Supervisors Approve K-49 Paving Project For 2021
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors met yesterday, and approved a resolution for a widening and paving project to be conducted on county road K-49 between county road C-38 and 18th Street of Le Mars. The project will be a joint project with the city of Le Mars. Plymouth County engineer Tom Rohe says the funding request will be for the year 2021. If approved, the county will widened the nearly one mile stretch of roadway and place a new overlay paving. The estimate for the project, according to Rohe, will be $825,000 with federal funds to help pay $660,000 of the cost. The remaining portion will be financed by Plymouth County. Rohe informed the county supervisors that he thought the county may need to purchase approximately 50 to 60 additional feet of right of way.
Sheriff’s Deputies To Have AED’s Equipped In Patrol Cars
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Sheriff’s deputies patrol vehicles will now be equipped with an Automated External Defibrillator or AED machine, that according to Plymouth County Sheriff, Mike Van Otterloo. Van Otterloo appeared before the county board of supervisors on Tuesday morning and shared the news. Van Otterloo says he was able to secure a grant that funded the portable defibrillators.
Le Mars Police Report On Accident Due To Ice And Snow
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Police Department has issued a news release concerning an accident that occurred last Friday at about 2:05 p.m. According to the report, 22 year old Danielle Bouda of Sioux City was traveling northbound at the 1000 block of 7th Avenue Southeast, when she lost control of her vehicle and hit a vehicle being driven by 38 year old Joshua Gries of Le Mars, who was traveling southbound on 7th Avenue southeast. The police indicate the roadway was 100 percent snow and ice covered when the collision happen. There were no injuries, but the Bouda vehicle had sustained approximately $6,000 in damages, and the Gries vehicle suffered approximately $3,000 in damages.
Hawarden And Orange City Considered Safe Iowa Cities
(Des Moines) — The Sioux County communities of Hawarden and Orange City both rank as among the top ten safest towns in Iowa. Hawarden was listed at 8th place, and its Sioux County counterpart, Orange City was at the 9th position. The survey was compiled by the National Council for Home Safety and Security. The survey identified the safest Iowa towns by reviewing the recent FBI Uniform Crime Report statistics along with population data. The survey eliminated any cities and towns that failed to submit a complete crime report to the FBI and removed cities with populations under 5,000. The remaining cities were ranked based on the number of reported violent crimes which include: aggravated assault, murder, rape, and robbery, as well as property crimes that include: burglary, arson, larceny-theft, and motor vehicle theft per 100,000 people. The variables were then weighted, with violent crimes accounting for 70 percent of the total, and property crimes accounting for 30 percent. The survey then showed the rates per 1,000 people. Eldridge, Iowa was ranked as the safest town in Iowa. Other communities within northwest Iowa that were among the top 50 safest towns included: Sergeant Bluff at 31st place, Estherville at number 36, Sheldon at number 38, and Cherokee at number 40. Rounding out the top five after Eldridge were: Hampton, Wilton, Bloomfield, and Waukon, Iowa.
Republicans Want Regional Board To Oversee Des Moines Water Works
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Republicans with control in the House have approved a bill that would replace a Des Moines water utility with a regional system.
The GOP-led House Agriculture Committee voted Tuesday to support the bill sponsored by a southeast Iowa pig farmer, making it eligible for House debate. A similar bill has been introduced in the Senate.
The bill would eliminate the five-member board of Des Moines Water Works, the utility that oversees water for 500,000 customers. The board would be replaced with a regional board made up of representatives from surrounding communities.
Critics of the bill say it’s retaliation against Des Moines Water Works, which filed a lawsuit two years ago to try to force upstream counties to obtain Clean Water Act permits to regulate contaminants flowing from farm fields.
Iowa State University Keeping Secret Price For Airplane
AMES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa State University is keeping secret the price that it wants for the plane that President Steven Leath decided to buy and often flew.
An ad on the Trade-A-Plane website doesn’t list a price for the 2011 Cirrus that Leath’s selling amid scandal.
It says ISU’s selling the plane through sealed bids that are due April 6, and that an unspecified minimum bid’s been set. Buyers are encouraged to call the ISU Surplus supervisor for more information.
The ad calls the plane “meticulously maintained.” It doesn’t mention the 2015 hard landing that required $14,000 in repairs and raised questions about Leath’s personal use of the aircraft.
The university bought the plane for $498,000 in 2014. An RFP seeking brokers to sell it last month said ISU expected a listing price between $429,000 and $480,000.
Leath’s spokeswoman Megan Landolt says a broker hasn’t been hired but may be if the ad doesn’t sell the plane.
Ernst And Grassley Comment On Trump’s Address
(Washington) — Last evening, President Trump addressed Members of Congress in his first speech since his inauguration. During his address, Trump advocated a need to reform the immigration. He also called for Congress to repeal the Affordable Health Care Act, otherwise commonly referred to as “Obamacare”. Trump said there is a need to improve the infrastructure of the United States, and to reduce crime. Trump mentioned that he would do away with many of the regulations that are hurting American businesses, and the American economy. He advocated for a “fair and free trade” saying the United States was hurt by the tariffs imposed on our goods.
Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst issued a statement to the news media following President Trump’s address. In that news release, she says, “For the last eight years, Americans have been hamstrung under the weight of burdensome regulations, increasing taxes, and a stagnant economy, making it difficult for folks to get ahead. Tonight, we heard from President Trump about the tremendous opportunity to bring about change, which includes real regulatory reform that will get the federal government out of the way of Iowans’ everyday lives. Today alone, we made significant strides forward as the President took the first steps toward rolling back the Waters Of The United States rule, or WOTUS, which hurts Iowa farmers, businesses and manufacturers.
Iowa’s other Republican U-S Senator, Chuck Grassley says he enjoyed Trump’s speech.
Grassley says Trump has acted quickly to uphold his campaign promises.
Farmers To Convene In San Antonio This Week For Commodity Classic
(Le Mars) — An estimated 10,000 farmers from across the nation are expected to converge on San Antonio, Texas this week for the annual Commodity Classic. The event is the national conference for corn…soybean…wheat…and grain sorghum growers, and it is where policy is decided among the farm commodity organizations. Chris Novak serves as the C-E-O for the National Corn Growers Association. He says at the Commodity Classic, farmers decide on policy. Novak says corn growers delegates will debate more than 80 submitted resolutions that deal with bio-technology, trade, and the new farm bill.
Mexico and Canada are two of United States’ top trading partners, and Novak says farmers want to make certain President Trump doesn’t do anything to jeopardize the trade that has been established through the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Novak says Mexico could turn to our competitors in South America for its corn needs supply, if the United States and the Trump Administration push too hard.
Novak says the National Corn Growers Association, and other farm organizations, have expressed to President Trump the importance of a strong trade relationship
with Mexico. He says corn growers want the president to be aware that there have been significant gains within agriculture and U-S trade with Mexico. He says those gains need to be recognized and taken into consideration.
