Grass Fires Reported On Highway 60
(Le Mars) — Two fire departments were called to two grass ditch fires along Highway 60, at nearly the same time this Wednesday afternoon. At approximately 3:35 p.m. the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department dispatched its pickup grass fire rig to a fire between mile markers 2 and 3 near the Seney exit. Meanwhile, further north about 7 miles, also on Highway 60, near the Carnes exit, the Alton Fire Department was called to fight a grass fire. The south fire had burnt an area about 60 yards by 30 yards. According to Quentin Van Es, the Alton Fire Chief, about the same amount of area had burnt on the north Highway 60 fire covered by the Alton Fire Department. Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper isn’t certain what may have started the grass fires, but he believes both fires may be connected. Schipper says it is possible a spark from a semi truck may have started both fires.
School Board Discusses Last Day Of School
(Le Mars) — During the Le Mars Community Board of Education meeting held Monday evening, the school board discussed the current school calendar, as well as the proposed 2020-2021 school calendar. School superintendent Dr. Steven Webner says if all goes well, the school district can look at dismissing for the summer on Thursday, May 21st. However, if the school should encounter another delayed start, or cancellation of a school day, Webner says Le Mars Community would need to make up that lost time, and be dismissed on Friday, May 22nd.
Webner offered a detailed explanation to the school board as to when will be the last day of school.
The school board approved the recommendation to dismiss classes on Thursday, May 21st, unless additional school time would be lost, then classes would dismiss on Friday, May 22nd. Webner says if more than one day is lost for any reason, then the school board would need to decide if classes would extend beyond Memorial Day which is scheduled for Monday, May 25th.
Steve King Files Nomination Papers
Wall Lake, IA – Congressman Steve King announced that he filed 3,532 signatures with the Iowa Secretary of State’s office to qualify for the Republican Primary Ballot in June’s election to determine the GOP Nominee for the 4th District’s Congressional Seat. In doing so, King vastly exceeded the legal requirements for ballot access, a testament from 4th District voters to their appreciation for the successful work King is doing to advance the Right to Life, to protect the 2nd Amendment Right to Bear Arms, and to defend both President Trump and the President’s “Make America Great Again/Keep America Great” agenda.
King says, “The grassroots voters of Iowa’s 4th Congressional District are firmly behind President Trump’s agenda and they understand that no one inside or outside of Congress has been a stronger ally for President Trump than me.” King says he is humbled by the overwhelming support he has received throughout the 4th District, and he looks forward to the day we can all place our attention where it should be.
King’s successful signature gathering effort reveals a deep wellspring of support within the conservative 4th Congressional District. With 3,532 signatures gathered, King far exceeded the legal requirement of 1,874 signatures. In addition, King qualified in 27 counties, far surpassing the 20 required by law and further reflective of the overwhelming support Congressman King receives throughout the 4th District for his established record of rock-solid, principled, Conservative leadership.
Today’s filing is just the latest evidence of King’s 4th District strength. A poll of 4th District voters has revealed that King commands an overwhelming lead in the primary, winning the crowded primary with 59% of the vote. (To compare, the next highest figure was a 17% figure for “Undecided.”) And when 510 Iowans recently cast their votes at caucus, results reviewed by the King Campaign revealed that caucus voters preferred King by the following margins- King received 78%, Taylor 11%, Feenstra 9%, Richards 1%, and Reeder 0.4%. In addition, the Des Moines Register reported the results of the latest Iowa Poll, which shows that 4th District voters prefer the Republican nominee to the Democratic nominee by a margin of 51%-40%.
King says “The Iowa Poll is perhaps the most widely respected poll conducted in the state, and the results shows that Republicans win this race by at least 11 points should be understood as another sign of my General Election strength.” “There is no such thing as a generic ‘Republican’ or generic ‘Democrat’ in this race as everyone, including my primary opponents, believes that I am heading for a rematch with a Democratic candidate I have already beaten once before. As a result, when people are responding to the Iowa Poll, they are really saying that they fully expect me not only to win again, but to do so by a landslide. My tested and proven Conservative record resonates with the Republican voters in this District and they are standing strong with me as I have always stood strong for them.”
Reynolds Announces 14th Iowan With COVID-19
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Kim Reynolds says a 14th person who had recently taken a cruise in Egypt has tested positive for COVID-19. The news came late Wednesday afternoon on the same day that an Iowa City hospital CEO says a COVID-19 patient who took the same cruise was admitted and is in critical condition there. University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics CEO Suresh Gunasekaran said all proper procedures and precautions were followed during the admission process so staff members were properly protected. Both patients are among a group of 21 who went on a recent Egyptian cruise sponsored by Hills Bank in Hills, Iowa.
Universities Send Students Home Due To Coronavirus
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s three public universities announced Wednesday they would shift to only online classes beginning March 23 in an effort to keep students and faculty safe from the new coronavirus. The University of Iowa, Iowa State University and the University of Northern Iowa said they would only offer online classes after students return from next week’s spring break. The online courses would continue for at least two weeks, with officials reassessing the situation during the week of March 30. Some private colleges are making similar moves. The president of Grinnell College has told students they must leave the campus by March 23. Classes will be offered online for the rest of the semester.
Plymouth County Community Health Director Says Floyd Valley Is Prepared Should A Case Of Coronavirus Be Detected
(Le Mars) — There hasn’t been anyone in Plymouth County to have been reported as having the coronavirus, but Tara Geddes, Plymouth County’s Community Health Director says Floyd Valley Healthcare, and her office are taking necessary precautions, should a case arise in Plymouth County.
Geddes says the first line of defense for both the local hospital and the community health department is to inquire if the patient has done any recent travels to foreign countries.
Although there have been some reported deaths through out the nation associated with the COVID-19 or known as the coronavirus, Geddes says having the virus is not necessarily meaning it will be fatal.
The community health director explains the common symptoms associated with the coronavirus.
Geddes says world health officials have now declared the virus is an pandemic.
Handgun Found At Sioux City Airport
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A loaded handgun was spotted at a Sioux City airport security checkpoint Wednesday and confiscated from the Nebraska woman who was carrying it. The Transportation Security Administration says the 9 mm semi-automatic had one of its eight bullets in the chamber. A TSA officer says the X-ray machine showed the gun inside the woman’s carry-on bag. The woman lives in Ponca, Nebraska, and she told Sioux City Police that she didn’t know the gun was in the bag. She says the weapon belonged to her husband and that they had reported the gun as stolen because they lost track of it.
Another Trial Date Set For Man Accused Of Killing Girl Friend At Motel And Starting Fire
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Another trial date has been set for a man accused of killing his former girlfriend in a Sioux City hotel room and setting it aflame. Court records say 29-year-old Jordan Henry has pleaded not guilty to charges of first-degree murder and arson. The new starting date for his nonjury trial is April 7. His earlier dates were July 9 and Sept. 17 last year. Police have said an autopsy showed 40-year-old Elizabeth Bockholt, of Hinton, was strangled. Firefighters found her unresponsive Jan. 24 last year in a Wingate Hotel room, and she was pronounced dead later at a hospital.
