Gehlen Catholic Celebrates Homecoming
(Le Mars) — Gehlen Catholic held its coronation ceremonies for the 2020 Homecoming celebration earlier Friday afternoon. We hear from emcees Ella Kreber and Jeff Augustine as they make the announcement.
Zach Kraft is the son of Loi and Rita Kraft. He is involved in football, basketball, baseball, choir, the musical, the play, and speech contests. He is a member of the Christian Leadership Team and Honor Society.
Molly Roder is the daughter of Rick and Wendy Roder. She is involved in the dance team, gymnastics, basketball cheerleader, and serves as president of the students for life organization. Molly is a member of the Christian Leadership Team, is on the honor society, and competes in track and field.
Two-Vehicle Accident Happened At Marble And Highway 3
(Le Mars) — First responders were called to the scene of a two-vehicle accident that happened Friday afternoon at about 4:38 p.m. The accident occurred at the intersection of Highway 3 and Marble Avenue, just on the east edge of Le Mars. Airbags deployed on both vehicles as a result of the collision, but fortunately both drivers of both vehicles did not suffer any
injuries. A car driven by a female minor was heading northbound on Marble Avenue when it failed to stop at a stop sign and collided with a pickup truck heading eastbound on Highway 3. The pickup truck ended up rolling a couple of times, and ended in the north ditch of Highway 3 approximately 100 yards
east of the intersection. The car suffered extensive front-end damage.
Responding to the accident were the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department, Le Mars Ambulance Services, Le Mars Police Department, Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa State Patrol. The Le Mars Police Department’s traffic
accident investigation unit is conducting the investigation.
Iowa Drivers Are Likely To Hit Wildlife With Vehicles
(Des Moines, IA) — A report from Iowa’s largest auto insurer shows the state is still one of the most dangerous for drivers at risk of hitting wildlife, as well as pets and livestock. State Farm spokeswoman Kelly Pargett says Iowa drivers have a one-in-58 chance of colliding with an animal while on the road. She says the company had 40-thousand Iowa customers report incidents involving animals in the past fiscal year. Pargett says
Iowa is ranked 7th in the nation for animal collisions, “most of which are still deer, but there were other animals — dogs, cats and then, of course, farm animals for this part of the country were a huge category this year.”
It’s mating season for deer, plus, it’s harvest season across Iowa and the hundreds of tractors and combines are driving deer by the thousands out of the fields and onto the highways. West Virginia is the number-one state for animal collisions.
King Says Confirming Supreme Court Nominee Will Depend On COVID-19 Outbreak in Senate
(Le Mars) — On Monday, October 12th, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky hopes to have the Senate Judiciary committee begin hearings on President Trump’s nominee to the U-S Supreme Court. Republican Congressman Steve King of Iowa says it may be difficult to have Amy Coney Barrett
confirmed before the general election. King says among other things, COVID-19 is interrupting the Senate’s agenda.
King says another consideration and possible reason why the confirmation may not be completed before the general election is due to the fact Senate Judiciary Committee chair Lindsey Graham of South Carolina is facing a tough challenge back home with the election.
The out-going Iowa Congressman says there may be an outside chance the Senate will be able to confirm Amy Coney Barrett prior to the election. He says it may all fall on Mitch McConnell’s shoulders.
Officials Say Propane Is In Abundant Supply Heading Into Autumn And Winter
(Des Moines) — It’s been a warm week in Iowa with highs in the 70s and 80s, but make no mistake, the cold weather will be here soon enough. Deb Grooms, C-E-O of the Iowa Propane Gas Association, says there should be plenty of propane this year for farmers drying their crops and for people heating their
homes.
Grooms says Iowans who use propane should take a nod from the Boy Scouts and “Be Prepared” as forecasters are still working out how cold and snowy the season ahead may be.
The Iowa Department of Agriculture reports the average price of propane is at $1.06 a gallon this week, which is up nine cents a gallon from last month.
Last year in October, the price was at $1.12 a gallon. It’s estimated 67% of Iowans use natural gas to heat their homes, 15% use electricity and 14% use liquid propane.
1184 New COVID Cases in Iowa, 14 Deaths, Record 461 Hospitalizations
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting a record number of hospitalizations for the third day in a row. The state’s coronavirus website shows 461 COVID-19 patients were being treated in a hospital Thursday night. One-hundred-four patients are in intensive care units and 38 are on ventilators. State health officials confirmed one-thousand-184 new positive coronavirus tests, increasing the total to 97-thousand-41 cases. Fourteen more Iowans have died of COVID complications which brings the state’s death toll to one-thousand-433. Nearly 850-thousand tests have been done in Iowa since the pandemic began.
State Help Available to Iowa Households With Overdue Utility Bills
(Des Moines, IA) — State officials say low-income Iowa households may be eligible for up to two-thousand dollars to help pay overdue utility bills.
Under this new program, Iowans who’ve had a pay cut or lost their job due to COVID are eligible. The money will go directly to their utility company to pay off electric, natural gas or water bills. Iowa households had racked up nearly 30-million dollars in unpaid electric and gas bills by August.
Christine Taylor, state director of the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), said, “we’ve seen a lot more households that have never needed assistance before.” Applications can be submitted now to the Iowa Economic Development Authority for the two-thousand-dollar state grants.
FEMA Extends Assistance Deadline For Iowa Derecho Victims
(Des Moines, IA) — FEMA is extending the deadline for Iowans hit by the derecho to register for federal help. The deadline has been extended through Monday, November 2nd for those residents in Benton, Boone, Cedar, Clinton, Jasper, Linn, Marshall, Polk, Poweshiek, Scott, Story, and Tama counties.
FEMA provides grants for things like temporary housing and can help pay for damage that’s not covered by insurance. You can apply by going online at DisasterAssistance-dot-gov or by calling their helpline at 800-621-3362.
FEMA says it has already approved more than eight-and-a-half million dollars in Individual Assistance grants for two-thousand-278 Iowa households.
DNR Fall Trout Stocking Underway
(Undated) — The Iowa D-N-R ‘s annual fall program to stock trout in ponds and lakes near towns and cities is underway and will continue through October. Northeast Iowa regional fisheries supervisor Mike Steuck says they’ve already done six stockings and have 12 more planned. Steuck says “usually around a thousand to 25-hundred fish per stocking. And it’s an
effort to get people excited in communities — our largest communities — and get them excited about going fishing.” The trout stocking has been big events in the past where they invite people out to see them put into the water. The pandemic changed their plans this year. He says they usually
have community fishing events with prizes and other things, but this year they are not announcing it until after the fish are in the pond. The sale of fishing licenses are up and Steuck says trout stamps are, too. The trout have already been stocked in Banner Lake (Indianola), Big Lake (Council Bluffs), Sand Lake (Marshalltown), Moorland Pond (Fort Dodge), North Prairie
Lake (Cedar Falls), and Heritage Pond (Dubuque).
