Road Construction Projects About To Begin In Plymouth County
(Le Mars) — Road construction and bridge replacement projects are about to begin in Plymouth County. Within the last few weeks the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors have awarded contract bids and have signed contracts.
County engineer Tom Rohe says there are nearly 25 road, bridge, and culvert construction projects scheduled for this summer.
Rohe also reviews the various culvert construction projects for this year.
The county engineer says the fuel tax increase that was approved by the Iowa Legislature a few years back, has been able to provide additional funding allowing more bridges and culverts to be repaired.
Rohe says the cost for a paving project, or a bridge repair can vary, depending on the size of the structure and the materials used, but generally it will cost at least a half a million dollars.
Floyd Valley Board Of Trustees Approve Fiscal Year Budget
(Le Mars) — Floyd Valley Health Care Board of Trustees met last evening, and approved its annual fiscal budget. Mike Donlin serves as the administrator for the local health care facility and says given the construction during the last year, and considering some rural hospitals are having financial problems, Floyd Valley remains on solid financial footing. Donlin says they approach the budget with a conservative viewpoint.
Donlin says when a hospital takes on a major construction project it is almost expected to see a large drop in revenue, but that was not the case for Floyd Valley.
Speaking about the Northside Addition, Donlin reported to the trustees after the construction completion of the new addition, Floyd Valley was able to remain close to the original budget.
Crops Specialist Believes Most Early Planted Corn Won’t Need To Be Re-planted
(Le Mars) — Last week northwest Iowa had snow flurries, wet conditions and temperatures in the 30’s and 40’s that created a delay for farmers in getting any planting done. This week, however, temperatures have risen to the 70’s and even the 80’s. We had at least four days of dry conditions, and as a result, area farmers were able to catch up on their field work. In fact, according to the latest weekly crop condition report, Iowa farmers were able to plant nearly a quarter of the corn crop this past week, with the numbers showing nearly half of the state’s corn crop has now been planted. Iowa State University Extension Crop Specialist Joel DeJong says since the report was issued, we have had additional days of ideal conditions.
DeJong says with the warm temperatures, the earlier planted corn is now starting to emerge.
DeJong says the corn planted this last week will probably emerge within the next few days. The extension crop specialist says some of the earlier planted corn did suffer some tissue damage as a result of the cold and wet conditions. As to whether or not those farmers will need to re-plant their seed, DeJong says most of the corn seems to be all right.
The weekly crop report shows Iowa farmers are still about a week behind normal planting schedules.
Iowa Supreme Court Extends Ban On 72-Hour Wait Time For Abortions
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has extended an order blocking part of a new law requiring women to wait 72 hours before they can get an abortion.
The high court said in a ruling filed Tuesday that a temporary injunction approved Friday will remain in effect until a district court takes further action regarding a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa and Planned Parenthood of the Heartland.
ACLU and Planned Parenthood want to permanently halt the requirement, which is part of a new law that also bans most abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. The groups argue the waiting period, among the longest in the country, could cause undue harm to women by requiring multiple appointments. Attorneys for the state have challenged that argument.
Cedar Rapids Joins Lawsuit On Traffic Cameras
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – The city of Cedar Rapids will join Des Moines and Muscatine in appealing a recent judge’s ruling saying the Iowa Department of Transportation has the authority to order cities to remove automated traffic-enforcement cameras from highways and interstates.
Cedar Rapids television station KCRG reports (https://bit.ly/2psUkPP ) that the Cedar Rapids City County voted 7-1 Tuesday to appeal to ruling.
The ruling late last month the DOT has the power to apply safety regulations on primary highways, and that the right doesn’t interfere with cities’ ability to enforce speed regulations.
—
