Le Mars Community Will Not Hold A Homecoming Parade
(Le Mars) — Le Mars Community school officials have announced there will not be any Homecoming Parade this year, which was originally scheduled for October 2nd. In a news release, issued Wednesday, the decision was made due
to the persistent concerns with the COVID-19 virus. School officials say they realize this is a disappointment for many in the community, but their goal at the school is to keep students safe and socially distant whenever possible. A parade would create the opposite effect and would have students in close proximity when it is not needed. The news release indicated school
officials are still planning on having different forms of events and a smaller coronation ceremony during the week of October 2nd. The Le Mars Community Student Council will make the decisions over the next couple of weeks and they will release the information as it is available. School officials indicate the plans are subject to change.
Spectators To Friday’s Game With Spencer To Be Limited
(Le Mars) — Fans interested in attending this Friday’s Le Mars Community home football game against Spencer will need to comply with some provisions as set by school officials. In order to limit Covid exposure among fans and Le Mars students, Le Mars Community Schools will be limiting spectators for
this Friday’s varsity football game vs. Spencer. Each school’s players, coaches, and cheerleaders will submit 4 names with a max of 4 names per family.
Names will be placed on a pass list. The list allows you into the game with an activity pass or $5 admission fee. Spencer fans will need to enter the northwest gate (nearest the scoreboard). Le Mars fans will need to enter the northeast gate. Masks are required for all spectators at all times. Fans attending the freshman game that are not on the pass list for the varsity
game are required to leave once the freshman game is complete.
The band will be performing at halftime. Those parents not on the football pass list will be able to attend the halftime show. Each band member will be allotted 2 wrist bands in order for family to enter the halftime show. These people will be required to leave after the halftime performance.
Masks and face coverings will be required to be worn by everyone attending Friday evening’s game and activities.
Local Bank To Donate Masks To Area Schools
(Le Mars, IA) – As schools continue into the 2020-2021 school year, some not so normal activities are taking place. Understanding that each school is committed to insuring the safety of their students, faculty and staff, Primebank has made a commitment to help schools with their safety precautions.
Primebank has provided a face covering for every student, faculty and staff member in the Le Mars Community, Gehlen Catholic, Sioux Center, Sioux Center Christian and Hinton school districts, distributed through each of the schools.
Matt Ahlers, Chief Executive Officer at Primebank said, “While circumstances are not ideal, if we can help schools provide a safe environment, we are committed to doing so. We wish that conditions were more normal, but it is our hope that this gesture will help protect members of our school districts.”
Masks have been provided in different sizes to best fit children in elementary school as well as middle school and high school. In total, Primebank will be providing approximately 7,000 masks for the five school systems.
Plymouth County’s Oldest Church To Celebrate 160 Years
(Hinton) — The very first church founded in Plymouth County will celebrate 160 years of existence this Sunday. Members of the congregation of the Melbourne United Methodist Church located at 28987 Jade Avenue, of rural Hinton plan to acknowledge their church’s founding with a celebration. Beth
Odor is the current pastor of the church, and says the church was originally part of the Evangelical United Brethren denomination until the EUB merged with the Methodist to form what is known today as the United Methodist Church.
Odor offers a brief history of the church.
Odor says the church added on to its building in 1961, and in 1962 the congregation constructed the parsonage. Odor says the church usually attracts around 30 people each Sunday for worship services. She says there are some names of today, such as Spies and Bogengrief, that have a connection with their ancestor family members that first founded the church. Odor says everyone is welcome to attend Sunday’s celebration.
She says the church will sell some commemorative Christmas tree ornaments depicting the church, and it will also hold a silent auction as part of Sunday’s anniversary celebration.
The celebration of the Melbourne Methodist Church will begin at 1:00 p.m.
Plymouth County Historical Museum To Re-open
(Le Mars) — Reopening of the Plymouth County Historical Museum has been scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 22. The Museum has been closed since March 18 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Masks will be required for Museum visitors; social distancing will be encouraged. Visits will be by appointment only from 1 to 5 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Interested visitors may call the Museum, 546-7002. The Museum will be closed on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays.
Sanitizing stations will be available on all five floors of the Museum.
No root beer floats will be served in the Museum’s Miller’s Lunch until further notice. Basketball in the Gym also has been discontinued.
The Museum is planning its 6th Annual Log Cabin Day Saturday, Oct. 3, from 1 to 5 p.m. on the Museum lawn. The event is intended to honor the Museum’s two log cabins –Weber Cabin on the south portion of the lawn and Joy Hollow Log Cabin on the north.
Also planned for this fall is the “Great Garage Sale,” which will open in the Museum’s Gym on Thursday evening, Oct. 15, and run several days.
The Museum consists of five floors, all handicapped accessible. No admission is charged at the Museum, but a free will donation is always welcome for the continuing operation of the Museum, housed in the former “Old Central” High School.
Located at 335 First Ave. SW in Le Mars, the Museum serves all parts of the county with its exhibits and programs. Although the Museum receives donations from Plymouth County, the county’s communities, and grants, it is supported primarily by members.
