Home News Wednesday News, March 15th

Wednesday News, March 15th

Plans Being Made For Ice Cream Days

(Le Mars) — Plans for the next Ice Cream Days are already being made. The Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce has created a new brochure featuring the Ice Cream Days logo that was created by Ben Wadle of Le Mars. This year’s logo features
blue and red colored ice cream in a waffle cone. The published brochure lists the entire schedule of events for the annual celebration that will take place on June 14th through the 17th. Ice Cream Days was awarded $7,500 from the Le Mars
Hotel/Motel sales tax reciepts in March of 2016. The grant will be used for parade entries, entertainment, and various activities for Ice Cream Days. Sue Butcher of the Chamber office and member of the Ice Cream Days committee says “Ice Cream Days increases tourism by bringing out-of-town visitors and former
residents into Le Mars as family activities are planned arund this occasion”.  Butcher says “Numerous local people also take part in the wide variety of entertainment offered during the four days. It is an opportunity to showcase several areas of our community including parks, businesses, Olson Cultural Event Center, the Arts Center, and the Plymouth County Historical Museum”. Butcher says Ice Cream Days also brings together community involvement and community unity”.

ice cream days logo 2017

 

Crop Insurance Coverage Deadline Is Today

(Le Mars) — Farmers have until today (Wednesday) to sign up for the government-backed crop insurance program. Chuck Kellen of Mark Crop Insurance Company of Le Mars says there are NOT a lot of changes to this year’s crop insurance coverage program. However, if a farmer wants to make changes on the
coverage plan, they need to make those changes by March 15th.

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Kellen says the optional plan allows farmers, who have several partials of land within the county, to keep different coverage plans separate from one another.

The crop insurance agent points to the year 2012, when western Plymouth County had suffered from dry conditions, as a good example of why farmers may want to have separate plans for each farm.

Kellen says farmers can decide on either having crop insurance coverage for protection against both revenue and yield loss, or just yield loss. He says many Plymouth County farmers have chosen to protect themselves against both the revenue and production loss. Kellen reminds farmers if they have made changes to the structure of the farming operation, they need to note those changes to both the Farm Services Agency and to their crop insurance agent.

Kellen says approximately 80 percent of his clientele have already signed up for crop insurance, leaving the other 20 percent to do so before Wednesday’s deadline.

 

Ethanol Tankers Leak 1600 Gallons Into Creek After Derailment

GRAETTINGER, Iowa (AP) – Environmental officials say about 1,600 gallons of ethanol leaked into a northwestern Iowa creek as crews pulled three derailed train tankers from the water. A news release Tuesday from the Iowa Natural
Resources Department says the last three tankers from the fiery train derailment were pulled from Jack Creek on Monday. One spilled about 1,500 gallons, and another spilled about 100 gallons.

 

State’s Economic Revenue Estimates Show Budget Shortfall 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Financial analysts say Iowa is taking in less-than- expected revenue and must address a new shortfall of about $131 million for its current budget.
The three-member Revenue Estimating Conference announced Tuesday that Iowa was expected to take in about $7.1 billion for the current budget year, which ends June 30. It’s the third time the revenue forecast has been cut since last fall.
Gov. Terry Branstad’s spokesman says the state should offset the deficit by tapping its cash reserves rather than make additional cuts. Iowa lawmakers have already cut more than $117 million from the current budget to address an earlier
shortfall.
Analysts didn’t point to one reason behind the revenue decline. They predicted Iowa also must cut about $191 million from the budget year beginning in July.

 

State Senate Working On Anti-Abortion Bill

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Republican-controlled Iowa Senate has begun debate on a bill that would ban most abortions in the state after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
The chamber launched floor discussion Tuesday night. It’s unclear when lawmakers will vote on the measure, though it’s expected to pass. It still requires legislative activity in the GOP-led House.
Iowa law bans abortions at the end of the second trimester of pregnancy, or 27 weeks. The bill would ban most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy, based on the disputed premise that a fetus can feel pain at that stage.
There would be exemptions where the mother’s life is at risk. A woman can terminate a pregnancy between 20 and 24 weeks if the fetus has a fatal condition.
More than 15 states have passed similar legislation, and a handful faced legal challenges.

 

Congressman King’s Comments On Immigration Gets Him In Trouble With Democrats and Republicans

WASHINGTON (AP) – The top Democrat in the House is calling on Republican leaders to strip Iowa Rep. Steve King of a chairmanship after his inflammatory comments about immigration.
Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement Tuesday that Speaker Paul Ryan and GOP leaders should immediately take the chairmanship of a House Judiciary subcommittee from King. Pelosi said King’s “racist statements must be called out as unacceptable,” and complained that the “tepid, brush-off” response from leadership was disgraceful.
King said this weekend that America can’t restore “our civilization with somebody else’s babies.” He stood by those comments in an interview with CNN on Monday.
Ryan said Monday night on Fox News that he disagreed with King. Other Republicans have criticized King’s comments.