Santa’s sleigh may be lighter this holiday season. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says consumers in Iowa and nationwide are continuing to show signs of hesitation about buying, so merchants are beginning to make plans for another slow December.

“Retailers are very guarded on what’s going to happen,” Goss says. “As a result, they’ve been very cautious in terms of expanding their inventories. They’ve pared them back fairly significantly.” Iowa and the Midwest are in better shape than many other states and regions, Goss says, and growth in holiday sales here ought to be higher than elsewhere, too.

“In my judgment, we’re going to see growth from last year of about three to four-percent,” Goss says. “At the national level, it’s going to be about half that, one to two-percent.” With consumer confidence tanking, he says that projection is a far cry from where it would ordinarily be during a healthier economy. “While it’s not as good as we’d like to see, a normal expansion would be in the six to seven-percent range but still, it’s much better than what we saw last year,” Goss says.

(by Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — Omaha police have identified a body found on the Iowa side of the Missouri River as a man who jumped off a bridge in Omaha nearly three weeks ago. Police on Tuesday identified the man as 19-year-old Corey Criss, of Omaha. Authorities say his death doesn’t appear suspicious or criminal. A fisherman discovered a body on Sunday in the river west of Percival, Iowa.

Police say a man was seen jumping from the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge on Oct. 7. Witnesses lost sight of the man in the water. Emergency crews searched the river, but couldn’t find him and the search was called off.

Officials with Snyder and Associates Engineers in Atlantic have issued a notice to the public about road work that require some temporary changes in your parking patterns. Beginning this Friday, October 28th, construction will resume on the 2011 HMA (Hot Melt Asphalt) Paving and Storm Sewer Improvement project within the City of Atlantic.

Snyder’s Dave Sturm says the contractor intends to begin paving on the following streets:
1. 13th Street between Chestnut Street and Elm Street.
2. Poplar Street between 8th Street and 10th Street.
3. Walnut Street between 8th Street and 10th Street.
4. Redwood Drive between 14th Street and 17th Street.
Residents will be required to remove their vehicles from these streets in order to accommodate the paving equipment. Vehicles shall remain off the streets through Saturday, October 29th. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Dave Sturm at 243-6505.

Authorities in Page County are investigating two separate incidents of vandalism in Coin. According to Sheriff Lyle Palmer, the incidents occurred last weekend. On Sunday, Debra Turnbull, of Coin, reported someone destroyed items on her deck and had gained entrance to her home at 408 Crook Street. In the process, a nylon patio chair and pumpkins were damaged, and, various bottles of wine were stolen. The items had a total value of about $265.00

The second incident was reported Monday morning, when the City Clerk in Coin told the Sheriff’s Department a light bulb, which illuminated the American Flag at the Coin City Office, had been broken out. The Clerk indicated it was the 3^rd time in the past couple of weeks the light, which was valued at eight-dollars, had been broken.

Both incidents remain under investigation.

Page County Sheriff Lyle Palmer says two vehicle-versus-deer accidents over the weekend caused nearly $10,000 damage to the vehicles involved, but no one was injured. Sunday night, a car driven by 19-year old Michael Ribbey, of Blanchard, collided with a deer on I Avenue. The impact disabled the car, causing an estimated $2,200 damage.

The second other accident happened Friday night, on Highway 2. Sheriff Palmer says an SUV driven by 76-year old David Haning, of Sidney, hit a deer which the entered the roadway just east of N Avenue. The impact resulted in $7,000 damage.

The Iowa State Patrol reports a Red Oak man died during a single vehicle accident this (Tuesday) morning east of Hastings, in Mills County. 86-year old Charles Phelps was traveling west on Highway 34, when for reasons unknown, his 2010 Dodge pickup went off the road and into the north ditch. The vehicle entered a field, hit the eastbound ditch of 370th Street. The impact caused the pickup to vault over 370th Street before it came to rest in the west ditch.  Officials say Phelps was wearing a seat belt.

The accident, which occurred at around 9:15-a.m., remains under investigation.

A Page County man has pled guilty to two counts of Possession of a Methamphetamine precursor, with the intent to manufacture. 38-year-old Gary L Runyon, Jr., of Coin, entered his plea Monday in Nodaway County, Missouri Circuit Court. Runyon is scheduled to appear in court for a sentencing hearing, on December 5^th. 

The charges stem from a massive investigation into methamphetamine manufacturing and distribution in southwest Iowa and northwest Missouri. The investigation and arrests were coordinated by law enforcement officers in both states.

Two men were arrested early this (Tuesday) morning on drug charges, following a traffic stop in Audubon County. The Audubon County Sheriff’s Department reports 30-year old Kaleb Christopher Vaughn, of Omaha, and 28-year old Phillip Edwin Cline, of Council Bluffs, were taken into custody at around 1:30-a.m.

Officials say both men were charged with Possession of Marijuana and Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, after a deputy pulled their vehicle over on Highway 71, about two-miles east of Gray. Vaughn and Cline were brought to the Audubon County Jail and held, until making an appearance before the magistrate.

Officials with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources say Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) grants for fiscal year 2012 were recently approved by the Natural Resource Commission during its October meeting. Locally, Pottawattamie County was awarded a $67,500 REAP County Conservation Grant, for a project which proposes to add 26.1 acres to Hitchcock Nature Center (HNC).

The addition features remnant bur oak woodland and savanna and degraded pastures. The property will expand protection and restoration of important natural areas in the Loess Hills, will increase outdoor recreation opportunities at HNC, will protect a remnant of the original Old Lincoln Highway and will secure the site of the raptor banding station.

REAP has a 22-year, $272 million funding history for parks, soil, water and habitat improvements, roadside prairies, historical development and conservation education. The REAP Act has a formula that distributes funding to farmers, conservation organizations, educators, cities, counties, historians, and state projects. Funding comes from gaming revenues and sales of natural resource license plates. Legislators appropriated $15 Million in 2010 and $12 Million in 2011. Full funding of the REAP Act is $20 Million.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors are set to hold their regular weekly meeting Wednesday, in Greenfield. On their agenda for the 9-a.m. session, is an annual inspection report on the Three-Mile structures, a Fiscal Year 2012 E-M-S grant contract, receipt and discussion with regard to monthly reports, and an update on the County Comprehensive Plan.

In addition, Tom McGovern, Assistant to the County Engineer, will present information with regard to the awarding of contracts for two separate bridge replacement projects.