Le Mars Main Street Requests People Complete On-line Survey
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Chamber of Commerce with its connection to the Main Street Iowa organization is interested in your opinion. Mary Reynolds serves as the coordinator with the Le Mars Main Street Organization and says people are encouraged to complete the on-line survey regarding their thoughts about businesses re-opening following the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Reynolds says people have until Wednesday to complete the survey. So far, Le Mars has had a good response, but Reynolds says they would like to see others complete the survey.
The Le Mars Main Street official explains some of the specific questions that are asked as part of the survey.
Reynolds says she isn’t certain as to when the results of the survey will be released.
Crops Are In Excellent Condition Across The State
(Le Mars) — The latest weekly state crop conditions report indicates both corn and soybeans are rated as being 85 percent either good or excellent condition. Crops in northwest Iowa are looking great, but what about other parts of the state? Rebecca Vittetoe is a Le Mars native, but now serves as the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach crops specialist for east
central Iowa. She says although the crops in her region look good, farmers are having to deal with some wet conditions.
Vittetoe says last week prior to the weekend rains, and when we had a heat wave, the corn in east-central Iowa was showing some signs of stress.
The east-central Iowa crops specialist says in her area the winds have not been as strong as they were last week for northwest Iowa, and because of that, most farmers in eastern Iowa have been able to apply their pesticides in a timely manner.
Paul Kassel is the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach crops specialist for northwest and north-central Iowa. He says the crops in his region are looking good.
Kassel says the weekend rains were beneficial to his region’s crop production.
As for weed issues, Kassel says farmers in north-central Iowa are again having to deal with water hemp.
Kassel says in Kossuth County there was a need to do some re-planting of crops, but he adds it did not cover a wide area.
State Ag Department And Economic Development Authority To Offer Webinar About International Trade Opportunities
DES MOINES, Iowa -– Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will give an agricultural trade policy update during a webinar hosted by the Iowa Economic Development Authority’s (IEDA) international trade office.
Iowa State University (ISU) agricultural economists Dr. Lee Schulz and Dr. Chad Hart will also share their insights into the international livestock and commodity
markets and economic forecasts. The webinar’s purpose is to give producers and agribusinesses an update on trade policies affecting relationships with Iowa’s key trading partners, including China, Japan, Mexico, and Canada.
The webinar is scheduled for Wednesday, July 1st beginning at 9:00 a.m. To register, farmers need to send an email message to international@iowaeda.com and add the attendee’s name and email address to receive the login information. The webinar will also be recorded and available online after the presentation.
Des Moines City Council Passes Racial Profiling Ban For Police
(Des Moines, IA) — The Des Moines City Council approved a racial profiling ban for city police. The ordinance establishes a committee to review systemic bias in the police system and directs police officers to intervene if another officer uses excessive force. The council is also creating a task
force to study ways to make marijuana possession the lowest priority for law enforcement. Council member Josh Mandelbaum said, “addressing the way we enforce our marijuana laws is one of the small ways that we can move towards racial justice and a community that works better for everyone.” The ordinance was first introduced nearly two years ago but it took on new
urgency in the wake of protests against police brutality. Iowa-Nebraska N-A-A-C-P President Betty Andrews says the ordinance is a good step but the city must do more.
Iowa State University Faculty, Staff and Students Receive Racist Email
(Ames, IA) — Iowa State University says nearly 49-hundred people with university-affiliated email accounts received a racist message over the weekend. I-S-U says an email claiming to be sent from Equity Prime Mortgage “contained abhorrent, vile language, including references to violent white supremacy, lynching, and a racist slur.” The university’s I-T security team
determined that faculty and staff made up most of the recipients, but some students also received the message. An I-S-U statement said, “we understand how upsetting this was for those who received the email, especially our Black colleagues and students.” The cyberattack is under investigation by the F-B-I.
Floyd County Medical Center Workers Test Positive For COVID-19
(Charles City, IA) — The Floyd County Medical Center in Charles City says members of its staff have tested positive for COVID-19. Officials have not identified how many positive tests there have been or when they happened.
Administrator Rod Nordeng said, ” F-C-M-C’s staffing is representative of the community’s population, and we now have colleagues who have tested positive for COVID-19.” Testing is being offered to all employees. Nordeng says they are in regular communications with local and state public health authorities and continue to monitor the situation daily.
Iowa State Patrol Identifies Victim in Madison County 3-Vehicle Crash
(Winterset, IA) — The Iowa State Patrol says an Indianola woman is the victim of deadly three-vehicle crash in Madison County. Troopers say 23-year-old Abigail Ashby crossed the centerline on Highway 92 Sunday afternoon and struck a westbound semi. Ashby’s car was T-boned by an S-U-V and she died at the scene. The S-U-V driver – 63-year-old Ray Sidoreus of Winterset – and a three-year-old child were hut in the crash. Their current conditions are not known at this time. The wreck is still under investigation.
State To Close Sioux Center COVID-19 Testing Site
DES MOINES – The State of Iowa has announced the closure of two Test Iowa sites this week. The Sioux County site will close later today when testing concludes at 6 p.m. A second site in Wapello County will close tomorrow, Wed., June 24 at 6 p.m. We are actively pursuing clinic sites in both counties and testing remains available through local health care providers.
The Sioux County site opened on May 27 in Sioux Center, and the Wapello County site in Ottumwa opened May 13.
Test Iowa’s mobile testing model makes it possible to quickly operationalize temporary test sites in communities where access to testing is limited or virus activity is increasing. Testing is rapidly scaled up to identify positive cases, conduct contact tracing, and determine the scope of the virus. Over time as test volume decreases, sites can be moved to other communities where there is a need.
A total of 18 Test Iowa sites will remain following the two closures. Eight large-scale, drive-thru test sites are located in Black Hawk, Buena Vista, Dallas, Linn, Marshall, Polk, Pottawattamie and Scott Counties. Ten Test Iowa clinic sites are also available in Black Hawk, Carroll, Cass, Crawford, Des Moines, Dickinson, Dubuque, Mitchell, Page and Union Counties.
Large-scale sites are managed and operated by the State of Iowa. Clinic sites are partnerships between the state and local health care providers. Clinics operate and staff the test sites. The state provides testing supplies and processes the samples through the State Hygienic Lab.
Individuals who wish to get tested at any site must first complete the online assessment at testiowa.com.
Test Iowa is a statewide initiative to expand COVID-19 testing. Locations and hours of operation for all test sites can be found at testiowa.com or coronavirus.iowa.gov.
Promise Community Health Center To Receive Grant From Iowa Department Of Public Health
(Sioux Center) — The Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH) has been awarded a $4.4 million-dollar cooperative agreement to increase colorectal cancer screening rates. The department will receive $883,027 annuallyfor five years.
IDPH is partnering with the Iowa Primary Care Association and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help increase colorectal cancer screenings at 10 of Iowa’s federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) to 60% by 2025.
Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center, Iowa is pleased to announce they are one of the 10 centers who will receive this funding.
Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer-related death for Iowa men and women combined.
It is often preventable by getting screened and if detected early, can be 90% treatable. Seven out of 10 people diagnosed with colorectal cancer had no signs or symptoms.
