SHIIP/SMP Counselors with Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center will receive a Governor’s Volunteer Award from Governor Kim Reynolds and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg during a special recognition ceremony held on July 21, 2023, in Ottumwa, Iowa.

George Gruenther, West Burlington and Mike Price, Keokuk, will both be honored with a 10year service award and Chuck Holmes, Fort Madison will be honored with a 5-year service award by Senior Health Insurance Information Program (SHIIP) and Senior Medicare Patrol (SMP).  These counselors provide guidance to individuals, families and caregivers on how to navigate their Medicare and identify plans and resources that work for them. Southeast Iowa Regional Medical Center will also be recognized for 30 years of being a certified SHIIP site.

“Iowans take great pride in their deep and rich commitment for serving others—it’s in our DNA,” Gov. Reynolds said. “Iowa nice is the foundation of our state–you see it everywhere you turn– Iowans volunteering their time to help others and improve their communities and our state. It truly is an honor to be able to recognize these individuals for their meaningful acts of generosity through the Governor’s Volunteer Awards and inspire others to do the same.”

Dr. Michael McCoy, President & CEO of Great River Health, also shared their congratulations – stating, “We are very proud to be able to offer this service in our communities.  George, Mike and Chuck have dedicated countless hours to helping people understand their Medicare options.  We are fortunate to have them as part of our team.”

More than 500 awards are being presented this year during five ceremonies across Iowa. It is estimated that more than 150 communities in Iowa were served by this year’s honorees.

Coordinated by Volunteer Iowa, the Governor’s Volunteer Award program—now in its 39^th year—provides an easy way for Iowa nonprofits, charitable organizations, and government entities to honor their volunteers with a prestigious, state-level award. A complete list of award recipients and an electronic copy of this news release are available at volunteeriowa.org.

Iowa’s Labor Force Participation Rises Once Again in June, Unemployment Rate Unchanged

Iowa’s labor force participation rate increased once again in June to 68.7 percent, up from 68.5 percent in May. This was the fourth consecutive monthly increase as 4,900 new workers joined the state’s labor force.

At the same time, Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate held steady at 2.7 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate decreased to 3.6 percent in June. The number of total unemployed Iowans remained level from May to June.

The total number of working Iowans increased to 1,693,300 in June. This figure is 4,800 higher than May and 18,100 higher than one year ago.

“For the fourth straight month we’ve seen an increase in the Labor Force Participation rate, which is exactly what we want to see. Nearly all Iowans who entered the labor force in June did so by finding a job – that’s encouraging news for job seekers and the health of the state economy as a whole,” said Beth Townsend, Executive Director of Iowa Workforce Development. “It remains a great time to return to the workforce and find that next great job. Iowa Workforce Development has lots of tools, resources, and connections to help and a great place to start is IowaWORKS.gov.”

Seasonally Adjusted Nonfarm Employment

Iowa establishments gained 400 jobs in June, lifting total nonfarm employment to 1,595,700 jobs. This is the fourth increase in 2023 and follows a loss of 1,300 jobs in May. Job gains in leisure and hospitality as well as education and health care more than offset a cooling with the construction industry, which after a long period of strong growth has shed jobs for the second consecutive month. Goods producing sectors combined have shed 3,600 jobs since April, but private services have countered with 2,500 jobs added. Government added 100 jobs since May and is now up 3,700 jobs versus last year while total nonfarm employment has advanced by 26,100.

Arts, entertainment, and recreation industries added the most jobs in June, gaining 3,200 jobs. This is the fourth consecutive increase for this industry which was partially fueled by hiring at amusement, gambling, and recreation establishments. Education and health care establishments added 1,000 jobs and were generally driven by health care and social assistance firms hiring. This is now the fourth consecutive gain for this supersector, which is up 3,800 jobs since February. On the other hand, construction shed the most jobs in June (-1,700) and has reflected some weakness this year with 3,800 jobs pared since January. Professional and business services lost 1,400 jobs and was led by losses in administrative support and waste management. Financial activities posted the only other major loss (-500). This sector has trended down over the past three months with 1,100 jobs shed since March.

Annually, education and health care has added the most jobs (+12,000), with just over half of the jobs added being in health care and social assistance. Leisure and hospitality is now up 9,400 jobs, following a large increase in recreational industries in June. While most sectors have advanced, there are a few sectors paring jobs over the past twelve months and were led by administrative support and waste management (-4,900) and transportation and warehousing (-3,300).

Visit www.iowalmi.gov for more information about current and historical data, labor force data, nonfarm employment, hours and earnings, and jobless benefits by county.

There have been new developments over the sentencing of one of the Fairfield teenagers involved in the murder of Fairfield Spanish teacher Nohema Graber in the fall of 2021. The sentencing hearing is now scheduled for November 14^th and 15^th, for Jeremy Goodale, now 18.

Goodale pled guilty to first degree murder in April and the sentencing was planned for August. However, a psychiatrist who is set to testify, was not available that month, so they had to move the date further away.

Nohema’s widower, Paul, wanted to make a victim impact statement at the hearing. Due to his health condition, the state filed a motion against the delay. Paul passed away in June and the state rescinded their motion to prevent the delay in July.

The trial will now continue November 14^th and 15^th for Jeremy Goodale.