AMES, Iowa – America’s Small Business Development Center (SBDC) Iowa, has announced that Elizabeth Christensen is the new Regional Director for the Iowa Western SBDC at Iowa Western Community College, located in Council Bluffs. Elizbeth Christensen will advise and train entrepreneurs and existing business owners in Pottawattamie, Shelby, Harrison, Page, Mills, Cass and Fremont counties. Elizabeth started in early June and is excited to continue supporting western Iowa businesses.

“I am delighted to introduce Elizabeth Christensen as the new Regional Director for the Iowa Western SBDC and welcome her to our team,” says Lisa Shimkat, America’s SBDC Iowa State Director. “With her outstanding expertise, dedication to empowering small businesses, and exceptional skills, I am confident she will be instrumental in advancing our mission. Together, we will further cultivate innovation, growth, and prosperity in Iowa’s dynamic small business community.”

Elizabeth has worked with owners on marketing, processes, and growth in local small businesses for the last 20 years. Elizabeth was an undergraduate alumnus of the UNO Business Management School and is a 2020 graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University with a Master’s in Entrepreneurship of Technology. As an undergraduate and intern with Omaha’s Sunbelt Business Brokerage, she learned the ropes prospective business owners consider as new operators and carried that message of tenacity into other areas of her life.

During those nascent years, she worked with several family-based businesses and a theater-based organization, and she got a taste for supporting sustainable practices, sustainable growth, and herding cats. Elizabeth moved into information technology project management after relocating to Arizona, but still serving a small business environment. She supported many small business owners in cloud transformation, IT security, network development, and implementation projects there.

As a PaaS project manager, she worked with over 120 American college and university administrative teams to implement a new transcript and diploma platform. Elizabeth supported personal friends and family through business ideation and startup phases, including business plans, financial projections, and identifying high-value business processes for their services. As a technology startup professional, she worked with various space startups in different phases, implementing solutions for their strategic growth, including managing stakeholders’ long-term project schedules and submitting for government SBIR/STTRs.

Elizabeth Christensen, Iowa Western SBDC Regional Director

Elizabeth returned to Council Bluffs in 2020 to raise a family near her parents and continues participating in the community with economic development and business projects. Her hobbies include chaos gardening, being a patron of the arts, and raising her toddler, whom she adores.

America’s SBDC Iowa is an outreach program of Iowa State University’s Ivy College of Business and the Office of Economic Development and Industry Relations. Iowa State University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, age, ethnicity, religion, national origin, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, sex, marital status, disability, or status as a U.S. Veteran. Inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies may be directed to the Office of Equal Opportunity, 3410 Beardshear Hall, 515 Morrill Road, Ames, Iowa 50011, Tel. 515-294-7612, Hotline 515-294-1222, email eooffice@iastate.edu.

Funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, America’s SBDC Iowa has 15 regional assistance centers located strategically across the state. Since the program’s inception in 1981, the SBDC has helped Iowa businesses and entrepreneurs through no fee, confidential, customized, professional business counseling and practical, affordable training workshops.

For more information on America’s SBDC Iowa programs or services, call (515) 294-2030 or visit www.iowasbdc.org, https://www.facebook.com/AmericasSBDCIowa, or https://twitter.com/IowaSBDC.

AMES, Iowa – July 2, 2024 – Road closures for counties that participate in the Iowa County Engineer’s Association’s 511 traveler information website can now be found on the state’s 511 system, 511ia.org, during large-scale disasters such as flooding or winter events.

To find the county information, visit 511ia.org, and choose the “County Closures” layer. County information will show up on the map in blue. County road closures are currently only available on the website but should be available on the Iowa 511 app soon.

Road closure information is currently available for 79 counties. To find counties participating in the 511 traveler information system visit https://shorturl.at/JkcV5.

Note that county information is input by the participating county, while information for state and U.S. routes is input by the Iowa Department of Transportation. You may see variety in the way data is shown on the map. If you have questions about individual county closures, please contact the contact listed in the event details when you click on the closure icon.

