Firefighters Respond To Two Calls On Friday
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department responded to a couple of calls late Friday afternoon and Friday evening. The first call was shortly before 5:00 p.m. when they responded to a dumpster fire located at the Le Mars Estates on 4th Avenue Northeast. Later in the evening, at about 9:30 p.m., firefighters responded to a call to Gehlen Catholic school. Apparently, the smell of smoke was detected at the athletic storage shed. The smoke was the result of an electric exhaust fan that its motor was malfunctioning. Firefighters removed the exhaust fan and ventilated the building.
(photo contributed.)
Gehlen Catholic Calls Off Homecoming Parade
(Le Mars) — First it was Le Mars Community to cancel its Homecoming Parade due to the COVID-19 virus, now Gehlen Catholic’s homecoming parade celebration scheduled for October 9th has also been cancelled. At this time, Gehlen Catholic’s School Board has cancelled the homecoming parade due to
COVID 19. It is our goal to keep our students in school and participating in their activities. As a school, it is our responsibility to keep our students and our families safe and to promote social distancing as much as possible.
It is still our intent to have coronation and other events during homecoming week, with appropriate measures being taken for safety purposes. Information will be released as it is available. These plans are subject to change.
Chamber of Commerce Halloween Event Is Cancelled
(Le Mars) — Another annual fall event that has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic is the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce’s annual Halloween Trick and Treat program. Due to COVID-19, the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors have decided to cancel the 2020 Halloween Trick or Treat Event for Children that would have been held on Saturday, October 31. Also cancelled are the Le Mars Arts Center and the Le Mars Public Library Halloween activities. Other recently announced cancelled events due to the coronavirus includes the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department’s annual fire prevention week pancake breakfast, and the Pioneer Village Winter Wonderland.
Iowa Ag Secretary Comments On Second CFAP Payment
(Akron) — The U-S Department of Agriculture has announced a second round of payments to be directed to farmers for COVID-19 relief. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig was in Akron Friday morning and says the payments will help all farmers, but especially livestock producers. He says as long as the marketplace is being impacted because of the coronavirus outbreak, then the government needs to step in with support for farmers.
Naig says with the second payment, egg producers and turkey producers will also benefit. He says they were passed over during the first COVID-19 relief payment.
The Iowa Agriculture Secretary was in Akron to visit with Bill and Sue Brown, owners of the Insulight Company. The Browns created an insulator used for electric fencing that is equipped with a LED light that flashes indicating the electric fence is operating.
Sioux City Student Creates “Chair Of Honor”
(Sioux City) — Friday was National POW/MIA Recognition Day, and a Sioux City student organized a local effort to launch a local “Chair of Honor” program recognizing our nation’s military Prisoners of War, Missing in Action, and their families.
Jacob McGowan , a junior at Bishop Heelan High School, led the
ceremony unveiling the first permanent “Chair of Honor” at the new Siouxland Expo Center:
He is referring to General Bud Day, who was a POW during the Vietnam War, enduring five years and seven months of torture and earning the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Congressman Steve King spoke about Day’s strength in surviving
torture and hardship during the ceremony:
Senator Ernst, the first female combat veteran elected to serve in the U.S. Senate, also attended the event and says it is important to remember the sacrifice of Day and others who paid a steep price in serving their country:
McGowan’s ongoing effort is to place “Chairs of Honor” in stadiums and theaters throughout the community through tax deductible donations contributed through the Siouxland Chamber Foundation.
In addition to the permanent chair that will remain at the Siouxland Expo Center, a portable “Chair of Honor,” was also unveiled, dedicated to the memory of Bud Day.
Ernst Praises USDA For Second Round of Coronavirus Food Assistance
(Washington, DC) — U-S Senator Joni Ernst is praising the U-S-D-A for providing a second round of Coronavirus Food Assistance Program relief to farmers impacted by COVID-19. Around 14-billion dollars in direct payments will go to suffering producers. Ernst said, “farmers throughout Iowa’s entire agriculture community have been hit hard by COVID-19. This additional support will help our producers as they continue to navigate the challenges created by the pandemic.” The Iowa Republican says she applauds the U-S-D-A for heeding her calls to include turkey farmers in the new round of relief.
1259 New COVID Cases in Iowa, 10 More Deaths
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting one-thousand-259 new positive tests for COVID-19, increasing the state’s total to 78-thousand-227 cases. Ten more Iowans have died from coronavirus complications which brings the death toll to one-thousand-258. Two-hundred-81 people are hospitalized with COVID, 91 patients are in intensive care and
39 are on ventilators. Eight Iowa counties now have a 14-day average positivity rate over 15 percent: Sioux, Lyon, Winnebago, Crawford, Osceola, Plymouth, Carroll and Henry. More than 726-thousand tests have been done in the state since the pandemic began.
Sergeant Bluff Man Accused of Sexually Abusing 12-Year-Old in Sioux City
(Sioux City, IA) — A northwest Iowa man is jailed in Sioux City for the alleged sexual abuse of a 12-year-old girl. Police say 28-year-old Andrew Sanders of Sergeant Bluff is accused of third-degree sexual abuse, lascivious acts, entice away a child and soliciting prostitution. Officers say Sanders had a sexual conversation on social media with the girl in April and she
agreed to met him. Investigators say Sanders agreed to pay the 12-year-old money in exchange for sex acts.
Field of Dreams Offering ‘Dinner On The Diamond’
(Dyersville, IA) — There’s limited outdoor seating available for dining in the outfield featured in the iconic 1989 movie about baseball that was filmed near Dyersville. Manager Roman Weinberg asked, “What better place to have a nice, sit-down meal and a relaxing meal other than the Field of Dreams movie
site?” Weinberg says this is just another way they’re trying to draw people out and have a unique experience that has never been offered here before.
“Dinner on the Diamond” is being offered today through Sunday as well as the last weekend in September and two weekends in October.
