Grassley Talks About Second Round Of COVID-19 Relief Funding
(Washington) — Republican U-S Senator Chuck Grassley spoke with KLEM news during his weekly news conference held Tuesday about the second round of COVID-19 relief funding that has been introduced in the Senate. Grassley says the new relief bill may contain several provisions found in the initial CARES Act bill.
Grassley says the bill will also provide financial assistance to K-12 schools, providing they implement a program with in-classroom learning.
Grassley says there would also be some funding available for hospitals.
Grassley says the “900 pound gorilla” that may end up being the contentious point with the Democrat controlled House of Representatives may be the amount of federal dollars allocated to unemployed individuals. Grassley says Senate Republicans want to allocate $200 per week instead of the previous allocation of $600 per week.
Grassley says with the past COVID relief bill, Congress made it possible so people perhaps could receive more money by being unemployed than if they were working. He says there needs to be available assistance, but with an incentive to get people back to work.
The Iowa Senator says Congress will need to act on the bill within the next couple of weeks in order to complete the business before the summer recess.
Abu Bekr Shrine Circus Is Cancelled
Sioux City, Iowa – The 70th Annual Abu Bekr Shrine Circus scheduled for October 23 – 25, 2020 at the Tyson Events Center has been cancelled. All tickets will be refunded at the point of purchase.
The executive leadership of Abu Bekr Shriners in conjunction with George Cardin Circus International has decided after rescheduling the event twice to cancel the 2020 edition of the Abu Bekr Shrine Circus. In light of the current Coronavirus concerns it is in the best interest of public health and personal safety to cancel this year’s performances in Sioux City, and begin preparations for 2021.
“We would like to thank the City of Sioux City and the Staff at the Tyson Events Center for their cooperation as we worked with our Circus promoter in rescheduling the Shrine Circus”, said RC Clements, Abu Bekr Circus Chairman, “with the continued concerns over the Coronavirus all across the country, George Cardin Circus International has cancelled all of its remaining 2020 circus performances”. Clements added, “this decision has major financial ramifications to Abu Bekr Shrine Temple, but we as Shriners have as our top priority the health and safety of our community”.
All tickets purchased for the 2020 Abu Bekr Shrine Circus will be refunded at the point of purchase.
· Credit Card purchases through one of our authorized channels (Box Office, TysonCenter.com, or 855-333-8771) will be refunded automatically to the card used to make the original purchase. No action is necessary.
· Cash or check purchasers may claim their refund by contacting the box office at 712-279-4850 ext. 6.
Join us next year to welcome back the Abu Bekr Shrine Circus April 14-18, 2021. Stay tuned for details and ticket information to come at a later time. We thank the community for your continued support of Abu Bekr Shriners.
Le Mars Kiwanis Donates To Josh’s Ride
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Kiwanis Organization made a contribution to the Josh’s Ride foundation Tuesday morning during their meeting. According to Mike Donlin, president of the Le Mars Kiwanis club, the members presented a check in the amount of $1,500. Josh’s Ride is a local charity that provides special equipped bicycles to special needs children. Donlin says the average estimated cost for the special bicycle is around $1,500 which is the reason for the amount of donation. Beth Meyers is the chairperson of Josh’s Ride, and says fortunately, the Le Mars Kiwanis club have contributed several times to the Josh’s Ride foundation.
Mike Donlin (center) president of the Le Mars Kiwanis Organization presents a check to Deb Parmelee (left) and Beth Meyers (right) with Josh’s Ride. (photo contributed.)
Meyers says people within Plymouth County have been very generous as more than 50 special equipped bicycles have been gifted since the organization began only a few years ago.
Meyers says Josh’s Ride organization gets assistance from schools, hospitals, and medical clinics in identifying young children with special needs that would benefit from having a bicycle. She says due to the COVID-19 virus, things have slowed down a bit.
Meyers says organizers with Josh’s Ride have not yet identified their next child that will receive the special bicycle.
Iowa State University Extension And Outreach To Host Webinars About Drought Conditions
(Le Mars) — No doubt it has been dry for the last several weeks with rain showers that seem to disappear before they reach Plymouth County, or contain only minimal amounts of rain. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is creating some on-line seminars to address the dry conditions, and to offer various options for farmers to consider because of the drought conditions. Joel DeJong is the I-S-U Extension and Outreach crops specialist for northwest Iowa and says because of the dry conditions, it has been difficult to generate any rain showers.
DeJong says Iowa State University will be hosting a series of webinars that begin this week on Thursday.
DeJong says week two will focus on silage and forage conditions, and week three will look at crop marketing options.
The webinars are free of charge, but pre-registration is requested. For additional information contact the Plymouth County Extension Services.
Murder Trial For Man Accused Of Strangling, Burning Woman Starts In Sioux City
(Sioux City, IA) — The murder trial for a 30-year-old man accused of strangling, then burning a woman to death has started in Sioux City. Elizabeth Bockholt was killed at a hotel January 24th, 2019. Woodbury County Judge Steven Andreasen is presiding over the bench trial for Jordan Henry. Prosecutors say he strangled Bockholt inside the hotel room, then piled bedding on top of her and set in on fire. Family members say Henry has struggled with mental health issues “for many years.” Proceedings resume this morning at 9:00 a-m.
Customers, Employees Safe After Damaging Fire at Des Moines Restaurant
(Des Moines, IA) — Nineteen customers and four employees managed to get outside safely while a Des Moines restaurant went up in flames Tuesday afternoon. Fire crews were called to Montana Mike’s Steakhouse at about 3:30 p-m. Officials say their approach became defensive quickly because it was too dangerous to go inside the unstable structure. Three ladder trucks were used to dump thousands of gallons of water on the fire. Firefighters from six agencies worked together to keep it from spreading. The building is a total loss and it could take several days for investigators to determine the official cause.
Iowa Projects Are Part Of $273M Federal Grant For Airport Safety, Infrastructure
(Des Moines, IA) — Four Iowa airport projects are part of a 273-million-dollar federal grant program for airport safety and infrastructure. The projects will be completed at a cost of five million dollars. The F-A-A is distributing the money to airports in 41 states. U-S Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao has said the program will “strengthen safety, improve travel, generate jobs, and benefit local communities.” No local funds will be spent on the dozens of projects. The 242 million from the federal Airport Improvement Program and 31 million from the CARES Act will cover all expenses.
253 New COVID-19 Cases in Iowa, 9 Additional Deaths
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting 253 new positive tests for COVID-19, increasing the statewide total to 42-thousand-738 cases. Nine more Iowans have died from the coronavirus which brings the state’s death toll to 838 since March. The hospitalization numbers are back up to the levels in early June. State health officials say 253 people are hospitalized with COVID-19, 75 patients are in intensive care and 31 are on ventilators. There are 21 outbreaks in long-term care facilities in Iowa.
