(JOHNSTON)–A Sioux County school will receive a grant from the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.
The 25-hundred dollar Biodiesel Backer award is for West Sioux Community School District.
The Renewable Fuels Association awards grants based on education of students and communities about biodiesel and the use of biodiesel in school programming.
West Sioux uses a biodiesel fuel blend in buses from May to November. The district also offers the Agricultural Renewable fuels class. The class was started to provide students with a basic knowledge and understanding of the ethanol and biodiesel industry. West Sioux students produce ethanol and biodiesel fuel which is run in lab test engines.
(HULL)–A northwest Iowa lawmaker is announcing an endorsement he’s received.
Representative Dwayne Alons of Hull says he’s been endorsed by the Association of Business and Industry (ABI).
Alons says he’s honored to receive the endorsement because small businesses are the backbone of communities.
Alons, a Republican, is unopposed in his bid to be elected to a seventh term in the Iowa House representing District Four which includes Sioux and Lyon Counties.
(SHELDON)–Golfers helped Village Northwest Unlimited in Sheldon raise more than 22-thousand dollars.
The 10th annual benefit golf tournament for Village Northwest July 19th had play from 132 golfers on the Ridge Golf Course in Sioux Center.
The tournament proceeds will benefit the 180 people with disabilities served at Village Northwest Unlimited .
A team sponsored by Siouxland Fabricating of Rock Valley had the best score in the four-person best ball format with a score of 57. The team included Al Pottebaum, Rian Vos, Thad Dykstra and Chris Schuett.
The tournament has raised nearly 145-thousand dollars to date.
(SIOUX CITY)–A life-size Newfoundland, Seaman the dog, is back at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City.
The animatronic version of Captain Meriwether Lewis’ loyal dog, Seaman, and a prairie dog are set against a mural created by Sioux City artist Darren Maurer (mar-er). The dog and prairie dog were on leave during construction of the new exhibit.
Lewis bought the dog for $20 in Pittsburgh , Pennsylvania in 1803. Based on journals kept of the expedition, the dog caught beavers, squirrels and even an antelope to help feed the soldiers. He also protected the camp from a charging buffalo bull and alerted the group to grizzly bears who threatened the camp.
The new exhibit is at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center on the riverfront in Sioux City.
(RED OAK)–A workshop to help non-profit groups keep their Internal Revenue Service (IRS) non-profit status is planned next week.
The western Iowa Tourism Region and Golden Hills Resource Conservation and Development are co-sponsoring the workshop near Honey Creek.
The goal of the July 28th workshop at the Hitchcock Nature Center is to help non-profits understand the new I-R-S Form 990 reporting requirements.
Pat Wright who owns Wright Associates of Des Moines is the instructor. Wright is a certified public accountant who has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Drake University .
Western Iowa Tourism at Red Oak is handing the registration.
SEWER DEATHS
OSHA investigating deaths of Iowa men in SD sewer
NORTH SIOUX CITY, S.D. (AP) The Occupational Safety and Health Administration continues to investigate the deaths of two Iowa men attempting to unclog a South Dakota sewer.
Two employees of Sioux City, Iowa-based Speedy Rooter were overcome by fumes while working on the sewer July 10 in North Sioux City. Fifty-four-year-old Robert Thompson died the next day, and 35-year-old Chad Elgert died last Sunday. Both men are from Sioux City.
The men’s families say Thompson passed out from the fumes and Elgert had tried to rescue him.
Tom Deutscher in OSHA’s Bismarck, N.D, office says the agency is looking at whether the deaths stemmed from a safety violation. The investigation could take months.
A message left Saturday for Speedy Rooter wasn’t immediately returned. The office was closed for the weekend.
Information from: Sioux City Journal, https://www.siouxcityjournal.com
PELLA DROWNINGS-FUNERAL
Funeral held for KC teens who drowned in Iowa
KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) Mourners gathered in Kansas City for the funeral of two Kansas City boys who drowned at an Iowa pool.
Fourteen-year-old Gael Paulette, also known as Gael Chrispin, and 15-year-old Nehmson Sanon drowned at the Pella Aquatic Center in Iowa on July 14. The boys had been attending a camp in Pella organized by the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
The Kansas City-based organization says the boys and other campers were spending the evening at the pool.
Saturday’s funeral service at Kansas City’s First International Baptist Church was conducted in English and French. The Kansas City Star reports that teens were remembered as young men who were driven by their Christian faith.
The president of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes attended the service.
Nehmson was buried Saturday at Brooking Cemetery. Gael will be buried in Haiti.
Information from: The Kansas City Star, https://www.kcstar.com
MIDWEST FLOODING
Rains flood Ill. interstate, endanger Iowa dam
CHICAGO (AP) Heavy rains drenched swaths of the Midwest, leaving interstates under water, residents stranded and a dam in Iowa on the verge of collapse.
In Chicago, officials say more than 7 inches of rain fell early Saturday.
Standing water closed a portion of Interstate 290 and the commuter train tracks that run along the expressway just west of Chicago’s downtown.
Crews in the western suburb of Westchester were using boats to search for residents trapped in their homes.
In eastern Iowa, the National Weather Service says the Lake Delhi dam has failed and small communities downstream could be severely flooded.
Meteorologist Chris Legro says water has been detected flowing beneath the dam and a complete failure is possible.
INDIANOLA TORNADO
National Weather Service confirms tornado in Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The National Weather Service has a damage assessment team in Indianola after confirming that a tornado touched down in the community.
Meteorologist John Hinsberger says the weather service verified that the tornado touched down about 8 p.m. Friday. No injuries were reported. The amount of damage was not immediately clear.
IOWA-CONGRESS MONEY
Reports show incumbents hold fundraising edge
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Iowa’s incumbent members of Congress have built a huge financial edge over challengers that should give them a big advantage heading into this fall’s general election.
University of Iowa political science professor Bruce Gronbeck says incumbents usually raise more money than challengers, and it’s one reason they typically win re-election.
In central Iowa’s 3rd District, financial disclosures show Democratic U.S. Rep. Leonard Boswell has more than $700,000 in reserves. His Republican challenger, state Sen. Brad Zaun, has about $100,000 in reserves, but nearly $48,000 in debt.
In western Iowa’s 5th District, Republican Rep. Steve King reports more than $300,000 in reserves. Democratic challenger Matt Campbell has about $22,000 in cash and nearly $50,000 in debt.
SMOOCH PROJECT
Photographer seeks Waterloo smoochers
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) A Minnesota photographer is asking volunteers to kiss for the camera.
Photographer Bonnie Fournier is seeking 10,000 exhibition-quality images from various locations for an effort titled “The Smooch! Project.”
Fournier will take photos of folks kissing at the Waterloo Center for the Arts on Sunday between 1 and 5 p.m. Participants are asked only to bring a loved one and demonstrate sincere affection.
Fournier says the project is a documentary to demonstrate that people share a joyful willingness to welcome affection into their lives.
Fournier has already shot pictures in the Twin Cities and Michigan and is planning to visit Canada next month.
People can buy a print for a fee, but Fournier says most people participate only to help the effort succeed.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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