(Clarinda, Iowa) The Page County Sheriff’s Department has issued a report on arrests occurring from June 19th through the 30th. Those arrested are as follows:

6/19/2024: Seth Martin Kuipers (45) of New Market Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for ineligible to carry weapons; Darrion Michael Dale Foster (22) of Clarinda Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for violation of probation. Arrested by the Page County Sheriff’s Office at the Pottawattamie County Jail.
6/20/2024 Aaron Scott Kincheloe (47) of Leander Texas. Booked into the Page County Jail for harassment, disorderly conduct and public intoxication.
6/21/2024: Inez Nicholas Lunz (59) of Clarinda Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for enticing a minor. Arrested by the Page County Sheriff’s Office; Sherry Danette Young (46) of Polo Missouri. Booked into the Page County Jail for theft; Merlin Glenn Lininger (51) of Clarinda Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail to serve time.
6/22/2024: Christian Lyle Lauritsen (27) of New Market Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for OWI; Jody Ann Berry (62) of Shenandoah Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of a prescription drug.
6/23/2024 Justin Allen Sickler (45) of Council Bluffs Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for theft.

6/24/2024 Lesley Ann Wright (45) of Sidney Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for assault on persons in certain occupations (X2). Arrested by the Page County Sheriff’s Office.
6/25/2024: David Allan Charles (61) of Clarinda Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for theft; Justin Allen Sickler (45) of Council Bluffs Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for violation of probation; David Dale Morelock (38) of Farragut Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for theft; Rodney Eugene Allely (56) of Shenandoah Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for reckless use of fire and interference with official acts.
6/27/2024: Cody Dean Nevada Carlson (33) of Clarinda Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for harassment and contempt of court; Zachary Lynn Sherlock (47) of Quitman Missouri. Booked into the Page County Jail for contempt of court; Demica Nicole Parrish (30) of Shenandoah Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for domestic abuse.
6/28/2024: Shanna Dawn Hernandez (45) of Omaha Nebraska. Booked into the Page County Jail for possession of a controlled substance; Cindy Joe Gray (44) of Clarinda Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for possession of a controlled substance (X2); Lowell Richard Wilcox (54) of Clarinda Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for possession of controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance with intent to deliver and drug tax stamp violations.
6/29/2024 Merlin Glenn Lininger (51) of Clarinda Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail to serve time.
6/30/2024 Rachelle Dawn Hunt (52) of Clarinda Iowa. Booked into the Page County Jail for an outstanding warrant. Arrested by the Page County Sheriff’s Office.

A charge is merely an accusation and that the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Police in Red Oak report 68-year-old Sheryl Lynn Franzen, of Red Oak, was arrested at around 10:22-a.m. today (Tuesday), for Theft in the 5th Degree. Franzen was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond.

(Radio Iowa) – Residents of the Riverside neighborhood in Sioux City expressed frustration with the city’s flood response at the city council meeting. Susan Bart was the first to speak at Monday’s meeting. “Where we’re our city leaders when we’re in time of need? I am flooded out I got three lots along the Big Sioux in my backyard,” She says. “I’m flooded out and I had a sewer leak prior to the flooding. On Sunday, MidAmerican turned off my gas, so they were well aware of what was going on. Yet no sirens, no nothing.” Steve Kurally was awake and started warning neighbors as the floodwaters rose. He says they could have used more warning from the city.

“I don’t know who is in charge of that, but that really could have been used some improvement. I’m not here to, by no means to criticize anybody I think in the city, they came a long way through that flood. I mean they were working diligently trying to build the temporary levees and man and the pumps and all of that,” he says. Bonnie Whitlock was emotional as she talked about he flood damage. “I’ve lost two cars. I’ve lost my babies pictures and everything if I would have had some warning, I could have gotten that stuff up,” Whitlock says. “I’ve lost everything in my home. All my drywall is gone. All my flooring is gone. My furniture, my appliances, everything is gone. My husband and I are just retired.”

