Highway 75 Accident Involving Semi Truck And Trailer And Pickup Truck
(Hinton) — A head-on accident happened on Highway 75 near the Harness intersection. about two miles south of Hinton this morning involving a pick-up truck and a semi truck and trailer. The accident occurred at about 10:20 a.m. causing the semi truck to flip over, and landing near the railroad tracks. The pickup truck was pulling a dump trailer full of concrete and was
traveling southbound on Highway 75 and lost control and entered the northbound lane and collided with a semi truck and trailer. Both drivers were transported to MercyOne hospital in Sioux City. The driver of the semi truck sustained minor injuries. Injuries to the pickup driver are unknown.
Officials have not yet released any information as to the identities of the accident victims. The accident took place in the construction zone area between Hinton and Sioux City close to mile marker 104. As a result of the head-on accident, traffic was at a standstill for both lanes of traffic for more than two hours as officials cleaned up the debris, and conducted a traffic accident investigation. Responding to the scene were the Hinton Fire
Department and Hinton Ambulance, along with the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office, Plymouth County Conservation, Iowa DOT, and the Iowa State Patrol.
(photos courtesy of KMEG-TV/Siouxland News)
Le Mars School Board To Meet This Evening
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Board of Education will hold its monthly meeting this evening at the Education Service Center beginning at 6:00 p.m.
The school board will hear reports from each of the school district’s principals. They will also hear a report from School Superintendent Dr. Steve Webner as he will present the Superintendent’s annual report for the school year 2019-2020. The school board will discuss a digital employee relations conference scheduled for October 1st and hosted by the Iowa
Association of School Boards. This year’s annual convention of the Iowa Association of School Boards will be held on an on-line virtual basis scheduled for November 18-19th. The board of education will review with Superintendent Dr. Steve Webner the progress of goals as part of the superintendent’s evaluation process. Curriculum Director, Rachel Leavitt will present to the school board’s attention the district’s professional development framework that meets the state required 36 hours of collaboration time. The school board is expected to act upon two resignations. Both Kelsey Kim and Mindi Jalas have announced their resignations as a teacher associate. Dr. Webner and Mrs. Leavitt will present the proposed 2020-2021 annual learning goals for reading, math, and science, as well as Board
activities for consideration.
U-S News And World Report Gives Northwestern College High Ranking
ORANGE CITY, Iowa—Northwestern College of Orange City is ranked sixth among 76 Midwestern regional colleges in U.S. News & World Report’s 2021 Best Colleges guidebook. Northwestern is also one of 33 Best Value Schools and 14
cited for Best Undergraduate Teaching. The rankings, which include more than 1,400 schools nationwide, are available at www.usnews.com/colleges.
Greg Christy, Northwestern College’s president says, “We are always pleased when Northwestern’s standout education is affirmed by rankings and our peer institutions. Our latest U.S. News ranking joins strong rankings from organizations like Money magazine and College Consensus. These rankings—as
well as top scores by our students on actuarial, CPA, MCAT and nursing exams —add external validation to the praises we consistently hear from alumni and students about the strength of the Northwestern experience. They affirm the excellence of our faculty as they prepare students to lead lives of significance.”
The U.S. News rankings are based on key measures of quality such as outcomes (freshman retention, graduation rate and graduate indebtedness), faculty resources (including class size, the percentage of faculty with the top academic degree, student-faculty ratio and compensation), expert opinion, student excellence, social mobility, financial resources and alumni giving.
Northwestern is in the top 10 in several individual categories, including peer assessment, first-year retention rate (78%), six-year graduation rate (68%) and alumni giving rate (18%).
Tulip Festival Royal Court Election To Be Held
ORANGE CITY, IA. – The 2021 Tulip Court Election will take place on Wednesday, September 23. Voting for
the 2021 Tulip Court will take place from 12 to 8 p.m. at Stadscentrum, located on the corner of Central
Avenue and Second Street North in Orange City. Masks are required in Stadscentrum when voting for candidates.
Eligible voters are adults with an Orange City address and 7th through 12th-grade students at MOC-Floyd Valley, Orange City Christian School, and Unity Christian High School.
The 2021 Tulip Court will be announced after 10 a.m. on Thursday, September 24.
The 2021 court will reign over the Tulip Festival, May 13, 14 and 15, 2021.
In addition, due to the cancellation of the 2020 Tulip Festival, the 2020 Tulip Festival queen and court will also be featured throughout the 2021 festival as a way to publicly thank and celebrate their work in promoting and representing our community.
Candidate eligibility and general questions can be directed to the Tulip Festival office at 712-707-4510.
