United Group Insurance

Manpower survey: nearly 1/4 of Iowa companies plan to add workers in coming months

News

June 10th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Another survey released today (Tuesday) is showing a lot of companies in the state have plans to add employees. The Manpower Employment Outlook Survey shows 22-percent of the companies surveyed expect to increase staff levels over the third quarter of the year. Another 72-percent plan to maintain staffing levels, while four-percent anticipate layoffs. That’s good for a Net Employment Outlook of 18-percent. Manpower spokesperson Karen Miller says the results, while positive, show weaker optimism about hiring expectations compared to recent surveys.

“The Net Employment Outlook is 18-percent, as compared to last quarter when it was 21-percent and last year at this time when it was also 21-percent,” Miller said. The Des Moines metro area remains one of the top performing markets in the country, according to the Manpower survey. For the third quarter, Des Moines posted a Net Employment Outlook of 24-percent. “Iowa, in general, has always performed very strongly, but Des Moines has been a very strong pocket for the state,” Miller said.

Nationally, the Net Employment Outlook for the third quarter is 14-percent. That’s up from 13-percent three months ago. More than 18,000 employers across the U.S. take part in the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

(Radio Iowa)

Posted County Prices for the grains 06-10-2014

Ag/Outdoor

June 10th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Cass County: Corn $4.27, Beans $14.37

Adair County: Corn $4.24, Beans $14.40

Adams County: Corn $4.24, Beans $14.36

Audubon County: Corn $4.26, Beans $14.39

East Pottawattamie County: Corn $4.30, Beans $14.37

Guthrie County: Corn $4.29, Beans $14.41

Montgomery County: Corn $4.29, Beans $14.39

Shelby County: Corn $4.30, Beans $14.37

Oats $3.24 (always the same in all counties)

Atlantic School Board approves new hires

News

June 10th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Atlantic Community School District’s Board of Education, Monday night, approved the hiring of some new teachers. Superintendent Mike Amstein read from a list of recommendations submitted by the district school administrators. Among the new hires is Eric Waldstein (Wald-stine), as Physical Education & Social Studies teacher. Waldstine will also serve as Head Coach of the Trojan Football Team.  His wife Hillary Waldstine will serve as the Level 2/3 Special Ed teacher.

Ashley Hack was recommended as a temporary Level 1 Special Ed Instructor at Schuler Elementary. Kelly Juhl was hired as the High School Business Teacher for the upcoming school year. Juhl comes to Atlantic from the Exira/EHK School District.

Also coming to Atlantic from the Exira/EHK District is Stephanie Graham, who will serve as High School English Teacher. And Alisha Lindquist, who previously worked in the CAM School District, was hired as K-1 Multi-Age position.

(Podcast) Skyscan Forecast: Tue., June 10th 2014

Podcasts, Weather

June 10th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The Freese-Notis weather forecast for the KJAN listening area & weather info. for Atlantic.

Play

Monday’s Area Scorecard (Soccer/Softball/Baseball) – from 6/9/14

Sports

June 10th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Girls Regional Soccer Final Scores
Class 2-A
Lewis Central 6, Sioux City, West 0
Class 1-A
Tri-Center, Neola 2, St. Albert, Council Bluffs 0

Softball Score’s
A-D-M, Adel 4, Winterset 2 (8)
Atlantic 12, Kuemper Catholic, Carroll 2
Coon Rapids-Bayard 16, CAM, Anita 3
Creston 11, Shenandoah 0
Des Moines Christian 9, Guthrie Center 3
Earlham 14, Grandview Park Baptist 1
Essex 9, East Mills 8
Exira-EHK 12, Boyer Valley 0
Missouri Valley 17, Riverside, Oakland 2
Missouri Valley 7, Riverside, Oakland 3
Underwood 16, Audubon 6
Underwood 18, Audubon 8
Van Meter 11, Panorama 7
Whiting 13, Fremont-Mills 3
Whiting 9, Fremont-Mills 8

