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Creighton economic survey shows signs of improvement for Iowa

October 2, 2009 By

After several months of foul financial reports, a new survey of Iowa business leaders and supply managers finds the state’s economy turning slightly upward. Ernie Goss, an economic professor at Creighton University, compiles the monthly survey for Iowa and eight other Midwestern states. Goss says the state and region are showing signs of growth.

“What we’re seeing is, the turnaround in the housing sector, the stabilizing, improving housing sector is now spilling over into the durable goods sector, heavy manufacturing,” Goss says. “We’re also seeing, in this part of the country, the food processing industry is doing reasonably well, exports are turning upward.” The term durable goods can apply to a host of products, from cars to electronics to furniture. Goss says durable goods producers that are -not- linked to agriculture are seeing improving economic conditions.

“Although, those industries that are heavily dependent on the farm sector are not doing as well,” Goss says. “Of course, farm income is down as much as 30 to 35% from last year and that’s affecting some of the industries.” In the past year, Goss says Iowa has lost almost 50,000 jobs, or more than three-percent of the state’s non-farm employment. He expects job losses to turn around in the months ahead with a slight drop in Iowa’s unemployment rate by the end of 2009.

Filed Under: Business

Farmers adding storage for expected record crop

October 2, 2009 By

The rain has sidelined farmers for the moment — but once they return to the fields they’re expected to harvest the state’s largest corn crop and the second largest soybean crop. Finding storage for all that grain has forced farmers to take matters into their own hands. The director of the Iowa Field Office of National Agriculture Statistics, Gary Thessen, says many farmers have added bins.

Thessen says the extra revenue farmers were able to bring in the past couple of years because of higher prices, allowed them to be use some of that extra revenue to increase their facilities to store the grain. Thessen says even with the extra storage, some of the crop will still end up piled on the ground.

“It seems like it’s almost an every year occurrence, some of the elevators have put in actually some added equipment to store the corn whether it’s on a concrete slab with a ring around and actually putting ventilation through the pile to keep it at the right with moisture content,” Thessen says.

Thessen says farmers save money by storing the grain on the farm and not paying elevators to store it. They can then truck the grain directly to the market from their bins. Iowa’s total storage capacity has been expanding since 1999 and now is more than 3.2 billion bushels. Thessen says soybeans aren’t usually stored on the ground because they are worth three times more than corn.

Filed Under: Agriculture Tagged With:

Health centers win grant to go electronic with records

October 2, 2009 By

A network of health centers in Iowa and Nebraska plan will be able to get rid of the paper charts and go electronic with their records after winning a 1.3 million dollar federal economic recovery grant. Ted Boesen is the C.E.O. of INConcertCare Incorporated.

He says there are 12 community health centers in Iowa and Nebraska that will be implementing the electronic records with about 150 medical providers. Boesen says the upgrade will allow them to eventually link into state networks. Boesen says each of the electronic records in the offices would connect with the state and allow them to coordinate and avoid the duplication of testing and other medical issues.

Boesen says the system will make a lot less work for providers. Boesen says it automates the whole primary care practice when they call for things and they get messages and reminders electronically, making it a powerful tool. He says there will be a cross-check for drugs that are prescribed, so there aren’t interactions with drugs.

INConcertCare is located in Urbandale, Iowa, and is a sister company of the Iowa/Nebraska Primary Care Association, which serves 170,000 people in the community health centers in Iowa and Nebraska.

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Technology

Injured bicyclist back at work

October 2, 2009 By

An injured bicyclist from eastern Iowa is out of the hospital and back at work following a frightening accident two weeks ago. Joey Richey says he was riding his bike on a Linn County road when he was hit from behind by a passing motorist. The 27-year-old Richey believes he was hit by the rear view mirror on a pickup truck, which continued down the road.

“It pushed me off into the ditch, and I crashed there,” Richey explained. “I’m hoping at least the driver didn’t realize something happened and wouldn’t just leave someone with an unknown condition in the ditch.” Linn County sheriffs deputies are still searching for the white pickup truck and the driver responsible for the crash. Richey, who’s from Marion, spent two-and-a-half days in the hospital. His broken shoulder blade is still healing.

“Then I had to get stitches in my left knee, one in the back of my head and my lower back is pretty bruised up,” Richey said. Wearing a helmet, Richey says he was riding with traffic when the truck hit him from behind. In August, a similar accident killed a cyclist in Warren County.

Fifty-four-year-old Mark Grgurich died when a truck hit him as he rode his bicycle on a county road. Authorities later arrested 80-year-old Paul McKinney, who is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal crash.

