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Report suggests $900 million in annual wage theft impacts 250,000 Iowa workers

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

A new study suggests Iowa workers are underpaid by at least $900 million a year.

Common Good Iowa, the group issuing the report, calls that wage theft. Sean Finn, the report’s author, says an estimated 250,000 Iowans are impacted.

“That means that on average one in seven workers in Iowa are shorted $300 a week,” Finn says.

Finn says some workers are not paid the overtime they’re owed or their employers fails to follow minimum wage laws. Other full-time workers are misclassified as a independent contractor, which Finn says lets the employer avoid paying taxes and benefits.

“Theft in Iowa whether it’s larceny, robbery, burglary — all of those crimes, costs around $90 million a year according to the FBI,” Finn says. “We estimate wage theft being at least $900 million a year, so this problem is ten times greater than other theft and, at the same time, very little is being done to stop it.”

Finn’s report is titled “A Heist in Plain Sight” and he argues businesses that are violating wage laws are hurting responsible employers who are following the rules.

“Businesses are using wage theft to cut costs and illegally cut corners,” Finn says. “They can artificially lower their costs and offer lower bids on projects or just run with lower operating costs, maybe keep their prices lower.”

The Iowa Workforce Development agency is using part of a federal grant to investigate businesses that may be misclassifying employees as independent contractors. Last year the agency collected a quarter of a million dollars to settle 341 claims over unpaid or underpaid wages.

Oskaloosa Council Receives Fire Code Enforcement Update

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa City Council met last night and heard a quarterly report from the fire department related to code enforcement. The report found that 56 cases of code violations were opened during the third quarter, with 50 of them being closed as of now. The most common case category of those opened was that of grass and snow, which saw 23 cases open and close. The fire department reported that their top priorities for the remainder of the year included dilapidated structures and working with owners to solve those issues, as well as staying on top of grass and weeds and preparing for snow removal requests as the weather continues to cool down.

The next regular meeting of the Oskaloosa City Council is scheduled for November 7.

Mahaska County Board of Supervisors Weighs Soil Compaction Study Contribution

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Sam Parsons

The Mahaska County Board of Supervisors met yesterday and discussed a potential contribution to a study from Iowa State University on soil compaction as it relates to proposed carbon capture pipelines that may be built in the state. Supervisor Chuck Webb described what the contribution would entail.

The contribution agreement includes the provision that, if ISAC does not receive adequate funding from all 99 counties for the study, they will return the original contributions to the counties. Ultimately, however, the board decided to table the decision until their next meeting in November, pending more information from ISAC.

Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks Stoops in Oskaloosa

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Sam Parsons

Iowa Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks kicked off her 20-county tour of Iowa’s first congressional district in Oskaloosa this morning and answered questions from citizens on topics ranging from abortion to gun control to the environment to voting laws. On the latter topic, Miller-Meeks discussed the voter reform that had already been passed in Iowa and cited continuous strong turnout.

For questions about voter registration, citizens are encouraged to visit voterready.iowa.gov.

 

Mahaska Chamber Seeking Award Nominations

Posted on by Sam Parsons

OSKALOOSA — Would you like to nominate a business or individual who has made a big difference in Mahaska County in the past year? Mahaska Chamber & Development Group will again be presenting several civic awards. You are urged to submit nominations for these awards. The categories are as follows:

