(Radio Iowa) – A new study finds more than 45-percent of seriously injured drivers in Iowa had at least one drug in their system. Tim Brown is the director of Drugged Driving Research at the National Advanced Driving Simulator at the University of Iowa. Brown says the study will help better direct messaging to prevent people from driving impaired, but it shows all drivers should be aware of other motorists around them. “Your best bet is to be defensive and be aware of what else is going on,” Brown says. “If you see a vehicle that’s behaving oddly, you want to give it space and you don’t want to be in that zone around it if something bad happens.”

The top drugs found in Iowa drivers were alcohol and cannabinoids — from products that come from cannabis plants. Brown says one alarming trend revealed in the study was the increase in prescription drugs found. “Many, many medications out there do great things for treating disease states,” Brown says, “but they’re not safe to drive with and I think people just forget that.”

The study by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration screened people involved in traffic crashes for drugs at seven Level One trauma centers nationally, including the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. It tested seriously injured drivers for drugs from August 2020 to July 2021.

(reporting by Natalie Krebs, Iowa Public Radio)

(Radio Iowa) – Businesses have had to do some adjusting with increased costs and the continued tight labor market. The C-E-O of the Ankeny-based Casey’s convenience stores, Darren Rebellez, says they decided to focus on employee turnover. “What we’ve done is we’ve found some ways through a number of different tactics of just making the job of running our stores a little simpler,” he says, “and at the same time focus on some things that employees were telling us that they want to see.” Rebellez said during his recent quarterly report, that focus has led to the highest employee engagement scores they’ve ever had as a company.

“so what that’s done is it’s reduced our turnover. And so we’ve seen sequential improvement in turnover every single month this year. And as a result of that, our overtime hours are down and our training hours are down,” Rebellez said. So our overtime in the second quarter was down about 22 percent. And our training hours are down 25 percent.” He said that allowed then to avoid cutting back store hours due to a lack of staff.

“We were able to maintain the hours of operating the store and just operating it more effectively. And at the same time pull out what I call those non-productive hours that we were spending on on overtime and on incremental training because we were turning over people so much,” he said. Rebellez made his comments during the recent investor update.

(Radio Iowa) – December is traditionally a very busy, profitable month for retailers, but the latest economic survey for Iowa and eight other Midwestern states shows another dip in the business barometer for the final month of 2022. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the state and regional economies fell further below growth neutral, or 50 on the zero-to-100 scale, during December, pointing to higher recession risk for 2023.

“These are the lowest readings we’ve recorded since the pandemic, in other words, that’s May of 2020,” Goss says. “So, things are not looking good. The economy is very likely to slow down significantly in the first half of 2023 and certainly the second half of 2023, so it was not a good signal.” Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota are all seeing employment levels now that exceed pre-pandemic levels, but the survey shows Iowa has yet to hit that mark. Goss says the region is still lagging several thousand jobs, but hiring numbers did rise during December.

“Companies are still hiring. Job additions, employment additions are not, I won’t call it strong but it’s surprising the strength we’re seeing there when everything else is not good,” Goss says. “But when we asked about applicants for job openings in the company, 63% reported a shortage of applicants for any job openings they had.” The future outlook is far from glowing, Goss says, as the overall Business Conditions Index has fallen for seven of the past nine months. Plus, he says about 60-percent of supply managers surveyed expect the economy to slump into a recession in 2023.

“We’re talking about really the higher, higher probability of a recession,” Goss says. “I think the probability of a recession is now well above 50%. We’re going to see slow-to-no-to-negative growth. The housing sector’s already in a recession, manufacturing is likely to enter a minor recession.” According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Iowa’s current labor force participation rate is two percentage points lower than before the pandemic. Goss says that indicates more than 34-thousand Iowans remain out of the workforce, thus contributing to the state’s labor shortage.

(Radio Iowa) – Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Susan Christensen has been elected to another term. Christensen’s two-year term as the leader of the court expired December 31st and she was elected to a new term by fellow justices that began on January 1st. Christensen was first selected chief justice in 2020 to succeeded Chief Justice Mark Cady who died suddenly in 2019.

The Harlan native has served on the high court for five years after being appointed by Governor Kim Reynolds. Christensen released a statement saying she is “honored to be selected by my colleagues to continue to serve as Chief Justice of Iowa’s court system.”

IASUPCO Justice Susan Christensen (File photo)

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak, Tuesday night, arrested a man following a traffic stop. Authorities say 26-year-old Bryson Lee Powell, of Red Oak, was arrested for Driving While Suspended in the State of Iowa. He was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on bond amounting to $491.25.

(Radio Iowa/KJAN) -One person died during an explosion in a residential area of Council Bluffs, late Tuesday morning.  Council Bluffs Police say a man was found dead after a detached garage exploded at around 11:54-a.m. in the area of 35th Street and Avenue G.  Reports say neighbors two and three blocks away felt the explosion and one witness told said he saw the victim had been thrown into the street. Crews from the Council Bluffs Fire Department and Black Hills Energy, which supplies natural gas in Council Bluffs, responded to the explosion, but authorities say it appears the man who died was working in the garage and the explosion was an accident.

A preliminary investigation concluded that a compressed natural gas cylinder exploded in the garage at 709 N 35th Street, and that the explosion was NOT the result of a gas leak from the utilities serving the property. The incident remains under investigation.

