The Browns Awarded $75,000 Main Street Iowa Challenge Grant
(Des Moines) — The Iowa Economic Development Authority on Wednesday awarded $933,300 in Main Street Iowa Challenge Grants to 14 different communities around the state. One of those grants was given to a Le Mars Business. The musical
family group, The Browns, were awarded $75,000 for plans to convert the upper level of the Century Events Center into a five room, and two suites “Bed and Breakfast.” The total cost of the project is estimated to cost $314,530 with the Browns needing
to obtain $239,530 in matching funds.
Photo of “The Browns” from earlier in the year when they won the local Open 4 Business competition. From left to right, Andrew Brown, Shelly Brown, Rich Ziettlow with Le Mars Main Street Organization, Michaela Brown and Adam Brown.
IEDA Director Debi Durham, says “The Main Street Iowa Challenge grants have proven to be catalysts for the revitalization of Iowa’s historic main streets. “These projects demonstrate the ongoing financial commitment the people of our state – both our elected officials and private citizens – have made to the revitalization of our historic downtown districts.” Durham also mentioned, that “Rehabilitated downtown buildings create opportunities for new business and new residences in the core of our communities.”
The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs. The funding will be distributed in the form of matching grants to the selected Main Street programs. The estimated total project cost of the 14 bricks and mortar projects is over $2.7 million.
“Each project must provide at least a dollar-for-dollar cash-match. In total, these projects will leverage three times the state’s investment into bricks and mortar rehabilitation.
Michael Wagler, Main Street Iowa State Coordinator, says “These projects will also have a significant economic impact within each district and have a direct impact on each community’s downtown revitalization efforts.”
The Challenge Grant program is funded through an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature. Since the first appropriation in 2002 through 2016, approximately $6.8 million in state and federal funds have leveraged over $45 million of private reinvestment. Over the life of the program, 138 projects in 49 Main
Street Iowa commercial districts across the state have received funding.
Adam Moss Honored As School “Employee of the Month”
(Le Mars) — A Le Mars Community chemistry and physics teacher was honored Wednesday morning as being named the “Employee of the Month” for the school district. Adam Moss was surprised when school officials, and school foundation
and alumni association members invaded his classroom to share their congratulations.
Larry Petersen, a member of the Le Mars School Foundation informed the gathering that Kellie Bork had submitted the nomination.
Petersen read the nomination saying, “Adam Moss deserves this award for many reasons. He always shows genuine care and concern for his students and has the ability to demand high expectations in such a positive way. Mr. Moss always puts in the
extra hours outside of the school day to be planned and prepared. Mr. Moss is very involved in other organizations here at school and is always willing to help other staff members out with school things. Mr. Moss is also active in coaching and continues to create a hard-working, positive, and successful
program each year. The nomination reads: “I know your athletes are very thankful for your efforts. You are also a great leader and role model here at the school as you have impacted so many students and staff. And with all this, you are an amazing husband and father. I know they are blessed for your
guidance and for all you do for them. LCHS is lucky to have you. Our congratulations go out to Adam Moss for being named as the Le Mars Community Employee of the Month.
Students Prepare Care Packages For Military Personnel
(Le Mars) — Several soldiers, sailors, and airmen will be receiving a care package courtesy of the students from Le Mars Community High School. Its all part of the Support Siouxland Soldiers campaign. Students on Wednesday morning,
gathered at the Le Mars Community High School Library to help pack 50 different boxes that contained various packaged food items and other necessities. Those boxes will be sent through the mail to military service personnel that are, or soon will be deployed. Some of the care packages will also be sent to the
military service personnel’s family. The Le Mars Community High School Student Council helped organize the donation program.
photo contributed.
BPI Employees Have Until Saturday To Ask For Assistance
(Sioux City) — The deadline for former employees of Beef Products Incorporated to apply for aid from the company’s relief fund is this Saturday.
In September the Dakota Dunes-based company established a $10 million fund for employees who lost their jobs when the company closed three plants in 2012.
BPI spokesman Rich Jochum says the company has received a good response from affected workers:
Jochum says the company laid off about 750 workers and closed plants in Iowa, Texas and Kansas in 2012.
The plant closings were caused by business and revenue lost after national reports by ABC News disparaged the company’s lean finely textured beef.
BPI sued ABC for defamation and reached a confidential settlement with the network and its parent company Disney in June.
Jochum says affected employees still may go online to the Beef Products dot com website to apply for assistance funds.
The company hopes to distribute the funds to them before January:
The Siouxland Chamber of Commerce is providing application assistance to local employees who request it.
After Harvest Is Completed, Farmers Should Conduct Soil Fertility Tests
(Le Mars) — Harvest is nearing completion, and farmers need to start thinking about post-harvest activities. Iowa State University Extension Crops Specialist, Joel DeJong says farmers will want to first, thoroughly clean their combine harvesters before putting them away in storage. Then, they may want to
conduct some soil fertility testing.
DeJong says farmers have been fortunate to have cooperative weather allowing them to continue to apply anhydrous ammonia and livestock manure.
The Iowa State University crops specialist says our subsoil moisture level is beginning to recharge. DeJong says having an adequate, or even a surplus of moisture, heading into the next crop year will assure a good crop, and he points to this crop year as his example. DeJong says he starts checking moisture
levels during early November. He says it takes about 22 to 25 inches of moisture to produce a soybean and a corn crop.
The Iowa State University crops specialist says farmers have been fortunate to get ample amounts of rain beginning in August and continuing through October.
West Des Moines Pays Man For False Arrest
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The city of West Des Moines has paid $450,000 to a man who spent more than 10 days in jail charged for a sex abuse crime he didn’t commit.
The Des Moines Register reports that the city reached the settlement with Matthew Rodrigues in August. As part of the agreement, the city says Rodrigues was arrested “due to a case of mistaken identity.”
Police were called to a motel on April 29 after a woman reported being sexually assaulted in her room. Rodrigues says he was arrested simply for being at the motel and having darker skin, like the assailant.
Rodrigues was held in jail until May 9, when another man, Salvador Junior Pineda, was arrested and charged.
Pineda is now serving a seven-year prison sentence for the assault.
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Legislators Discuss State’s Opioid Abuse
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A group of lawmakers tasked with evaluating Iowa’s response to the opioid epidemic will miss a deadline for completing a report offering findings and recommendations. The six-member Opioid Epidemic Evaluation Study Committee was supposed to deliver an opioids report to Gov. Kim Reynolds and lawmakers by Nov. 15, but the report wasn’t available Wednesday. Rep. David Heaton, a Mount Pleasant Republican and committee co-chair, says the nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency was supposed to write a report based on a two-day committee meeting last month at which professionals discussed opioids. The co-chairs were then supposed to review a draft, which hadn’t happened as of Wednesday. An LSA official blamed the delay on staffing limitations. A House Republican aide says the report will ultimately include committee recommendations that go beyond the two-day meeting.
Animal Rights Groups Call For Changes In Poultry Processing
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture has been asked by an animal rights group to require more humane treatment for turkeys, chickens and ducks as the animals are sent to slaughter. California-based Mercy For Animals filed a petition Wednesday formally asked the USDA to include poultry under the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act. The 1958 law requires pigs and cows to be free from neglect, abuse and pain as they’re sent to slaughter, but the law excludes poultry. A USDA spokeswoman says the agency didn’t have an immediate comment but would release a response later. Tom Super is a spokesman for the National Chicken Council, a trade group for companies raising chickens for meat. He says chicken processors “already have strong moral and financial motivation to ensure chickens are handled properly.”
