Chamber Cancels Ice Cream Days
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Le Mars have decided to cancel this year’s Ice Cream Days festival due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The annual event was to be held June 17th-20th. Le Mars Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, Neal Adler says it was a difficult decision,
but not a surprise, given the circumstances involving the COVID-19 virus.
Adler says the focus now should be to assist our businesses and our community.
Adler doesn’t have a specific estimate as to the number of visitors the event attracts to the “Ice Cream Capital of the World”, only to say it runs in the thousands.
Le Mars City Administrator, Jason Vacura echoed Adler’s comments.
“The Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce and the City of Le Mars have been monitoring the continuing spread of COVID-19 and reviewing best case scenario projections. Our first priority is the safety and security of our citizens, our community and potential guests,” Vacura said. “The chamber, the city and
the Ice Cream Days Committee look forward to June of 2021 and celebrating together again at Ice Cream Days.”
City Of Le Mars To Close Streets For Repairs
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Street Dept. will be closing a portion of the intersection at 16th St. S.E. and 2nd Ave. S.E. starting Monday April 20th 2020. The contractor will be fixing a storm sewer intake and portion of the street. They are thinking about a week or less for the work to be completed.
Floyd Valley Healthcare Board Of Trustees To Hold Special Meeting
(Le Mars) — Floyd Valley Board of Trustees will hold a special meeting via a conference phone call scheduled for Monday, April 20th at 8:00 a.m. The hospital trustees are scheduled to discuss and expected to take action on the Small Business Administration Pay Check Protection Program resolution.
Seaboard-Triumph Pork Plant Confirms Employee Has Coronavirus
(Sioux City) — Officials at a pork processing plant in Sioux City say an employee has a confirmed case of COVID-19.
The Seaboard Triumph plant employs 24-hundred. The company announced in a news release that the employee who has COVID-19 has not reported to work since being tested and there are no other confirmed cases of the coronavirus connected to the plant. Two other meat packing plants in Iowa, in Tama and Columbus Junction, are closed due to outbreaks of the virus among employees. Yesterday (Thursday), Iowa’s governor said there is a suspected outbreak at the pork plant in Waterloo that is still operating. One of the nation’s largest pork processing facilities — in Sioux Falls, South Dakota — is closed. More than 600 employees there have tested positive for COVID-19 and one worker has died.
Governor Reynolds To Launch “Test Iowa”
(Des Moines) — Governor Kim Reynolds says in the coming days she will launch a program entitled “Test Iowa” which is a large scale method of testing and contact tracing for COVID-19 across the state. The governor made the comments during her daily briefing. She says such places as the Tyson Food
Processing facility in Columbus Junction and another one based in Waterloo, as well as several long-term nursing care facilities, are requiring additional tests to be sent to those facilities.
She explains how “Test Iowa” will help in the fight against the coronavirus.
The governor is asking the Iowa Department of Public Health to form outreach teams to evaluate the severity and spread of the COVID-19 outbreak, especially, at such facilities where large number of positive cases have been reported.
Reynolds says these teams of nurses will also conduct follow up and recovery assessments for those that have already contracted the virus.
Region 6 – Northeast Iowa – Under Additional Mitigation Orders
(Des Moines) — The governor announced, due to the large and continuously rising number of virus cases within the northeast area of the state, or Region 6, she is ordering additional mitigation efforts.
Reynolds imposed the order making even stricter demands on people living within the region.
Region 6 comprises of the following counties: Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Grundy, Howard, Jones, Linn, and Winneshiek counties.
New Public Service Announcement Released Featuring Actor And Iowa Native Ashton Kutcher
(Des Moines) — During the Thursday briefing, Governor Reynolds unveiled a new Public Service Announcement that will be showcased on various Iowa media outlets. The public service announcement is narrated by actor and Iowa
native, Ashton Kutcher.
Governor Reynolds Meeting With Officials To Decide When To Allow Businesses To Re-open
(Des Moines, IA) — Governor Kim Reynolds is meeting privately with a group of state agency directors to chart when COVID-19 closures may be lifted (Thursday). Reynolds said, “we’ll start to kind of frame up the timeline.”
The governor ordered Iowa’s K-through-12 schools to be closed through April 30th and promised to announce by this Friday if those closures will extend into May. Iowa bars and restaurants have been closed since St. Patrick’s Day and Reynolds ordered other types of businesses to as well. She has suggested
businesses in areas of the state where few, if any, COVID-19 cases have been confirmed may be the first to reopen. The governor also said, “we have to be cautious in how we do that, because we don’t want to just flip the light switch and then you know, have another spike happen in a week.” Iowa has
nearly two-thousand confirmed coronavirus cases and 53 deaths.
Finkenauer “Disappointed” By Governor’s Failure To Issue Stay-At-Home Order
(Washington, DC) — Congresswoman Abby Finkenauer says she is disappointed that Iowa’s governor hasn’t issued a “stay-at-home” order. The Iowa Democrat says Governor Kim Reynolds promised to do that three weeks ago.
Finkenauer calls the fact no order has been issued a “lack of urgency” on the state’s part. The congresswoman says she applauds Reynolds for closing schools and taking other steps during the coronavirus pandemic, but she thinks refusing to issue a formal order creates more confusion during the
crisis.
Johnson County Authorities Use Search Warrants To Investigate Teen’s Death
(Tiffin, IA) — The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office isn’t saying what let authorities to look in Coralville Lake for a missing teenager. The death of 15-year-old Noah Herring is being called “suspicious.” Investigators say they have obtained search warrants as they pursue evidence. Herring had been seen for the last time near Tiffin on April 7th. His body was found
Saturday. Investigators say they have conducted several interviews so far, but they’re not being specific about the number. They haven’t named any person of interest in the case.
West Des Moines Police Say Suspect Shot Himself In The Head
(West Des Moines, IA) — West Des Moines police say a man shot himself in the head during the noon hour Thursday after he was involved in another shooting incident not far away. Officers say they confronted the suspect at a convenience store and that’s when he shot himself. The man is being treated at a hospital and his name hasn’t been released. There are no
reports of any other injuries from the two shooting incidents.
Public Works Department Supervisor Fired After Accusations Of Faking Pothole Reports
(Des Moines, IA) — Officials with the Des Moines Public Works Department say a former supervisor was fired for faking reports of pothole repairs.
Moussa Pepouna was serving as operations manager in March 2019 when the city was going through what some call the worst pothole season ever. Residents had reported 16 thousand potholes – nearly three times the normal number.
When 30 road repair records were reviewed by his bosses, it was found that Pepouna had closed five repair tickets before the work was completed. He was fired in October for doing that, then “misrepresenting” facts to his managers while they investigated.