The victim’s name was not immediately released.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – The Mills County Sheriff’s Office reports five recent arrests. Today (Jan. 3rd), 29-year-old Shawna Marrie Watson, of Glenwood, was arrested at around 1:16-a.m. for Assault ($300 bond). There were three arrests New Years Day, in Mills County: 23-year-old Caleb Michael Solari, of Corning, was arrested for OWI/1st offense ($1,000 bond); 24-year-old Zachary Alexander Shively, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Violation of a No Contact Order (No Bond), and, 26-year-old Rhiannon Irene Gilbert, of Council Bluffs, was arrested for Driving Under Suspension (Bond $300). On Dec. 30th, Mills County Deputies arrested 39-year-old Tarus Mae Delores Hayes, of Council Bluffs, for OWI/1st offense (Bond$1,000).

The Sheriff’s Office says at around 2:18-a.m. Dec. 31st,a 2019 Jeep driven by 23-year-old Caleb Solari, of Corning, was traveling east on Highway 34 in Mills County, when the vehicle drifted off the road and traveled into the ditch. Solari told authorities he was tired. As mentioned above, he was arrested for OWI/1st offense. A passenger in his vehicle was transported to MCMH by Red Oak Rescue, for injuries sustained in the accident. Later that same morning, an accident occurred that involved a 2019 Dodge Ram.

The vehicle was driven by 39-year-old Heath Holmes, of Glenwood, westbound on Highway 34, when Holmes fell asleep at the wheel. His pickup entered the north side ditch and struck a berm. Holmes was checked by EMS at the scene. He declined to be transported to the hospital.

And, on January 2nd, Deputies responded to a three-vehicle accident at 315th St./Highway 34, at around 2:45-p.m.  An investigation determined a 2015 Buick driven by 83-year-old Patricia Barrale, of Hastings (IA), was westbound on Highway 34, prior to turning south onto 315th Street. A 2011 Ford driven by 46-year-old Erin Munns, of Emerson, was eastbound on Highway 34, when Barrale’s vehicle turned into oncoming traffic, causing the impact.

A 2022 KIA driven by 47-year-old Kelly Betley, of Glenwood, was stopped at the stop sign at the intersection, and was struck by Barrale’s Buick as it collided with the Ford.

ATLANTIC, IOWA – Officials with Cass Health have announced the addition of Whitney Schafer, MSN, APRN, FNP-C to the team of providers at AMC Rapid Care. Schafer is board-certified by the American Association of Nurse Practitioners to care for patients of all ages. Schafer said she is “Passionate about delivering care with an emphasis on patient education. I have 12 years of experience as an RN in various areas, and I look forward to providing patient-centered care to my rural community.”

AMC Rapid Care Director Tabetha Smith, RN said, of Schafer, “We’re extremely happy to have Whitney on our team! Her personality and demeanor are a perfect fit for the community that we serve. She is a true vision of a neighbor caring for neighbors.”

Schafer recently graduated from Clarkson College with her master’s degree. She completed her Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 2014 from the University of Iowa and has been a registered nurse since 2010. Her previous nursing experience includes inpatient care, specialty care, surgery, and five years of urgent care experience.

(Glenwood, Iowa) – Officials with the Glenwood Police Department report three recent arrests and an injury accident. Taken into custody on January 2nd, was 20-year-old Mason Bivens, of Glenwood, for Domestic Abuse Assault. Bivens was being held without bond until seen by a magistrate. On January 1st, Glenwood Police arrested 28-year-old Katherine Konfrst, of Glenwood, for OWI/1st offense, and Child Endangerment. She subsequently posted a $3,000 bond.

And, on Dec. 30th, 56-year-old Todd Morris, of Glenwood, was arrested for Eluding. He also later posted bond amounting to $1,000.

On Dec. 30th at around 7:20-p.m., Glenwood Police were dispatched to 312 4th Street, for a report of a vehicle that struck a house. They found a 2018 Chevy Colorado pickup struck the porch at the location specified. The porch was completely destroyed. The driver of the vehicle, 65-year-old Lyle Mark Osler, of Glenwood, said he did not feel well, and the last thing he remembered was passing a convenience store in the area. He believed he passed out due to medical issues.

Osler was transported by Glenwood Rescue to Mercy Hospital, in Council Bluffs. There were no other injuries reported. Damage to his truck was estimated at $10,000. The home, owned by Ronnie Hurley, of Glenwood, sustained an estimated $15,000 damage.

(Radio Iowa) – Governor Kim Reynolds will be sworn in for another term on Friday, January 13th — but the other five statewide elected officials have started their terms. The new terms for Secretary of State Paul Pate and State Auditor Rob Sand started on Sunday, January 1st. Newly elected State Treasurer Roby (ROB-ee, like “Robbie”) Smith took office Sunday as well. January 2nd was the starting date for Mike Naig’s second full term as secretary of agriculture.

Newly-elected Attorney General Brenna Bird who started her term Monday, too. That’s because the terms for both of those offices are to start on January 1st — unless January 1st falls on a Sunday. Terms for these five statewide elected officials technically start when they sign an official oath. None of these officials have announced they’ll participate in a public ceremony to mark the start of their terms in office.