Remsen Imposes A Water Ban
(Remsen) — Due to the recent heat wave, the city of Remsen has issued a watering ban, effective immediately. Chris Poeckes (Peakus) is the city water director for Remsen. He says the watering ban is to help alleviate the pressure being put on the city wells due to the dry conditions.
Poeckes says the watering ban does not affect car washes, or any household usage such as laundry, bathing, or cooking. He says it only applies to the irrigation of lawns. The weather forecast is calling for the possibility of up to a half inch of rain. Poeckes says if it does rain within the next few
days it would help.
The ban will remain in effect until further notice.
Remembering Past Ice Cream Days
(Le Mars) — This week, Le Mars would have been celebrating its annual festival of “Ice Cream Days” if not for the COVID-19 pandemic that cancelled the event. However, people can still enjoy some of the nostalgic events associated with “Ice Cream Days.” Primebank traditionally has an ice cream social, along with the relaxing sounds of a big band. Brad Pick with
Primebank says although there will not be any ice cream served this year, the bank wants people to reflect on past memories and enjoy the music of the “Noteables” through what he is calling a “virtual ice cream social.”
For those people not familiar with the “Noteables,” Pick says it is a collection of band members from Le Mars Community High School from the late 50’s up to the early 80’s that typically play jazz and big band musical selections.
Pick shares some of the familiar names of those who have participated in the big band era consisting of “The Noteables.”
Pick encourages people to sit back and relax Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. and tune your radios to KLEM 1410 AM or 96.9 FM and step back into time with a concert from “The Noteables.”
Total Motors To Hold Drive-Through Ice Cream Distribution
(Le Mars) — Later on Thursday evening, people can still enjoy the sweet summer treat of ice cream by going to Total Motors. Mitch Christoffel of Total Motors explains.
Christoffel says the ice cream is being provided by Wells Enterprises.
Christoffel says signs will be posted to help guide motorist a safe and easy way to obtain the ice cream while remaining in their cars.
The hours again for that free ice cream will be between 6:00 and 8:00 p.m.
Recent Heat Wave Placing Some Stress On Crops
(Le Mars) — The latest weekly crop condition report shows the majority of the state’s corn and soybeans are in excellent condition. However, Joel DeJong Iowa State University Extension and Outreach crops specialist for northwest Iowa, says the recent series of days with temperatures in the 90’s
along with the strong southerly winds, have dried out the soils, and some crop stress is being noticed.
The weather forecast is calling for rain to occur on Thursday, but with amounts of possibly a quarter of an inch or less. DeJong says the crops need more than what is being forecast.
DeJong says the strong winds of the last few days have made it difficult for farmers to apply any pesticides for weeds and insects.
IDPH Reports First-Ever Case Of Heartland Virus
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting the first-ever case of Heartland virus in this state. Heartland virus is thought to be transmitted by the Lone Star tick and was first discovered in 2009 in Missouri. Cases have continued to expand across the Midwestern and southern
United States. The first Iowa case is in an older adult age 61 to 80 in Appanoose County. I-D-P-H also reported the first case of West Nile Virus was confirmed by the State Hygienic Laboratory. It is in an adult between 18 and 40 years old from Polk County. The disease is spread by mosquitoes, and while most people do not have symptoms, it can be fatal.
University Of Iowa Reveals Plans For Fall Classes
(Iowa City, IA). — The University of Iowa says it will keep its regular fall semester calendar when classes resume — but students will switch to online classes after going home for the Thanksgiving break. The fall semester in Iowa city will begin August 24th and end on December 18th.
University of Iowa student body president, Connor Wooff, says he is glad they will have face-to-face classes and understands how bringing students back is a risk. Wooff says a big key will be making sure the proper precautions are taken when students return. Iowa State and U-N-I have decided to start
classes one week earlier and end the fall semester the day before Thanksgiving. Administrators at those schools say they wanted to avoid having the students go home for the holiday and possibly be exposed to the virus and return to campus.
Farm Progress Show Still On For September
(Boone, IA). — The 2020 Farm Progress Show will go as planned on in Boone in September. The annual outdoor event alternates between Boone and Decatur, Illinois. It regularly attracts up to 150-thousand visitors. Farm Progress
Show organizers say while state fairs have canceled due to the loss of money-making attractions — but the Farm Progress show is a business event that gives farmers a chance to see new equipment up close. The event is scheduled to open September 1st and there will be precautions to adjust to concerns about the pandemic.
Iowa Man Says Suppressed Evidence Kept Him In Prison For 40 years
(Muscatine, IA) — An Iowa man says suppressed evidence kept him in prison for 40 years. Sixty-two-year-old William Beeman is seeking a new trial after the state provided his legal team with evidence that debunks his conviction.
Beeman was found guilty of killing Michiel Winkel in October 1980. The 22-year-old woman had been stabbed 17 times and her body was found at Wildcat Den State Park. When Beeman asked the state to see if his D-N-A matched the semen found on the victim’s body, authorities in Muscatine County couldn’t
find the sexual assault kit used in the case.
Jewell Woman Killed in Hardin County Tractor Accident
(Radcliffe, IA) — A woman from Jewell did not survive a tractor accident Monday morning. The Hardin County Sheriff’s Office says 38-year-old Blanca Perez lost control of the tractor on Highway S-27 and rolled into the ditch south of Radcliffe. Deputies say Perez died at the scene. The crash is
still under investigation.
Dubuque Man Pleads Guilty to Providing Fatal Fentanyl Mix
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — A Dubuque man is pleading guilty to providing a fentanyl mix that led to a fatal overdose last summer. Twenty-nine-year-old Carl Watkins is facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 20 years in federal prison for distribution of controlled substances resulting in death. Watkins admitted to meeting a woman for a heroin deal in August 2019. The woman took the drugs, lost consciousness and later died. The autopsy determined she died from a mix of fentanyl and acetyl fentanyl. Police found a white chunky substance in her bedroom that tested positive for the mix. The Dubuque Drug Task Force set up a controlled heroin buy from Watkins the next day and he was arrested.