Retail Business and Service Business of the Year (2 awards) – The most outstanding retail or service business in the Mahaska community during this past fiscal year must be in business for minimum of two years, demonstrate success, with evidence of commitment and contribution to the community.
Industry of the Year – The most outstanding industry in the Mahaska community during the year will have a stable employment history, will have been in business for minimum of two years, showing evidence of commitment and contribution to the community and a commitment to sound management practices.
Business Person of the Year – This individual will have demonstrated those qualities which have distinguished him/her in business: proven commitment and contribution to the community, a commitment to ethical business practices, recognized within their profession, a Mahaska County resident, a history of success in their business.
Citizen of the Year – This individual will have demonstrated outstanding involvement in and support of his/her community over an extended period of time.
Community Improvement Award – This commercial or industrial property will have made improvements which enhance the appearance and /or economic vitality of the Mahaska community through new development or through the redevelopment of an existing property.
Educator of the Year – This individual from a Mahaska County school will display a true passion and devotion to the betterment of students.
Student of the Year -This individual will be a graduating senior or college student from a school in Mahaska County who is well-rounded and displays exemplary leadership and service for the betterment of Mahaska County.
Up & Comer – This young individual or new business owner will be recognized for their dedicated commitment, passion and high standard of excellence while leading the charge in Mahaska County.
Chuck Russell Award – This person or project will be recognized for their dedicated commitment in preserving the rich heritage and history of Oskaloosa and Mahaska County.
To make any nominations or if you have an innovative idea for a “special award” for exceptional achievement in a category not mentioned, you are encouraged to phone 641-672-2591 or email ddegroot@mahaskachamber.org with “Mahaska Chamber Award” in the subject line to present the suggestion to the Chamber. Nominations must be received by Friday, November 4.

Oskaloosa Comes Up Short at Cedar Rapids Washington

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Sam Parsons

The Oskaloosa Indians entered Friday night’s game at Cedar Rapids Washington short handed, but that didn’t preclude them from putting up quite the fight against the Warriors on a chilly Friday night.

The game started inauspiciously for Osky: the Warriors received the first half kickoff and on their fifth offensive play, star running back Watts McBride took a screen pass from sophomore QB Malik Epps-Keller 68 yards to the house. After a successful PAT, the score was 7-0 Warriors less than a minute into the game.

After Osky responded with a 3-and-out in their opening offensive drive, the Warriors struck again, this time on a 10-play, 57-yard drive quarterbacked by junior Stephen Cain, who capped it off with a 1 yard QB sneak to make it 14-0, and the game script seemed to be going off the rails once again for the Indians after back-to-back blowout losses coming in.

However, things would steady from here. An Osky interception in Washington territory, as well as a Washington fumble in Osky territory, played a role in the score remaining where it was through the end of the first half as both defenses firmed up. The Indians were led by great play from their front 7, which was missing a pair of starting linebackers, as well as excellent open-field tackling from their defensive backfield, particularly from the likes of Waylon Bolibaugh and Jaden DeRonde. The Indians being down several starters prior to kickoff was a key storyline, but the Indians played inspired football, particularly on the defensive side. Over the course of the game, Osky forced a total of 4 turnovers on defense and special teams and committed just two of their own.

In the 2nd half, the Warriors stopped using their 2-QB approach and moved forward exclusively with Epps-Keller at the helm, but they couldn’t muster any points for most of the the third quarter against an Indian defense that continued to respond with stops. One such stop gave the Indians the ball on the Washington 48 midway through the quarter, and the Osky offense finally got on the board with a 6 play drive that culminated in screen passes of 25 and 11 yards to Wyatt Grubb and Dom Piersel, respectively, with Piersel navigating his way to the end zone. The Indians couldn’t field their PAT team until late in the play clock, though, leading to a rushed operation and freshman kicker Linus Morrison’s first missed extra point of the season to keep the score at 14-6.

Prior to the end of the quarter, though, the Warriors struck back with yet another explosive play from McBride, who galloped 43 yards up the middle of the defense three drives later to extend the Warrior lead to 21-6.

The fourth quarter began with the Indians taking over on their own 11 yard line after forcing a turnover on downs. They moved the ball 48 yards in 6 plays into Washington territory, but incompletions led to the drive sputtering out at the Warrior 36. The defenses traded stops from there and the Indians, though they battled to the end, came up short, with 21-6 as the final score.

Oskaloosa (1-7) wraps up their season at #2 Cedar Rapids Xavier this Friday. Cedar Rapids Washington (5-3) travels to Pella.

