(Le Mars)–A vice president for a Le Mars-based power supplier will provide impact information as a followup to this week’s National Rural Electric Cooperative Association annual Legislative Conference in Washington.
Cap and Trade legislation and the 2007 court ruling that allows the E-P-A to regulate greenhouse emissions were discussed with the Iowa Congressional delegation.
Chuck Soderberg of the Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative (NIPCO) says the group asked for legislation to be passed so that elected officials and NOT the E-P-A regulate carbon and greenhouse gases.
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Soderberg says the biggest concern is if the carbon restrictions are too strict it will have an economic impact on utility customers, including rates for those customers.
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There were requests to the group to provide the Congressional Delegation and staffers with more information about the specific impacts on consumers. Proposals being considered are a time-out to determine what can be done and legislation to take regulation out of the E-P-A’s authority.
Soderberg and the group also met with Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack on rural utility services programs such as loans and grants. On a personal note, Soderberg joined Senator Chuck Grassley for an early morning three-mile jog.
(LE MARS)–A Gehlen Catholic senior sees “Kids Against Hunger” as a way to help those who have nothing, including food and water.
Jordan Sitzmann has made two Mission Honduras trips. Sitzmann offered bread with peanut butter to a young person he met in Honduras. Sitzmann was puzzled when his offer was refused.
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Sitzmann, the son of Barry and Julie Sitzmann, spoke at the National Day of Prayer in Le Mars Thursdays afternoon. “Kids Against Hunger” has sent meal packets to Honduras from packing events at Gehlen Catholic. Another packing effort is planned today. Volunteers may donate $30 for a student to pack or pay and pack meals themselves from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. The goal is 190,000 meals for people in Honduras. Additional information is available by contacting Gehlen Catholic at 546-4181.
(DES MOINES)—Thirty-eight northwest Iowa students will receive Westmar Endowment Scholarships totalling 36-thousand 500 dollars.
The Iowa College Foundation administers the Westmar Endowment Scholarship program using funds from the former Le Mars college’s endowment for private college or university scholarships.
Westmar Presidential Scholarships of $5,000 each were awarded to Kyle Kinney of Sioux City who will be a freshman at Morningside College in Sioux City and to Cody Vander Berg of Sioux Center who will be a freshman at Dordt College in Sioux Center. Seventeen students each received one-thousand dollars and 19 students received $500.
The Westmar Endowment Scholarship program is one of the largest scholarship programs ever offered in northwest Iowa. First consideration for awards is given to students who are current northwest Iowa residents and have a Westmar connection such as alumni, former staff and faculty as well as their children and grandchildren.
IOWA COLLEGE FOUNDATION WESTMAR ENDOWMENT SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS For Academic Year 2010-2011
Student’s Last Name, First Name, grade level, Institution, Hometown, Amount:
Kinney Kyle Freshman Morningside College Sioux City $5,000
Vander Berg Cody Freshman Dordt College Sioux Center 5,000
Bomgaars Anne Freshman Wartburg College Sheldon 1,000
Bomgaars Jill Junior Wartburg College Sheldon 1,000
Gregg, Marissa Sophomore Morningside College Hawarden 1,000
DeRocher Keshia Junior Morningside College LeMars 1,000
Gallagher Johnathan Junior Dordt College Hornick 1,000
Heeren Jessica Junior Briar Cliff University LeMars 1,000
Lewis Sadie Freshman Drake University Remsen 1,000
Lewis Samantha Senior Buena Vista University Remsen 1,000
Nussbaum Jennifer Senior Mount Mercy College LeMars 1,000
Oetken Michael Sophomore Morningside College Akron 1,000
Ream Jessica Senior Briar Cliff University Westfield 1,000
Rohe Eric Junior Briar Cliff University LeMars 1,000
Roy Austin Sophomore Simpson College LeMars 1,000
Roy Lara Senior Simpson College LeMars 1,000
Rylaarsdam James Freshman Dordt College Sioux Center 1,000
