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Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Decreases to 2.7 Percent in April

Posted on by Sam Parsons

DES MOINES, IOWA – Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped to 2.7 percent in April from 2.8 percent in March while the state’s labor force added 4,300 new workers. The total number of Iowans with jobs increased to 1,681,400 in April, up 5,800 from the month before.

In comparison, the U.S. unemployment rate dropped to 3.4 percent in March.

Iowa’s labor force participation rate increased to 68.3 percent, up from 68.2 percent last month. The number of unemployed Iowans decreased to 46,800 in April from 48,300 in March.

“Iowa continues to have a strong labor market, and fantastic opportunities remain for those seeking jobs,” said Beth Townsend, Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “Manufacturing, health care, and retail grew significantly in April despite the external pressures of high inflation and rising interest rates that were felt in other industries. Iowa is the land of opportunity, and IWD can help make connections between workers and employers looking for help.”

Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Employment

A survey of Iowa businesses (separate from the survey of individuals used to create the unemployment rate) showed that Iowa establishments shed a slight 300 jobs between March and April, lowering total nonfarm employment to 1,592,800 jobs. This was the first loss since November 2022. Private services showed some weakness in April (-1,800 jobs), mostly within professional and business services. These losses were partially offset by gains in goods-producing establishments. Government gained 600 jobs.

Manufacturing added the most jobs in April (+1,400). Many of the jobs gained were within nondurable goods factories (+900) with much of the hiring being in animal slaughtering and processing. Durable goods factories increased by 500 jobs, with metal product production helping drive much of this advancement. This industry has fared well relative to last year, along with wood product production. Retail added 800 jobs in April and helped fuel a gain of 1,200 jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities. This gain is now the fifth consecutive for retail. Wholesale trade advanced by 600 with both durable and nondurable goods distributors showing improvement over March. Health care and social assistance gained 800 jobs in April following an increase of 900 in March. Aside from two minor losses in February and November, this sector has trended up since March 2022 with 6,900 jobs gained over the last 13 months. On the flip side, job losses were largest in professional and business services in April (-1,600). These losses were fueled by losses in administrative support, waste management, and remediation services (-1,100). This industry has shown some signs of weakness with losses in seven of the last eight months, shedding 4,00 jobs over that span. Smaller drops included other services (-1,100) and leisure and hospitality (-900), which saw some loss in arts, entertainment, and recreation, and construction (-400).

Over the past 12 months, education and health care has added the most jobs (+11,100). Health care and social assistance has increased by 6,800 jobs alone (+1,700 over the past two months). Manufacturing has faired well, advancing by 5,200 since last April. Durable good shops have outpaced nondurable goods factories with 3,100 jobs gained. Leisure and hospitality gained 4,400 with all the growth stemming from accommodations and food services. Annual losses are much smaller and concentrated in professional and business services (-1,800), which has suffered from cutbacks in administrative support and waste management services.

City council hires law firm to investigate Ottumwa Fire Dept.

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Ellis Codjoe (Radio Iowa)

The City of Ottumwa has hired an independent law firm to investigate its fire department.

Ottumwa’s City Council unanimously approved the hiring of Des Moines-based Dentons Davis Brown PC in a closed session. The session was held to review possible personnel concerns within the Ottumwa Fire Department. City officials did not discuss any reasons why the fire department has fallen under scrutiny, however,

Ottumwa Mayor Rick Johnson did mention two firefighters are on paid administrative leave and will remain so for the duration of the investigation.

OHS Students Raising Funds for Trip to Debate Nationals

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Sam Parsons

Two Oskaloosa High School students have qualified for the National Speech and Debate Tournament in Phoenix, Arizona, and are asking the community for help in raising funds for the trip.

OHS seniors Elliot Nelson and Abigail Lindgren have both qualified for nationals in Congressional Debates, and Nelson gave an idea of what it’s all about.

Lindgren said that the two of them would not only be representing Osky on the national stage, but also one of two Iowa districts.

