Hawarden Hosting Viet Nam War Memorial Replica Wall
(Hawarden) — A half size replica of the Viet Nam Memorial Wall is scheduled to be in northwest Iowa through the weekend. The “Moving Wall” arrived in Hawarden Thursday afternoon and features all 58,306 names of those service men and women that lost their lives during the Viet Nam War. Roger Johnson is the chairman of the Sioux County Commission of Veteran Affairs and is overseeing the exhibition of the moving wall. He says it is referred to as the “moving wall” not just because of its capability of traveling from town to town, but he says, the wall also stirs up emotions for those that view it.
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For Johnson, the wall symbolizes a special meaning.
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In addition to his brother’s name, Johnson says there are four other names on the wall with either a Hawarden or neighboring town Ireton connection.
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Johnson says the local American Legion post had been trying for four years to bring the Viet Nam replica wall to Hawarden. He says when the wall arrived Thursday afternoon, a caravan helped escort it into town.
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Johnson says the “Moving Wall” will be accessible 24 hours, and it will have guards posted, as well as volunteers to assist with the locating of names. He says, like the Wall featured in Washington D.C., people will also have the opportunity to sketch a name. The Viet Nam replica wall will remain on display until Monday, August 17th. The Viet Nam War Wall Memorial is located near the Hawarden Community Center.
School Election Registrations And Absentee Ballots Available Now At Auditor’s Office
(Le Mars) — School board elections are scheduled for Tuesday, September 8th and the Plymouth County Auditor’s office is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday for those people needing to register to vote. Registration forms can be obtained in person from the Plymouth County Auditor’s office at the county courthouse. Voter registration forms can also be downloaded by going to the county’s website www.co.plymouth.ia.us and click on Online Services and then County forms and mailed to the auditor’s office. If you wish to have a voter registration form mailed to you, you can contact the auditor’s office. Absentee ballots for local school board elections will be available beginning on Friday, August 14th in the auditor’s office. The last day to request an absentee ballot to be mailed to your attention is Friday, September 4th. The deadline for postmarks on absentee ballot is Saturday, September 5th for this year’s school elections, due to the Labor Day holiday. Voted absentee ballots can be brought to the auditor’s office on Election Day, Tuesday, September 8th, up until 8:00 p.m. in order to be counted.
Crop Dusting Plane Crashes Near Sac City
SAC CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a crop-dusting plane has crashed shortly after taking off from an airport in northwest Iowa.
The Sac County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release Thursday that the accident was reported about 4 p.m. Wednesday. The Sac City Airport manager said the plane had crashed south of the airport and that airport officials were in contact with the pilot, who said he hadn’t been injured.
The pilot was identified as 50-year-old Randall Sievert, of Alta. He reported that he noticed engine trouble after takeoff and was trying to return to the airport when he crashed into a cornfield.
Sievert and airport officials didn’t immediately return calls Thursday from The Associated Press.
The crash is being investigated.
Judge Rules Landowner Must Allow Oil Pipeline Company To Look At Property
PILOT MOUND, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa district court judge says a man must allow a company to survey his land as part of a proposal for an oil pipeline.
Judge John Haney says in a ruling filed this month that Dakota Access LLC has the right to temporarily enter Laverne Johnson’s property in Boone County to examine the land, which is in the path of the proposed pipeline. Haney says the move does not interfere with fundamental property rights.
Johnson had refused to let representatives of Dakota Access, a unit of Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners, onto his land. Dakota Access sought a court injunction.
Dakota Access is seeking approval to build an oil pipeline across Iowa and other states.
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Mike Huckabee: First Presidential Hopeful To Stand On State Fair’s “Soap Box”
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Mike Huckabee has veteran insight to share about the Iowa State Fair.
“Pork chop on a stick. Trust me. It’s what’s for breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack,” the former Arkansas governor said Thursday.
The winner of the 2008 Iowa Republican caucuses, Huckabee started his turn atop the fair’s political soapbox with the dining tip.
When he got around to politics, the presidential hopeful spoke about his experience in office, his plans to create jobs and his opposition to abortion.
He then took questions from the crowd, but with a caveat. He said he didn’t actually want any Q and A, but rather some “questions and avoidance.”
He told the crowd, “You ask questions. I will try not to do anything that will end my presidential aspirations here today at the soapbox.”
Huckabee went on to banter easily with the crowd.
Despite Growing Economy, Food Banks Still See Increase Demand
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Food banks nationwide are dealing with rising demand despite the growing economy, leading some charities to reduce the amount they offer each family.
U.S. food banks are expected to give away about 4 billion pounds of food this year. Feeding America, the nation’s primary food bank network, says that’s more than double the amount provided a decade ago.
The group gave away 3.8 billion in 2013.
Food bank reliance exploded when the economy tanked in 2008, but groups say demand still rises each year.
Some economists say the increased demand is surprising because the economy is growing and unemployment has been cut nearly in half since the recession.
But many people who have found jobs are working only part-time or for low wages, and others have stopped looking for work.
Nursing Care Reaches Settlement
JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) – A nursing facility chain in Iowa that was accused of submitting inaccurate cost reports for Medicaid payments will pay more than $415,000 as part of a settlement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the southern and northern districts of Iowa said in a news release Thursday that Signature Care Centers, LLC, and its seven related nursing facilities in Iowa have agreed to pay the money to resolve civil allegations involving Medicaid overpayments for the 2008 and 2010 fiscal years.
The agreement includes no admission of liability or wrongdoing. Messages left for Signature Care Centers were not immediately returned Thursday.
The seven related nursing facilities are Gowrie Care Center, Lake Park Care Center, Perry Health Care Center, Primghar Rehabilitation and Care Center, Rosewood Manor, Woodlands Rehabilitation Center and Sutherland Care Center.
Fire Association Official Accused Of Theft
LECLAIRE, Iowa (AP) – The former president of a volunteer fire association in eastern Iowa has been accused of theft that involves the organization.
The LeClaire Police Department said Thursday that 44-year-old Shawn Ream has been charged with second-degree theft. A message left with his attorney was not immediately returned Thursday.
Ream is the former president of the LeClaire Volunteer Firefighter Association, which is not affiliated with the city.
Police say they contacted state authorities in June following suspicious financial transactions on the association’s bank account. Additional information was not released.
