From the Associated Press:
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Much of downtown Des Moines, Iowa, has been transformed in the past decade by new apartments, shops and restaurants, but a stench from animal processing plants still often lingers over all that shiny new development. Many other cities across the country are dealing with similar problems as angry residents deluge officials with complaints and file lawsuits. Companies have responded by installing new equipment, making payments to neighbors or even closing down. In Des Moines, officials recently began a comprehensive study that will lead to tighter regulations on some smelly manufacturing plants to finally clear the air.
BOONE, Iowa (AP) — An Iowa police officer died in a car crash while he was off duty this weekend. The Boone Police Department said Mario Gonzalez died Saturday in a crash, but they didn’t immediately release any details about the crash. Gonzalez had been a part-time officer with the department since 2019. Before that, he worked full-time for the department between August 2016 and October 2019. He was also a member of the Iowa Army National Guard. The Des Moines Register reports that 312 people had died in traffic crashes across the state this year as of Friday. That’s 26 higher than at the same time last year.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has identified the man shot and killed by police in Waterloo as 42-year-old Brent Lee Boggess. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier on Saturday also reported that the officer involved in the shooting was Ken Schaaf. Police say a chase began when Boggess was spotted driving recklessly and tried to hit an officer’s patrol car. Several other officers converged to stop his car. Police say Boggess refused to get out of the car and instead rammed a patrol car. Police say Schaaf then fatally shot him.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Four Iowans have pleaded guilty to participating in a loan fraud scheme involving small businesses. Federal prosecutors announced Friday that three former executives of Valley Bank in Moline, Illinois, and the president of Vital Financial Services fraudulently obtained loan guarantees from the Small Business Administration on behalf of Valley Bank borrowers. The defendants knew the loans did not meet SBA’s requirements for the loan guarantees. The defendants are Susan McLaughlin of Bettendorf; Michael Slater, of Clive; 43-year-old Andrew Erpelding and 70-year-old Larry Henson, both of Davenport. In all, the defendants successfully obtained guarantees on more than $9 million in loans and caused the SBA to lose more than $4.5 million.
SERGEANT BLUFF, Iowa (AP) — An Omaha, Nebraska, soybean processor has proposed a nearly $72 million expansion of its soybean-crushing plant south of Sioux City and is seeking nearly $1.5 million in state and local money to help finance the added capacity. The Sioux City Journal reports that Ag Processing Inc.’s expansion of its Sergeant Bluff plant is expected to be completed in the fall of 2023 and would create two new jobs. The complex currently employs 128. The plant complex has seen several expansions over the years. In 2017, the co-op constructed a $90 million vegetable oil refinery, which refines beans at the site, and also completed a $38 million expansion of its biodiesel plant.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped slightly in October to 3.9%. Iowa Workforce Development announced Friday that the rate declined from 4% in September and was down from 4.2% a year ago. The lower rate came as the number of Iowa residents with jobs increased by 1,600 to nearly 1.6 million. The percentage of Iowans in the labor force was 66.8%. Iowa’s unemployment rate was ranked 18th lowest, tied with two other states. The national unemployment rate for October was 4.6%.