The fundraising efforts include a speech showcase happening next Monday, as well as a GoFundMe.

Nelson said that they were off to a good start, but still had some distance to cover.

The National Speech and Debate Tournament will be held June 11-16. The GoFundMe can be accessed here.

Our full conversation with Elliot Nelson and Abigail Lindgren can be listened to below.

Osky drops opener to Albia, rebounds at home against Fairfield

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Indians baseball team got their season started on Monday and Tuesday this week with a road tilt at Albia followed by their home opener versus Fairfield.

Monday at Albia

The Indians began their season against the Albia Blue Demons almost exactly one year after an Aiden North walk-off home run lifted them over the same team to open their 2022 campaign. The Indians and Blue Demons traded runs to start: Wyatt Grubb drove Austen Coenen in with a single in the top of the first and Jarrod Parks mashed a solo home run in the top of the fourth, but Albia answered each time with runs of their own.

The Blue Demons really got rolling in the bottom of the fourth when they plated two runs and followed it up with a 4-run 5th inning in rallies led by Wyatt Beckwith, Drake Irwin, and Drew Chance. The Indians weren’t able to provide immediate answers and found themselves trailing 8-2 entering the sixth inning.

It was here that the Indians found their own groove and battled back. Jarrod Parks got the rally started in the top of the sixth with a 1-out single; Wyatt Grubb followed with a single of his own, advancing Parks to third, and Jaden DeRonde brought Parks in with a sacrifice fly. The Indians would then see their 7-8-9 hitters all reach base: Logan Hoskinson drew a walk, then Garrett Roethler hit a clutch 2-run single, and Griffin Snitker entered the game and delivered a pinch-hit RBI single of his own. Just like that, the deficit was trimmed to 2 runs.

Jaden DeRonde, after entering the game in the fifth inning as a pitcher in relief of Cael Butler, set down the Blue Demons in the bottom of the 6th to keep the Indians in the game. The top of the seventh began auspiciously: Austen Coenen drew another walk and Aiden North reached base with a single. Jarrod Parks then came through with his 3rd hit of the night to drive Coenen in. With no outs, the Indians had cut the deficit to 1 run, but unfortunately ran out of steam from there. The next 3 Indian hitters were set down in order, and the tying run was stranded at 3rd. The Blue Demons left with the opening day victory, 8-7.

Monday Stats

Tuesday vs Fairfield

Less than 24 hours later, the Indians played their home opener against a Fairfield squad that owned a 12-6 record over them dating back to 2010. That didn’t bother Osky: after Garrett Roethler got the start on the mound and escaped trouble with a scoreless top of the first, the Indians saw each of their first three hitters reach base including a fielder’s choice to set up a 3-run bomb from Wyatt Grubb to take a 3-0 lead.

The second inning followed without much incident: Roethler held the Trojans at bay once again while the Indians could only reach base once. In the third, however, Fairfield plated their first – and, ultimately, their only – run of the game after their 1-2-3 hitters all reached with bases on balls, Roethler exited the game, and Kam Criss entered, surrendering an RBI single to cleanup hitter Caden Allison two batters later. Tough luck then entered the fold for the Trojans as DH Luke Konczal hit a line drive straight at Jarrod Parks at 1st, who was able to apply the tag to Allison immediately with ease for the double play to help Criss escape the jam, preserving the 3-1 lead entering the bottom of the third.

From there, it was smooth sailing for Osky: Kam Criss would go the rest of the way on the mound, finishing the night with 4 innings and 0 earned runs allowed. Fairfield’s Isaac Harris settled in on the mound and delivered two more scoreless frames before Osky got back on the board in the 5th inning with two more runs: Austen Coenen drew a walk and Aiden North mashed a double to center field to put runners at 2nd and 3rd. A passed ball put Coenen across, and Jarrod Parks brought North in with a sacrifice fly to make it a 5-1 ballgame entering the 6th.