Vander Velde Jessica Senior Northwestern College Rock Valley 1,000
Vander Velde Lindsey Freshman Northwestern College Rock Valley 1,000
Buryanek Brice Senior Morningside College Hawarden 500
Clay Christopher Freshman Drake University LeMars 500
Conrad Kassondra Senior Morningside College Sioux City 500
Crawford Kelsi Junior Briar Cliff University LeMars 500
Engebretson Briana Sophomore Briar Cliff University LeMars 500
Evans Trey Freshman Morningside College Hartley 500
Gallagher Michael Sophomore Dordt College Hornick 500
Hatting Kayla Sophomore Luther College LeMars 500
Heidebrink Bailey Freshman Morningside College LeMars 500
Kessenich Jacquelyn Sophomore Morningside College LeMars 500
Lancaster Zachary Sophomore Simpson LeMars 500
Meredith Joshua Freshman Morningside College LeMars 500
Oetken Lindsey Junior Simpson LeMars 500
Ogren Jordan Freshman Morningside College Cherokee 500
Pitts Matthew Freshman Morningside College Cherokee 500
Schreiner Joshua Freshman Morningside College LeMars 500
Sitzmann Jordan Freshman Morningside College LeMars 500
Smith Taylor Junior Morningside College LeMars 500
Valentine Alanna Senior Buena Vista University Cherokee 500
Total Awards $36,500.
(LE MARS)–Nearly a year of planning will end when 400 visitors are in Le Mars next week for the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Main Street Theater event.
Six buses will bring the visitors to Le Mars to attend the May 12 and May 13th Main Street and Le Mars Community Theater luncheon and theater presentation, “A Dog’s Life.” The guests are from Aberdeen, Lincoln, Omaha, Alcester, Worthington, Norfolk, Tilden, Wausa, Laurel, Osmond as well as Council Bluffs, Missouri Valley and Carter Lake.
They’ll be welcomed by Mayor Dick Kirchoff and the Chamber Ambassadors at the Olson Cultural Event Center. They’ll receive a discount shopping sheet and tour the Veteran’s Park, Plymouth County Historical Museum, Ice Cream Parlor and Visitor Center, Eric Wong’s bed and breakfast, St. George’s Episcopal Church and the Le Mars Art Center.
Reynolds says 40 of the 400 men and women from tri-state bank clubs will stay overnight in Le Mars hotels and attend the Orange City Tulip Festival the next day.
Main Street Vice President Becky Klohs says the Main Street organization has been working to make the visit a fun one for all. Proceeds will be split between the Main Street Program and the Le Mars Community Theater.
A limited number of tickets are left for the evening performance for community members May 13th. Reservations may be made by contacting the chamber.
(GALVA)–A renewable fuels business in northwest Iowa is laying off more than half of its workforce.
The Iowa Renewable Fuels Association announced the job losses at Maple River Energy near Galva. Maple River Energy is a soybean crush plant, oil refinery and biodiesel production facility. On a temporary basis, 12 of the 18 employees have been laid off.
According to the association, Maple River Energy made the decision to end the employment until the biodiesel blenders credit is reinstated.
Maple River general manager Delayne Johnson says Congress has failed to live up to a promise to restore the biodiesel tax credit as a first priority this year. Without the credit, Johnson says Maple River is losing 12-thousand dollars a day.
Maple River is a five-million gallons per year plant.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) The oil slick in the Gulf of Mexico may soon cause anxiety not only among the fishermen in that area, but also some of their customers.
Iowa grocery stores and restaurants that serve seafood from the gulf said they are not yet worried. But that could change in short order.
Cedar Falls Ferrari’s Ristorante’s executive chef Andrew Ungs says it’s discouraging to see fishermen switch efforts to clean up oil instead of fishing. Authorities say more than 200,000 gallons of oil a day is pouring from the well.
Ungs says the longer the leak persists, the higher the chance of running into a shortage of shrimp, oysters, grouper, snapper and other seafood.
Commerce Secretary Gary Locke says portions of the Gulf have been closed to fishing to signal seafood harvested from the Gulf is safe.
GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) Humane society workers are working to keep alive about two dozen dogs found starving on a property near the western Iowa town of Pacific Junction.
