The Iowa Department of Transportation is preparing to close both lanes of Interstate 80 in eastern Iowa. The closure is tentatively scheduled for Friday afternoon and the lanes are expected to remain closed for two or three days. Flood waters are expected to overtop the interstate at milepost 266 in Cedar County, just west of the Iowa Highway 38 interchange (Exit 267). Local traffic will be allowed to use the interstate between Exit 265 (Atalissa interchange) and Iowa City, but will not be permitted beyond the 265 and 267 exits. In Greater Des Moines, the U.S. 65/Iowa 5 bypass in Polk County is closed in both directions from East 14th Street to Iowa 163/University Avenue. The Vandalia Road exit from U.S. 65 in Pleasant Hill is closed as well as U.S. 169 in Adel. For the latest updates on road conditions, visit www.511ia.org.

At least 12 businesses in Des Moines and Eastern Iowa are moving servers and other devices to the Altoona EdgeBCC business continuity facility and data center operated by LightEdge Solutions Inc., the company said yesterday. The facility was designed to withstand the worst weather conditions. LightEdge is offering temporary server rack space for existing and new customers as well as employee disaster recovery workspace on short contracts. For more information, call (877) 771-3343.

Casey’s General Stores Inc.’s fiscal fourth-quarter earnings were $14.4 million, or 28 cents per share, compared with $16.6 million, or 33 cents per share, in the year-ago period. For the entire fiscal year ended April 30, earnings totaled $84.9 million, or $1.68 per share, compared with $61.9 million, or $1.23 per share, in fiscal 2007. Gross profits increased 17.6 percent during the fiscal year and net earnings increased 37.2 percent. Total gallons of gasoline sold were up 1.8 percent for the year and gross profits rose $168.9 million. Meanwhile, same-store sales of grocery and other merchandise rose 10.5 percent to $942.7 million, while sales of prepared food and fountain products rose 12.8 percent to $301.6 million. Meanwhile, operating expenses rose 15.6 percent as a result of rises in credit card fees, wages and insurance claims. The company had planned to acquire 50 stores and build 10 new stores during the fiscal year, but acquired only 12 stores and didn’t build any.

The number of Polk County properties with delinquent taxes is up 14 percent to 5,312 from last year, Polk County Treasurer Mary Maloney said. The total dollar amount owed is up 15.5 percent to $7.95 million. The 2008 annual tax sale will begin on Monday at 7:30 a.m. at the Iowa Events Center Convention Complex, 501 Grand Ave., Des Moines. Those with delinquent property taxes who wish to avoid the tax sale must pay their taxes by 5 p.m. this Friday. For more information, click here.

The Vaudeville Mews has extended its current lease with Coppola Properties to rent the space at 212 Fourth St., Des Moines, through November 2009.

According to a Commerce Department report, May retail sales jumped 1 percent, the biggest increase in six months, the Associated Press reported. The increase was double what economists had predicted, a sign that the federal government’s economic stimulus payments are paying off. General merchandise stores, which include department and discount stores, had a 1.2 percent boost in sales, while automobile dealers’ sales rose 0.3 percent. Gasoline stations had a 2.6 percent rise in sales, largely because of soaring gasoline prices.

Gannett Co. Inc., parent company of The Des Moines Register, said it will freeze the company’s pension plan on Aug. 1 and replace it with a 401(k) program, the Associated Press reported. The change will affect nearly all of the nation’s largest newspaper publisher’s 25,000 employees. Freezing the pension plan will save the company about $90 million in 2009, which will be partially offset by $60 million in costs related to the enhanced 401(k) plan. Employees will now receive a 100 percent match in Gannett stock on employee contributions of up to 5 percent of their salary. The existing plan gives employees a 50 percent match in Gannett stock to employee contributions of up to 6 percent of salary.