Another scoreless inning by Criss ensued, and the Indians’ offense roared back to life in the bottom of the 6th. They reached base with 8 out of 9 hitters, and the offensive onslaught included a 2-RBI single from Coenen, an RBI single from Grubb, who finished the night with 4 RBI, and errors on balls in play from North and Parks, as well as a walk from Tucker DeJong. In the home half of the inning, the Indians clinched the game by the 10-run rule, 11-1.

Tuesday Stats

Oskaloosa (1-1) will play their next game at home next Monday against Ottumwa. The game will be broadcast on 104.9 FM and on kboeradio.com.

Man indicted in theft of ‘Wizard of Oz’ ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland

Posted on by Sam Parsons

BROOKLYN CENTER (AP) — A man has been indicted by a grand jury on charges of stealing a pair of ruby red slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz,” federal prosecutors in North Dakota say. The shoes were stolen in 2005 and recovered in a 2018 FBI sting operation, but no arrests were made at the time.

Terry Martin was indicted Tuesday with one count of theft of a major artwork, prosecutors announced Wednesday. The indictment did not provide any further information about Martin and online records do not list an attorney for him.

The Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported that Martin is 76 and lives 12 miles south of the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota. When reached by the newspaper, he said, “I gotta go on trial. I don’t want to talk to you.”

Janie Heitz, executive director of the museum, told The Associated Press she was surprised the suspect lived nearby but said no one who works at the museum knows him.

Garland wore several pairs of the ruby slippers during production of the 1939 musical, but only four authentic pairs remain. When they were stolen, the slippers were insured for $1 million but the current market value is about $3.5 million, federal prosecutors said in a news release.

The slippers were on loan to the Judy Garland Museum in the late actor’s hometown when someone climbed through a window and broke the display case, prosecutors said when they were recovered.

Heitz said she and the museum’s staff were “a little bit speechless” that someone had been charged nearly two decades after the slippers were stolen.

Over the years, several enticing rewards were offered in hopes that the slippers would turn up. Law enforcement offered $250,000 early in the case, and an anonymous donor from Arizona put up $1 million in 2015.

The road to the missing slippers began when a man told the shoes’ insurer in 2017 that he could help get them back. After a nearly year-long investigation, the FBI nabbed the shoes in Minneapolis in July 2018. At the time, the bureau said no one has been arrested or charged in the case.

On Wednesday, a summons was issued for Martin. An initial court appearance was set for June 1, and it will be via video. Terry Van Horn, spokesman for the U.S. Justice Department in North Dakota, said he could not provide any information beyond what was included in the one-paragraph-indictment.

The shoes are famously associated with one of the iconic lines in “The Wizard of Oz,” as Garland’s character Dorothy clicks her heels and repeats the phrase, “There’s no place like home.” They are made from about a dozen different materials, including wood pulp, silk thread, gelatin, plastic and glass. Most of the ruby color comes from sequins but the bows of the shoes contain red glass beads.

The three other pairs Garland wore in the movie were held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Smithsonian, and a private collector.

When they were stolen, the slippers were on loan from Hollywood memorabilia collector Michael Shaw, who received an insurance payment seven years after the theft, according to the museum’s director.

Heitz said the museum staff hopes the slippers will return to Garland’s hometown after the legal case ends.

Iowa seniors have until July 1 to apply for new property tax break

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Iowans who are 65 or older and own the home they live in have about six weeks to apply for a new property tax exemption.

The tax plan Governor Reynolds signed into law earlier this month includes a new property tax exemption for Iowa seniors. It will reduce the taxable value of a home by $3250 for property taxes due this September and next spring. For the next assessment year, the exemption doubles to $6500.

Iowans who were at least 65 years old by January 1st of this year have until July 1st to file a form with their local county assessor to claim this exemption. Once the exemption’s granted, there’s no need to reapply in future years. The Legislative Services Agency estimates it will be worth $50 million annually to Iowa seniors.

