Flagpole Dedication Postponed Until Next Wednesday
(Le Mars) — Due to the wet weather conditions, the Le Mars Rotary Club’s flagpole dedication to be originally scheduled for today at O’Toole Park and 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.
Akron-Westfield Passes SAVE school measure
(Akron) — Voters in the Akron-Westfield school district overwhelmingly approved a special school election. By a count of 161 votes in favor, and 24 votes against, the people of Akron and Westfield said yes to the proposed SAVE program. SAVE stands for Secure an Advance Vision for Education. This
funding program was formerly known as the statewide school infrastructure sales and services tax, also known as the local option sales and services tax for school infrastructure. Money received for school infrastructure purposes can only be utilized for school infrastructure needs or school district property tax relief.
Law Enforcement Officials Concerned About Motorists Passing Stopped School Buses
(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 Community says it has had one incident this year when a motorist passed a stopped school bus.
Legion Riders To Hold Hot Dog Feed For Veterans Families
(Le Mars) — A local organization says it just wants to help veterans will be holding a free-will lunch on Saturday with the proceeds of that lunch to go to families of the 113th Calvary, who were recently deployed. The Legion Riders motorcycle club of Le Mars will be grilling hot dogs this Saturday.
Doug Harms serves as the organization’s vice president and explains the purpose of the lunch program.
The Legion Riders will set up at the TCC Verizon store, which is located at the junction of Highway 3 and Business Highway 75. Harms says the group will be grilling the hot dogs between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on Saturday.
As mentioned earlier, the proceeds will go to the families of Charlie Company of the 113th Calvary, who were deployed for a year. The National Guard unit was deployed on June 1st.
Grassley Says Congress In Stalemate Over Second COVID-19 Relief Payment
(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.
Also during the news conference, 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.
Johnson County Judge Rules Against Iowa City School District and ISEA
(Iowa City, IA) — A Johnson County judge denied a request from the Iowa State Education Association and Iowa City schools to block the state’s requirement that 50-percent of classroom time be in-person. The judge ruled Governor Kim Reynolds’ emergency powers during a public health disaster override the authority of the local school board. The judge says Reynolds
properly interpreted the law passed this year in setting the 50-percent requirement. The Iowa City district had been given a waiver from the Department of Education because of the high coronavirus infection rate in Johnson County that allowed it to start the first two weeks of the school year online. The Johnson County ruling Tuesday came after a Polk County judge
also refused a request from the Des Moines School District for an injunction to block the state rules.
Sioux City Man Accused Of Trying To Burn Wife, Son
(Sioux City, IA) — A 31-year-old Sioux City man is charged with aggravated domestic assault, two counts of arson, and eluding after a Sunday night incident. Police say Cedric Lawson tried to burn his wife and her son in their home after he had attacked both of them using a machete. The victims
say Lawson tried to force his way in while they hid after the machete attack.
They say he poured gasoline inside through the partly-opened door and tried to set the house on fire. Lawson is being held in the Woodbury County Jail.
State Looking For Second Medical Marijuana Manufacturer
(Des Moines, IA) — The state is looking for another company to produce medical marijuana products. The director of the program, Owen Parker, says Iowa Relief relinquished its license June 2nd and decided not to renew it for this next licensing period. MedPharm was the first company to acquire a
license to manufacture, and Parker says it will continue to supply
dispensaries. He says they have had no issues with maintaining supply to patients. He says applicants need to submit a letter of intent to apply by October 9th and then they have until October 23rd to work on their applications and submit a fee. Parker says it will take around one month to review applications and they hope to award the license on November 20th.
Prisoner Dies From Likely COVID Complications
(Coralville, IA) — A state prison inmate has died of what the Department of Corrections says are likely complications related to Covid-19. Seventy-seven-year-old Richard Leroy Peters of Evansdale died early Sunday afternoon in a prison hospice unit in Coralville. Peters had been in prison since early 2014. He’d been committed to a special lifetime sentence after being found guilty of sexually abusing two girls when they were six and seven. He had a previous child sex abuse conviction in 1988. The Iowa Department of Corrections website indicates 74 inmates in the Medical and Classification Center in Coralville, 132 inmates in Mount Pleasant, and one inmate at the prison in Newton have Covid-19.
