Hinton City Council Terminates Employment Of Public Works Supervisor
(Hinton) — The Hinton city council has terminated the employment of its city street supervisor. During an early morning city council meeting held on October 15th, Hinton city council members went into closed session to discuss
the situation regarding Chad Beck. Once the council returned to open session, council member John Hagestrom made the motion to terminate Chad Beck’s employment as of October 15th. The motion was seconded by Katie Pierson. The motion was approved by a 4 to 1 vote with Jeff Johnson voting against the measure. It was not stated on the city council minutes as to why Beck’s employment was terminated. City officials would not speak about the reasons for the termination. Beck also serves as the fire chief for the Hinton Fire Department. It is not known, nor was it stated, whether the city council’s actions also mean that Beck’s service as the fire chief for the Hinton Fire Department has also ended. KLEM was unable to reach Beck for a comment.
Food Distribution Program Scheduled For Today (Tuesday)
(Le Mars) — A food distribution program is scheduled for today (Tuesday) and it is the result of COVID-19 virus that interrupted the normal chain of food going from farm to market. The program is being held at the Le Mars Convention Center and program coordinator Adri Riesch explains why the food
distribution is happening.
Reisch says the U-S Department of Agriculture organized the food distribution program. She talks about how many boxes of food have already been given to deserving families.
Patrick Visscher is assisting with the program. He says the food is free, and will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis. The food distribution has been delayed, and now will begin at 4:00 p.m. Visscher says there are a total of 300 boxes of food to be distributed.
Visscher says they will provide curbside service when distributing the free food to people.
Pork Producer Invested Check-off Helps Stimulate Consumer Demand For Pork Products
(Le Mars) — We conclude our three-part series focusing on the local pork industry. With earlier reports we learned about how the pork industry plays a significant role in the local economy, and exports of U-S hogs and pork products have been on the increase during the last few years. In this report, we will focus our attention on the pork check-off program. Every time
a pork producer markets their hogs, they make a contribution amounting to 40 cents for every $100 of value. The program is referred to as the “pork check-off.” Consumers may recall the check-off promotion campaign slogan, “Pork the Other White Meat” that was used by pork producers for several years, as a way to encourage people to eat more pork products. Bill
Tentinger is a Plymouth County pork producer and a past president of the Iowa Pork Producers Association. Tentinger now serves as a representative from Iowa on the National Pork Board, which is the governing body of producers and industry officials that supervise and oversee the collection and allocation
of the pork check-off funds. Tentinger explains the money from the check-off can only be used to help finance four different programs.
According to Tentinger, one area how the check-off funds are being utilized is to improve the flavor of pork products, thereby making pork more desirable among consumers.
The COVID-19 virus has certainly interrupted everyone’s lifestyle, but Tentinger says because of the virus, more people are needing to stay home and cook, and as a result, domestic pork demand has increased.
Tentinger says as a result of the producer invested check-off program, pork exports have risen, and consumer demand in food services, such as schools and hospitals are higher, along with fast-food, and high-end scale restaurants are featuring more pork-related items as part of their menus.
Biden To Make Presidential Campaign Stop Friday in Iowa
(Undated) — Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden will make his first appearance in the state this week since the Iowa Caucuses. The former vice president will be in Iowa Friday, but the specific location and time haven’t been released. Biden has not been holding large campaign rallies during the COVID pandemic. He said during a stop in Pennsylvania that he’s going to several battleground states before Election Day, including Iowa, Wisconsin, Georgia and Florida. Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to headline a rally Thursday at the Des Moines Airport.
Amazon Hiring 1000 Employees at New Bondurant Facility
(Bondurant, IA) — Amazon plans to hire more than one-thousand new employees to help fill customer orders at its new facility in Bondurant.
Work is underway on the fulfillment center which is expected to open by the end of the year. Amazon spokeswoman Kirsten Wenker says the jobs range from picking, packing, shipping, and assisting robotics. There are also positions in human resources and I-T. The company is offering a 500-dollar bonus for people who apply early. Positions start at 15 dollars an hour and
come with health, dental and 401-K benefits.
$5 Million in Rural Iowa Broadband Grants Available
(Des Moines, IA) — Governor Kim Reynolds says another five-million dollars in Rural Iowa Broadband Grants are available. Reynolds says the future economy and quality of life depend on every Iowa home, business and farm having high speed Internet access. The first round of grants in 2018 connected more than 61-thousand thousand schools, homes and businesses. The
governor says the state has invested nearly 200-million dollars in private and public funds in broadband infrastructure this year. Applications for the latest round of broadband grants open Thursday and run through November 22nd.
Iowa DNR Expects Good Pheasant Hunting Season
(Des Moines, IA) — The countdown is on to the opening of the Iowa pheasant season this Saturday. D-N-R wildlife biologist Todd Bogenschutz says there’s anticipation of a good season. He says the crop harvest has been running well above normal and the numbers for other D-N-R activities have been up
during the pandemic and that could carry over to pheasant season.
Bogenschutz said, “it will be interesting to see if there is a COVID bump as they are expecting 55-thousand hunters and a bump could push that to 65-thousand.” He suggests you scout out your hunting areas beforehand –because there could be changes due to C-R-P areas being opened up to haying.
Bogenschutz says the August roadside survey shows there should be plenty of birds available.
