Well Aware Community Health Fair Scheduled For Today
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Convention Center will be converted to a health fair later today as the Floyd Valley Hospital and Wells Enterprises present the annual “Well Aware Community Health Fair”. The health fair has free admission and more than 50 exhibitors will be on hand for the event. Flu shots will also be available for $25 for those wanting an annual flu vaccine. The Health fair will begin at 2:00 p.m. and continue through 6:30 p.m.
The Mercy Air Care helicopter, from Sioux City, will be on display, weather permitting, during the “Well Aware” health fair.
In addition, Le Mars Police Department and D.A.R.E. will sponsor the “Project Safe Meds” program, which provides a safe disposal of prescription drugs.
Police will be accepting prescription drugs and medications. Those items should be left in the packages they were dispensed.
Sharp objects, thermometers, home-based care or durable medical equipment supplies are not
accepted.
Parents will also have an opportunity to have their child’s car seat checked from 2-5 p.m., courtesy of Mercy Medical Center Safe Kids, during the health fair.
Fairgoers can also obtain a wide variety of educational information on nutrition, cancer, blood and organ donation, exercise, radon detection, mental health and more.
Light refreshment and door prizes will be available at Wednesday’s “Well Aware”
Absentee Ballots For City Elections Now Available
(Le Mars) — Absentee ballots for the November 5, 2013 City Election are available as of October 9th in the Auditor’s Office at the Plymouth County Courthouse during regular business hours of 8am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday to vote in person.
Absentee ballots may be cast in the Auditor’s office until Tuesday, November 5th until 11am.
Absentee ballots to be mailed to voters must be requested in writing. Forms are available at the Plymouth County Auditor’s Office or at www.co.plymouth.ia.us under Online Services and then County Forms. Voters may contact the Auditor’s office and an absentee ballot request form can be mailed to a voter. Absentee ballot request forms should be mailed to the Auditor’s office at 215 4th Ave. SE, Le Mars, IA 51031.
Voters requesting an absentee ballot to be mailed to them must have the request form to the
Auditor’s office no later than 5 pm on Friday, November 1st, as that is the last day absentee ballots can be mailed out to voters. The Auditor’s office provides the postage for all absentee ballots returned by mail. Ballots must be postmarked prior to midnight, November 4, 2013 (the day prior to the election), or can be delivered to the Auditor’s office before the polls close at 8:00 pm on November 5, 2013 (Election Day).
City Dedicates Visitor’s Center
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Convention and Visitor’s Bureau new offices was dedicated Tuesday morning with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The building, formerlly the drive-through branch bank of First National Bank, now converted to appear as a train depot, was donated by Al and Delores Maser. Mayor Dick Kirchoff says the Le Mars Convention and Visitor’s Bureau has been in existence for only five years, but during that short time, it has made a significant impression by promoting the city of Le Mars.
Listen to
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The mayor then thanked the efforts and contributions of Al and Delores Maser.
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Al Maser says he and his wife Delores have become fond of Le Mars and are proud to refer to
the community as their home town, and they wanted to give something back to the community.
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{audio} images/stories/mp3/October 2013/Al Maser.mp3{/audio}
Delores thanked the city leaders for allowing her “hands on” responsibilities with the welcome center depot building. She says what ever volunteer project she had been involved with in the past, she always wanted people to have a “welcome” feeling. Delores Maser told the gathering at the ribbon cutting ceremony, she wanted Le Mars to have a “Mayberry” feel.
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{audio} images/stories/mp3/October 2013/Delores Maser.mp3{/audio}
About 40 people were on hand for the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Inside the building are artifacts depicting the railroad industry, along with an antique De Soto automobile.
Branstad To Attend Tri-State Governor’s Conference
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad will join the governors of Nebraska and South Dakota for a meeting of the Tri-State Governor’s Conference.
Branstad will address the lunchtime conference Wednesday in Dakota Dunes, S.D.
Nebraska Gov. Dave Heineman and South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard also will speak at the event.
This is the 13th gathering of the governors of the neighboring states.
Topics on the agenda for the meeting, which is being held at a country club, include a
health care discussion.
Branstad will be back in Iowa for an event Wednesday evening.
Farmers Should Plan For Inconsistent Moisture Levels In Grain
AMES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa State University grain storage expert says farmers should make sure they have a plan in place to handle corn that could have inconsistent levels of moisture, making this year’s crop more likely to develop mold problems.
Professor Charles Hurburgh says the cold and wet spring followed by a heat wave late in the growing season results in a crop characterized by inconsistency.
He says farmers should make sure to get their corn cooled and dried as soon as possible after harvest because sharp differences in maturity, weight and moisture content create the potential for spoilage once the grain is stored in a bin.
Corn value drops if more than 5 percent shows mold and falls dramatically if mold spreads to more than 20 percent of the kernels.
Iowa Health Department Receives Federal Grant For Suicide Prevention
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A federal agency has given a $440,000 grant to the Iowa Department of Public Health to pay for suicide prevention efforts.
The state says the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration awarded
the three-year grant, which will be used to implement screening and assessment for suicide
risk at public health-funded substance abuse treatment programs and some middle schools and
high schools. The money also will pay for a social media campaign to reach youth as well as
an effort to increase referrals of people for help with substance abuse and co-occurring
mental health issues.
The health department says 381 Iowa residents committed suicide in 2012.
The agency will coordinate the grant with the Your Life Iowa program, which offers help
and information about bullying and youth suicide prevention.
Salvation Army Providing More Assistance
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Salvation Army says the organization is providing more groceries, meals and other help to people in the Des Moines metropolitan area.
The organization says it provided groceries to more than 10,200 households at two food
pantries during its fiscal year, which ended Sept. 30. That’s a 10 percent increase from the previous year and a 17 percent climb from 2011.
The Salvation Army’s homeless feeding program, which serves hot breakfasts to homeless
or near homeless people each Tuesday and Friday, served more than 98,200 meals in the last
fiscal year. That’s up slightly from 2012, but last year’s number was 21 percent higher than
2011.
The organization helped 487 households with rent, deposit and mortgage assistance.
That’s a 24 percent increase from 2012.
