Capitol Notebook: Iowa jobless rate ticks up in October

DES MOINES — Iowa's seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3.2 percent in October, rising 0.1 percent from September’s rate, according to Iowa Workforce Development.

The number of unemployed Iowans increased to 56,000 in October from 52,800 in September.

Iowa's labor force participation rate dropped slightly last month, from 68.6 percent to 68.4 percent, the agency said. Close to 1.68 million Iowans were working in October.

The national unemployment rate rose to 3.9 percent in October, and the national labor force participation rate fell to 62.7 percent,

"October’s numbers demonstrate that national economic pressures and the federal government’s efforts to slow inflation are having an impact on Iowa,” Beth Townsend, executive director of Iowa Workforce Development, said in a news release.

State auditor warns of increased check fraud

Iowa State Auditor Rob Sand sounded a warning Thursday about a sharp increase in check fraud linked to mail fraud.

The state financial watchdog said the crime was on the rise because of pandemic-related financial assistance sent through the mail.

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"And these aren’t small-time crooks," Sand said in a statement. "These criminals are often part of a sophisticated network of counterfeiters and identity thieves rooted in organized crime.”

Reports of check fraud filed by banks in 2022 nearly doubled, with federal regulators registering 680,000 reports last year, Sand's office said.

Tammy Simpson, president of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners chapter in Des Moines, said in a statement that thieves steal checks out of mailboxes, wash the names off them, write in a new name and cash the checks.

Sand's office urged organizations and individuals to use electronic payments, regularly collect mail from mailboxes, report suspected scams to the U.S. Postal Service and regularly reconcile bank accounts to prevent check fraud.

Comments sought on Iowa broadband plan

The Iowa Department of Management has made its initial proposal for more than $415 million in federal broadband infrastructure funding available for public comment.

The funding comes from the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment grant program in the 2021 bipartisan infrastructure law.

The 186-page proposal details how the state agency will allocate the funds and how it will comply with the rules of the federal law.

After the initial proposal is approved by the National Telecommunications and Infrastructure Administration, the state will submit a final proposal and receive the federal funds.

Iowans can submit public comments on the plan through Dec. 15 at comment.iowa.gov under the Iowa BEAD Initial Proposal link.