Museum To Host 11th Annual Woofstock Event On Saturday
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Historical Museum is going to the dogs. Saturday, marks the 11th annual Woofstock event, a celebration of dogs and children. Angel Anderson says the event has been growing and getting bigger each year.
This year’s Woofstock event is slated as “Dog’s Day Out.” Anderson says Woofstock will provide dogs from Noah’s Hope that are ready for adoption.
The annual Woofstock begins at 10:00 a.m. with the Poochi Parade, which will be followed by the Doggy Costume Contest.
Woofstock will also hold a canine king and queen contest. There will be vendors featuring a trade show, a silent auction, the blessing of the dogs, of course you can’t have a dog show without having a “flea market.” Anderson says refreshments and concessions will be available for everyone to enjoy.
During this year’s Woofstock, there will be some honorary service dogs to be recognized. There is free admission to the Woofstock event. Woofstock will get started at 10:00 a.m. and is scheduled to continue until 3:00 p.m.
(photos from 2018 Woofstock event.)
Nature Conservancy of Iowa Purchases Plymouth County Land
(Des Moines) — An environmental group has bought an 830-acre property in Plymouth County’s Loess Hills region for two-and-a-half million dollars with plans to preserve its native prairie. The Nature Conservancy in Iowa has been talking with a landowner for decades about acquiring his property in Plymouth County to preserve the landscape. The Conservancy’s Graham McGaffin says they were aware of some competing interests to convert the property to smaller parcels or use some of the Loess
Hills dirt for construction needs.
The land links two other protected properties for a combined almost three- thosuand acres in the northern Loess Hills.
He says the land will be great for migrating birds and other wildlife.
They’ll eventually transfer the property — named the Hummel tract — to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to manage. The public will be able to hunt and hike there. The property is located in Section 26 of Hancock township, located within the southwestern region of Plymouth County.
Congressman King Recognizes Hornick For Flood Recovery
(Le Mars) — As flood waters, once again threaten many communities, particularly in southwestern Iowa, one community that has been trying to recover from the floods that struck in March is the Woodbury County town of Hornick. Congressman Steve King was in Hornick earlier this week to recognize those individuals that assisted with the flood recovery efforts.
King specifically highlighted the efforts of Hornick mayor, Scott Mitchell.
The Republican Congressman says nearly half the town attended the ceremonies, and he says the townspeople of Hornick have pride in their community, and in the way they took action to recover from the recent flooding.
King says the people of Hornick are a determined group that like to get things done, and are getting things done.
(photos contributed.)
Army Corps of Engineers To Release More Water From Gavin’s Point Dam
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is planning to increase releases of water Saturday from the Gavin’s Point Dam into the Missouri River.
Missouri River Basin Management Chief John Remus said Thursday the Corps is increasing releases because of water on the ground and runoff into the Oahe and Fort Randall reservoirs in South Dakota from recent rains.
He said the releases would increase by 5,000 cubic feet per second, to 75,000 cfs. The Corps also increased releases Wednesday.
Remus said the Corps is keeping its releases at the Garrison Dam in North Dakota at 15,000 cfs to offset other water flowing into the Oahe and Fort Randall reservoirs. He said the melting of mountain snow also has slowed.
The river has been high for months, and increased releases could lead to more flooding.
Farmers Facing Delayed Planting, Tariffs, And Trade Disagreements
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Midwestern farmers are enduring a spring like no other and are facing difficult choices in the coming weeks.
Most of the nation’s corn and soybeans are grown in the Midwest, and the region’s farmers have struggled for years with low prices, which got even worse due to a trade dispute between the U.S. and China.
This spring’s seemingly endless storms have compounded their
problems, keeping many farmers from being able to plant their crops.
President Donald Trump promised $16 billion in aid, but that has
added to farmers’ confusion about how to approach this strange spring because details about the payments won’t be released until later.
Jeff Jorgenson, a farmer from southwestern Iowa, says these weighty decisions are on his mind “24 hours a day.”
National Weather Services Confirm Tornadoes Struck Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The National Weather Service has confirmed seven tornadoes hit Iowa as storms raked the state earlier this week.
The Des Moines Register reports that all the twisters that hit
Wednesday were weak, with winds under 95 mph.
The weather service confirmed an EF-1 tornado in Poweshiek County that injured a man and damaged a farmstead near Barnes City. The other six confirmed tornadoes, all classified as EF-0, made brief touchdowns in Hardin County north of Iowa Falls, along with Sac, Pocahontas and Humboldt counties.
No injuries and minimal damage was reported from those twisters.
National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Cogil in Des Moines says the weakest confirmed Iowa tornado from Wednesday had wind speeds that topped out at 70 mph.
—
Former Nurse At Mental Health Institute Blames New Collective Bargaining Rules For Her Dismissal
INDEPENDENCE, Iowa (AP) – A former nurse at a state mental health center is blaming changes to collective bargaining rules for a decision to fire her after a patient severely beat her last fall.
The Des Moines Register reports Tina Suckow was fired from her job at the Independence Mental Health Institute in March, days after her federally entitled medical leave expired. Her request for time off without pay was denied.
A patient apparently experiencing a manic episode beat Suckow with his fists last October, causing her to lose consciousness and require surgeries and neurological treatments.
Suckow and union leaders blame reduced staffing and more limited bargaining rights approved in 2017 for a climate that leaves workers vulnerable. The bargaining changes limit negotiations to salary issues.
State spokespeople declined to comment on Suckow’s situation.
—
Four-Year Old Boy Recovering After Shooting Himself With Gun Found In Car
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Police in Des Moines say a 4-year-old boy is recovering from a gunshot wound after picking up a gun he found inside his parents’ vehicle.
Television station KCCI reports that the shooting happened Wednesday afternoon on the southeast end of the city.
Sgt. Paul Parizek says the child was unattended in the vehicle when he found the handgun and began playing with it. The gun fired, hitting the child in the shoulder.
Police say the boy is in stable condition and is expected to recover.
Investigators say the gun belongs to the child’s parents.
Police have not said whether charges will be filed.
—
