(Radio Iowa) – The rules for collecting unemployment in Iowa changed this month — going from 26 weeks to 16 weeks before the unemployment benefits end. Iowa Workforce Development Director Beth Townsend says it’s too early to know if that has had an impact yet.  “It didn’t start until o claims that were started, are filed July 3rd forward. So we’re just in the very beginning of it. And right now, you know, our unemployment claims are as low as they’ve been since the 70s. So we’re not seeing a lot of people on benefits, because people are finding jobs,” Townsend says.

The June unemployment rate fell to the level we saw before the pandemic hit. Critics say cutting back the time benefits are paid will hurt some Iowans. Townsend doesn’t agree. “The reality is, no one in Iowa needs to be unemployed for 26 weeks. And if you look at the average length or duration of unemployment benefits for the last decade, it’s been about 12 to 13 weeks, per year,” according to Townsend. “And those are usually the folks that are on unemployment on a regular basis, every year because of construction, you know, they work in construction or outside jobs.”

She says it’s unusual for those workers to need 16 weeks of unemployment and they are not the target of the change. “We’re trying to get the folks that kind of have a business model or a lifestyle choice to take a job where they only want to work six months a year, and they want to draw six months of unemployment,” she says. “Those are the folks that we’re targeting to say, you don’t need to be on unemployment for six months, if you have a job, that will allow you to work for six months, we can get you another job to fill that other six months.” Townsend says with the number of jobs available and I-W-D’s return to work focus, this should not be a big deal for many job seekers.

“You know, our goal is to get you to get to your next job as quickly as possible. And we would love to do it in you know, two to four weeks,” according to Townsend. “If you’re at 16 weeks, we know that we somehow failed to help you because it’s taking you that long to find the right job. So we want to, we want to make sure that you don’t have to worry about the 16 weeks that you found your next job at the 6 weeks point.” One of the twists in the downturn of the economy is many people who retired are coming back into the workforce. Townsend says it’s hard to say how long these workers will stay before going back into retirement. “As long as we continue to see increasing inflation — I mean, it doesn’t appear to even be leveling off yet — it just continues to increase. And while there’s been a slight decrease in gas in the last couple of weeks, there’s really no indication that it’s going to get below four dollars, which most people that went into retirement didn’t plan on paying four dollars down for gas,” Townsend says.

She says each person will have to decide how much longer they have to work to make up the economic losses. “Probably it’s gonna depend on their own financial situation and how much their 401-K, if that’s how they’re funding their retirement, has been impacted by the changes in the economy,” she says.  Townsend says the job market right now favors retirees and others when it comes to job options. “Employers are now willing to say, if you’ll give me four days a week, and you want to work six hours a day, I will take it. Or if you want to work Monday through Thursday, 10-hour days, I’ll take it if you want to work Tuesday through Friday, you know, or just three days a week, there’s so much more flexibility available that I think that that might incentivize those that are coming back out of retirement to stay a little bit longer,” Townsend says.

Townsend encourages anyone looking for work — retirees or otherwise — to contact I-W-D to get help finding the best job that fits their needs.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Democrats will be hosting Iowa Senate District 9 candidate Tripp Narup, of Villisca, during the Cass County Fair.  Party Chair Denise O’Brien says Narup will be at the Democrat’s booth in the commercial building beginning at noon on Sunday, July 31st.

Tripp Narup

Tripp Narup is running for the Iowa Senate seat currently occupied by Republican Tom Shipley.

Retired Admiral Mike Franken will be visiting the Cass County Fair on Monday ( August 1st) afternoon.

Retired Vice Admiral/Iowa Senate candidate, Mike Franken.

Candidate Franken is running for Republican Senator Charles Grassley’s seat in the U.S. Senate. A meet and greet will be held Monday evening (August 1st) at the Atlantic Public Library beginning at 5:30 p.m.

(Radio Iowa) – Relatives have set up a fundraiser to create a trust fund for the nine year old boy who survived the shooting at a state park that killed his parents and younger sister. State investigators say Sarah Schmidt, her husband Tyler and their six-year-old daughter Lula of Cedar Falls were killed Friday morning while camping at Maquoketa Caves State Park. Cedar Falls Mayor Bob Green shared in a Facebook post that nine-year-old Arlo Schmidt had “survived the attack and was safe.”

A cousin of the family set up a go-fund-me account for the boy. By Sunday evening more than 163-thousand dollars had been donated. Sarah Schmidt worked at the Cedar Falls Public Library. The library is accepting cards, drawings and mementos in honor of the family.

The suspected shooter was a 23-year-old from Nebraska who was found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a wooded area of the park, some distance from the campground. He had been camping in the park with his parents. The suspect’s father told The Des Moines Register in an email that he heard the gunshots and the shouts of the nine-year-old boy yelling for help.

(Red Oak, Iowa) – Fire and Emergency Management officials in Red Oak say no injuries were reported following a structure fire, Sunday afternoon. Authorities say that around 2:14pm, the Montgomery County Communications Center received multiple 9-1-1 calls reporting an upstairs apartment fire at 615 N 3rd Street in Red Oak, located just north of the downtown square. The apartment building is owned by Craig and Carmen Archer.

Officers of the Red Oak Police Department arrived on scene immediately and confirmed all occupants were out of the structure prior to Red Oak Fire arriving on scene. Red Oak Fire arrived on scene within 4 minutes of being paged and requested a second alarm structure fire response bringing additional crews from the Stanton Fire Department, Elliott Fire Department and additional aerial support from the Glenwood Fire Department.

Photos courtesy Brian Hamman, Montgomery County Emergency Management.

Fire crews made an immediate and aggressive interior attack of the fire and were able to contain the fire to the origin apartment. Smoke and water damage is throughout the entire structure. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

The American Red Cross was contacted to assist five displaced adults due to the fire. No injuries to any occupants or firefighters on scene however two cats were located deceased and unable to be revived at the scene after attempts were made. The Red Oak Fire Department was assisted by the Red Oak Police Department, Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office, Montgomery County Communications, Stanton FD, Elliott FD, Glenwood FD, MidAmerican Energy, American Red Cross and the Iowa State Fire Marshall Office

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Police and rescue personnel were called to the scene of a vehicle and bicycle collision early this (Sunday) afternoon, at 10th and Plum Streets, in Atlantic. The page for emergency personnel went out at around 12:16-p.m. The person on the bike was said to be sitting upright, following the collision.

According to Atlantic Police, a 13-year-old male was riding a bicycle northbound on Plum Street, and ran the stop sign at the intersection with 10^th Street. The bicycle struck the driver’s side of a 2010 GMC Acadia, driven by Delilah Heuton, who was westbound on 10^th Street.

Police said the teen was transported by personal vehicle to Cass Health, for treatment of minor injuries.