Museum Prepares For “Rail Road Days”
(Le Mars) — Railroads will be the topic of focus on Sunday for “Railroad Day”
when Le Mars High School student, Kelli Susemihl will present a program from the
Plymouth County Historical Museum’s Old Central gym talking about her winning
entry into the National History Day. Susemihl won the national competition with
her exhibit: The transcontinental Railroad: Exploring the West, Encountering
Pitfalls, and Exchanging Culture. Earlier this week, John Schneider with the
Floyd Valley Model Railroad club shared his hobby interests with a gathering at
the Lunch and Learn program. Schneider says he first got interested with rairoads
when a train would pass through the homestead of his grandfather’s farm.
During the Lunch and Learn session, Schneider informed the gathering that at one
time a railroad could be located within eight miles anywhere within the state of
Iowa. Schneider says each of the major communities within Plymouth County were
founded based on passing railroads. He says the Floyd Valley Model Railroad club
designed the model railroad featured in the basement of the museum to reflect upon
today’s Plymouth County landscape.
Schneider says there were five individuals that designed and built the model train
set featured in the museum. Schneider says in addition to the Floyd Valley model
railroad display featured at the Plymouth County Historical Museum, other
impressive model railroad displays can be found at the Clay County Fair in
Spencer, the Osceola County Fairgrounds in Sibley, another is featured at Everly,
and the public can view a model railroad display at the Sioux City Railroad
Museum.
The model railroad enthusiast says each of the members of the Floyd Valley model
railroad club had a specific interest when they created the model display.
Schneider says he often appears at the model train display at the museum on
special occasions to discuss railroad history.
Tulip Festival Announces Queen’s Court
Orange City, Iowa — Orange City’s 2017 Tulip Court was elected on Wednesday, Sept.
21, 2016.
Tulip Court members for the 77th annual Tulip Festival include: Emma De Jong,
daughter of Douglas and Jamie De Jong; Olivia Duesenberg, daughter of Gary and
Rachel Duesenberg; Karli Lang, daughter of Chris and Sherry Lang; Sydnee Olson,
daughter of Jody and Denene Nibbelink and Chad and Amanda Olson; and Noelle
Sampson, daughter of Brent and Teresa Sampson.
A Queen’s Tea and Pageant will be held on November 14 to crown the 2017 Tulip
Queen. The Queen and Court will serve as ambassadors for Orange City’s 77th annual
Tulip Festival, set for May 18-20, 2017.
Tulip Festival news, event information, volunteer opportunities and more can be
found on the festival’s website at www.octulipfestival.com.
Promise Community Health Center Receives Grant
SIOUX CENTER – Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center has been awarded a $45,361 grant for health information technology enhancements.
The grant was awarded through the Delivery System Health Information Investment
program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
The funds will be used toward the purchase of equipment and supplies to upgrade an
agingserver and technology infrastructure to support the expansion of integrated
services and thetransition to valuebased care. The project also involves the
purchase of equipment and software for the implementation of telehealth services.
Nancy Dykstra, executive director of Promise says“This grant helps us keep pace
with the delivery of health care in an integrated and fastpaced environment,”
“Health care continues to move forward and require state-of-the-art
delivery systems. Dykstra says, This is a way for us to ensure that we have the
equipment and capacity necessary.”
More than $87 million was awarded through the grant program to 1,310 health
centers in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the Virgin
Islands and the Pacific Basin.
Iowa’s 14 community health centers were awarded $838,044.
Former Lawton City Clerk Is Convicted After Making Plea Deal
LAWTON, Iowa (AP) – A former city clerk in northwest Iowa has been convicted
after making a plea deal in a Nebraska child sex case.
Court records say 61-year-old Douglas Furlich, of Lawton, Wednesday entered a
plea of no contest to an amended count of attempted sexual assault by use of an
electronic communication device. Sentencing has been set for Nov. 9.
The Lawton City Council in Iowa fired Furlich after his arrest.
The Nebraska State Patrol says Furlich posted an ad online saying he was
“looking for a younger guy.” Officials say an undercover officer responded,
pretending to be a 15-year-old boy. Court documents say Furlich went to a South
Sioux City, Nebraska, park in June to meet the boy. Furlich was arrested there.
Survey Shows 21 Percent University Of Iowa Women Been Raped
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A survey of University of Iowa undergraduates shows 21
percent of female students who responded reported they were raped, a figure an
official calls “horrible” even as the school notes a relatively small percentage
of students took the survey.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports (https://icp-c.com/2cUpMCr ) that among
the 9.3 percent of students who took the survey, 21 percent of undergraduate
female students said they had been raped and 20.5 percent reported attempted rape.
More than 11 percent of first-year women undergraduates say they were raped during
the first semester.
At a news conference, Tom Rocklin, the vice president for student life, said,
“The number is horrible.”
UI officials note the sample size was relatively small and some researchers
think those assaulted may be more likely to participate in such surveys.
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