Authorities say rescuers on Wednesday found 27 dogs chained to car axles. Of that number, two had to be euthanized.
Kelly Nutter of the Loess Hills Humane Society shelter in Mills County says each of the dogs could have died a painful death if she and authorities had not stepped in. She said most of the animals had no shelter from the elements and some didn’t have teeth.
According to Nutter, the property where the dogs were found appeared to be abandoned.
No charges have been filed in the case.
Officials of the Loess Hills Humane Society say they are seeking food and supplies to help care for the animals.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Des Moines police say a knife-wielding man in a wheelchair held his girlfriend hostage in a bathroom for nearly 20 hours after fighting about disciplining the woman’s child.
Police accuse 32-year-old Carlos Gomez Pellayo of forcing 26-year-old Maria Hernandez into the bathroom at knifepoint on Wednesday and refusing to let her leave until late Thursday morning.
Officers say Pellayo, who is confined to a wheelchair, blocked Hernandez’s efforts to leave the bathroom and she was unable to reach a phone to call for help.
Police say they believe Pellayo may be using an alias. He was being held in the Polk County Jail without bond Thursday night on charges of domestic assault, obstruction of emergency communications and false imprisonment.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) The mother of a 13-year-old who was hospitalized after a fight in a Cedar Rapids middle school bathroom says he has been suspended for three days.
Tonja Sexton says her son, Peyten, was suspended for his role in the April 28 fight at Prairie Point Middle School that left him with a broken jaw.
College Community School District spokesman Steve Doser confirmed only that two students were disciplined for their role in the fight that sent Peyten Sexton to St. Luke’s Hospital for an overnight stay.
Peyten’s lower jaw was broken and cheekbone fractured. His jaw was wired shut last week, and he expects it to remain that way for four weeks.
CARLISLE, Iowa (AP) According to a police report, Carlisle Fire Chief Scott Burger appeared to be drunk when he responded last week to a 911 call from a man whose wife was going into diabetic shock.
According to the report, a Carlisle police officer who confronted Burger after the incident said Burger admitted to violating department policy by drinking two beers while on duty.
It also says a breath sample indicated Burger’s blood alcohol was almost twice the legal limit.
Officers who were at the scene said Burger did not seem to be helping the woman effectively.
Burger, who has been placed on administrative leave, has not commented on the incident.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) Authorities in Black Hawk County are moving ahead with designs to replace a set of bridges east of La Porte City on Brandon Road.
The Black Hawk County Board of Supervisors voted unanimously this week to approve spending as much as $515,000 for a Waterloo firm to prepare designs for the estimated $7 million project.
The county has already spend about $100,000 on preliminary design work.
The project involves replacing the bridges crossing the Cedar River and Wolf Creek, along with the replacement of Brandon Road between the bridges and for a short stretch on either side.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Cupcakes have been enlisted in the effort to raise funds for cancer research.
About 1,000 cupcakes were arranged Thursday in the design of University of Iowa’s Tigerhawk logo and sold to raise money for the cause.
Sarah Kohler is one of those who volunteered in the effort. Her aunt was diagnosed 10 years ago with stage-three breast cancer, which she survived. Recently, a second family member was diagnosed with cancer.
As she frosted the cupcakes pink and white as part of the Cupcakes for a Cure event, the Iowa senior noted the spread of cancer won’t end so fundraising must continue until a cure is found.
Kohler and three others were trying to raise $10,000 so they can participate in the 60-mile Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure walk in August in Chicago.
PELLA, Iowa (AP) The residents of Pella are about to hear what it sounds like when more than a thousand pairs of wooden shoes clatter on the pavement.
Event planners in Pella say they are hoping to break the world record for a Dutch-themed event called “klompen,” which involves mass dancing in wooden shoes.
The event is part of the upcoming 2010 Pella Tulip Time festival. It’s set to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, and planners say they hope to have the world record broken about a half-hour later.
Pella Historical Society president Sallie De Reus says the main requirement is that everyone has to dance for five minutes straight.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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