Unity Point/St. Lukes Donates Life Preserver Vests To Municipal Park Swimming Area
(Le Mars) — Willow Creek and the Le Mars Municipal Park swimming area has just been made a bit safer, thanks to the Unity Point-St. Lukes Health Center and the Children’s Miracle Network. A total of 50 life preserver vests have been donated to the city for anybody to use while swimming or fishing. A
small ceremony was held Thursday morning at the Le Mars Municipal Park.
Amanda Monroe-Rubendall is the Trauma Prevention Coordinator with Unity Point St. Lukes of Sioux City. She says drownings rank among the highest percentage of deaths with children and teenagers. But she adds the life preserver vests are for everyone to use.
The donated life jackets range in sizes to accommodate everyone from infants, to young children, teens, and adults. Monroe-Rubendall says Unity Point/St. Lukes has made similar donations in the past to other regional swimming areas, including Hillview Recreation Area near Hinton and Brown’s Lake near Salix.
Today’s donation has been funded by grants through the Children’s Miracle Network as part of the pediatric program, but Monroe-Rubndall says it is the goal of Unity Point/St. Lukes to prevent all trauma related injuries.
Stacie Selk is the regional director with the Children’s Miracle Network, and explains the purpose of the organization.
The donated life preserver vests are free to use. Officials only ask that you return the vest back to the rack so others can also enjoy using them.
Clay County Fair Will Be Postponed This Year
(Spencer) — The Clay County Fair at Spencer is Iowa’s largest county fair, and they are joining the list of casualties from coronavirus. The Clay County Fair Association announced on Thursday they would post-pone this year’s fair that was scheduled for September. Jeremy Parsons is the C-E-O for the Clay County fair and talks about the factors that led to the
decision.
Parsons says most of the entertainment that was booked for this year, has committed to return to next year’s fair.
The Clay County Fair has one of the largest displays of farm equipment, and Parsons was asked since the Farm Progress Show in Boone was cancelled, if that had any bearing on the Clay County Fair decision?
Despite the postponement of the fair, 4-H/FFA livestock competitions will be held this fall.
Parsons says by not having the fair, the entire community will suffer financially.
The 2021 Clay County Fair will be held September 11th through the 19th.
Law Enforcement Agencies Will Be Watching Holiday Traffic
(Le Mars) — Officials believe this year’s Independence Day holiday traffic may be somewhat lighter than with past years. However, law enforcement agencies will be monitoring the traffic during this weekend. John Farley with the Iowa State Patrol says they will be out in full force.
Despite there being fewer community celebrations, Farley still expects to see a busy highway traffic weekend.
The Iowa State Patrol trooper reminds motorists to buckle up, drive defensively, avoid distractions, remain sober, and don’t speed. Farley says your destination will be there.
Some Black Lives Matter Members Banned From Statehouse For 1 Year
(Des Moines, IA) — A spokesperson for the Des Moines Black Lives Matter group says some of its members have been banned from the Iowa Statehouse for a year. Des Moines police made five more arrests Thursday after a conflict at the Capitol the day before. In a news release, Black Lives Matter said it tried to “de-arrest” some of its members after they were taken into custody
during a demonstration about felon voting rights. The group says “de-arresting” is when they pull the person being arrested away in an effort to keep them from being pinned down. Both sides – the police and demonstrators – accuse the other of escalating Wednesday’s fight.
GOP Leaders Say Capitol Will Not Become ‘Area of Lawlessness’
(Des Moines, IA) — Republican legislative leaders are condemning the actions of protesters after 17 Black Lives Matter activists were arrested Wednesday outside the Iowa Capitol. The protesters say the police involved should be investigated. House Speaker Pat Grassley and Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver said in a statement, “assaulting, disarming, and spitting
on law enforcement is never acceptable” and will not be tolerated by any group on the Capitol grounds.” The two lawmakers say they strongly support law enforcement’s actions to end what Grassley and Whitver described as “a violent confrontation with a disorderly group of protesters.” The G-O-P leaders say any member of the public should feel welcome in the Iowa Capitol
and “it is not, nor will it become, an area of lawlessness.”
No New COVID-19 Deaths in Iowa, 676 More Cases
(Des Moines, IA) — The COVID-19 death toll in Iowa remains at 717 after state health officials reported that no one died over the last 24 hours. The Iowa Department of Public Health did confirm 676 more positive coronavirus tests, bringing the statewide total to 29-thousand-966 cases. There are 145
people hospitalized with COVID-19, 36 patients are in intensive care and 18 are on ventilators. Nearly 24-thousand patients no longer need isolation or have recovered. The Polk County Health Department is seeing a surge in cases and urged Iowans to be cautious over the Fourth of July weekend.
Governor Allows Bars, Restaurants To Sell Cocktails To Go
(Des Moines, IA) — Iowa is one of 34 states allowing bars and restaurants to sell cocktails to go during the coronavirus pandemic – but it’s the first state to make the provision permanent. Governor Kim Reynolds signed a law easing some restrictions this week. Bars were forced to shut down by the
pandemic in March and have struggled to come back. The Iowa Restaurant Association gave its support to the sale of cocktails to-go as a way to save some businesses. The new law passed with bipartisan support in the Iowa Legislature. The changes also allow the delivery of bottles of liquor, wine and beer.
Reynolds Directs $490 Million of CARES Act to Unemployment
(Des Moines, IA) — Governor Kim Reynolds is using nearly 40 percent of the federal coronavirus relief money Iowa received to cover unemployment benefits. She’s depositing 490-milllion dollars of CARES Act funding into the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Iowa Association of Business
and Industry president Mike Ralston says it’s “a big announcement” that will save Iowa businesses more than 400-million dollars. Ralston said, “businesses would have paid more in unemployment insurance taxes, so that there would be money in the Unemployment Trust Fund to pay unemployment
claims.” Reynolds said in a statement, “As we move forward with recovery, I want to minimize the pandemic’s impact on employers so they can focus on growing and reinvesting in Iowa.” Iowa’s unemployment rate in May was 10 percent.
Marion County Man Charged With Attacking His Father
(Knoxville, IA) — A Marion County man tells authorities he was mad when he knocked his father to the ground and kicked him in the head, twice. Fifty-five-year-old Billy Dean Carter faces charges of willful injury causing bodily injury. Marion County deputies found Bill Carter lying in the road with head injuries when they responded to a 9-1-1 call. A no-contact order
had already been filed against the son before the attack. Billy Dean Carter is the son of Shirley Carter, the Marion County woman who was shot to death in her Lacona kitchen five years ago. Another son, Jason Carter, was acquitted.