By Claire Kellett, KCRG-TV, Cedar Rapids

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters

Drake returns home to face Valpo

October 2, 2009 By

The Drake Bulldogs will play their first home game in nearly a month when they host Valparaiso in Pioneer Football League action this weekend. The Bulldogs are 2-1 and have not played since a September 19th loss at South Dakota and coach Chris Creighton says the off-week was good for his team.

Creighton says it allowed them to heal up and work on some fundamentals and be sure they have all their academic things in order. He says waking up Saturday and not playing is hard.

This will be the league opener for Valparaise which is 1-2 on the season. The Crusaders led the PFL in rushing and interceptions in 2008. He says they have two good corners and set the defensive scheme around them.

A victory would give Drake a 2-0 start in the league race with a pair of long road trips coming up from coast to coast in back-to-back weekends. Creighton says it is tough because they have to be in airports and away from home.

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With: ,

High school football hits week 6

October 2, 2009 By

In Class A a pair of highly ranked teams collide as third rated Madrid hosts number four Avoca AHST. Madrid coach Randy Hinkel says the defense must find a way to slow down a Vikings’ offense led by quarterback Seth Enke.

Hinkel says their quarter back is “just plain scary” as he can throw the ball and run, but his best ability is the ability to ad-lib. Hinkel says it will be Madrid’s power against AHST’s speed. He says his team will try to run over them, and they will try to spread things out.

This is a non-district game but Hinkel says it is a great challenge for his team. He says it’s a measuring stick to see where they are at this season, so when they get to post season they will know where they are at. Both teams are 5-0.

In class A district two sixth ranked Southern Cal is on the road to play number seven Clay Central-Everly. Southern Cal is the defending state champ and opened the season top ranked. Southern Cal coach Bryan Case says they struggled early on and from then they have steadily improved. The Mustangs are 4-1 overall and played a tough non-district schedule.

Case says the defense must find a way to slow down a Clay Central-Everly offense that has piled up more than 14 hundred yards on the ground this season. Clay Central-Everly is 5-0.

In eight-man district 7 a pair of rated teams collide as third ranked CAM (Anita) visits number ten Coon Rapids-Bayard. CAM is 5-0 and coach Joe Wollum says this team has had to adjust after losing all-stater Alex Stork to a shoulder injury. He says that has forced them to throw the ball more and find other ways to win.

The Cougars will try to slow down a Coon Rapids-Bayard offense that is led by quarterback Michael Schwenk and his better than 14 hundred yards of passing. Wopllum says the goal for the defense is to limit big plays. Wollum believes the Cougars are ready for a test like this as they have adjusted to the loss of Stork and the younger kids have more confidence.

In class 4A, seventh ranked Urbandale is on the road to battle an eight ranked Ankeny team that is looking to bounce back from a loss to number two Dowling Catholic. At 5-0 the J-Hawks have clinched their best record since back in 2002 and coach Sam Anderson says the turnaround began in 2008 during a 3-6 campaign.

Anderson says they were about 8 points from being 6-3 last year and the kids got hungry and did what they could to get better in the off season. Urbandale’s success begins with a ground game that has churned out more than 1,600 yards and a run defense that is vastly improved over last season.

Anderson says if you can run you will be successful and limiting turnovers has also been important. Anderson says Ankeny will offer a difficult test for his team. He says every game in the conference is big, especially with a traditional power like Ankeny.

Ryan Wendt of KWBG Boone contributed to this story.High s

Filed Under: Sports Tagged With:

Conference focuses on one room schools

October 2, 2009 By

Iowans who are working to preserve one-room schoolhouses in the state are gathering for an annual conference today.

Radio Iowa’s Pat Curtis reports on one-room schools.

In the early 1900s, there were more than 12,600 one or two room schools in Iowa. Bill Sherman, with the Iowa Historic Preservation Alliance, says the teachers were usually young women who were in charge of students ranging in age from kindergarten through eighth-grade.

“The system was far from perfect, but I think it worked well and many teachers welcomed the challenge of educating young Iowans in a kind of crude environment,” Sherman said. Today, around 3,000 one-room schools are still standing in Iowa. Most of them are now homes or businesses, but 200 have been preserved as museums.

Sherman says another seven or eight schools are in various stages of preservation that will become museum structures in the future. Iowa has more established one-room school museums than any place in the country and is the only state with a grant program in place to help groups that want to preserve one-room schools. The 10th annual Country Schools Preservation Conference is being held today and Saturday in Independence.

Filed Under: Education, Human Interest
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