Burn Ban Issued For Plymouth County
(Le Mars) — Due to the extreme dry conditions, and the number of recent grass/field fires, the fire chiefs from each of
fire departments within Plymouth County have requested the State Fire Marshal to issue a burning ban for Plymouth County. The State Fire Marshal has determined that conditions in Plymouth County are such that open burning constitutes a danger to life or property. It is ordered that no person shall engage in open burning in Plymouth County effective Tuesday, September 29th beginning at 12:00 noon. Any violation to the burn ban order will be considered as a simple misdemeanor. A couple of weeks ago, Sioux County requested to be placed in a burn ban.
Gehlen Catholic To Host “Jay-Walk-A-Thon”
(Le Mars) — Last week, Gehlen Catholic School kicked off a new K-12 student-driven fundraiser called Jaywalk-a-thon: Fueled by Faith. Paced by Prayer. Jaywalk-a-thon will be an upbeat walk-a-thon based on prayer and special intentions of students and their friends and family.
The event will be held at the Gehlen Catholic practice track on Friday, October 16th. The track will have students walking from 8:30 am to 3:00 pm. Each grade will walk at the track for a half hour during the school day. Walking will include silence and reflection for special intentions plus fun music.
Amy Jungers, Gehlen’s Development Director says, “The two student-driven fundraisers we normally have every fall were canceled due to COVID-19 concerns. We had the opportunity to get creative and heard other schools have had great success with walk-a-thon fundraisers, so we thought it would be a great chance to try it ourselves!”
Incorporating faith will be a major part of the day. Each student will get a cross to write a prayer intention on and then decorate. All the crosses will outline the track on the day of the walk to remind students what they should be praying for. Students have also been working on collecting prayer intentions from family, friends and the community. The intentions collected will be remembered in a special way on Jaywalk-a-thon day.
Jungers says, “Adding a faith element to the walk was an idea our 6th grade teacher Mrs. Meredith Clymer brought to our attention. Once she shared that, we deemed the tagline “Fueled by Faith. Paced by Prayer.” Allowing our students to live out their faith through a fundraiser with fitness seemed like a great combination!”
Each student has been encouraged to raise $75 and the entire school has a goal of $30,000. These funds will go toward art & teaching supplies, technology, field trips, PE equipment and more.
Jungers explains, “Watching our entire school come together for this one fundraiser has been awesome! We hope Jaywalk-a-thon will be a powerful event for all students and staff.”
Students are encouraged to turn in cash/check donations every Tuesday between now and Oct. 16. Donors also have the chance to donate online at donate.onecause.com/jaywalkathon. When donating online, donors can write in the name of the student(s) they’d like to sponsor so the student(s) can receive credit for online donations.
If interested in donating, please contact the Gehlen Catholic Development Office at 712-546-4181 or donate online at donate.onecause.com/jaywalkathon.
Dordt University Political Science Professor Says Supreme Court Nominee Will Have An Effect On The General Election
(Sioux Center) — Over the weekend, President Trump named Amy Coney Barrett has his nominee for the Supreme Court. The announcement has led to some controversy between political parties with Democrats saying the nomination should be made after the election, and Republicans saying history is on their side as to having a supreme court justice nominated before the election. Dordt University Political Science Professor, Jeff Taylor says the nomination of Coney Barrett will probably factor in on the general election.
Taylor says there have been inconsistencies on both sides throughout history when it comes to the nomination of a Supreme Court nominee.
The Dordt University Political Science professor says there have been numerous times in history where a Supreme Court nominee has been nominated and confirmed prior to election day.
(photo contributed.)
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has said he would like to see the Senate Judiciary Committee start the hearing by October 12th.
Soybean Harvest Ahead Of Normal Pace
(Le Mars) — Harvest is now in full gear, and yields have been showing a wide range with both soybeans and with corn. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Crops Specialist for Northwest Iowa is Joel DeJong. He says many of the soybean fields in Plymouth County have already been harvested.
The weather forecast is calling for the possibility of frost later this week, but DeJong believes the vast majority of our crops have matured to the point where a frost won’t hurt the yields, and in fact may help the harvest pace.
DeJong says this year’s soybean harvest has produced a wide range of yield potential.
The Iowa State University crops specialist says he is concerned about this year’s corn stand-ability.
DeJong reminds everyone about farm safety, as for all motorists to be aware of slower moving, large farm equipment on the roadways.
Iowa Senators Praise Supreme Court Nominee
(Washington, DC) — Iowa’s two U-S Senators are praising President Donald Trump’s choice of Amy Coney Barrett to fill the vacancy on the U-S Supreme Court. Republican Senators Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst are both members of the Senate Judiciary Committee which will open hearings on Barrett’s nomination on October 12th. Senator Grassley ran the process during the last nominee hearing — but he is no longer the chair of the committee.
Not Signing Affidavit Envelope Most Common Issues For Mail Ballots
(Des Moines, IA) — Election officials say the most common mistake Iowans make when voting by mail is failing to sign the so-called “affidavit” envelope for the absentee ballot. It’s the outer envelope that’s used to mail the ballot, not the inside envelope that contains the ballot itself. A panel of legislators Friday gave county election officials permission to start
opening the outer envelopes in which ballots are mailed on October 31st.
State election officials say nearly 600-thousand Iowans had submitted a request for an absentee ballot as of Friday.
State Board Temporarily Replaces Two Davenport School Administrators
(Davenport, IA) — The State Board of Education is temporarily replacing the superintendent and chief financial officer of the Davenport school district.
The board took the action Friday and the Department of Education released a statement saying the move came after “consistent failure” of the district to address inequities in how minority students are disciplined, inadequate special education services, and serious school safety concerns. The statement
says the state provided a conditional accreditation with a corrective action plan and also gave the district extensive support to the administration and school board members.
Two Now Dead In Waterloo Shooting
(Waterloo, IA) — Two people are now dead after a weekend mass shooting in Waterloo that also left nine others injured. Waterloo Police also confirmed that the victims were all between the ages of 21 and 31, but they haven’t released any names. According to police, it began as a gun battle between two
or more people who were among an estimated 100 gathered inside a former downtown bar. Police say some urban motorcycle clubs were using the building unlawfully as an after-hours establishment. Officials are asking anyone with videos or photos of the shooting to share them with Waterloo police.