Iowans who are receiving or are eligible for the military service property tax exemption will see it increase to $4000. Veterans who were on active duty during a war or served 18 months during peacetime may claim the exemption on the home they live in.

Application Window Closes Tomorrow for Supporting Rural EMS Through an Internship Initiative

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OTTUMWA — The Supporting Rural EMS Through an Internship Initiative’s application window is closing tomorrow at noon, and the program is still seeking applicants from Wapello County.

The Supporting Rural EMS through an Internship Initiative will provide an opportunity for 16 participants, aged 17-24 from the counties of Appanoose, Davis, Van Buren, and Wapello in a rural, socioeconomically depressed area in South Central/South East Iowa, to complete a paid internship to become Emergency Medical Technicians. There is a desperate need for certified EMS professionals in these counties as well as statewide.

During the summer paid internship, participants will take a state-approved EMT course while completing healthcare exploration, as well as course lab and clinical hours at area ambulance services and hospitals. During the program, interns will also receive information on furthering their education in healthcare, particularly in EMS by continuing to the Paramedic level, as well as soft skills needed to be successful in a job and career.

  • Starting date of June 1, 2023, through August 12, 2023.
  • 24-hour work week – this is a commitment to the program; the course has been condensed to meet the current summer schedule and there is very little leeway for absences.
  • Internship program will pay interns $12 per hour.
  • Participants that successfully complete the program – successfully completing the EMS course and taking NREMT Testing will be awarded a $500 bonus.

The program application and job description are attached to the email and available at www.wapelloready.org/emsintern

Old Hwy 163 Closed Starting Today

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OSKALOOSA — Starting today (5/18), Old Highway 163 in Mahaska County will be closed for a repaving project.

The road will be closed until it is completely repaved, with the estimated completion date of mid-June. Old Hwy 163 will be closed from the entrance off New Hwy 163/Jewell Ave to the roundabout at Pella Ave/Hwy 432 (see highlighted area in the map above).

If you use this road to get to the Lacey Complex, it is advised that you use a different route.

ESPN announces ‘Pat McAfee Show’ will join afternoon lineup

Posted on by Sam Parsons

BRISTOL (AP) — Pat McAfee’s show is moving to ESPN as part of a new multiyear deal announced Tuesday.

McAfee first joined ESPN as a college football analyst for its Thursday night games in 2019. He returned to the network last year and became part of the “College GameDay” crew as well as hosting some alternate presentations of ESPN games, including the CFP National Championship.

That will continue, but it is McAfee’s show that has created the most buzz. It began on satellite radio in 2016 and picked up steam when it began streaming in 2019. The show has been mainly on YouTube the past three years, but will move to ESPN, the ESPN YouTube Channel and ESPN+ as part of the network’s afternoon lineup beginning in the fall. It will likely air after “First Take” and start at 12 p.m. ET.

McAfee is exiting a four-year deal with FanDuel that the New York Post reported was worth $120 million.

The McAfee show is known for weekly appearances by Aaron Rodgers during the football season, including his announcement of his impending trade to the New York Jets, but also for a frequent use of profanity. McAfee said during ESPN’s presentation to advertisers Tuesday that he wouldn’t swear “nearly as much” but the substance and style of the show would not change despite its new home.

“We ain’t changing a damn thing,” McAfee said. “Every other word is good to go. … We won’t be doing that because it’s the middle of the day, but everything else will be good.”

ESPN also announced a documentary series on Serena Williams and four major matchups for the upcoming college football season.

“In the Arena: Serena Williams” has started production and comes on heels of the 2021 “Man in the Arena: Tom Brady” series. The Brady series was 10 parts and focused on each of the seasons Brady took his team to the Super Bowl.

ESPN has not announced how many parts there will be for the Williams series. Williams won 23 singles titles in grand slam tournaments, but ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said the episodes won’t be dictated by that.

