Gannett Co. Inc. plans to lay off between 1,000 and 2,000 employees as revenues continue to fall, The Wall Street Journal reported. The cuts will be in Gannett’s U.S. community publishing division, which encompasses more than 80 local dailies, including The Des Moines Register, and are expected to be announced in the next few days. Gannett cut about 10 percent of its work force last year and has required most of its remaining employees to take furloughs in the first and second quarters. It has a work force of about 41,500, according to The Wall Street Journal. Gannett reported a 60 percent decline in net income in the first quarter compared with the year-ago period. It will announce its second-quarter earnings on July 15. Click here for updated story, including comments from Register Publisher Laura Hollingsworth.

Davenport-based newspaper publisher Lee Enterprises Inc. has decided against a reverse stock split, the Associated Press reported. The New York Stock Exchange told Lee last year that it had to keep its share price above $1 or face delisting, but it temporarily suspended that requirement in February as several companies’ stock prices plunged. Lee now has until Dec. 3 to boost its stock price. CEO Mary Junck said in a statement that “we believe our long-term prospects remain strong,” and that the company’s recent debt refinancing has helped give it the “flexibility to manage the downturn.” At 9 a.m., Lee’s stock was trading at 54.05 cents.

The Des Moines metropolitan area, along with every other metropolitan area in the country, posted an increase in the number of unemployed workers last month, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The Des Moines jobless rate increased to 5 percent from 4.6 percent in April. In all, 15,700 people were out of work last month in the area that includes Des Moines and West Des Moines. In May 2008, 11,400 people reported that they were without a job. Dubuque recorded the highest unemployment rate in the state, at 5.9 percent. Iowa City recorded the lowest rate, 3.7 percent. Iowa Workforce Development previously reported that the statewide unemployment rate was 5.4 percent in May, up from 5.1 percent in April.

The U.S. Census Bureau’s new population estimates show that three-quarters of Iowa’s incorporated places have lost population this decade, though Iowa’s total population rose 2.6 percent to 3,002,555 since the 2000 census. The bureau estimated that 700 cities lost population, 228 gained and 18 had no change. Iowa’s metropolitan counties and cities with populations greater than 10,000 grew by 8.5 percent, while the population in non-metropolitan areas fell by 4.2 percent. Ankeny had the biggest gain among Iowa cities, with an addition of more than 15,000 residents since 2000, followed by Urbandale and West Des Moines with gains of 9,297 and 9,023, respectively. Des Moines, Dubuque, Sioux City and Waterloo all declined in population. The estimates do not reflect changes due to the June 2008 floods. For more information, go to www.iowadatacenter.org.

The Iowa Business Council is seeking nominations for its newly created Iowa Partners in Efficiency Award. It is designed to honor employees or work units in any political subdivision of local, county or state government that through the use of lean tools and techniques significantly and measurably increase productivity and promote innovation resulting in improvement of delivery of public services to the benefit of citizens and the private sector. Nominations will be accepted until Sept. 30, and the winner will be announced during IBC’s 24th annual Partnership Meeting in Des Moines in January 2010. Learn more at www.iowabusinesscouncil.org.

Metro Waste Authority will launch its new Curb It! recycling program in five Central Iowa communities today: Mitchellville, Norwalk, Pleasant Hill, Prairie City and Runnells, plus portions of unincorporated Polk County. The remaining communities that are part of the program will be able to use their new wheeled recycling carts on their first scheduled pickup day. For more information, go to www.mwatoday.com.

ING Groep NV plans to reduce its work force by about 800 positions during the next three years as it combines its Nationale-Nederlanden RVS and ING Verzekeren Retail Integrated organizations in the Netherlands. The change is part of ING’s previously announced effort to simplify its business, reduce costs and improve customer focus. ING expects these moves to improve its financial performance by 100 million euros annually before tax by 2013. In the first four years, it will invest 165 million euros to restructure. The 800 positions will primarily be reduced by natural attrition, internal reallocation and discontinuing temporary contracts in the next three years. ING has major operations in Des Moines.

The city of Ankeny had a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its redesigned Otter Creek Golf Course & Pinnacle Club at 11 a.m. this morning. The course has been transformed to a semi-links-style course, increasing in size to 300 acres from 160 and in back-tee yardage to 6,895 yards from 6,600. In addition, the course has a new clubhouse.