Remsen Residents Continue To Clean Up After Wednesday Wind Storm
(Remsen) –The sound of chain saws could be heard through the entire community of Remsen Thursday morning as residents begin to clean up the debris from Wednesday’s strong wind storm that passed through the town.
Nearly every Remsen street had fallen trees. Numerous trees are down, including a forty foot tree that fell in Sarah Haverkamp’s backyard.
Fortunately for Haverkamp, the fallen tree had missed the house.
Haverkamp says she, and the rest of Remsen residents were surprised, as there wasn’t any warning about the potential for a strong wind storm.
Haverkamp says she and several other Remsen residents needed to take the day off from work in order to clean up the town.
The damage was primarily limited to fallen trees. Remsen city officials say they are not aware of any structural damage that occurred as a result of the strong wind storm. There was a van that had a tree fall on its roof, creating a large dent in the roof and smashing the front windshield.
Sky Show Fireworks Program Scheduled For Tonight
(Le Mars) — Don’t forget the Sky Show 2018 fireworks program will be held this evening beginning at 10:00 p.m. at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds.
Man Sentenced To Life In Prison At Age 14 May Be Eligible For Parole
ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) – A man serving life in prison for killing a northwest Iowa woman when he was 14 years old is now eligible for parole after he was re-sentenced in accordance with a recent Iowa Supreme Court ruling.
The Sioux City Journal reports that John Mulder was re-sentenced Thursday to life in prison, but with no mandatory minimum number of years to serve before he can ask the Iowa Board of Parole to release him.
The board will still decide whether Mulder will ever be released.
The Supreme Court in April ruled that Mulder’s previous sentence failed to meet juvenile sentencing standards established by a court decision last year.
Mulder was originally sentenced a mandatory life in prison without parole for the 1976 shooting death of 55-year-old Jean Homan, of Alton.
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Deep Creek Water Quality Initiative Project To Hold Field Day
(Le Mars) — A clean water quality project that has received state funding will be highlighted during a field day scheduled for Tuesday, July 10th. The Deep Creek Water Quality Initative Project starts on the northeast side of Le Mars and extends through Plymouth County into Cherokee, Sioux and O’Brien
Counties. Kristie Silverthorn is the Water Shed Project Coordinator for the Deep Creek project. She says the purpose of the program is to educate farmers along the water shed drainage area about various cost-share conservation programs that will help reduce the amount of nitrate run-off, and assist in the efforts to provide a clean water supply.
Silverthorn says several farmers have shown interest in the cost-share conservation program.
The Water Shed coordinator says the use of cover crops is a relatively simple method that farmers can implement as part of their production practices in order to conserve soil and reduce run-off. She says the program is also introducing other conservation methods for farmers to consider.
Silverthorn says cost-share funding is still available, but she says farmers and landowners need to sign up by August 1st. Silverthorn says the water quality project field day is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. at the Mike Schnepf farm.
There is no registration, but Silverthorn requests attendees to notify her at the Plymouth County Soil and Water Conservation Offices at 546-8858 extension 3. Lunch will be provided by the Plymouth County Pork Producers. Silverthorn says she will have information and demonstrations featured at the Plymouth County Fair inside the famous round barn.
Iowa Department Of Agriculture Offers Cost-Share Conservation Funding
DES MOINES – Following the recent storms and flooding, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig highlighted the $7.8 million that is available through the state conservation cost share program to help farmers and landowners install conservation practices. Farmers can contact their local Soil and
Water Conservation District (SWCD) offices to apply for assistance of up to 50 percent of the cost of the project.
The Iowa conservation cost share program has been in place for more than 40 years and is a partnership between the state and local landowners, with both parties cover the cost of a building or installing a conservation practice.
Conservation practices eligible for assistance through this program include terraces, waterways, ponds, buffers, cover crops, and several other conservation practices.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship also has funds available for practices targeted towards improving water quality. Practices eligible for this funding are cover crops, no-till or strip till, or using a nitrification inhibitor when applying fertilizer.
1500 Des Moines Homes Affected By Recent Flood
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An unofficial tally shows that more than 1,500 properties in the Des Moines area were affected by weekend flooding, and authorities expect that number to increase.
The Des Moines Register reports that officials still need to inspect
many of the properties. Hundreds of residents were caught in Saturday night’s storm that dumped up to 9 inches on the area and caused flash flooding. One man was killed when he left his stranded van and was swept away by flood
waters.
A map released by Polk County emergency management officials shows 1,501 unconfirmed reports of damaged properties in Des Moines and its suburbs. Des Moines appears to have taken the brunt of the flood, with at least 655 homes reported to be affected.
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Iowa Woman Wants U-S Supreme Court To Strike Down Surrogacy
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa woman is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider striking down surrogacy contracts as a violation of the constitutional rights of surrogate mothers and their babies.
In an appeal of a February Iowa Supreme Court ruling, the woman asks the nation’s highest court to hear her case and consider whether surrogacy contracts affirmed in several states including Iowa, California, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Washington can be upheld.
The woman is identified in court documents as T.B. She entered into a surrogacy contract with Paul and Chantele Montover in 2016, but she decided she wanted to keep the baby after the relationship soured. The Montovers have raised now-23-month-old girl since birth.
The Supreme Court is expected to decide by this fall whether to consider the case.
