Supervisors To Convene For Weekly Meeting
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will convene today for their weekly meeting at the County Courthouse Boardroom. The county governing board have a short agenda. They will review and possibly approve an engagement letter with the Klass Law firm regarding civil litigation.
County engineer, Tom Rohe is scheduled to appear before the county board.
Rohe will submit an access permit to a substation and operations facility to be located in Remsen township. Rohe will also submit for the supervisor approval applications for Traffic Safety Improvement Program funds, which will be allocated for a culvert replacement at the intersection of county roads C-30 and K-64.
City Council To Discuss KNS And Anthony Additions
(Le Mars) — Le Mars city council will gather at noon today at the city council chambers for their city council meeting. The council will discuss four different action items including: approving the final plan and rezoning for the KNS fourth addition. The council will review the final plat for the
Anthony First Addition, as well as look at a easement request, and the city council will decide whether to vacate the right-of-way as part of the Dogwood 1st Addition platting to be a future 20th Street Southeast. Dogwood 2nd Addition was platted with the alignment of 20th Street Southeast shifted south. With the shift, the city has no need for the right-of-way.
Gehlen Catholic Prepares For “Return To Learn”
(Le Mars) — With the exception of the Kingsley-Pierson school district that began classes last week, all of the other surrounding area schools will start next week. Gehlen Catholic School will hold orientation on Monday, August 24th with students returning to classes on Tuesday, August 25th. Amy Jungers, the Development Director with Gehlen Catholic says the concern is on the students, faculty, and staff personal safety. Jungers says Gehlen Catholic will begin by holding in-person classes with emphasis on social distancing.
She says parents of elementary age students will want to be aware of some changes when dropping off, and picking up, their children.
Masks and/or face coverings will be required to be worn by students, faculty, and staff. However, Jungers says there will be a few exceptions.
Jungers says students, faculty, and staff will be reminded to wash their hands on a frequent basis.
The Gehlen Catholic official says hand sanitizer stations will also be available. Jungers says Gehlen is asking parents to check their children’s temperature before sending them to school as another preventative measure.
Trump To Visit Iowa Today To View Damage From Derecho Storm
(Washington) — President Trump has declared some counties hit by last week’s storm as a designated emergency, thus allowing FEMA to allocate federal funds. President Trump plans to visit Cedar Rapids today to see for himself some of the devastation and damage from the derecho wind storm. Governor
Reynolds disaster aid request indicated storm-related losses that are estimated at this point to be nearly four billion dollars.
National Weather Service Reports Iowa Winds Were Faster Than Estimated
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — The National Weather Service is reporting new estimates for the wind speed during last week’s destructive Iowa storms.
Meteorologists now say the straight-line winds were between 110 and 130 miles-an-hour August 10th. A radio transmission tower collapsed when wind speeds north of Marion reached 130. The National Weather Service is saying that speed would be equivalent to a strong E-F-2 tornado. Damage assessments
led to the revision of wind speed estimates.
DNR Investigating Fatal Boat Accident On Mississippi
(LeClaire, IA) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement Bureau is looking for help in the investigation of a fatal boat crash Sunday on the Mississippi River. The D-N-R says the crash happened around 7:00 p-m at Pool 14 near LeClaire. Investigators believe two boats collided killing a
52-year-old woman and critically injuring a 61-year-old man in one boat. A woman in the other boat had minor injuries. Anyone with information should contact DNR Conservation Officer Travis Graves at (563) 349-8953 or Travis.Graves@dnr.iowa.gov <mailto:Travis.Graves@dnr.iowa.gov>. Anyone
wishing to remain anonymous may do so.
Coronavirus Hospitalizations Up
(Undated) — The number of Iowans being treated in a hospital for COVID-19 has risen to 283. That’s a 19 percent increase compared to the number of patients hospitalized on August 1st. The state’s coronavirus website shows at a peak in early June, 418 Iowans were being treated in a hospital for the virus. That gradually fell, to about a quarter as many patients by the end of
June, but it has been rising since then. The number of Covid patients in intensive care units at Iowa hospitals has increased over the past 10 days as well. State records currently show the deaths of 978 Iowans have been linked to the virus since the first cases were identified here in March.
IDPH Working On Data Error That Distorted COVID-19 Reporting Numbers
(Iowa City, IA) — The Iowa Department of Public Health says it is working to fix a data error on the state’s COVID-19 website which has distorted the numbers of new confirmed cases that are reported. The real numbers are higher than those shown on the website. The problem is, school districts are relying on state-provided information to decide whether to offer in-person
instruction when classes resume. Health officials say the problem means Iowa reports on the pandemic’s trajectory aren’t as bad as the reality is.
Universities Set Aside Hundreds Of Dorm Rooms For Students Who Test Positive For COVID-19
(Ames, IA) — Iowa’s three public universities have set aside hundreds of dorm rooms so students who test positive for COVID-19 can isolate themselves.
At Iowa State, 150 students have tested positive before they moved on-campus. School officials say about half went home to isolate – and the rest are staying in Linden Hall. Iowa Public Radio reports, if they don’t follow the rules, their rooming contract is canceled and they will have to move off-campus. Meals are delivered to the students isolating and in quarantine.
Democratic National Committee Chair Wants To Do Away With Caucuses – Like Iowa’s
(Milwaukee, WI) — The chairman of the Democratic National Committee says he would like to do away with the remaining handful of presidential caucuses – like the traditional first-in-the-nation ones held in Iowa. Perez says he wants to make the change following the bitter 2016 primary fight between
Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Among the changes would be to encourage states to hold primaries and at least require caucus states to use a paper ballot system. National party leaders had to spend several days this year to determine the winner of the Iowa caucuses. Perez will leave his leadership position before the 2024 nominating calendar is put together.
