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IBC survey shows drop in business confidence

News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The latest survey from the Iowa Business Council shows a drop in optimism for the next six months among the states 20 largest businesses. The projections are measured on a 100-point scale, with sales dropping four points and capital spending and hiring expectations both falling ten points. I-B-C executive director, Elliott Smith says that dropped the overall index eight points over the last survey three months ago.

Smith says the survey has been have a good year up until this quarter, with steady growth in the indicators since the middle of 2009 when the recession hit bottom. “Definitely a pullback in this quarter,” Smith says. Smith says even with the drop, they still are on the positive outlook side for each of the indicators.

He says he hopes this is an aberration for one quarter after coming out of “fairly complicated and frustrating budget talks in Washington,” along with the uncertainty in Europe and some natural disasters that have lent some uncertainty to the business market. Smith doesn’t know if this indicates a possible second recession.

“You know it’s really hard to tell exactly if we’re looking at anything that’s significant and long-term in nature, or if it’s more just a pull back and reboot for the next six months,” Smith says. He says the I-B-C still remains confident with all the numbers still in the positive outlook area, and sales remain strong. Smith says this is hopefully businesses just “checking signals” before they step ahead with any big plans. He says they are hopeful the economic turnaround will continue forward and not falter.

Smith says the president has a major speech next week and if the reaction is good, things may bode well for the rest of the year. Seventy-nine-percent of the businesses in the survey still say they expect hiring levels to remain steady or increase in the next six months. Only 16-percent says they expect sales to decrease in the next six months. See the complete survey at the Iowa Business Council’s website at:www.iowabusinescouncil.com.

(Radio Iowa)

Report concludes economic recovery “painfully slow” in Iowa

News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The annual “State of Working Iowa Report” from an eastern Iowa think tank concludes the state’s economic recovery has been “painfully slow.” Noga O’Connor, a research associate with the Iowa City-based Iowa Policy Project, co-authored the report.

“We know that the state is doing better than the nation, but still we’re in much worse shape than we were before the recession hit,” O’Connor says. “So as far as unemployment, underemployment, job losses — all the measures that we traditionally look — we are still really struggling and have a long way to go to get back to where we were in 2007 or the first half of 2008.” The number of unemployed Iowans has swelled and 33 percent Iowans who are currently unemployed have been out-of-work for more than half a year. O’Connor says “underemployment” has grown to nearly 12 percent, as many Iowans have either taken a part-time job or dropped their search for a job altogether.

“Even once we gain the missing jobs, we are still — as far as wages — nowhere near where we used to be,” O’Connor says. “And the kinds of jobs that we are gaining seem to be lower-paying jobs, while the jobs that we have lost were the higher-paying jobs.” The Iowa Policy Project found wage levels in 2010, when adjusted for inflation, were lower than they were a decade earlier in Iowa.

“In several wage categories, we are at the very bottom nationally,” O’Connor says. The Iowa Policy Project identifies what it calls a “jobs deficit” in the state and concludes Iowa’s economy would have to add three-thousand jobs each month for the next three years in order to restore Iowa’s overall employment level to what it was in early 2008, when the recession began.

(Radio Iowa)

US Secretary of Veterans Affairs says returning soldiers should check out VA

News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

The U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affair is urging Iowa soldiers returning from Afghanistan to use their local V.A. health facility when they need care. Secretary Eric K. Shinseki says veterans in their 20’s and 30’s think the local V.A. is a place for old soldiers, but Shinseki says the agency has made changes to meet the needs of the current generation.

“We have an interest in a long-term association with a veteran,” Shinseki says, “and we think we provide that best by having that veteran be part of our system.” Shinseki says one way the agency has changed is by adding outpatient clinics across the country.

“Seven-hundred-89 outpatient clinics that are provided for them in the communities they live in — that’s what’s different,” he says. “Instead of saying, ‘Come to us,’ this system has provided healthcare delivery to where they live.” The V.A. has opened 11 outpatient clinics in Iowa as part of that expansion. Shinseki was in Iowa Thursday. He spoke with reporters before holding a private roundtable discussion with veterans and other officials in Indianola. Shinseki served two combat tours in Vietnam and was wounded, losing part of his foot. He rose through the ranks to become the Army’s Chief of Staff before retiring in 2003.

(Radio Iowa)

Area farmer elected President of the Iowa Corn Growers Association

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

A farmer from Pottawattamie County was elected President of the Iowa Corn Growers Association, Thursday. The ICGA and Iowa Corn Promotion Board says Kevin Ross of Minden, was elected to the top executive position for the organization. and

Ross is corn, soybean, and cow-calf producer and has been a member of the ICGA Board since 2008. During his tenure on the board, Ross has served on a number of committees ranging from ethanol to animal agriculture to membership and check-off.

