Lightning Strike Causes House To Be On Fire
(Le Mars) — Firefighters were called to the residence at 2490 5th Avenue Southeast for a house that was on fire. The structure was hit by a lightning strike, which according to Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper, created a hole in the roof, and the backside of the home was on fire.
Schipper says the fire was reported at around 4:10 a.m. Apparently, the lightning strike also damaged the home’s electrical system as outlets were burnt. There were no injuries and the home owners were able to escape the
burning structure. Schipper says although there was severe damage reported to the home, the residents will be able to renovate the home and continue to live in the home.
State Is Still Estimating The Dollar Amount Of Flooding
(Des Moines) — Governor Kim Reynolds says it is too early to assess how much more state money may be needed for flood recovery.
An initial estimate of flood damage released by state officials this spring topped one-point-six BILLION. Reynolds said late last month there had not been an updated estimate. The governor does not believe it’s necessary to hold a special legislative session this fall so the Iowa House and Senate can vote to appropriate more state tax dollars for flood-related projects.
The governor says those decisions can wait until the Iowa legislature reconvenes in 2020.
This spring, the Iowa legislature set aside 15 million dollars in state funds for flood-related projects that are getting federal money, but which require local matching funds, too. Earlier this week, a state board distributed that 15-million dollars to the communities of Hamburg, Hornick, Pacific Junction and Freedonia as well as Mills County.
………….
Crew Of USS Sioux City Visits Le Mars
(Le Mars) — Le Mars had some special visitors in town on Tuesday. Crew members of the U-S Navy’s SS-Sioux City were in Siouxland, including Le Mars. While in Le Mars the crew members were able to tour Wells Enterprises south ice cream plant, then they made a stop at the Wells Visitors Center
and Ice Cream Parlor. Wade Smith serves as the USS Sioux City’s Commander.
He says the ship has yet to be deployed as the Navy is still conducting tests with the new battleship.
Smith explains the new naval ship has two separate crews that operate the ship, a blue crew and a gold crew, with each crew spending about four to six months duration on the ship.
The crew was in Siouxland to attend the Siouxland Chamber Annual Meeting, in which two crew mates were honored.
Tuesday’s visit was the commander’s first real visit to Iowa. He says on a previous occasion he merely drove through the state. The North Carolinian says he has enjoyed meeting the people of Sioux City, Le Mars, and the greater Siouxland area.
Dunn Named School District’s “Employee Of The Month”
(Le Mars) — Le Mars Community School District honored one of its faculty members with the “Employee of the Month” during an award presentation made this afternoon. High School Science teacher, Tami Dunn was given the plaque naming her the school district’s “Employee of the Month.” Dunn has been a part of the Le Mars Community School District for 19 years.
In the nomination that was submitted by Tracy Wingert, he says of Dunn: “Mrs Dunn could be considered an institution at Le Mars Community High School. She teaches freshman science so almost every student in the high school has been fortunate enough to have her as a teacher. Freshman year can be an uncomfortable and nervous time for students as they move from middle school to high school. Mrs. Dunn goes out of her way to make her new students feel comfortable in her room. Of course she will also sprinkle her own sense of humor throughout the day. Science may not be every student’s favorite subject, but for many students, Mrs. Dunn is their favorite teacher. Professionally she does something that is very hard for a teacher to do…she regularly goes out of her teaching comfort zone. Whether it’s trying a new lab she has never tried before, using technology in her classroom in a way that is new to her or her students, or maybe its an activity that she has never used before – Mrs. Dunn is never satisfied with “what she did last year.” She continually strives to make her class better. In the spring, Mrs. Dunn coaches our girls track team, but she is more than just a coach to those girls. She takes them into her heart. When they achieve their personal bests…her heart bursts with the pride of a parent. When they fail…her heart aches with the pain only a parent can know. Those girls are all special to her and she to them.
Congratulations go to Tami Dunn for being named the Le Mars Community School District’s “Employee of the Month.”
Contract Shows Courthouse Burglars Were Doing Their Job
(Des Moines) — The state of Iowa has released documents that appear to support the claims of two men who said they were just doing their job testing security when they were arrested on suspicion of breaking into a courthouse this month.
The men were working for Colorado-based cybersecurity company Coalfire when they were arrested after being found on the third floor of the Dallas County Courthouse just after midnight Sept. 10.
The state has said it hired Coalfire to test only the security of electronic access to court records and not to force “entry into a building.” The two workers still face criminal charges.
Yet the contract between Coalfire and the state says that a “physical penetration test targets your facilities/buildings/locations” and notes that the company planned to “attempt to collect physical documentation” at the courthouse where the men were arrested.
Loaded Gun Found In Iowa City’s Student’s Backpack
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a loaded gun was found in a student’s backpack at an Iowa City school.
Police say officers responding Wednesday morning to reports about a gun at Tate High School found the student outside. They seized his backpack and, after obtaining a search warrant, searched it and found the weapon.
Police say no threats were made to staffers or students. Charges against the boy are pending.
200 Scientists Warn Of Climate Change
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – More than 200 scientists from 38 Iowa colleges and universities have signed on to a climate change statement that warns of “sobering extreme heat projections” for the Midwest that will put people, livestock and pets at risk.
The statement released Wednesday says the World Meteorological Association identified July as the hottest month in more than 140 years of record-keeping.
The scientists say the atmosphere and earth’s surface are warming at an unprecedented rate and by mid-century temperatures in Iowa will exceed 90 degrees for 67 days per year, compared to the average of 23 days in recent decades.
Peter Thorne, director of the University of Iowa Environmental Health Sciences Research Center, says adaptations will include expanded disaster preparedness, increased energy use and curtailment of outdoor work and recreation during times of extreme heat.
The University of Iowa Center for Global and Regional Environmental Research has released annual climate statements since 2011. They are vetted by Iowa’s top experts and are intended to place climate change research into an Iowa-specific context and encourage preparedness.
