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Economic Development

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Tariff fallout continues

Reuters reports that Chinese officials have said trade talks won’t resume anytime soon after President Donald Trump contended Chinese companies are bolting to Vietnam and elsewhere because of the tariffs. 

Closer to home, Bloomberg reports the Trump administration’s …

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Iowa unemployment rate steady at 2.4%


Iowa’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate stayed at 2.4% in April, well below the national figure of 3.6%. Beth Townsend, director of Iowa Workforce Development, said in a statement that Iowa’s unemployment has been at historically …

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IEDA approves aid for Facebook, Vermeer


The Iowa Economic Development Authority board today approved aid for Facebook’s expansion in Altoona and Vermeer’s reconstruction from tornado damage in Pella. The Facebook package included a 20-year local property tax exemption through a program …

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Overall, the rural economy is in the dumps

The negatives outweighed the positives in a monthly survey of bank presidents and CEOs in a 10-state area that includes Iowa, according to the survey’s co-founder, Ernie Goss, the Jack A. MacAllister chair in regional …

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Warren County Small Business Grant Contest seeks applications

Warren County Economic Development Corp. is now accepting entries for the Warren County Small Business Grant Contest. The contest awards $6,000 to an existing small business and $4,000 to a startup business. All Warren County …

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Community Foundation celebrates 50th birthday with mural

The Community Foundation of Greater Des Moines (#GIVEdsm) is celebrating its 50th anniversary by commissioning a downtown mural by artist Ben Schuh.

The art, to be located on a wall on the west side of …

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DMACC to host groundbreaking on tech center

Des Moines Area Community College is hosting a groundbreaking ceremony today at 10 a.m. for a new automotive technology center on the Ankeny campus. The Karl Chevrolet Automotive Technology Center at DMACC will open in …

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Iowa’s ranking by U.S. News & World Report slips from 1st to 14th

U.S. News & World Report’s annual Best States Rankings placed Iowa at 14th this year, down from No. 1 in the 2018 rankings. Iowa was one of two states that dropped out of the top 10 list …

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Airport passenger traffic up 12% in April

Des Moines International Airport, already handling record passenger traffic, saw 12% growth in April, compared with the same month last year. The year-to-date total exceeded 900,000, 8.7% higher than last year. Airport chief Kevin Foley …

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Nominations open for HousingIowa awards

The Iowa Finance Authority is seeking nominations for the 12th annual HousingIowa awards, which recognize outstanding programs, projects and individuals in all sectors of Iowa’s housing industry for their leadership and innovation in advancing housing …