(LE MARS)–Prices for the 2010 crop are on the minds of northwest Iowa farmers preparing to plant their new crops.
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey told KLEM News that growing conditions are a little damp in a lot of areas and temperatures are colder. But Northey said warmer temperatures and breezes could dry the ground to the point where producers are in the fields.
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Moisture is not a problem for planting this spring in northwest Iowa.
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Northey spoke to a Plymouth and Cherokee County group at the end of last month.
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Grain prices are a frequent topic for farmers when Northey is traveling.
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When lawmakers complete the Legislative session and pass budgets, Northey expects a flat budget for his department.
(HULL)–The cause of a fire and explosions at a Sioux County business Thursday still has not been determined.
A Deputy State Fire Marshal and the Hull Fire Department investigated the fire at K and O Manufacturing on Highway 18 in Hull.
The livestock trailer maker had smoke and water damage to the entire complex of buildings.
Investigators believe the fire started near the paint spraying equipment in a room adjacent to the paint booth.
(LE MARS)–Rural construction in Plymouth County was about two-million dollars in March.
Zoning administrator Alan Lucken’s report listed 22 permits with all but six of the permits for buildings on farms.
Lucken reported 16 farm permits for building estimated to cost one-point-six million dollars. The construction included two houses; two house additions; a garage and a garage addition.
There were also four machine and storage buildings; a permit for a hog confinement; and a hoop building as well as a commodity building.
Construction on rural areas that are not farms totalled about 300-thousand dollars. The six permits were for one new house; four storage buildings; and one garage.
(SIOUX CENTER)–Dordt College hosts a Texas Congressman as part of a Presidential Lecture Series hosted by the Family Leader.
Ron Paul, a Republican, ran for president in 2008. He’ll speak in the Dordt Campus Center at ten Monday morning. The event is free and open to the public.
Bob Vander Plaats of the Family Leader says the group’s lecture series gives northwest Iowans a chance to meet and evaluate the candidates for president in person.
He recently won the presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Conference for the second straight year.
Dordt is one of three stops for Paul. He’ll also speak at Pella and Iowa City.
(LE MARS)–Early May is the soonest the Le Mars City Council will consider a study of the city’s waste treatment.
The city and consultant Bolton and Menk are looking at options to expand the capacity of the wastewater treatment facility in northwest Le Mars. Another option is a second treatment location. No decisions have been made. The goal is to have adequate waste treatment for today and growth in the future.
City Administrator Scott Langel says there’s new information from the consultant that needs to be reviewed by city staff and a committee.
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The city received the requested information from the consultant this week.
(ORANGE CITY)–Infections in northwest Iowans that are resistent to antibiotics are being studied by Northwestern College students, faculty and doctors at the Hawarden Community Clinic.
Individuals who have a potential staph infection will be offered the option of enrolling in a study through the Hawarden Clinic.
The work will focus on M-R-S-A known as the “superbug” because of its resistance to medication.
Northwestern College Biology professor Dr. Elizabeth Truesdell and her students will gain hands on clinical research experience.
The study is funded by a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Police say the shooting of a real estate agent at a model townhouse in West Des Moines appears to be an isolated incident.
Lt. Jim Barrett says in a statement that the shooting happened around 2 p.m. Friday.
Police say the woman appeared to suffer two gunshot wounds and was taken to an area hospital.
Authorities say there’s no reason to believe the shooting was anything other than an isolated incident. But investigators are still trying to determine a motive and possible suspect.
The victim’s name, age and condition were not immediately available.
Iowa Realty chief executive Mike Knapp confirmed the woman was an Iowa Realty agent. He says the company is asking all its agents to shut down operations until more is known about the shooting.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) A former Waterloo teacher has been found guilty on five counts of lascivious conduct with a minor.
A Black Hawk County jury reached a verdict Friday in the state’s case against 53-year-old Larry Twigg.
Twigg, who was fired after the allegations surfaced last year, was convicted of all five charges. The charges are misdemeanors and carry up to one year in jail each.
The student testified that Twigg invited him to his home in December 2009 and January 2010 to make up class work and earn money. The student testified that Twigg coerced him into partially undressing at his home.
The Waterloo-Cedar Fall Courier says the defense argued that acts weren’t sexual. They say Twigg suffered from problems following an earlier traffic accident that resulted in head injuries.
NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (AP) A pedestrian from Iowa City was killed after being struck by a semi on Interstate 380.
A crash report from the Iowa State Patrol says an unidentified 55-year-old Iowa City resident was parked on the shoulder of the road shortly after noon on Friday.
Police say the person walked into the path of a semi driven by 52-year-old Kenneth Pilkenton of Arnold, Mo. Pilkenton tried to swerve but was unable to avoid the pedestrian, who was pronounced dead at the scene.
That person’s name is being withheld pending notification of family members.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen says an investigation by the Iowa State Patrol and Johnson County Sheriff’s Office is ongoing.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) The death of a Dubuque school district employee who died in February has been ruled in accident.
Thirty-three-year-old Lawrence Brehm died after he was struck in the parking lot of the district’s administration building by a school vehicle driven by another employee on Feb. 8. Brehm died at the scene.
Brehm was an electrician and had been employed by the district since 2005.
The Telegraph Herald is reporting that officials have determined Brehm’s death was an accident.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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