A new monthly survey of business leaders suggests that strong economic growth will continue over the next few months in Iowa and eight other Midwest and Plains states as businesses continue to recover from the coronavirus pandemic. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss, who oversees the survey, said businesses in the area have recovered about half of the roughly 120,000 jobs lost last year when states imposed restrictions related to the coronavirus. Goss said the growth might be even stronger if it weren’t for delays in receiving raw materials and supplies.
A federal judge has thrown out a rule allowing pork plants to speed up production lines, because the U.S. Department of Agriculture didn’t properly consider the risks to workers before the rule was issued in 2019. Union officials praised the ruling because they say faster line speeds at pork plants increase the risk of injuries for workers. The lawsuit was filed by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union along with local unions in Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri and Oklahoma, and the nonprofit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen. The USDA says the agency is reviewing the ruling, and it remains “deeply committed to worker safety and a safe, reliable food supply.”
The UNI Panther football team was to play at South Dakota tonight…but an outbreak of COVID-19 within the South Dakota program meant the game had to be cancelled and will not be made up. However, the UNI volleyball team upset in-state rival Drake in the Missouri Valley Conference tournament, sweeping the second-seeded Bulldogs in 3 sets. The Panthers, the number 7 seed, will face sixth-seeded Loyola, which upset the number 3 seed Missouri State, in the semifinals later today, with pregame at 4:45 p.m. here on News/Talk 1540 KXEL.
The parents of a 5-month-old baby who died in July in northwestern Iowa are among three people now charged in the infant’s death. 20-year-old Lawrence Ruotolo and 21-year-old Brittanee Baker, both of Sheldon, have been charged with child endangerment causing bodily injury in connection with the July 31st death of their daughter. Authorities say 49-year-old Stacie Hurlburt of Sheldon has been charged with a misdemeanor count of accessory after the fact. O’Brien County prosecutors say the baby was killed while in Ruotolo’s care and that he and the two women made up a story that the child had been injured by a lamp knocked over by cats.
Iowa State University says it plans to review its policies and procedures for 55 school sports clubs following the recent drowning of two members of the student crew club. The university said in a news release Thursday that it will also create the position of Sport Club Safety Officer to work with the clubs. The school’s sports clubs are largely outside of university control. Sophomore Yaakov Ben-David of Washington, D.C., and Derek Nanni of Normal, Illinois, drowned when their boat capsized at Little Wall Lake on Sunday. The crew club only recently introduced a mandatory swim test for all team members.
The owner of a Cedar Rapids home that was spray-painted with a racial slur last week is planning on the selling the home, according to his attorney. The house in the 2300 block of Bever Avenue SE is at the center of a hate crime investigation by the Cedar Rapids Police Department. Police say there were 25 disturbance calls connected to the residence between January 1 and October 15th of last year, including 13 calls about weapons, seven for suspicious persons, two for thefts, and one for a domestic incident. Several residents are signing a petition calling for the City of Cedar Rapids to revoke current owner Charles Davisson’s landlord license for life.
Iowa public health officials say they see no impact to vaccine supply this week or next following news of millions of doses of Johnson & Johnson vaccine being thrown out. A batch of its vaccines, perhaps up to 15 million doses, failed quality standards. A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Health told our coverage partners at Iowa’s News Now it does not appear to impact the amount of vaccines heading to Iowa next week, but they say they will provide updates if this has any potential impact on future orders.
A Davenport man charged with killing his mother in February has entered a plea of not guilty to first-degree murder and other counts in the case. 53-year-old Andrew Rupp was arrested after police were called to the PR Masonry Apartments in Davenport on Feb. 16 to check on the welfare of a person. Officers found the body of 77-year-old Dianna Rupp inside one of the units. Police have not said how she died. Rupp was initially charged with interference with official acts and drug possession. He was later charged with first-degree murder.
