Home News Tuesday Afternoon News, July 14th

Tuesday Afternoon News, July 14th

Good Samaritan Society of Le Mars Confirms Having Positive COVID-19 Cases

(Le Mars) — The Good Samaritan Society of Le Mars long-term nursing care facility is confirming three residents tested positive for COVID-19, out of all 55 residents tested, with one still pending. In a news release, Administrator, Karen Mousel says, “Good Samaritan Society continues to use vigorous infection control measures and extra precautions to monitor the health of all residents and staff members. As always, the health, safety and well-being of our residents, staff and the community we serve is our top priority.”

Plymouth County Community Health Director, Tara Geddes, explains the protocol all long-term care facilities must follow when positive cases have been detected within a facility.

Geddes says the number of positive cases reported in Plymouth County continue to increase, although there have been some indication the trend is slowing down.

The Community Health Director says most recently the demographic in Plymouth County showing positive case results of having COVID-19 are the younger to middle age demographic.

Geddes says as of today, (Tuesday) Plymouth County has reported 354 positive cases.

 

 

 

City Council Approves Grading Project Contract

(Le Mars) — At last week’s Le Mars city council meeting, council members approved a grading project for the Industrial Park located on the southern edge of town. By a vote of 4 to 1, with Goodchild voting in the negative, saying he is in favor of the project, but thinking this may not be the right time for the grading project.   The city council awarded a contract to Vander Windt and Sons contractors.
Vander Windt and Sons presented the lowest bid at $230,000.70. City Administrator Jason Vacura says the project received eleven different bids for the project.

Vacura says this is the third project the city has awarded to Vander Windt and Sons Contractors. The first was a runway extension project at the city municipal airport, and the second, is the current project that involves a berm near the police station and O’Reilly’s Auto Parts store to protect that region of town from future flooding. Vacura says the work behind the police
station is nearing completion.

The land at the industrial park is owned by the Le Mars Business Initiative Corporation with the payments to be made back to the city at the time the lots are sold to prospective businesses.

 

 

 

Floyd Valley Federated Garden Club To Hold Flower Show

(Le Mars) — Local gardeners may be disappointed over the fact this year’s Plymouth County Fair has been cancelled, and therefore the open class horticulture judging has also been cancelled. However, members of the Floyd Valley Federated Garden Club will hold a seminar this evening, Tuesday, July
14th at the Foster Park Gazebo in Le Mars. Roseanne Plante of Hinton serves on the Floyd Valley Federated Garden Club and explains what will take place this evening.

Plante says tonight’s event is open to everyone, not just members of the local garden club. She says prizes will be awarded for the top flowers or plants exhibited tonight at Foster Park.

Plante says many members of the Floyd Valley Federated Garden Club are certified “Master Gardeners” through Iowa State University Extension, and are willing to discuss any concerns people may have with their vegetable produce, flowers, or plants.

Plante suggests people to wear masks if they feel more comfortable with a face covering. She says social distancing will be implemented. The garden show is scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m. at the Foster Park Gazebo.

 

 

 

ISU Study Finds Young Workers Hit Hardest By Pandemic Job Losses

(Ames, IA) — New Iowa State University research suggests young people between the ages of 16 and 24 have been hardest hit by job losses during the pandemic. I-S-U economics professor John Winters said the analysis indicates 37-and-a-half percent of those younger workers lost their jobs this spring.
Winters also said, “Black workers, Hispanic workers had much larger employment losses than whites and then we also found differences by education, so less educated worker had larger losses and lower income workers had larger employment losses.” The research Winters and an I-S-U graduate student conducted also suggests many workers who’ve lost their jobs during
the pandemic have stopped searching for work. He says that probably means the official unemployment rates are actually understating the magnitude of the pandemic.

 

 

 

First Positive COVID Case Reported at Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility

(Mount Pleasant, IA) — The Mount Pleasant state prison is reporting its first positive COVID-19 test for an inmate. The Iowa Department of Corrections says the inmate was placed in medical isolation when he first reported he was not feeling well last Wednesday. The offender tested negative on his first two tests and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics later confirmed he was positive. The inmate remains in hospital for
care and monitoring. The Department of Public Health and State Hygienic Lab will be conducting additional testing of staff and inmates at the facility to identify those that might be carrying the virus while asymptomatic. A total of 186 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Fort Dodge prison.

 

 

 

First Positive COVID Case Reported at Mount Pleasant Correctional Facility

(Mount Pleasant, IA) — The Mount Pleasant state prison is reporting its first positive COVID-19 test for an inmate. The Iowa Department of Corrections says the inmate was placed in medical isolation when he first reported he was not feeling well last Wednesday. The offender tested negative on his first two tests and the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics later confirmed he was positive. The inmate remains in hospital for
care and monitoring. The Department of Public Health and State Hygienic Lab will be conducting additional testing of staff and inmates at the facility to identify those that might be carrying the virus while asymptomatic. A total of 186 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19 at the Fort Dodge prison.

 

 

 

Deaths of Evansdale Cousins Remains Unsolved 8 Years Later

(Evansdale, IA) — Monday marked a somber anniversary in northeastern Iowa.
On July 13th, 2012, cousins Elizabeth Collins and Lyric Cook-Morrissey disappeared while riding their bicycles in the Waterloo suburb of Evansdale.
Hunters discovered their bodies five months later in a secluded section of the Seven Bridges Wildlife Area in Bremer County, almost 20 miles away from the lake near where their bikes were found. Collins of Evansdale was eight years old when she died. Cook-Morrissey of Waterloo was ten. Authorities believe both girls were abducted and murdered by someone, whose identity
remains unknown. Investigators remain hopeful that someday they’ll be able to determine who committed the crime. Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers is offering a 50-thousand-dollar reward for information leading to an arrest.