Oskaloosa Passing

Trevor Willett: 20/44, 151 yards, TD, INT; 3 sacks, 20 yards lost, 0 fumbles

CR Washington Passing

Malik Epps-Keller: 9/19, 141 yards, TD; 0 sacks, 0 fumbles

Stephen Cain: 3/6, 40 yards; 0 sacks, 0 fumbles

Oskaloosa Rushing

Dom Piersel: 12 carries, 17 yards

Wyatt Grubb: 1 carry, 8 yards

Trevor Willett: 7 carries, 3 yards

CR Washington Rushing

Watts McBride: 12 carries, 117 yards, TD

Alex Taylor: 15 carries, 42 yards, 1 fumble

Malik Epps-Keller: 3 carries, 6 yards, 1 fumble

Stephen Cain: 1 carry, 1 yard, TD

Oskaloosa Receiving

Dom Piersel: 6 rec, 59 yards, TD

Wyatt Grubb: 7 rec, 50 yards

Waylon Bolibaugh: 6 rec, 33 yards

Maddux Ashman: 1 rec, 9 yards

CR Washington Receiving

Michael Blank: 6 rec, 86 yards

Watts McBride: 3 rec, 76 yards, TD

Jaden Harris: 1 rec, 13 yards

Miles Thompson: 1 rec, 6 yards

Alex Taylor: 1 rec, 0 yards

Most say voting vital despite dour US outlook: AP-NORC poll

Posted on by Sam Parsons

WASHINGTON (AP) — A new poll shows 71% of voters think the future of the country is at stake when they vote in November’s midterm elections. That’s according to a new poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. The poll findings suggest voters are motivated to turn out despite deep pessimism about the state of U.S. politics and dissatisfaction with the country. With less than a month to go, about 8 in 10 registered voters say casting their ballot this year is extremely or very important. That’s true of voters who prefer Republicans win majorities in Congress, and those who want to see Democrats remain in control.

Grassley 46%, Franken 43% in Des Moines Register Iowa Poll

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By O. Kay Henderson (Radio Iowa)

A Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll released this weekend shows Republican Senator Chuck Grassley with a three percent lead over Democratic challenger Mike Franken.

The poll of likely voters was taken from October 9-12t. Forty-six percent of those surveyed said they supported Grassley. Forty-three percent said they supported Franken.

Seven percent said they were undecided or plan to skip voting on the U.S. Senate race. Franken was still unknown to about a third of those surveyed. Nearly two-thirds said Grassley’s age was a concern and that includes 37 percent of the Republicans questioned, who said they’d vote for the 89 year old senator.

Franken, on Twitter, said he’s in a :virtual tie” with Grassley and “on the cusp of something historic.” The Iowa GOP’s chairman says the Iowa Poll has “underestimated the strength of the new Republican coalition.”

On Sunday evening, the Iowa Poll results in the governor’s race were released, showing Republican incumbent Kim Reynolds at 52% and Democratic challenger Deidre DeJear 35%. Libertarian candidate was the choice of four percent of those surveyed.

Opening of five Lake Red Rock recreation areas to be delayed in 2023 for infrastructure upgrades

Posted on by Sam Parsons

KNOXVILLE, Iowa –The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Rock Island District, announces delayed openings of the Howell Station, North Overlook and Whitebreast campgrounds and the Fifield and North Overlook recreation areas at Lake Red Rock. Those sites will delay opening until June 1 for the 2023 recreation season.

The delays are needed at Howell Station, North Overlook, and Fifield to facilitate water line upgrades. At Whitebreast campground, the delay will facilitate shoreline protection due to lake erosion. The projects are made possible through recent federal infrastructure investments that will address deteriorated infrastructure conditions at Lake Red Rock.

To compensate for the late openings, the Wallashuck Campground will open for an extended period during the recreation season beginning April 20, 2023. All other recreation areas at Lake Red Rock will be open during their regularly scheduled dates. Reservations can be made by visiting: www.recreation.gov or calling 1-877-444-6777.

For more information, please contact the Lake Red Rock Project Office at 641-828-7522.

United Way of Mahaska County’s Winter Coat Drive Begins Today

Posted on by Sam Parsons

By Sam Parsons

Today through November 14, you may find drop-off boxes at different locations throughout the city of Oskaloosa in which you can donate some of your lightly used winter clothes for United Way of Mahaska County’s Winter Coat Drive.

For the drive, United Way of Mahaska County is accepting new or gently used coats, hats, gloves, scarves, and other winter outerwear. Distribution will take place on November 18 and 19 at Penn Central Mall. See the flyer below for more details.

 

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