A new monthly survey shows the economy in Iowa and eight other Midwest and Plains states remains strong in the wake of the pandemic, but the survey’s index gauging inflation soared to a record high. The Creighton University Mid-America Business Conditions Index for May released yesterday came in at 72.3, down slightly from April’s record high of 73.9. Any score above 50 on the survey’s indices suggests growth. But the survey’s wholesale inflation gauge for the month climbed slightly to a record 96.3 from April’s previous record of 96.2, and nearly 1 in 3 supply managers surveyed said rapidly rising input prices are their greatest economic challenge right now.
The City of Marion is looking for a new city manager. Lon Pluckhahn has submitted his resignation, effective August 2nd. He will become deputy city manager in Vancouver, Washington. Pluckhahn has been with the City of Marion for more than 14 years. Prior to that, he worked in West Liberty, Iowa and Platteville, Wisconsin.
You may have seen this yesterday morning if you were near downtown Cedar Rapids…a familiar sight in the skyline was restored after damage from the August 10th derecho. A new Quaker Oats sign was installed yesterday morning at the factory, visible as always for a great distance.
The Associated Press is reporting that there are signs of Democrat fatigue in Iowa, a state viewed for decades as a true political battleground. Even as President Joe Biden’s job approval remains strong, Iowa Democrats say they can feel their party receding, particularly in the industrial river towns they once dominated. The new voter registration data released yesterday by the Iowa Secretary of State backs that up—the number of registered Democrats ranks behind both registered Republicans and registered “no party” voters. There are 738-thousand Republicans, 724-thousand “no party”, and 716-thousand Democrats. For more than a decade, Democrats have watched their ranks in Iowa’s farm communities dwindle. At the same time, shrinking union power and population loss undermined their strength in factory towns. Some Democrats told the AP that Republican Donald Trump’s popularity among the white working class feels like a final blow…and some party members question whether Democrats can make a comeback.
A Poweshiek County family had planned to celebrate their son’s 11th birthday this past Sunday…but instead, they were part of some 500 persons searching for the boy, who has been missing from Montezuma since last Thursday morning. The FBI has now joined the search for Xavior Harrelson, working with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation and Poweshiek County Sheriff’s Office.
Cedar Rapids Police responded to a report of shots fired shortly after 11 o’clock Monday night. Officers found damage from gunfire to a home in the 800 block of Camburn Court SE. No injuries were reported. Police officers collected evidence; the investigation continues.
Authorities have released information on a Memorial Day afternoon shooting in northwest Iowa that left one person injured and another dead. Officials said the man who died in the Luton, Iowa shooting was 40-year-old Russell Mohr of Mapleton. The other victim, a woman authorities say was shot in the leg, was being treated at a Sioux City hospital for non-life-threatening injuries. Authorities stopped a suspected vehicle within 20 minutes of the original shooting report and arrested 20-year-old Marvin Hildreth Jr. of Whiting, Iowa, charging him with second-degree murder and going armed with intent.
The Cedar Overlook Trail & Sycamore Loop will host a re-opening ribbon cutting ceremony this Thursday on the Indian Creek Nature Center’s patio at 5 p.m. The majority of the trails will reopen just in time for National Trails Day on Saturday. The trails have been closed since the derecho. Hikers are advised to stay on the marked trails and avoid any closures for their safety and for the health of the trail and surrounding environment. More trails will be restored and rerouted throughout the summer.
A man being held in the Howard County Jail is in more trouble, accused of ripping a phone off the wall and shattering windows. 35-year-old Brandon Oettchen of Cresco is facing a charge of felony criminal mischief. He’s accused of ripping the heavy, metal phone off the wall and swinging it around in the jail cell. Damage to the cell will exceed $1,500.
A man is recovering, and work is paused on a wind farm in Adair County, after he was stuck in the inside the hollow blade of a wind turbine. MidAmerican Energy officials say a contractor crew was working within the hub of a wind turbine at the Arbor Hill wind farm Sunday night. They said the contractor got caught in the interior of the mostly hollow blade. He was taken to a Des Moines hospital for evaluation, but was not seriously hurt. The company said no customers experienced service disruptions.
