowa (AP) — The northeastern Iowa city of Fayette has hired a new police chief to lead a department the city almost eliminated. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 44-year-old Brad Gardner will be Fayette’s new police chief. Gardner will be sworn in at today’s city council meeting.

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) — Police are investigating a shooting inside a Muscatine home that left one person dead and another wounded. Muscatine Police said the shooting happened around 3 o’clock Saturday afternoon. Officers entered the home and found two people with gunshot wounds. One person was dead, and the other person was taken to a hospital in Iowa City. The victims’ names were not immediately released.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa man charged with sharing child pornography has been found dead. The Polk County Sheriff’s office says 48-year-old Paul Hildreth was found dead shortly after 1 p.m. yesterday at a rural Polk City home. The sheriff’s office says Hildreth’s death does not appear suspicious, but the case is still being investigated.

The Iowa State Patrol reports a Nebraska man was injured Sunday night when the motorcycle he was driving hit a hole and went out of control, in Pottawattamie County. 23-year old Kelley R. Costanzo, of Omaha, was transported by Shelby Rescue to Jenny Edmundson Hospital in Council Bluffs, following the crash which occurred on Interstate 80 at around 9:25-p.m., Sunday.

Officials say Costanzo’s 2008 Harley Davidson motorcycle was traveling westbound near the 34-mile marker, when it hit a hole in the pavement. The cycle went out of control and slid to a stop on the westbound shoulder of the road. The Iowa Department of Transportation was notified and effected repairs on the damaged portion of the roadway. The accident remains under investigation.

Police in Red Oak arrested two people on burglary and other charges, Sunday morning. Officials say 55-year-old Charles James Netherton and 53-year-old Thomas Oscar Anderson, both of Red Oak, were taken into custody a little after 1-a.m., in the 100 block of West Linden Street.   They were charged with Burglary in the 3rd degree. 

Netherton faces an additional charge of interferance with official acts. The duo were 
brought to the Montgomery County Law Enforcement Center, where they were both being held on $5,000 cash bond.

Local producers, residents, business owners and community leaders will have the opportunity to share their thoughts about opportunities and challenges in rural Iowa when USDA state leaders visit Audubon on Monday, July 8th. A rural listening forum will take place starting at 10-a.m. at the Extension Office, 608 Market Street in Audubon. 

Scheduled to attend the forum are John Whitaker, State Executive Director for USDA’s Iowa Farm Service Agency (FSA), Jay Mar, State Conservationist with USDA’s Natural Resources Conversation Service (NRCS), and Bill Menner, USDA Rural Development State Director in Iowa. The meeting is open to the public.

Iowa Ninth District Representative Nancy Boettger has announced she will not seek re-election to the Iowa Senate in 2014. Boettger, a native of Shelby County said in her newsletter this past week, that she will step down from her position at the end of 2014.

In a news release, Boettger said she has considered it an honor and privilege to represent voters in the Iowa Senate for the past 19 years. She represents all of Harrison and Monona counties along with portions of Shelby Crawford, Ida and Woodbury counties. Boettger began her political career in January 1995 and is in her fifth term. Her background includes being a former educator.

Boettger said “As a former educator, our young people’s education has been a very important issue for me. This Legislative session we made great strides in education on behalf of the students, teachers and school districts across Iowa.” She said also, that she will continue to work in her 20th and final year, to represent hardworking Iowans.