Mayor Bob Scott says he will meet soon with City Manager Bob Padmore to discuss what happened in Riverside and how they can move forward. “Let’s just say that I’ve told Bob that after this quiets down with his staff in a couple of weeks we need to have a real sit down and talk about what we did,”Scott says. “I think we were in denial that river was going to go as high as what did unfortunately it just kept rising and rising.”

Scott said he expected to be back out at the flood scene today (Tuesday)

(Red Oak, Iowa) – The Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, today (Tuesday) received a regular weekly report from County Engineer Karen Albert. She said Secondary Roads Department crews have been cold patching roads along the RAGBRAI® Route in the County.

The Board heard also, from West Township resident Jan Norris, with regard to the (former) Iowa Utilities Board ruling last week, granting Summit Carbon Solutions unanimous approval of their 682 mile project, and the use of Eminent Domain, allowing the company to seize 853 parcels of land if the property owner does not grant them an easement. The IUB changed its name Monday to the Iowa Utilities Commission (IUC).

Montgomery County BOS mtg 7-2-24

Norris said the Board’s approval affects 18-miles of western Montgomery County, where the pipeline route could run north and south, parallel to the County line. The entire Phase 1 route includes 3,035 parcels.

Norris said the project is a go, but there are still several steps ahead, including the likelihood those opposed to the pipeline will file for reconsideration by the IUC.

Norris said a meeting will be held at the Corning Opera House August 26^th at 6-p.m., with regard to Summit’s Phase II project. Another meeting will be held in Red Oak at the Red Coach Inn August 27^th, at Noon.

The Supervisors took no action on Norris’ renewed request for an ordinance dealing with the pipeline.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with Cass Health in Atlantic have announced General and Weight Loss Surgeon, Dr. William Rizk, will be providing care to patients starting this month. Dr. Rizk is a board-certified general and bariatric surgeon who specializes in weight loss surgery, and he has been performing laparoscopic weight loss surgeries since 2002. The Doctor says “People with obesity, particularly severe obesity, face a number of medical concerns that can be improved with weight loss surgery. It’s not an easy decision to make, and it takes commitment and lifestyle change to see long-term success. Weight loss surgery is a great tool, and I’m very excited to offer this surgery to patients in southwest Iowa.”

Iowa ranks 12th in states impacted by obesity, with more than 37% of the state’s adult population being impacted by obesity. According to Iowa Health and Human Services, 42.5% of adults in Cass County have an unhealthy body weight, which is classified as a BMI of 30 or higher. Dr. Rizk will perform sleeve gastrectomies, also known as gastric sleeve surgeries, at Cass Health beginning this fall.

Dr. William Rizek

“Our program will utilize a multidisciplinary approach,” said Dr. Rizk. “This will include several clinic appointments, nutritional counseling and behavior modification classes.  This education will help ensure the most successful outcome for patients.”

Patients interested in learning more are invited to come to a free educational class on the surgery on Tuesday, July 9th at 6:00 at Cass Health. Reservations are required; sign up online at casshealth.org/weightloss. Questions can be directed to our Program Coordinator at 712-243-7535; patients are also encouraged to talk with their primary care provider about the surgery and referrals.

(Radio Iowa) – Ag equipment maker John Deere is announcing plans to eliminate some 800 jobs at plants in Iowa and Illinois over the coming weeks. It follows word last month the company would shift production of its skid steer loaders and compact track loaders from Dubuque to Mexico by the end of 2026. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is reacting to the news. “Anytime that you’re hearing about roll backs, layoffs, moving things outside of the state of Iowa or the United States,” Naig says, “you’re concerned about those things, you want to understand them.”

In a statement, the company cited rising manufacturing costs as a key factor, while lower crop prices have also caused a slowdown in new ag equipment sales. Some forecasters predict a 25-percent drop in farm income this year over last. Naig says the agricultural economy in general is experiencing what he called “softness” due to a number of factors. “The announcements that you’ve heard made of late are indicators of very much some softness in the ag economy,” Naig says. “Given the effects of inflation, high input prices, the cost of capital interest rates remaining where they are, all those things are contributing in the ag space to delaying decisions if you can — let’s just go sideways for a little bit.”