Grain Quality Specialist Predicts Aflatoxin To Be Present In This Year’s Corn
(Le Mars) — Saying “farmers will face a challenging harvest this year”, an Iowa State University Extension and Outreach grain quality specialist says he is concerned that Aflatoxin will be a problem. Charlie Hurburgh says due to the wide spread drought, along with the derecho wind storm, that have hit Iowa, he believes the the toxin will play a factor in this year’s grain
quality. Aflatoxin appears on grain as a white-colored speckled mold. Hurburgh is suggesting farmers take a good look at their corn crop before harvest, because he says Aflatoxin is considered as a crop insurance peril, if noted in the field.
Depending upon the amount of Aflatoxin that is present, Hurburgh says corn with Aflatoxin can be fed to poultry and livestock, though farmers need to be extremely cautious. The Iowa State University grain quality specialist says ideally market cattle can consume corn with the toxin with relatively no
danger. He says if the corn has low levels of Aflatoxin, it can be fed to poultry and to hogs. However, he says under no circumstances should corn laced with Aflatoxin ever by fed to dairy cows.
Hurburgh says those farmers that lost their grain bins due to the derecho wind storm may encounter additional problems when needing to utilize outdoor storage. He says if possible, farmers should leave outdoor grain storage to commercial grain facilities.
Iowa Judge Poised To Void Thousands More Absentee Ballot Requests
(Iowa City, IA) — An Iowa district court judge is poised to void thousands more absentee ballot requests. Judge Ian Thornhill has already nullified 50 thousand in Linn County. The lawsuit was brought by President Trump’s reelection campaign and Republican Party groups. They have argued county election commissioners in Johnson, Linn, and Woodbury counties acted
improperly when they mailed absentee ballot request forms to voters with their personal information already filled in. Thornhill has promised a ruling soon after hearing arguments Wednesday in Johnson County.
FEMA Assistance Program Sending $5.7M To Iowa Derecho Victims
(Washington, DC) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has awarded about five-point-seven million dollars to Iowa homeowners and renters impacted by the derecho. The federal aid can be used for things like home repairs, debris removal, and grain storage. At the same time, the Small
Business Administration is providing some low-interest loans for homeowners and renters. That money can be used to cover insurance deductibles and tree removal. Farmers who need grain storage or help to rebuild their bins are being told to contact the Farm Service Agency.
Grassley Praises Resilient Iowa Farmers on Senate Floor
(Washington, DC) — U-S Senator Chuck Grassley says the people of his state are very resilient. On the Senate floor today (Wednesday), the Iowa Republican acknowledged the hardships that farmers have faced this year.
Grassley told colleagues, “farmers have had to confront coronavirus supply chain disruptions, widespread drought and a record windstorm that blew across our state.” Grassley says the hurt that Iowa farmers have endured this year will last for years to come. He said he will continue to fight for farmers
to help stabilize the economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
478 New COVID-19 Cases in Iowa, 12 Additional Deaths
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting 478 new positive COVID-19 tests, increasing the state’s total to 71-thousand-137 cases. Twelve more Iowans have died from coronavirus complications which brings the death toll to one-thousand-185. Three-hundred-22 people are
hospitalized with COVID, 83 patients are in intensive care units and 37 are on ventilators. There are 28 outbreaks in long-term care facilities in Iowa.
There have been 676-thousand-602 COVID tests in the state since the pandemic began.
Report Finds Rural K-12 Schools Waste 30 Million Pounds of Food
(Cedar Falls, IA) — A report by the Iowa Waste Reduction Center finds rural K-12 Iowa schools waste tens of thousands of tons of food and beverages every day. Joe Bolick is director of the center based at the University of Northern Iowa. He says the study shows the average student wastes about one-third of a pound of food daily at breakfast and lunch. That works out to about 30-million pounds of waste every year statewide. Bolick
said, “we would have the students sort through their organic waste, their recyclables, their actual trash and any liquid waste and then we’d weigh all of those individually and then come out with those.” The study was based on more than 40 waste audits at rural schools across Iowa during the 2018-19 school year.
22-Year-Old Iowa Woman Charged With Animal Neglect Causing Death
(Waterloo, IA) — A 22-year-old Iowa woman faces a charge of animal neglect causing death after allegedly locking a dog inside her bathroom and leaving it with no food or water. Alicia Cai Swanson was taken into custody last Friday. Swanson’s landlord notified the Black Hawk County Sheriff’s Office last month after finding the dog’s remains. The landlord said he was
evicting Swanson who hadn’t actually lived at the house in a rural area near Waterloo for about three months.
Davenport Man Reaches Plea Agreement In Wife’s Death
(Davenport, IA) — A Davenport man has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in his 39-year-old wife’s death. Casey Klemme will plead guilty to voluntary manslaughter. He had been charged with second-degree murder.
Investigators say Klemme strangled and beat his wife to death in July 2019.
The autopsy showed Tiffany Klemme died of internal injuries to her neck and head. As a part of the plea deal, the husband will serve 20 years in prison.
