Well Aware Community Health Fair Scheduled For Wednesday
(Le Mars) — Preparations are being made for the Floyd Valley Healthcare’s “Well Aware Community Health Fair” scheduled for Wednesday afternoon at the upper level of the Le Mars Convention Center. Floyd Valley’s Education Director Kari Daale offers an update as to what will be featured at this
year’s health fair.
Daale says this year’s Well Aware Community Health Fair will consist of over 50 vendors.
Daale says the Le Mars Police Department will again be at the Health Fair to collect old, expired, and unused prescription medications.
The Floyd Valley Healthcare official says the Le Mars Ambulance and the Mercy Air Care helicopter ambulance will be at this year’s health fair, pending good weather and no emergencies.
The Well Aware Community Health Fair will be held Wednesday afternoon beginning at 2:00 p.m. at the Le Mars Convention Center.
Iowa Department Of Public Health Recommends Getting Flu Vaccination
(Des Moines) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is recommending you get a flu shot as soon as possible to be sure you are protected. Department Medical Director Caitlin Pedati (puh-DOT-ee) says there’s a lot of input in the strain of flu picked for the flu shot.
There have been years when the strains picked for the vaccine are not as effective as others, and Doctor Pedati says it is still best to get the shot.
Pedati says they try to keep up on the flu activity as the season gets into full swing.
Doctor Pedati says it’s too early to try and predict how bad this flu season may be.
The flu season usually starts to hit full steam at the end of October or in early November. The I-D-P-H says there were 272 flu-related deaths in Iowa during last year’s flu season.
County Supervisors Scheduled To Convene
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will meet this morning beginning at 9:30 a.m. at the County Courthouse Board Room. The county governing board is expected to approve the annual weed commissioner’s report. They will also review and sign the certificate for completion for L and L Builders for the renovation work at the courthouse. Attorney Craig Bauerly is scheduled to appear before the supervisors regarding the proposal to vacate Valleyview Addition. County Engineer Tom Rohe will discuss road construction projects with the county board.
Political Science Professor Comments About Political Debates
(Sioux Center) — Republican Kim Reynolds and Democrat Fred Hubbell are set to face each other in the second of three scheduled gubernatorial debates on Wednesday evening. This time, the live televised debate will originate from Sioux City’s Morningside College. So, do political debates help influence a
voter’s decision? Dordt College Political Science professor, Jeff Taylor says debates often solidify the political base, but they do not often change a person’s voting preference, unless the candidate makes a major error.
Taylor says Democrats will agree with the comments made by the Democratic candidate, and the Republicans agree with their candidate. Jake Porter, the Libertarian candidate seeking the governor’s position was omitted from participating in the first debate, and he is not scheduled to appear in the
second gubernatorial debate. Taylor says he would like to see a third party candidate included in state-wide political debates.
The Dordt College political science professor says when a third-party candidate is not featured on the stage, rarely do they gain many votes.
Taylor says in the interest of fair play among all political candidates, he favors having the third party candidate, in this case Libertarian Jake Porter, sharing the stage and the podium.
The second debate will be featured live on KTIV channel 4.
Cherokee K-Mart Store To Close
(Undated) — Sears filed for bankruptcy early Monday morning and announced three more K-Mart stores in Iowa will be closing.
The stores are located in Cherokee, Council Bluffs and Webster City.
Nationwide, there will be 142 Sears and K-Mart stores closing due to the bankruptcy filing. Liquidation sales at the K-Mart stores in Cherokee, Council Bluffs and Webster City will begin in the next two weeks, with closures by the end of the year. The company has been closing what it deems “unprofitable” stores. Since 2013, two-thirds of the Sears and K-Mart stores operating in the US have been closed. Sears was founded 131
years ago and became the country’s number one retailer. Competition, changing shopping habits and massive debts led to today’s (Monday’s) attempt to reorganize and stabilize the company through Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
January Trial Date Scheduled For Murder Of ISU Female Golfer
AMES, Iowa (AP) – A judge has scheduled a January trial for a 22-year-old Iowa drifter charged with killing a top amateur golfer from Spain.
District Judge Bethany Currie ruled Monday that Collin Richards will stand trial Jan. 15 for first-degree murder in the death of Iowa State University student Celia Barquin Arozamena.
Richards entered a written not guilty plea Monday morning and waived his right to a speedy trial. The filing canceled an in-person arraignment hearing that had been scheduled for later Monday.
Investigators say Richards attacked Barquin on Sept. 17 while she was playing a round at a public course in Ames, near the university campus.
Her body was found in a pond on the course riddled with stab wounds.
Richards faces life in prison without the possibility of parole if
convicted.
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Judge Receives 200 Postcards Asking For No Deluxe Legal Fund For Illegal Immigrant Accused Of Murder
MONTEZUMA, Iowa (AP) – Supporters of a right-wing group are asking a judge not to grant a “deluxe legal defense” for a Mexican national charged with killing an Iowa college student.
More than 200 people have sent postcards to Judge Joel Yates
protesting his decision to authorize $5,000 for an investigator to work with Cristhian Bahena Rivera’s defense.
The postcards are distributed by the Virginia-based Secure America Alliance. They ask Yates not to “award any more taxpayer money for a deluxe legal defense for an illegal alien.”
Rivera is charged with killing 20-year-old Mollie Tibbetts, who
disappeared July 18 in Brooklyn. Rivera had worked for years at a dairy farm, and prosecutors say he was in the U.S. illegally.
Yates granted a routine request by Rivera’s defense last month to appoint a private investigator, writing that Rivera is indigent and the case “presents a need for an investigator.” He approved a $5,000 stipend, saying additional payments are subject to court approval.
