Fuel Association Official Addresses Propane Shortage
(Le Mars) — The cold temperatures of these past few days makes us appreciate the heat from our furnaces, and suppliers of propane fuel have been scrambling within the last few weeks, trying to make certain everyone has propane. A short-term shortage of propane fuel has erupted due to the high demand for the fuel. Homes and businesses are needing propane fuel to
help heat their buildings. Meanwhile, country grain elevators and farmers are needing propane in order to dry their grain. Officials say there isn’t a real shortage, but rather a logistic problem. John Mayne is the Regulatory Affairs Manager with Fuel Iowa. He offers an explanation to the current situation.
Maynes says there is plenty of propane fuel available to last well into the future. However, it has been a logistic problem facing the industry.
The Fuel Iowa official says the situation is starting to affect other
states, and not limited to just Iowa. He says how long the situation lingers may depend upon when harvest can be finished.
Maynes says fuel suppliers have needed to short-fill their customers propane requests, in order to make certain everyone has propane.
Maynes says fuel suppliers are working hard at obtaining sufficient amounts of propane to meet all the demands. He says state officials have helped by extending the length of time drivers can be logged on driving the product.
Ft. Madison Erects Monument Recognizing Soldiers
FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) – A monument marking a battlefield where 23 soldiers died has been installed in Fort Madison.
The granite monument put in place last week includes a history of the military post on one side and the soldiers’ names on another side.
Andy Andrews of the North Lee County Historical Society and Friends of the Old Fort says the $14,000 cost was underwritten by donations through Friends of Old Fort Madison.
A flagpole will be installed nearby.
The Fort Madison Daily Democrat reports that Fort Madison originally was known as Fort Bellevue, was built by the U.S. Army in 1808 and abandoned in 1813.
It was the location of the only War of 1812 battle west of the
Mississippi.
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Greyhound Racing Increased Revenue, But Future Is Still Uncertain
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – Betting on races at Iowa Greyhound Park in Dubuque rose by 14% this year, but the park’s future and that of greyhound racing still look dicey.
The Telegraph Herald reports that the wagering at the park and other facilities on the Dubuque races is up for the fourth year in a row. This year’s season ended Sunday after 104 days of racing.
General manager Brian Carpenter says, however, the park is far from being financially viable on its own. It continues to reap the subsidy benefits of a 2014 agreement that allowed Dubuque’s Mystique Casino & Resort – now Q Casino and Hotel – and the Horseshoe Casino in Council Bluffs to sever ties with the greyhound industry.
He also says the projected end of greyhound racing in Florida and Arkansas could cripple the industry as a whole.
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New Director Appointed For World Food Prize Organization
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A woman who has led nonprofit organizations focused on global food security and the impact of climate change on agricultural productivity is the new president of the World Food Prize Foundation.
Barbara Stinson will succeed Kenneth Quinn, the former U.S. ambassador to Cambodia whose 20-year leadership established an international presence for the Des Moines, Iowa-based foundation. The foundation awards the $250,000
World Food Prize annually to individuals who work to reduce world hunger.
Judge Overturns Firing Of Teacher
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A judge has overturned the firing of a Cedar Rapids teacher who’d been criticized for how a black baby doll was left hanging in her classroom.
The Cedar Rapids Community School District board had terminated Tammy Ryan’s teaching contract at Metro Alternative High School. A social media outcry arose in spring 2018 when a photo of the doll tied around the waist by a ribbon and hanging horizontally from the ceiling was posted.
Ryan says students placed the doll around the room as part of a
game. The Gazette reports that Ryan says she perceived the doll as flying.
Others saw it as a racist allusion to lynching.
The board fired her, and she took the district to court, seeking a
reversal.
In a ruling issued Oct. 30, the judge said: “This single instance of
unintentional insensitivity does not amount to just cause to terminate Ms. Ryan’s teaching contract.”
A district representative says board members are evaluating the
district’s next steps.
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