Le Mars Rotary Club Postpones Flag Dedication Ceremonies
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Rotary Club’s flagpole dedication to be held at O’Toole Park and originally scheduled for tomorrow has now been postponed until next Wednesday, September 16th. Coffee will start at 9:30 a.m. with the dedication scheduled to begin at 10:00 a.m.
Law Enforcement Agencies Remind Motorists Not To Pass A Stopped School Bus
(Le Mars) — Schools have been back in session for only a couple of weeks, and already law enforcement officials are hearing reports about instances when vehicles are passing a stopped school bus. Iowa State Patrol trooper John Farley says it is a problem that happens every year with reports of motorists choosing to pass a stopped school bus with its lights flashing and
stop sign extended.
Farley says he is constantly surprised as to why people would pass a stopped school bus.
The Iowa State Patrol trooper says fortunately, many of today’s school buses are now equipped with video cameras that make it easier to catch those that pass a stopped school bus.
In recent years, based on Kayden’s Law when a young girl was killed after stepping off a stopped school bus and was run over by a passing motorist, the Iowa legislature has increased the fines associated with those motorists that pass a stopped school bus. Farley offers a brief explanation of the law relating to stopped school buses.
Le Mars school officials indicate one incident of a motorist passing a stopped school bus has been reported so far this year.
Grassley Says Second COVID-19 Relief Payment Is Still Up In The Air
(Washington) — The U-S House of Representatives, the U-S Senate, and the White House are wrestling over whether or not there will be a second COVID-19 relief payment mailed to Americans. During his weekly news conference, Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa says the three entities have been at a stalemate over the issue. Republican Grassley says it may all hinge on if the U-S Senate can get a bill written and voted upon by the end of this week.
Grassley says if the U-S Senate can come up with a bill this week it would take the place of the White House negotiations.
Grassley was asked about additional waivers to petroleum refineries that have yet to be announced by the Environmental Protection Agency with regards to blending ethanol with gasoline.
The Republican Senator says despite the troubles currently facing the ethanol and bio-fuels industry, he still believes there is a promising future for renewable fuels.
Grassley says the real question is if the E-P-A will acknowledge the Renewable Fuels Standard that requires at least 15 billion gallons of ethanol be produced annually after the expiration year of 2022.
Schools Start in Benton County District Severely Damaged by Derecho
(Van Horne, IA) — Students in an eastern Iowa district that took a huge hit from last month’s derecho are starting school in-person today (Tuesday).
The Benton Community School District serves eight rural communities in Benton, Tama and Iowa counties. Parts of the district’s buildings are still unusable, but enough repairs have been done for students to return in-person.
Superintendent Pam Ewell says she’s still determining whether students’ basic needs are being met after the storm. Ewell said, “we’ve done a lot of communications. We’ve had some families contact us. Of course, with COVID mixed in there, some families were staying home anyway.” An estimated 90 percent of structures in Benton county were damaged or destroyed in the
August 10th storm and some families have moved to another district. Ewell hopes returning in-person will provide a sense of normalcy for students. The school’s football field is so damaged the Benton Community team will play all of its games outside the district.
1st District Congressional Candidates Meet in Labor Day Debate
(Johnston, IA) — The two major party candidates for Congress in Iowa’s First District disagree over proposed changes to the federal minimum wage.
Democratic Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer faced off against Republican challenger Ashley Hinson in a Labor Day debate on Iowa P-B-S. Finkenauer argued “you cannot raise a family on seven-25 an hour” and said, “the reality in our country is we’ve got people working 40 hours a week, or over that, who
can’t afford rent, who are struggling to afford to raise their families.”
Hinson said the minimum wage may need to be raised by “a moderate amount,” but the rate should be set by states, not the federal government. Hinson claimed, “you’ll have people who are replaced by kiosks and machines. We’ve already seen that happen. A 15-dollar minimum wage isn’t the answer.”
Finkenauer and Hinson also clashed over collective bargaining rights and the U-S Postal Service.
Iowa State Patrol Identifies 3-Year-Old Killed in Decatur County UTV Crash
(Garden Grove, IA) — The Iowa State Patrol is identifying the three-year-old boy killed in a weekend U-T-V crash in Decatur County. Troopers say Wyatt Moser of Leon died after he crashed the utility terrain vehicle into a parked fifth wheeler trailer. The accident report says Wyatt was a passenger on the U-T-V with two relatives and then moved into the driver’s seat and
accelerated the machine. Moser was taken to the Decatur County Hospital where he died of his injuries.
1 Dead, 2 Seriously Hurt in Head-On Crash in Davenport
(Davenport, IA) — Police in Davenport are investigating a head-on crash that killed one man and seriously injured two children. Officers say a car crossed the centerline on River Drive late Monday night and collided with a pickup. A passenger in the car died at the scene and two kids in the vehicle were taken to the hospital with potential life-threatening injuries. The
driver suffered non-life threatening injuries. The S-U-V driver wasn’t hurt. No names have been released.