Former Iowa Governor Leaving Post As Ambassador To China
(Undated) — Former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad is leaving his diplomatic post as Ambassador to China. President Donald Trump spoke by phone with U-S Senator Joni Ernst Saturday on another topic Saturday. As Ernst held the phone out so volunteers at G-O-P campaign headquarters could hear Trump, the president concluded by mentioning Branstad is coming home from China. U-S Secretary of State Mike Pompeo (pom-PAY-oh) tweeted overnight, shortly before midnight Iowa time, thanking Branstad for his service in China. The 73-year- old Branstad is a native of Lake Mills, Iowa. His wife, daughter, and his daughter’s family accompanied him to China in 2017, but Governor Kim Reynolds told reporters earlier this year that Branstad’s family returned to Iowa due to the coronavirus.
Iowa Office Manager Accused Of Taking More Than $500K
(Davenport, IA) — The U-S Attorney’s Office reports the former office manager of the Iowa City Area Development Group will spend more than two years in federal prison for taking more than a half-million dollars. The scheme was played out over a 13-year period. Forty-eight-year-old Sheri Jelinek of North Liberty pleaded guilty to seven counts of wire fraud last
year. She has been ordered to make full restitution to the nonprofit which promotes workforce and economic development. Federal prosecutors say Jelinek made more than 460 thousand dollars in improper or personal charges on Group credit cards.
Woman Who Admitted Killing Boyfriend’s Infant Son Released On Parole
(Indianola, IA) — A 23-year-old Indianola woman who admitted killing her boyfriend’s infant son has been released on parole. Tori Bittner pleaded guilty last September to a charge of child endangerment resulting in serious injury. She was given a 10-year sentence, with credit for time served.
Bittner admitted to causing the death of seven-month-old Cody Seals in 2016 by shaking him. Indianola Police say they found the boy unresponsive when they checked on him and he died the next day.
Mother Pleading For Son’s Safe Return
(Urbandale, IA) — Urbandale Police are seeking the whereabouts of a 27-year-old man who has been missing since September 2nd. Josh Roldan left his wallet and cell phone behind. His mother, Luz Roldan, is pleading for his safe return from her home in Puerto Rico. The missing man lived with a girlfriend in Urbandale. He had recently been diagnosed as bipolar and his mother says when he doesn’t take his meds he becomes disoriented. She says he seemed fine the last time she talked to him August 26th. She had planned to travel to Iowa for a visit before he disappeared.
Administration Heeds Ernst’s Calls to Deny ‘Gap Year’ Waivers, Increase Access to E15
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA), a member of the Senate Environment and Public Works (EPW) Committee and tireless advocate for the biofuel industry, and Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA), a family farmer and chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, issued the following statement following the administration’s announcements to deny so-called “gap year” petitions for small refinery exemptions (SREs) for past compliance years and clarify the ability of existing fuel infrastructure to support expanded E15 use:
“I’ve been calling for these ‘gap year’ waivers to be thrown out since they were announced. Now, the administration has listened to our calls for action. Today’s announcements will help provide more certainty to our biofuel producers, who have for too-long been yanked around by the EPA, and help increase access to E15, which drives up demand for corn and ethanol,” said Senator Ernst. “The fight for Iowa’s renewable fuel industry, and our farmers, is not over. I’ll never stop being a relentless advocate for Iowa agriculture—holding EPA to their commitments and making sure the RFS is the law of the land.”
“Senator Ernst and I have long called for ending so-called hardship exemptions for big oil companies. I’m glad the EPA is listening to our feedback and common sense from farmers and biofuel producers. The rejection of these exemptions come after a thorough review process from both the EPA and the Department of Energy. I’m proud to partner with Senator Ernst who has been a relentless advocate in calling for these exemptions to be rejected. She has demonstrated effective leadership holding the EPA accountable on renewable fuels,” said Senator Grassley. “I applaud President Trump for keeping his word and supporting our farmers and biofuel producers. This is an important step that will allow more gas stations to provide E15 to Iowans year-round without significantly changing their infrastructure. I’m glad to work with Senator Ernst who has been a steadfast advocate for our biofuels community and called on the EPA to make this change earlier this year.”
“Today’s action lifts a cloud of uncertainty that has been hanging over America’s farmers and biofuel producers since June,” said Growth Energy CEO Emily Skor. “We’re grateful to Senator Ernst, who has led a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers in the House and Senate and governors across the heartland in speaking out against oil-backed efforts to dodge the law, circumvent the courts, and upend markets. Growth Energy looks forward to continuing our work with the White House and leaders in Congress to ensure that we restore integrity to our nation’s biofuel targets and that rural communities have the support they need to revitalize growth in the months ahead.”