“We’ll combine some things here, but it’s going to be fantastic. I’m probably as excited about that as I am any film that we have in development right now,” Pitaro said.

Williams also appeared on stage during the presentation. The series will be directed by Gotham Chopra and is co-produced by ESPN, Religion of Sports, Brady’s 199 Productions, and Williams’ and Caroline Currier’s Nine Two Six Productions.

The Labor Day weekend game between Florida State and LSU will air on ABC for the second straight season. The night game will be played in Orlando, Florida, on Sept. 3.

Alabama will host Texas on Sept. 9 in a game airing on ESPN. ABC again will have the Red River Rivalry between Texas and Oklahoma from Dallas on Oct. 7 as well as Notre Dame’s game at Clemson on Nov. 4.

The ESPN presentation was one part of the Walt Disney Company’s entire program for advertisers Tuesday. ESPN and other networks owned by Disney used to have separate programs before the move to a combined presentation a couple of years ago.

Rita Ferro, president of Disney advertising sales and partnerships, noted the move from eight different events to one stemmed from a demand from advertisers to do fewer big events.

The presentation came amid layoffs throughout the Walt Disney Company, including ESPN. Disney CEO Bob Iger announced in February that the company would reduce 7,000 jobs either through attrition or layoffs.

ESPN went through the first of two rounds of reductions last month. There also will be a round of cuts involving on-air talent over the summer done through non-renewal of contracts, buyouts or cuts.

“It has been a tough period, the past few weeks. I think folks are looking forward to getting through this month and regrouping,” Pitaro said. “We’re operating in a world where fewer households are subscribing to traditional television. That puts pressure on the business.”

Gov. Reynolds approves tougher penalties for fentanyl related crimes

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

Governor Kim Reynolds has signed a bill into law that significantly increases the criminal penalties for making or selling illegal drugs laced with fentanyl.

“Between 2019 and 2022, Iowa saw a 45% increase in opioid deaths,” Reynolds said this morning, “including and especially a 160% increase for those under the age of 25.”

The Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement has seized nearly 28,000 fentanyl pills in the last six weeks. Iowa’s Republican governor said “it’s no mystery” where this “flood” of fentanyl is coming from.

“President Biden has a constitutional responsibility to secure our nation’s border from illegal immigration and drug trafficking, human trafficking and everything that’s taking place at the southern border,” Reynolds said. “His failure is empowering criminals, it’s empowering the cartel who trade others’ lives for profit and it truly is a disgrace.”

The bill doubles the penalty making and selling illegal drugs. Those caught with 50 grams of fentanyl could be sentenced to 50 years in an Iowa prison and penalties are also enhanced for selling illegal drugs to a minor. There are also harsher sentences for providing drugs that lead to an overdose or death.

“This law brings the drug dealers who kill to justice,” said Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, who joined Reynolds for today’s bill signing ceremony. “It gives prosecutors the tools that we need to seek justice for the victims of crime and their families.”

The governor hosted a roundtable discussion in Atlantic about drug crimes before she signed the bill into law. Iowa Public Safety Commissioner Stephen Bayens said opioids are incredibly addictive and stopping the flow of fentanyl and other illegal drugs into urban and rural Iowa is a high priority.

“Law enforcement must lean on one another and leverage all of our resources to combat this epidemic,” Bayens said.

Bayens cited the recent federal indictments of six Iowans after a series of overdoses in Cass and Shelby Counties. “In the span of just a few months, those two small rural counties had five fentanyl overdoses, two of which were fatal. Agents further learned that the distribution of naloxone in these two counties had spiked,” Bayens said.

“Once the size and scope the problem had been identified, state, federal and local law enforcement from Iowa and Nebraska initiated a proactive and targeted investigation designed to root out the source of these overdoses.”

All six of those who were arrested last year have pleaded guilty after being accused of distributing over 10-thousand fentanyl pills in southwest Iowa.

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