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REGIONALâA year out from the start of the coronavirus pandemic, NâWest Iowa counties have some of the lowest unemployment numbers in the state.
Lyon and Osceola counties each recorded 2.7 percent unemployment as of March, second-lowest only to Fremont County in southwest Iowa at 2.5 percent, according to data from the Iowa Workforce Development.
Those unemployment figures are close to where the NâWest Iowa counties were at in March 2020: 2.5 percent for Lyon and 2.4 percent for Osceola. Last April, however, they jumped to 4.6 percent and 5.7 percent respectively after the onset of the pandemic.
Throughout the rest of 2020, unemployment rates in Lyon and Osceola gradually trended downward as economic recovery efforts got underway. OâBrien and Sioux counties likewise saw their unemployment rates go from 6.8 percent and 5.5 percent last April to 3.3 percent and 3 percent as of March respectively.
ASHTONâWhen it shut down its Ashton plant and furloughed workers there last spring, POET Biorefining was facing unprecedented uncertainty, but the future is bright after more than a year of doing business in the pandemic.
When the plant was put on idle, it employed 36 people, making it a âkey employerâ in the area according to Stephanie Neppl, director of the Osceola County Economic Development Commission. Since restarting production in August, the POET plant south of Ashton has hired back workers who had not found a position elsewhere.
âThe job openings countywide are substantial, and many businesses want to add more jobs and shifts,â Neppl said. âFinding people who are able and want to work and fill our positions is a big challenge â it was pre-COVID and our unemployment rate is back under 3 percent.â
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Sibley-Ocheyedan High School is working to complete the creation of a STEM classroom for students of all grades to work on design and exploration of the sciences. (Special to The Globe)
SIBLEY, Iowa More than two dozen organizations, including several communities, were awarded grants in December by the Community Foundation of Osceola County.
The foundation was able to distribute $104,429.62 to 29 different recipients, though a traditional grant ceremony was postponed due to the ongoing pandemic. Instead, there is hope for a celebration this summer.
Stephanie Neppl, executive director of the Osceola County Economic Development Commission, said the foundation was able to fully fund 23 applications, and partially fund another six.