(Radio Iowa) – The state unemployment rate for May remained at two-point-seven percent. Iowa Workforce Development director Beth Townsend says job losses were offset by more workers joining the labor force.  “We saw 64-hundred people come back into the workforce in April — so that’s a really good sign,” Townsend says. “We saw a decrease in the total number of unemployed individuals by 500, from month to month. So when people are coming back into the work workforce, they’re also coming in and finding jobs.”

The labor force participation rate moved up to 68-point-five percent in May, getting closer to the 69 percent rate before the pandemic. Total non-farm employment did drop by 200 jobs in May, with manufacturing losing 14-hundred jobs. “So that’s concerning, you know, we want to make sure that we keep those numbers up, that can be related to seasonal shutdowns,” she says. “A lot of factories tend to shut down during the week if there’s a national holiday or something. So it could be related to that.”

Townsend says there was one manufacturing area that saw the bulk of the losses. “The job losses in manufacturing were both in durable and non-durable — but they appeared to be related primarily to animal slaughtering and processing. Those jobs were down about 300 this month. So a slowdown maybe in meat processing, in May, might account for that,” Townsend says.

Retail trade saw a loss of 900 jobs, breaking a string of five consecutive increases that saw 33-hundred jobs added since November. Townsend says there are a lot of positives in the report and they will keep an eye on the retail and manufacturing sectors. “Those are indicators of how the economy is going manufacturing and retail. So, there’s some cautionary pieces of information in the report,” she says “Although overall, it’s positive because we did get, more than six-thousand Iowans back into the workforce,” she says.

The national unemployment rate rose to three-point-seven percent in May.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – Auditor of State Rob Sand today (Thursday), released a report on a review of the Southern Iowa Council of Governments (SICOG). SICOG is located in Creston, Iowa and serves 8 counties and cities within the 8-county area in southern Iowa. SICOG was established under Chapter 28E of the Code of Iowa.

Sand reported the review identified $4,304.66 of improper disbursements issued to SICOG’s former Executive Director for cleaning services which were not provided. The former Executive Director has subsequently pleaded guilty to fraudulent practice in the 2nd degree and received a deferred judgement.

In addition, Sand reported hours recorded on employee electronic and paper timesheets did not support the hours and salaries included on selected requests for reimbursements for programs and/or projects. In addition, SICOG does not have a written cost allocation plan in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations.

Auditor Sand also recommended SICOG establish a cost allocation plan in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations, “Indirect Costs Identification and Assignment, and Rate Determination for Nonprofit,” and ensure reimbursement requests are properly supported by timesheets and payroll journals.

Copies of the report have been filed with the Southern Iowa Council of Governments, the Iowa Economic Development Authority, and the Iowa Department of Transportation. A copy of the report is available for review on the Auditor of State’s website at Audit Reports – Auditor of State.

Des Moines, Iowa – In recognition of World Elder Abuse Awareness Day on June 15, the Iowa Insurance Division is reminding financial professionals and Iowans to be on the lookout for signs of elder financial abuse, including potential exploitation and scams. To help protect senior investors, the Iowa Insurance Division recommends investors provide the name of someone they trust as a trusted contact on their investment accounts.

“Scammers are looking to prey on unsuspecting investors and they often target older individuals. One way to help detect and even prevent financial exploitation is to create another layer of safety for investment accounts by adding a trusted contact to investment accounts,” Iowa Insurance Commissioner Doug Ommen said.  “The Iowa Insurance Division is actively working to combat cases of abuse and senior financial exploitation by providing tools and resources to protect investors.”

A trusted contact is a person authorized by the investor to allow financial firms, in limited circumstances, to contact them when there are concerns about activity in an account. A trusted contact may be a family member, attorney, accountant or another third-party that respects the investor’s privacy and understands how to handle the responsibility.

The Iowa Fraud Fighters and Lucha Antifraude websites offer more resources for individuals to protect themselves from fraud.  Broker-dealers and investment advisers can also report suspected senior financial exploitation to the Iowa Insurance Division for investigation.

Iowans are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Division at 877-955-1212 or sfe@iid.iowa.gov with suspicions of possible senior financial exploitation.

(Adel, Iowa) – A Dallas County man is in custody, charged with two Class-B felony counts of Attempted Murder. Authorities say 65-year-old Kelly Gene Broyles, of Adel, was arrested Sunday, after he rammed his truck into a camper, while a person was inside. Court documents said Broyles was upset about his garden, and the people who were living in his house that he didn’t want there. When he decided to ram the camper, one of the alleged victims stood in front of it. Broyles stepped on the gas and struck the person, causing her to almost fall down.

Broyles then put his truck in reverse, forcing the woman to get out of the way. Broyles drove over a metal patio furniture set, which caused the truck’s tires to pop. The man continued to drive his vehicle, and struck the camper, knowing someone was inside. The whole incident was captured on a social media platform. When police arrived, they noticed three of the four tires on Broyles’ truck were flat.

The man remains in the Dallas County Jail. His preliminary hearing will take place June 22nd. He’s been ordered to have no contact with the alleged victims.

(Davenport, Iowa) – The Iowa Department of Corrections, Wednesday, reported 19-year-old Mark Jayvon Jackson Jr, who was convicted of Burglary 2nd Degree and other charges in Scott County, failed to report back to the Davenport Work Release Center as required, Tuesday. Jackson, Jr., is a black male, six-feet tall. He weighs about 212 pounds. Jackson, Jr., was admitted to the work release facility on April 17, 2023.

Mark Jayvon Jackson,Jr. (IA DOC photo)

Persons with information on Jackson Jr’s whereabouts should contact local police.

(Des Moines, Iowa) – A Dubuque County man faces felony charges following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau. Authorities say 31-year-old Bryce Douglas Murphy, of Peosta, was charged with: one count of Fraudulent Submissions – Application Fraud; one count Fraudulent Submissions – Misrepresentation of Material Fact, and one count Forgery. Each are Class-D felonies. He was also charged with: one count of Fraudulent Practice. and one count Identity Theft, which are Class C felonies.

The charges against Murphy stem from an investigation which began in September of 2022. According to a criminal complaint filed by the Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau, Murphy submitted a loss claim to an insurance company reporting that two Rolex watches were stolen from his hotel room. Murphy submitted several documents in support of his claim including a purchase receipt for the watch which was found to be fabricated. The investigation also found that Murphy had previously submitted a claim to another insurance company for the same watches for which he received insurance benefits.

On June 11, 2023, Murphy was arrested and booked into the Scott County Jail where he later posted a $10,000 bond.

Bryce Douglas (Photo courtesy the Scott County Sheriff’s Office.

As a reminder, Iowans with information about insurance fraud are encouraged to contact the Iowa Insurance Divisions Fraud Bureau at 515-654-6556.

Note: A criminal charge is merely an accusation and a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.