Floyd Valley To Offer Christmas Meal To Local Residents
(Le Mars) — If you don’t have a place in mind to enjoy a Christmas dinner, you may want to consider having that Christmas feast at Floyd Valley Healthcare.
For more than 17 years, Floyd Valley has welcomed the community to share a meal.
Kathy Massey, the Dietitic Manager with Floyd Valley Healthcare talks about what will be served on Monday.
Massey says offering the Christmas dinner to the community is the hospital’s way of saying thank you to the community.
The hospital will serve the Christmas meal on Monday between 11:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Attendees are asked to enjoy the meal inside the cafeteria. Massey says the dinner usually attracts senior citizens, however everyone is welcomed.
Massey says over the years, the Hospital kitchen staff has served a number of visitors. She says up to 150 people have enjoyed Christmas dinner at the
hospital.
The hospital kitchen staff asks if people are considering eating at the hospital, that they notify the kitchen staff and report their number of reservations by calling 546-3395.
Iowa’s Budget To Have Another Shortfall
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A nonpartisan group that reviews Iowa’s finances has estimated a shortfall of about $37 million in the current $7.2 billion state budget.
The Legislative Services Agency provided the data in a report this week.
The agency adds that the next state budget, set to go into effect in July, has an expected shortfall of about $65 million. That’s due to built-in increases like plans to return money to Iowa’s emergency reserves, which helped plug previous budget shortfalls.
Republican Gov. Kim Reynolds will release budget recommendations in January that are expected to address any shortfalls. Her budget director previously said cuts to government departments were possible. Lawmakers must approve any proposals.
An LSA analyst says their figures could change as additional accounting comes into play, including the new federal tax overhaul.
Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Drops
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s unemployment rate has fallen below 3 percent for the first time in 17 years.
Iowa Workforce Development announced Friday that Iowa’s November unemployment rate was 2.9 percent, down slightly from October’s 3 percent rate.
The unemployment decline came as the number of unemployed residents fell to 49,100, more than 10,000 people lower than a year ago. The number of working Iowans was about 2,000 higher than in October.
Iowa’s unemployment rate compares to a national rate of 4.1 percent.
Western Iowa Businessman Charged With Evading To Pay Taxes
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A western Iowa businessman has pleaded guilty to evading federal income taxes.
Prosecutors say 49-year-old Michael Collins, of McClelland, entered the plea Thursday in a U.S. District Court in Council Bluffs. He faces up to five years in prison at his sentencing, which is scheduled for May 11.
Prosecutors say Collins didn’t initially didn’t report around $289,000 in income in 2006 and then filed an amended return but didn’t pay the tax due. He also concealed more than $5.5 million in gross receipts for more than 10 years from an excavating and trucking company he operated and didn’t pay the taxes owed.
Iowa’s Economic Development Director Concerned About Exports
(Des Moines) — Iowa exports are “flat-lining” according to the director of the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Debi Durham says it’s worrisome since negotiations over the North American Free Trade Agreement are unresolved.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, exports of Iowa agricultural commodities dropped nearly eight-and-a-half
percent in 2016 compared to the year before. Durham says NAFTA isn’t the only problem spot in Iowa’s export picture. Australia and other countries are sealing deals in the wake of President Trump’s decision to pull the United States out of
the Trans Pacific Partnership. Durham’s hoping the Trump Administration starts striking some “bilateral” trade deals with individual countries soon, to bolster Iowa’s export prospects.
Canada accepted three-point-three BILLION dollars worth of
Iowa goods and commodities in 2016. Mexico was Iowa’s second-largest trading partner, importing about two-point-three BILLION dollars worth of Iowa products.
Iowa exports to Japan last year totalled one-point-one BILLION. Corn, soybeans, pork, tractors and aircraft were among the top Iowa commodities exported last year.
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Des Moines To Pay $2.1 Million To Lawyer Who Was Hit By Flying Garbage Can
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Insurers for the city of Des Moines paid $2.1 million to a lawyer who alleged he suffered head injuries when he was hit by a falling garbage can.
The city this week released a copy of its November settlement with Jaysen McCleary in response to open records requests.
McCleary alleges he was struck in January 2014 by a solid waste container that fell from a city truck collecting it outside his home. His lawsuit alleged the city was negligent, and he sought damages for medical expenses and pain and suffering.
During the case, reports from medical experts who evaluated McCleary were inadvertently made public by one of his attorneys. An Iowa Supreme Court justice had ordered the Des Moines Register not to publish the information, but lifted the order Tuesday.
