Icy Roads Send Vehicles To Ditch
(Le Mars) — At least seven different vehicles have gone into the ditch this morning on Plymouth County roads due to this morning’s rain that quickly turned to ice. Most of the accidents happened between 7:00 a.m and 10:00 a.m., prior to when the temperatures were able to rise above the freezing mark of 32 degrees. Plymouth County Sheriff’s officials say fortunately, none of the accidents resulted in any injuries. One woman lost control of her SUV on County Road C-16 northwest of Le Mars, when she hit a patch of ice on the road causing her vehicle to enter the ditch and roll over on its side. The woman did not sustain any injuries, but the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department responded to the accident scene in order to extricate the woman from her vehicle. County road officials have scattered sand on many of the paved county roads in order to help motorists gain better traction. Sioux County reported they had a number of vehicles that also left the roadways due to the morning’s icy conditions, but officials would not give an exact number. At least two schools, Sheldon Community and George Little Rock both had a delayed start this morning as a result of the ice.
Boyden Fire Department Responds To Hog Confinement Fire
(Orange City) — The Boyden Fire Department responded to a fire at a hog confinement facility Friday evening shortly after 7:00 p.m. The fire was reported at 3768 360th Street, about seven miles southwest of Boyden. When fire fighters arrived on the scene, they saw heavy smoke coming from the structure. The building contained 2,800 pigs. One of the 75 feet by 125 feet sections of the barn was fully engulfed in flames, and fire officials worked more than three hours to extinguish the blaze. Sioux County officials report there were no pigs in the particular room at the time of the fire, and at this time there has not been a report of loss of any of the animals. The hog building did sustain approximately $750,000 in damages. The Boyden Fire Department was assisted at the scene by the Hull Fire Department, and Hull ambulance, Orange City Fire Department, Sioux Center Fire Department, Boyden ambulance, and the Sioux County Sheriff’s office. The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the Boyden Fire Department and the Iowa State Fire Marshal.
Crop Advantage Seminar Scheduled For Le Mars
(Le Mars) — Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will be hosting a Crop Advantage seminar, scheduled for 10:00 a.m., January 27th to be held at the Le Mars Convention Center. Crops Specialist for northwest Iowa, Joel DeJong says the seminar will concentrate on the weather and the grain marketing outlook.
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The conference will continue through the afternoon hours with sessions examining the new farm bill, weeds, soil fertility, corn diseases, and other issues. DeJong says some of the sessions will be held simultaneously.
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DeJong says many farmers are concerned about weeds developing resistance to popular herbicides, and those farmers are turning to tried and true measures from decades past.
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Registration is $50 before Thursday, but if you wait until the day of the conference, DeJong says registration will increase to $60.
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Sioux City Youth Wants To Follow Martin Luther King Jr.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Seventeen-year-old Xavier Scarlett says he notices eyes following him whenever he enters a store or whenever he’s on the streets at night.
He’s president of his Iowa high school’s National Honor Society and captain of the basketball team, but Scarlett told the Sioux City Journal (https://bit.ly/1IY5C3p ) that he’s still thought of as a black, male teen who must be watched carefully.
He says he wants to follow in the footsteps of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.
Scarlett was scheduled to be one of the featured speakers at Monday evening’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day ceremony at Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church.
Scartlett says civil rights “isn’t a black issue. It’s a human issue.”
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