Business

Iowa farmers are almost done with their 2012 corn planting after a week of nearly trouble-free weather. The USDA’s weekly crop report said 98 percent of the corn planting was complete as of Sunday, even though a few farmers have had to replant cornfields damaged by late April showers. Eighty-one percent of the crop had [...]

When John Miller describes where he works to someone unfamiliar with Iowa, he starts by telling them he’s four hours west of Chicago. He then asks if they’re familiar with Interstate 80 and the Mississippi River. Miller is co-owner of Cedar Rapids-based Hybrid Transit Systems Inc., a freight broker that does business nationally and internationally. [...]

When it comes to handling their credit cards, few Iowans are delinquent with their payments and the state has the lowest average “plastic” debt. Chicago-based TransUnion said 0.48 percent of Iowa credit card holders were 90 days or more past duw on their monthly payments in the first quarter. Only North Dakota cardholders at 0.33 [...]

  They lined up out the door this week for one final taste of the Vernon Inn. The “greek place” at 2874 Mount Vernon Road SE will close at the end of business on Sunday. News of the impending closure brought a boost to business all week. The Greek restaurant has been a landmark on [...]

Iowa’s unemployment rate edged ever-so-slightly downward for the fourth-consecutive month in April. The state unemployment rate edged down another 0.1 percentage points to 5.1 percent from March’s 5.2 percent, continuing a series of four consecutive declines of 0.1 percentage point. The number of unemployed Iowans declined by 1,600 from March levels, to 85,200 and is [...]

The national restaurant chain Ruby Tuesday abruptly closed its restaurant at 2215 Edgewood Road SW on Tuesday, laying off about 30-35 employees. Justin Powrie, a services manager for the chain, said the closing was a corporate decision based on the economy. He said the company was simultaneously closing a restaurant in Davenport. Read more at [...]

Officials at MidAmerican Energy Co. are studying potential options now that the Iowa Legislature adjourned without taking action on a bill the utility sought to lay the groundwork for a state regulatory structure as a step toward its planned construction of a nuclear power plant in Iowa. “We are evaluating future options, and at this [...]

  Experts say a proliferation of hospital-affiliated primary care and urgent care clinics is part of the future wave of health care. The clinics help provide the access, continuity and integration of care that are hallmarks of health care reform, while at the same time promoting “brand” loyalty to the hospitals, said Scott McIntyre, communications [...]

Alliant Energy will soon propose a rate increase averaging 4-6 percent for its natural gas customers in Iowa. The company’s Interstate Power & Light utility plans to file the rate increase request on May 25 with the Iowa Utilities Board. Read more at Business380.com

  WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) — The rent for farmland in Iowa has increased 18 percent from last year, continuing a multi-year trend and reflecting continued strong demand for corn and soybeans. The Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Cash Rental Survey shows the average cash rent for corn and soybean fields in Iowa was $252 [...]