Baseball Scores
Coon Rapids-Bayard 4, CAM, Anita 3
Denison-Schleswig 4, St. Albert, Council Bluffs 3
Earlham 4, Woodward Academy 3
Glenwood 8, Clarinda 7
Harlan 4, Lewis Central 1
IKM-Manning 3, Tri-Center, Neola 1
IKM-Manning 4, Tri-Center, Neola 0
Lenox 15, Essex 5
Logan-Magnolia 5, Griswold 3
Logan-Magnolia 8, Griswold 1
Missouri Valley 8, Riverside, Oakland 5
Missouri Valley 9, Riverside, Oakland 1
Nishnabotna 7, Stanton 6
Treynor 2, A-H-S-T, Avoca 1 (suspended in top of 6 due to lighting failure)
Treynor 7, A-H-S-T, Avoca 4
Tri-County, Thornburg 5, Sigourney 3
Underwood 14, Audubon 0
Underwood 9, Audubon 2
Van Meter 9, Panorama, Panora 2
West Harrison, Mondamin 4, Ar-We-Va, Westside 3

ALAN E. HASKINS, 69, of Audubon (Svcs. 6/12/14)

Obituaries

June 10th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

ALAN E. HASKINS, 69, of Audubon, died Sun., June 8th, at his home. Funeral services for ALAN HASKINS will be held 10:30-a.m. Thu., June 12th, at the 1st United Methodist Church in Audubon. Kessler Funeral Home in Audubon has the arrangements.

Friends may call at the funeral home, where the family will be present 6-p.m. Wed., June 11th.

Burial will be in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Audubon.

ALAN HASKINS is survived by:

His wife – JoAnn Haskings, of Audubon.

His daughter – Shelly (Mike) Jensen, of Newell.

His brothers and sisters – Dallas Haskins, of Hope Mills, NC; Jackie Peterson, of Harlan; Mike (Nancy) Haskins, of Florence, KY; Sheri Payne, of Trenton, SC; & Kelly Fairchild, of Harlan.

2 grandchildren, his brothers- and sisters-in law, other relatives and friends.

Iowa early News Headlines: Tue., 6/10/2014

News

June 10th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

CHEROKEE, Iowa (AP) — Authorities are investigating the death of a person who was found in the Little Sioux River in northwest Iowa. Investigators say a local resident discovered the body in the river near Wescott Park on Monday afternoon. Sioux City television station KTIV says authorities have confirmed the body is that of a local resident, but a name wasn’t released. Investigators say they aren’t ruling out foul play.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Senate Government Oversight Committee continues its investigation into executive branch practices with a hearing focused on construction projects at the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown. The committee placed seven witnesses under oath to discern whether state bidding practices were followed and money was appropriately spent on construction projects designed to update and expand the housing facilities at the home. About $100 million in projects were authorized by the Legislature and were eligible for federal grants that pay 65 percent of the costs. The first project began in 2008.

INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) — Prosecutors say a 14-year-old girl charged with attempted murder and other crimes should be tried as a youthful offender, a hybrid alternative to Iowa’s juvenile and adult court systems. The Buchanan County Attorney’s office has filed a motion to move the case out of the juvenile court system. The girl is accused of using a cord to choke a staff member at Four Oaks, a facility on the state’s Mental Health Institute campus in Independence.

LAKE DELHI, Iowa (AP) — Delaware County supervisors have delayed bids for a planned bridge replacement because of concern the project timing might interfere with grant funding from the state. The Delaware Board of Supervisors rejected the lone bid of $426,673 to replace the Turtle Creek Bridge. The bridge is intended as part of an effort to improve public access to Lake Delhi, which was drained in 2010 when a dam collapsed.

ZWINGLE, Iowa (AP) — A fire that destroyed an eastern Iowa barn was apparently caused by twin 5-year-olds who were curious about fire. Tthe Friday afternoon fire near Zwingle destroyed an old barn and damaged another nearby barn as well as other out buildings.. Two 5-year-old children apparently started the fire by using a cigarette lighter to burn twine in the barn. Authorities say the children had received fire prevention training in school and were apparently curious. The children escaped unharmed.