Deere is eliminating more than 200 jobs at its Davenport plant and another 99 in Dubuque at the end of August, and more than 500 in East Moline, Illinois at the end of September. Deere announced earlier this year it’s cutting more than 800 jobs at facilities in Waterloo, Ottumwa and the Des Moines metro. Naig says the souring economic effects aren’t just limited to the ag equipment sector. “That’s also playing out now in some of these announcements that you’re hearing made about even meat processing or manufacturing,” he says. “So, you try to take all that in and look at it holistically, but I do think that it’s certainly sending some signals about a softening in the economy or at least a lack of confidence in the economy, and those are things what we need to be addressing as a country.”

Secretary Naig says it’s imperative for the state to do everything it can to help agriculture and manufacturing continue to thrive, as they are key economic drivers in the state. His comments came Monday as he was in Davis County to tour a local parts fabrication business.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisors, Tuesday morning, unanimously passed a Resolution (2024-21) allocating ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) Funds to a Childcare Facility project in Atlantic.

(That’s Board Vice-Chair Mark O’Brien). The Board also discussed and approved courthouse hours in advance of the RAGBRAI ® event in Atlantic on July 22nd and 23rd. Vice Chair Mark O’Brien summarized the Board’s decision…

Cass County BOS mtg 7-2-24

The Supervisors received a 3rd Quarter report from Cass County Veterans Affairs Director Mitch Holmes.

Among the paperwork issues he helped veterans with, were those associated with federal burial benefits. The Supervisors received a regular report from Cass County Engineer Trent Wolken. Wolken said crews were out checking the roads, following the heavy rain that fell over the area Monday night into Tuesday morning. He said as of Tuesday morning, there were no reports of water over the road.

Wolken also discussed the Safety Action Plan.

Cass County’s Safety Action Plan workshop is scheduled for August 27th in the courthouse basement meeting room. EMS, Police and other County Agency representatives are being invited to attend, including the Board of Supervisors.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Iowa Food System Coalition representatives, Monday, announced a new plan for Iowa agriculture seeks to increase the state’s production of food rather than ethanol and animal feed. The Iowa Capital Dispatch reports he plan, known as Setting the Table for All Iowans, outlines the coalition’s policy goals which include producing more locally grown food, getting more young people to become farmers and providing more financial assistance to farmers. Chris Schwartz, executive director of the coalition, said the plan is an opportunity to positively impact farmers, the economy and the local community.

From left to right, Chris Schwartz, Giselle Bruskewitz, Tommy Hexter and Aaron Lehman speak July 1, 2024 outside the Iowa Capitol about a coalition called Setting the Table for All Iowans. (Photo by Jack O’Connor/Iowa Capital Dispatch)

Director of Grinnell Farm to Table food hub Tommy Hexter said many commodity farmers are struggling because most of the profits are going toward the middlemen like seed, equipment and marketing companies. However, Hexter said selling produce locally cuts out most middlemen and leads to more money going into farmers’ pockets. “Setting the Table for All Iowans provides an opportunity to build that system where Iowa’s farmers and small business owners can truly thrive,” Hexter said in the press conference.

The plan also focuses on how to retain and attract farming talent to Iowa through investments in obtaining refrigerated trucks, increasing the number of rural grocery stores and providing needed equipment to small businesses. President of the Iowa Farmers Union Aaron Lehman, a fifth-generation family farmer, said investments like those are vital for the Iowa agriculture industry where there are more farmers above the age of 65 than below the age of 35.

Over the past two years, the Iowa Food System Coalition has organized a Food and Farm Day at the Iowa Capitol and invited legislators and state agencies to a food policy summit. One of the next steps for the coalition is to educate legislators about the plan so it can be used as a guide to create state policies, Schwartz said.