City Street Crews To Work On Railroad Crossings
(Le Mars) — City officials have announced they will be closing 1st Street Northeast at the railroad crossing between Fareway grocery store and the can redemption center. Street Department crews along with railroad crews from the CN Railroad will be replacing the east/west rail crossing. The street will be closed starting on Monday, July 20th and is expected to remain closed
until the evening of Friday, July 24th. In addition to the 1st Street northeast rail crossing to be closed, city officials will also be closing 21st Street southwest on both sides of the railroad crossing on Thursday, July 23rd. Crews will be removing the existing asphalt on both sides of the track. The railroad crossing is located near the southwest corner of Nor-Am Cold Storage. 21st Street southwest serves as a major east-west passage to
the Industrial Park area.
Remsen To Again Have A Water Ban
(Remsen) — The City of Remsen has again issued a water ban. Currently the water tower is being cleaned and repainted. In order to complete this work, the tower needs to be empty. In an effort to conserve water for drinking and bathing, a water restriction has been issued. Residents will not be allowed
to water their lawns while the work is being completed.
Conley Honored By Wet Nose Rescue Association
(Le Mars) — Long-time Le Mars Veterinarian Dr. John Conley was honored Wednesday morning by members of the Wet Nose Rescue Organization. Conley was presented with the “Friend of the Year” Wet Nose Rescue certificate. The local animal rescue organization is celebrating its one year anniversary and
wanted to acknowledge the many contributions of Dr. Conley. Conley says he is humbled for the recognition, but credits others for their hard work and dedication to saving pets. Conley, along with his staff, say through the years they have helped match stray cats and dogs with local residents to be adopted.
Webner Continues To Discuss Options For School Start-up Due To COVID-19 Concerns
(Le Mars) — We continue our conversation with Le Mars Community School Superintendent, Dr. Steve Webner regarding challenges to starting up the school for the next school year to begin this autumn. The debate of whether masks or other face coverings should be worn by students is still being
discussed. Webner says the Iowa Department of Education is at this time, not requiring or endorsing the use of face coverings and masks. It is generally accepted that wearing a masks or other face covering does help reduce the spread of the virus.
Another concern Webner shared with the school board is the cost and time it may take for sanitation and mitigation supplies, plus the time to constantly sanitize each classroom after each class.
Webner says he and the board of education discussed the three most-likely type of scenarios that are being considered to re-open the school. Webner says in-person classes is the preferred option, but may not be the best under the COVID virus concerns.
The Le Mars Community school district superintendent says a form of “hybrid” learning is also being discussed.
Webner continues to explain why the “hybrid” style of learning is not ideal.
The third style of learning being discussed is the “remote learning” where students would remain at home and conduct their entire course of education using on-line internet.
Webner was asked whether it would be practical for the school to scan the temperature of each student and staff member as they entered the doors of the school?
206 New COVID-19 Cases in Iowa, 4 Additional Deaths
(Des Moines, IA) — The total number of COVID-19 cases in Iowa now tops 36-thousand after 206 additional positive tests were confirmed Wednesday. Four more Iowans have died from coronavirus complications, increasing the state’s death toll to 759. State health officials say 190 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, 62 patients are in intensive care units and 35 are on ventilators. More than 27-thousand patients are considered recovered. Coronavirus outbreaks are reported in 14 long-term
facilities in Iowa.
Des Moines Police: Child Called 911 To Report 2 Deaths
(Des Moines, IA) — Des Moines police say a child called 9-1-1 Wednesday afternoon to report the deaths of two people. Officers say they found an injured person at the location, plus the bodies of a man and a woman. No names have been released and police haven’t specified how they died. A spokesperson says significant injuries were seen on both bodies. Autopsies
will be done and a homicide investigation is underway.
Appeals Court Stops Judge’s Order To Shut Down Dakota Access Pipeline
(Washington, DC) — The U-S Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia has temporarily halted a judge’s order that the Dakota Access Pipeline be shut down. The appeals court issued an administrative stay Tuesday. That stay remains in effect until the appeals court decides whether Energy Transfer Company can keep oil flowing while the court decides about the shutdown order. A federal judge gave the company until August 5th to shut it down. Energy Transfer estimates it would take three months to empty the pipeline of oil and complete the necessary steps to preserve the pipeline to be used in the future.
Judge Denies Request to Delay Execution of Iowa Meth Dealer Honken
(Iowa City, IA) — A north-central Iowa drug kingpin’s requests to delay his execution later this week have been denied. D ustin Honken’s motions to delay his execution were rejected Tuesday by U-S District Judge Leonard Strand. Strand wrote that he would not intervene due to the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the Federal Bureau of Prisons was in the best position to
weigh the health risks against the benefits of carrying out the execution.
Strand also turned down Honken’s request to void his execution due to an alleged procedural error by the government. Fifty-two-old Honken was sentenced to death for the 1993 murders of five people from the Mason City area. Prosecutors say Honken killed them in an attempt to stop an investigation into his dealing methamphetamine. His death by lethal injection at the federal prison in Terre Haute Indiana is scheduled for Friday.
Cedar Rapids Police Look For Person Of Interest In Weekend Shooting
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — Cedar Rapids police say they are looking for a person of interest in a shooting that happened last weekend. Police say they think 24-year-old Keenan Baker is still in the Cedar Rapids area, but they’re urging the general public not to approach him. Officers were called to an apartment Sunday morning where they found a 23-year-old woman who had been shot. She had suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital.
Investigators are calling it a domestic-related incident.
Iowa One Of 4 States Sharing Driver’s License Records With U.S. Census Bureau
(Des Moines, IA) — Iowa is one of four states known to be sharing driver’s license information with the U-S Census Bureau. South Dakota and South Carolina are the other states with data-sharing agreements. The Iowa Department of Transportation uploads the records every month for the next four years – including names, addresses and birth dates. The Trump
administration started seeking the information from state agencies after the U-S Supreme Court stopped census takers from asking about citizenship. The A-C-L-U of Iowa says the practice should be stopped.
