(Radio Iowa) – The latest Iowa Association of Business and Industry survey shows a positive outlook for the fourth quarter while concerns about the pandemic still linger. A-B-I president, Mike Ralston, says he was surprised by the continued optimism. “Most A-B-I members expect to have their sales expand or at the very worst stay the same in the fourth quarter. That’s about 90 percent answer that way — almost 50 percent of them expect to see increased sales — so that’s pretty good news,” Ralston says.

He says 53 percent expect the number of employees in their business to stay the same and 37 percent expect that number to grow. Ralston says the confidence comes with the experience they’ve gained in already dealing with the pandemic.  “If we dig deeper into some of these results — people are saying they’ve identified new supply chains, new partners — that’s led to increased markets and they’ve been able to adapt and grow,” according to Ralston. “They didn’t necessarily think that would be the case, but that’s exactly what has happened.”

He says there have been some new issues that come up regarding concern for employees. Ralston says they survey comments say they are worried about their employees in a couple of ways, with the first being the employee health related to the COVID pandemic. A second concern was the stress as employees tried to take care of their families. “Keeping their family healthy. What about their kids in school, how does that work? Childcare issues are something that we continue to see,” Ralston explains.

He says the closing of schools and childcare’s because of the pandemic puts a lot of pressure on workers. “Parents want to make sure their kids are safe and that they are learning — especially if it’s a single-parent home — they really have to decide do I go to work today or do I stay home with my kids. So, it’s a real issue,” Ralston says. He says finding employees to fill jobs continues to be an issue. Another thing Ralston says surprised him in the survey is the lack of mention of the November elections as an issue. “Not a single person raised the election as an issue,” Ralston says. “I think that if you talk to most Iowa business people, they’re concerned with running their business, they’re concerned with keeping production going and getting the product to the customer. So, while they are interested in the election, it’s not their day-to-day focus.”

A-B-I has 15-hundred member companies in all 99 counties and those companies have more than 330-thousand employees.

Atlantic, IA – SHIFT ATL, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, will host their second annual Turkey Trot in Atlantic on Thursday, November 26th, beginning at 8:00 a.m. This year’s event will have both an
in-person and virtual option to participate.

The in-person event will include a 5K route and 1-mile route option, both leaving the The Depot, Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, at 8:00 a.m. sharp. Attendees can grab some warm eats and drinks from inside the Chamber meeting room post-race.  Prizes will be awarded for first, second and third place for both male and female runners for the 5K. Additionally, each adult participant and each child participant will be placed into a drawing to win a free pair of shoes from Brown Shoe Fit in Atlantic.

The virtual event will be held Wednesday, November 25 – Saturday, November 28, 2020. Participants can go run a 5K route of their choice, and then submit their time results to SHIFT
ATL via their Facebook page (facebook.com/shiftatl) or through the results form on their website at shiftatl.org/turkeytrot.

Cost to register is $15, with the option to add on various race-day gear including a t-shirt, long-sleeve shirt, sweatshirt and/or stocking hat. Orders including any of these items need to be
submitted by Friday, October 30th. Registration for just the race will continue until the day of the event. SHIFT ATL hopes to have a few shirts and hats left over for purchase the day of, but no
guarantees. To get registered, visit getmeregistered.com/AtlanticTurkeyTrot or shiftatl.org/turkeytrot to view full event details.

Funds raised during the event will be directed towards SHIFT ATL’s overall goal of community and economic development for the Atlantic area.

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — A man charged in the killing of his girlfriend’s mother in Fort Dodge earlier this year has pleaded not guilty. The Messenger reports that 29-year-old Mark Russell, of Fort Dodge, pleaded not guilty on Monday to first-degree murder in the January beating death of 45-year-old Angela McLeod. Police were called to McLeod’s home on Jan. 20 for a domestic dispute report and found her gravely injured. She was pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators say in court documents that they believe Russell used a golf club to beat McLeod. Russell was found competent to stand trial in May following treatment for mental illness. Russell’s lawyer says his client has a history of schizophrenia.

The Adair County Board of Supervisors are set to meet 9-a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 16th, in an electronic session (See meeting access details below). On their agenda, in addition to regular discussion with regard to the Manure Management Plan (MMP) and COVID-19, is a presentation by Kimberly Dickey and Bo McGee, with NextEra Energy. They’re expected to provide the Board with an update on the Heartland Divide Phase II Transmission Line.

Officials have said once completed, up to 71 GE wind turbines will be capable of generating up to 200 megawatts of renewable energy. It comes with a 42 mile transmission line that would transmit the power from the wind farm in Audubon County, to a substation located in Adair. Subject to local and state approvals, the project is scheduled to begin operations by the end of 2021. Phase I of the Heartland Divide wind project was a 103 megawatt farm that went into commercial operation in December 2018.

Conservation Director Dominic Johnson will provide the Board with an Annual Report along with Conservation updates and plans.

And Adair County Engineer Nick Kauffman will present the Adair County Supervisors with an agreement to purchase a motor grader, along with various project updates.

Meeting access information:

Dial in Number: (605) 313-6157         

Access Code: 526272#

Sheriff’s officials in Mills County report four arrests took place last week. Friday morning, 43-year old Sean Michael Gochenour, of Missouri Valley, was arrested at the Pottawattamie County Jail, on a Mills County warrant charging him with three counts of Failure To Appear.  His bond in the Mills County Jail was set at $150,000.

Thursday afternoon, 41-year old Christopher Michael Peterson, of Grimes, was arrested at the Polk County Jail, on a Mills County  warrant for Contempt of Court. Peterson was being held without bond in the Mills County Jail.

On September 9th, 48-year old Dallas Dewayne Heath, of Council Bluffs, was arrested at the Mills County Sheriff’s Office on a warrant for Failure to Appear on a Child Endangerment charge. Heath was being held on a $5,000 bond.

And, on Sept. 8th, 40-year old Christopher Michael Fronce, of Omaha, was arrested following a traffic stop on I-29. Fronce was taken into custody for Driving While Barred. Bond was set at $2,000.