Atlantic and Hamburg areas to benefit from USDA food collection effort

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

Officials with the USDA report the Atlantic Food Pantry and Hamburg area will receive a total of 1,176-pounds of non-perishable goods, thanks to the efforts of the local  FSA, NRCS and Rural Development area offices. Cass/Audubon County Management Unit District Conservationist David York says half of the food collected (588-pounds) will go to the Atlantic Food Pantry, the other half will be delivered to the Hamburg area by Rural Development Employees. Those items will be distributed to victims of the Missouri River flood.

The goods were collected as part of the recently concluded “Feds Feed Families” event. USDA agencies across the nation were asked to participate in the event and collect non-perishable food items to donate to their local food pantries. Items collected include non-perishable food items such as fruits and vegetables, baby food, personal care items such as shampoo and soap, diapers, and bottled water.

Monica Robinson, program technician with FSA, and Kara Conn, RH technician with Rural Development were the leaders of this effort.

Amtrak resumes Calif.-to-Colo. Service Saturday

News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Amtrak is getting ready to resume part of its service between California and Chicago after last week’s derailment in southwest Nebraska. The railroad said Thursday that it would restart service between Denver and Emeryville, Calif., on Saturday, but Amtrak won’t resume carrying passengers across Nebraska and Iowa until sometime later this month. Amtrak says its California Zephyr will depart California on Saturday, and a westbound train will leave Denver on Sunday.

Amtrak suspended service after last Friday’s derailment near Benkelman, Neb. Two locomotives and three passenger cars were forced after the rails when the train struck a crane but no major injuries were reported. Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad, which owns the tracks Amtrak uses in Nebraska, is still repairing flood damage near Omaha that forced long detours for Amtrak.

ETHEL WOOD, 88, formerly of rural Walnut (svcs 9-7-11)

Obituaries

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

ETHEL WOOD, 88, formerly of rural Walnut, died Thu., Sept. 1st, at Bickford Cottage, in Omaha, NE. Funeral services for ETHEL WOOD will be held 10:30-a.m. Wed., Sept. 7th, at Zion Lutheran Church in Atlantic.  Roland Funeral Home in Atlantic has the arrangements.

Visitation is open at the funeral home: from 1-4pm Sunday & Monday (9/4-5); and from 8am-5pm Tue. (9/6).  

Burial will be in the Atlantic Cemetery.

ETHEL WOOD is survived by:

Her sons – Steve (Judy) Wood, of Omaha, NE, & Scott (Sue) Wood, of Atlantic.

4 grandchildren & 3 great-grandchildren.

RICHARD C. “DICK” ERICKSON, 81, of Griswold & formerly of Lewis (svcs 9-6-11)

Obituaries

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

RICHARD C. “DICK” ERICKSON, 81, of Griswold (& formerly of Lewis), died Thu., Sept. 1st, at the Cass County Hospice Center, in Atlantic. Funeral services for DICK ERICKSON will be held 10-a.m. Tue., Sept. 6th,  at the Duhn Funeral Home in Griswold.

Visitation is open at the funeral home, where the family will be present from 6:30-8pm Mon., Sept. 5th.

Burial, with full military honors, will be in the Oakwood Cemetery, at Lewis.

Online condolences may be left to the family at www.duhnfuneral.com.

Richard “Dick” ERICKSON is survived by:

His sons – David Erickson of Wiota & his special friend, Lory Smith; Tim (Kim)Erickson, of Lewis; & Terry (Nona) Erickson, of Lewis.

6 grandchildren & 14 great-grandchildren.

Heat, drought lower some predictions for Iowa corn

Ag/Outdoor, News

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a brutally hot July and a relatively dry summer have caused a moderate to severe drought in about a third of Iowa and have lowered expectations for the state’s corn crop. Crop yield predictions are down, and some lawns, particularly in southeast Iowa, have yellowed without adequate rain. The U.S. Department of Agriculture predicted early last month that Iowa would average 177 bushels of corn per acre, down from 182 bushels in 2009 but higher than the 165 bushels per acre last year. But the continued lack of rain has prompted some private forecasters to drop the projection for Iowa’s corn yields to as low as 164 bushels per acre.

Firm gets Iowa sports rights to 2026

Sports

September 2nd, 2011 by Ric Hanson

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The University of Iowa athletics department has given the company that manages its sports marketing a contract extension through 2026 and the right to sell the name of its basketball court in exchange for guaranteed payments totaling $114 million. Learfield Communications beat out several firms in 2006 for a 10-year contract to exclusively broadcast Iowa athletic events on the radio, negotiate corporate sponsorship agreements and generate other advertising income. Iowa was guaranteed $55.1 million. But in a move that has escaped public scrutiny, records show Iowa agreed in November 2009 to extend the contract by another 10 years and give Learfield the ability to sell naming rights to the court at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. Cable television provider Mediacom in February secured the naming rights for terms that haven’t been released.