Despite reports the economy is improving, more people are being forced to seek out charities to feed themselves and their families. Brian Barks, spokesman for the Omaha-based Food Bank for the Heartland, says a new report shows a growing number of people in the 93 counties the agency serves are looking for help with hunger. “The statistics show there’s just over 208-thousand people who would be considered food insecure,” Barks says. “This represents about 12% of the people who live in that 93-county area, which encompasses 77 counties in Nebraska and 16 in western Iowa.”

The food bank distributed ten-million pounds of food in 2011 — a ten-percent increase from 2009. Both Iowa and Nebraska have relatively low unemployment rates, but Barks says that doesn’t begin to tell the full story. “What we have a problem with here in Nebraska and western Iowa, along with the rest of the country, is under-employment,” Barks says. “We have folks who may’ve had a couple of jobs, now just have one. We have folks who may’ve lost a job that have taken a job but are making far less money than they did previously.” He says a recent trip to the Nebraska communty of Grand Island shows there is a need for services in the more rural areas of the state.

“We weren’t sure exactly how many people were going to show up,” Barks says. “Four-hundred-and-fifty showed up and we took somewhere in the vicinity of 10-thousand pounds of food and we ran out of food and actually had to turn some people away.” Learn about how you can donate food, funds or time at the website: “omahafoodbank.org”.

(Matt Kelley/Radio Iowa)

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

A crowd of more than 115-people packed a section of the Cass County Community Center in Atlantic Monday evening, during the Bike and Trails Expo. Those in attendance learned about bike trail development in the area, along with the potential for economic development and wellness benefits.

Mark Wyatt with the IA Bicycle Coalition speaks in Atlantic

The evening began with guest speaker Mark Wyatt, from Iowa City, Executive Director of the Iowa Bicycle Coalition. Wyatt said bicycling has a huge economic impact on the state, as determined by a study conducted with the assistance of the University of Northern Iowa.

The study found bicycling has a $364.6-million dollar impact on spending in Iowa, which Wyatt said is three-times the impact of the wine industry, four-times the impact of snowmobiling. The numbers he said are “conservative,” and didn’t account for out of state travelers, and it even rivaled golf, as a leisure time activity. The study also collected health information from bicyclists, and by comparing the health of those bicyclists to insurance data, it showed a $73-million dollar health care cost savings. Wyatt said there’s still more work to do though, in the area of bicycle safety.

Ed Kail with the Nishna Valley Trails group, said to encourage bicycle safety, especially among young people, the Atlantic Police Department under the direction of Chief Steve Green, is offering rewards young people who wear a helmet. Kail said during the month of June, Officers with the A-PD who catch a young person wearing a bike helmet will stop them, and offer reward ticket for ice cream. The reward is partially funded by the Trevor Frederickson Foundation. In addition, the Police Department is conducting a “Safe Riding” reward program, because the Chief has been disappointed at the number of kids who are not wearing a helmet. When an officer catches a young person riding safely, that persons name will be taken down and handed in to Chief Green, who will draw two names at the end of the summer. Those two persons will win a new bike, purchased with funds from the Police Youth Fund.

In other developments, NVT President Dave Chase announced progress is being made on the efforts to link-up the Schildberg Quarry Recreation Area in Atlantic with the Atlantic Baseball Complex just east of the KJAN Studios on North Olive Street. Chase said despite some “bumps” last year in getting permission from a local land owner to connect the trail, they have since agreed to allow that to proceed. The trails group Chase said, has re-instituted a study to establish a pedestrian bridge across Troublesome Creek. Sndyer and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm reminded the audience that the City of Atlantic and Nishna Valley Trails combined forces, and were the recipients of a enhancement grant from the Iowa Dept. of Transportation, for the preliminary and final design phases of the pedestrian bridge across Troublesome Creek. He says those plans are now back on track. Sturm says they should receive authorization later on this Summer to proceed with the design, which includes the hydrology of the creek, and the expected level of traffic on the bridge. That study should be completed in the Fall, and from there Sturm says, “It’s hurry up and wait for more grants” until it can be built.

Here is the latest Iowa news from The Associated Press

The Griswold School Board will hold a special session at 5-p.m. Tuesday, in the Central Office Middle School/High School Building. Superintendent Dana Kunze says the Board will review with Piper-Jaffrey, the results of the bond sale. The board will then act on directing the sale of bonds to the low bidder, and discuss the parking lot project along with providing direction to the project engineer.

Authorities in Adams County said Monday, a Lenox man was arrested Friday on a sex abuse charge. 33-year old Peter Davidson was taken into custody on a charge of 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse, following an investigation conducted by the Sheriff’s Department and the Department of Human Services. No other details concerning the allegations were released. Davidson was subsequently released on $10,000 cash bond. The case remains under investigation.