NWS Forecast for the KJAN listening area: Tue., 6/10/2014

Weather

June 10th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Early this morning: Mostly cloudy. NE winds 5-10mph.                                                                           Today: Partly sunny, with a high near 77. Northeast wind 6 to 8 mph.                                                        Tonight: Mostly clear, with a low around 58. East wind 5 to 7 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Wednesday: Sunny, with a high near 81. Light south southeast wind becoming south 8 to 13 mph in the morning.
Wed. Night: A 50 percent chance of showers and thunderstorms. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 61. South wind 5 to 10 mph becoming north northwest after midnight. New rainfall amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch, except higher amounts possible in thunderstorms.
Thursday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 75.
Thu. Night: Mostly clear, with a low around 55.
Friday: Sunny, with a high near 77.

Most crops have emerged, some farmers have to replant

Ag/Outdoor, News

June 10th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

The lastest U-S-D-A crop report out Monday shows a majority of the corn and soybean crops have emerged, but some farmers are heading back to the fields. Corn and soybean growers in six-county area of southwest Iowa have to replant thousands of acres of crops destroyed by last week’s wind and hail storms. Iowa State University’s Southwest Iowa Extension Agronomist, Aaron Saegling rates the damage that stretches from Oakland to Council Bluffs as- among the worst he’s seen during his 25-year career.

“Those plants are gone. They’re not laying down in the field. They’re gone. They’re just not even in the field,” Saegling says, “And so that tells me there is probably as much wind as hail. We have some fields that are pretty bare.” Saegling says farmers can try to get a crop out of some of the fields.  “There will be a lot of soybean replanting. A lot of the corn I don’t believe will make it. …so a lot of those acres will probably not be replanted because it’s pretty late in the year.”

Saegling says many barren fields will be getting erosion-preventing cover crops. The report says 98-percent of the corn crop has emerged, which is 18-percent ahead of last year and four percent ahead of the five-year average. The U-S-D-A report says soybean planting is nearly complete and 87-percent of the crop has emerged. That’s three weeks ahead of last year and about one week ahead of normal.

(Radio Iowa)

Pott. County officials estimate storm damage at $4.2-million

News, Weather

June 10th, 2014 by Ric Hanson

Officials in Pottawattamie County have invited state officials to help determine whether last week’s storm caused sufficient damage to receive a presidential disaster declaration for federal assistance.The Council Bluffs Daily NonPareil reports the cost of the June 3rd storm – which included a tornado that struck three miles of farmland outside Oakland – was estimated at $4.2 million as of Monday. That estimate was reached by the cities of Oakland and Council Bluffs along with the county’s estimate for damage to county highways.

Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Director Doug Reed said the county is on the “bubble” to qualify for federal aid. Govermor Terry Branstad and the county have already issued emergency declarations in the wake of the storm, which saw straight-line winds in excess of 90 mph and the brief touchdown of an EF-2 tornado west of Oakland. Reed said the cost estimate might increase by a few hundred thousand dollars as further inspections take place by disaster assessors, insurance adjustors and those determining the scope of recovery projects.

Teams from Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management’s Recovery Division will join the Pottawattamie County Emergency Management Agency and local officials, beginning today, to validate the storm damage estimates. If the county qualifies and receives a presidential declaration, triggering the FEMA Public Assistance Program, local governments and state agencies would be able to recover some of the costs for protective measures, debris removal and public property and infrastructure repair.

The county is unlikely to meet the requirements for FEMA’s Individual Assistance Program, which would provide direct support to residents whose property was damaged or destroyed in the storm. However, the Iowa Individual Assistance Program – available to residents of Pottawattamie, Cass, Harrison, Montgomery and Ringgold counties – is offering grants of up to $5,000 to families who earn incomes at or below twice the federal poverty index, which is $39,580 for a family of three.

To determine eligibility or to apply for the program, residents of those counties should call the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services at (866) 434-4692 or click the “Disaster Assistance” link at www.dhs.iowa.gov.

Anyone who needs assistance with storm recovery also is encouraged to call the American Red Cross 2014 Storm Information Hotline at (712) 322-4017 ext. 4804 to speak with a disaster caseworker, who can identify resources and organizations able to provide assistance based on individual needs. The Red Cross hotline is available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Those seeking reimbursement through the state should keep original receipts for expenses related to storm recovery.