Eldon plans Memorial Day service; Public health office surveying vending machines; Unemployment rate drops in Jefferson County

Eldon plans Memorial Day service Monday

ELDON ? The city of Eldon will hold its annual Memorial Day service starting between 9:45 and 10 a.m. Monday in the Rock Island City Park.

The speaker will be Staff Sgt. Michael Carroll from the United States Marine Corps recruiting office in Ottumwa.

Special music will be performed by the Cardinal High School band under the direction of band teacher Luke Miller.

The local American Legion organizaiton will supply the firing squad and play ?Taps.?

The Iowa Air National Guard will fly over during the program.

Seating is limited in the park. Those attending are asked to bring lawnchairs.

Public health office surveying vending machines

Jefferson County Public Health Department is using a Community Transformation Grant to survey all vending machines and office snack boxes in county buildings, and will be doing the same for the city, Chris Estle-Tedrow told the board of supervisors Monday.

?This is not costing the county any money,? she said. ?We survey the vending machines and color-code the snacks or beverages ? red, yellow and green. Green is the healthiest choice, as in go ahead, have it. Red is the least healthy, stop and think about it. It raises awareness about healthy options. And we can ask vendors to provide healthier options.?

Funds from the grant also will purchase more bike racks to install around town.

?The purpose of the grant, as it?s named, is to transform a community, so we are wanting to transform Fairfield into a more bike-friendly community,? said Estle-Tedrow, administrator of the county health department.

?Some retailers need more bike racks. And if there?s any other business out there also wanting a bike rack, call the public health department and let me know.

?The grant is community-minded too, encouraging support of local businesses, so the bike racks are going to be manufactured by [Schaus] Vorhies Manufacturing.?

A curb cut at the front entrance to the public health building will be paid with funds from the grant.

?The curb is 6 to 8 inches high there,? said supervisor Dick Reed, ?And while doing the curb cut, work will be done to restructure the sidewalk, which tilts toward the building. It will fix that slope.?

Estle-Tedrow also provided health insurance information for county employees to the supervisors and asked for a meeting of department heads/managers to review the information.

? Diane Vance, Ledger staff writer

Unemployment rate drops in Jefferson County

Unemployment in Jefferson County dropped from 6.6 in March to 6.3 percent in April.

According to Iowa Workforce Development figures, in March, Jefferson County had a labor force of 7,840, with 7,320 employed and 520 unemployed. In April, the county had a labor force of 7,720, with 7,230 employed and 490 unemployed.

The Iowa Workforce Development figures show a decrease in unemployment in Van Buren County from 6.1 percent in March to 5.7 percent in April.

In March, Van Buren County had a labor force of 3,840, with 3,600 employed and 240 unemployed. In April, the county had a labor force of 3,790, with 3,570 employed and 220 unemployed.

Unemployment numbers in nearby Henry County rose from 6.9 percent in March to 7.0 percent in April, and in Washington County, unemployment declined from 5.0 percent in March to 4.3 percent in April.

The county employment numbers are not seasonally adjusted.

Iowa?s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate continued on a downward path in April, falling to 5.1 percent from 5.2 percent in March.  The state?s jobless rate stood at 5.9 percent one year ago.  Meanwhile, the U.S. unemployment rate edged down to 8.1 percent in April from 8.2 percent in March.