Total Motors Contributes $1,000 To Le Mars Little League
(Le Mars) — Hundreds of people enjoyed the warm temperatures, clear skies, and a cool breeze as they viewed the opening weekend of the Le Mars Little League Association at the John Britton complex on the west side of town.
Despite having two devastating floods that hit the fields in September and again in March, the fields were in excellent shape. It was a nice contrast to see the fresh green grass against the blue skies on the horizon. Heath Husk, the president of the Le Mars Little League Association, and the many
volunteers need to be commended for working extra hours to get the fields in shape for the opening weekend. Total Motors and Chevrolet held a fund raising event to assist the Le Mars Little League. Total Motors had a selection of new 2019 vehicles ready for a test drive. For each test drive, Total Motors and Chevrolet would contribute $20 to the Le Mars Little League.
A check for the amount of $1,000 was presented to Heath Husk representing the Le Mars Little League Association by Scott and Michele Taylor of Total Motors.
Bald Eagle Program Held At Museum
(Le Mars) — A group of nearly 100 people had the opportunity to learn more about America’s symbol, the bald eagle, during a program offered at the Plymouth County Historical Museum on Saturday afternoon. Kay Newman, the executive director of S.O.A.R. Saving Our Avian Resources says a combination of the use of D-D-T insecticide, and hunting, reduced the population of bald eagles which placed them on the endangered species list in the 1960’s.
Newman says since the 1960’s more studies and research has been performed on the bald eagle. Newman says the U-S banned the insecticide DDT which has helped with the population growth of bald eagles. However, she says bald eagles are making a bit of a comeback, but they still face many dangers.
(photo contributed.)
The S.O.A.R. executive says what is adversely affecting eagles today is lead poisoning from both hunting and fishing.
She says eagles will prey on other animals that may have been shot by lead-based ammunition, and that is how they get the lead poisoning. Newman says the same thing happens with fishing, when anglers use lead sinkers, or lead based lures.
Iowa Egg Farm Sues Government Contractors
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa egg farm that killed millions of chickens because of a 2015 bird flu outbreak is suing companies hired by the federal government to disinfect barns.
Sunrise Farms says the chlorine dioxide gas and heat treatments used to kill the virus destroyed barn equipment, electrical wiring, production equipment and water lines. The company also says the structural integrity of its barns was diminished.
The farm near the northwest Iowa town of Harris housed more than 4 million egg-laying hens.
The farm confirmed on April 19, 2015, that its birds had the deadly strain of H5N2 bird flu. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service division hired several companies to euthanize birds and disinfect barns to prevent the spread of the virus.
Sunrise is suing the contractors who applied the gas and heat
treatments. Those companies have in turn sued subcontractors.
A trial date has been set for Jan. 27, 2020, in Sioux City.
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Northern Iowa Man Dies From Pedestrian Accident
KENSETT, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in north-central Iowa say a man has died after being hit by a car.
Des Moines television station KCCI reports that the incident happened Friday evening in rural Worth County when a car hit 58-year-old Rick Johnson, of Kensett, while he was walking on a county road.
The Iowa State Patrol says the car was driven by a 42-year-old Mason City man. The fatal crash remains under investigation.
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Mississippi River Expected To Crest At St. Louis
ST. LOUIS (AP) – The Mississippi River is expected to crest Monday near St. Louis, but officials are watching the forecast closely because more rain is possible in the area this week,
The river has already crested at many of the hardest-hit towns, but the wet forecast is a concern.
National Weather Service meteorologist Patrick Walsh says 1-to-3 inches of rain is possible this week.
If that forecast holds up, there will be a second crest on the river.
The floods are blamed on four deaths, three in Missouri and one in Indiana.
Cyber-security Jobs On The Increase
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The demand for cybersecurity experts has grown as crooks with computers hack their way into business, government and other networks.
CyberSeek, a project funded by the U.S. Commerce Department, says nearly 4,600 people are working on cybersecurity in Nebraska, and there are openings for more than 2,000 workers. Nearly 4,300 are doing cybersecurity in Iowa, and there are more than 2,400 openings.
Colleges in both states have been trying to meet the need for more cyberdefenders.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that Bellevue University has invested $1.3 million into a cybersecurity laboratory where students learn how to break into networks and then make them more secure.
The university is among the few named as a center of academic
excellence by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
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