P’s Pizza House Donates To Le Mars Backpack Program
Le Mars – P’s Pizza House of Le Mars recently presented a check for $275 to the Le Mars Back Pack Program. Just before kids headed back to school, P’s owner, Joe Sitzmann, organized a P’s Pay It Forward event where a percentage of their sales for the day would be donated to a local cause, namely the Le Mars Back Pack Program.
Sitzmann stated, “We wanted to give back to a local organization, to pay it forward to a community that means so much to us. What better way than through helping kids.”
The Le Mars Back Pack Program packs sacks of food each week for hundreds of school age kids to carry them through the weekends. The organization expects they will be provided sacks of food for 400-430 kids each week this school year. Sacks are filled with 8-10 items each week, including things like juice, granola bars, pudding, cheese/peanut butter crackers, fruit bars, beef jerky sticks, etc., with the cost per sack ranging from $2.75 – $2.85. Extra items, including cereal and peanut butter, are sent home over holiday breaks.
Brandy Sanchez, representative for the Le Mars Back Pack Program, stated, “I am so appreciative of this donation to the program! We’ve heard from families who benefited from the program in past years how it really does make a huge difference in their lives, and we are thankful for supporters like P’s.”
Iowa National Guard Sends Helicopters And Soldiers To Florida
(Des Moines) — Four Iowa National Guard helicopters are heading to Florida today (Monday) to help with hurricane recovery. Guard spokesman Colonel Greg Hapgood says 19 soldiers will go with the four choppers.
The other two are L-U-H-72 Lakota helicopters and are smaller than the Chinooks.
Hapgood says they do not know how long the soldiers from Waterloo, Davenport, Iowa City and Boone may be on hurricane duty.
He says each storm is different when it comes to the recovery.
The state of Florida has requested support from Iowa under the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which is a national, mutual aid and partnership agreement that allows state-to-state assistance during governor-declared or federally-declared emergencies.
The soldiers heading to Florida are from the following units:
Company A, 1st Battalion, 376th Aviation, Security and Support (Waterloo); Company B, 2-211th General Support Aviation Battalion (Davenport); Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 67th Troop Command (Iowa City); Company C, 2-147th Aviation (Boone); Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 34th Infantry Division (Boone); Company D, 2-211th General Aviation Support Battalion (Davenport).
Iowa Rural Electrical Cooperatives Head To Georgia For Hurricane Recovery Efforts
(Des Moines) — Iowa Electrical Cooperatives are sending 46 linemen and 26 vehicles from 15 of Iowa’s not-for-profit electric cooperatives to Georgia to assist with Hurricane Irma recovery efforts, and to assist the restoration of power to the devastated region. The Iowa linemen will provide needed manpower labor and assistance to make repairs and restore electricity as safely and as quickly as possible along the Florida-Georgia border. Based on initial reports, the Iowa linemen could be in Georgia for
two weeks or longer if needed. From northwest Iowa region, Iowa Lakes Electrical Cooperative are helping by sending a crew.
More Schools Turning To Propane-Powered Buses
BARNUM, Iowa (AP) – More school districts in Iowa are using propane to power their buses, which district officials say saves money and reduces emissions.
Six of the nine route buses for the Manson Northwest Webster School District are propane-powered. The district has been adding propane-powered buses over the past seven years.
Though propane buses get fewer miles per gallon than diesel, the former is cheaper per gallon. There is also a federal tax credit of 30 cents per gallon to use propane.
Jeff Hansen is the transportation director for Pocahontas Area Community Schools, which has two propane-powered buses. He says reducing bus emissions was another reason for the switch.
Hansen says one issue with propane is the lower mileage limits how far a bus can be sent.
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Body Found In Lake
JEWELL, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have released the name of a man whose body was recovered from a lake in north-central Iowa. The Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office identified the man as 73-year-old Arne Fagervik, who lived in Blairsburg. The Sheriff’s Office says someone reported the body around 2:25 p.m. Thursday in Little Wall Lake south of Jewell. It was recovered about 20 feet from shore. Authorities don’t suspect a crime led to Fagervik’s death. An autopsy has been ordered.
