USDA To Deliver Free Food Program To Le Mars On Saturday
(Le Mars) — Another food distribution program is scheduled to occur in Le Mars on Saturday. The program is sponsored by the U-S Department of Agriculture. Adri Riesch is serving as one of the coordinators of the free food distribution. She says the program is similar to the food distribution program that was held in Le Mars back in October.
Riesch says this time, the boxes are larger and contain additional food items.
Riesch says the food is free and the program relates to problems encountered by producers when they needed to market their commodity products during the early months of the COVID-19 virus.
Riesch says organizers have a better plan for the distribution process. She says people are asked to remain in their vehicles and go to the Le Mars United Methodist Church parking lot.
A total of 931 boxes of food will be distributed to the public. Riesch says there isn’t any qualifications as the food is for everyone.
The food distribution program is scheduled to begin at 12:00 noon, and people are asked to go to the Le Mars United Methodist Church parking lot. You will then be directed as to where to go to pick up your box of free food.
Hometown Christmas To Be Featured On Local Television Stations
(Le Mars)— While Hometown Christmas was unable to jumpstart a new tradition on Saturday, November 28, 2020, because of the COVID-19 virus, that is not stopping us from sharing some joy this holiday season. People can tune
in to the airing of the 30-minute videotaped broadcast of the Hometown Christmas event on the following local broadcast stations and get yourself into the holiday spirit.
The program will be featured on KTIV Channel 4 – today, Saturday, December 12 at 6:30pm and then on KCAU Channel 9 – Sunday, December 13 at 4:30pm and again Sunday, December 20 at 4:30pm.
Hometown Christmas is a new event offered by the community of Le Mars, Iowa.
The overall goal of the event is to support local business and bring people together for Christmas joy during the most wonderful time of the year.
Learn more about the events taking place, COVID protocols and more by following us on Facebook at
/ChristmasInLeMars and @ChristmasInLeMars on Instagram.
Thompson Selected As December Employee Of The Month
(Le Mars) — Le Mars Chamber of Commerce awarded the December “Employee of the Month” to an employee of Total Motors. The honor was presented to Greg Thompson on Wednesday. Back in August, Thompson marked his 20th year of selling vehicles. However, Greg would likely describe those 20 years as more than just selling cars, it has been 20 years of building relationships, helping friends & family, watching families grow, and being there for others during their best and worst life situations. Throughout the working day, Greg is either seen with customers in person or over the phone. If you see a phone call come in from Greg it is likely to see how you are doing or to wish you a happy birthday.
Total Motors is fortunate to have such a dedicated and hard-working employee like Greg Thompson. Greg works 6 days a week and is always the last one at work on a nightly basis. Greg has not had the easiest road in the last several years, as he has battled cancer and other health concerns. However, Greg’s relentlessness and determination will not allow him to take a day off unless it is necessary.
It is evident what means the most to Greg in his life, and that is his family and his support system. Greg might not show it, but when you hear him talk about his family, you can tell they share a special place in his heart and give him the drive to do what he does best.
Our congratulations go to Greg Thompson with Total Motors for being named the December Chamber of Commerce “Employee of the Month.”
Revenue Estimating Conference Predicts A 3.7% Increase In State Tax Revenue
(Des Moines) — A panel reviewing the state’s tax receipts has concluded there’s a very slow economic recovery ahead and the group is predicting state tax revenue in the current fiscal year will grow by just half-a-percent. However, the Revenue Estimating Conference predicts state tax collections will expand by three-point-seven percent in the budgeting year that begins July 1st. Holly Lyons of the Legislative Services Agency is one of the three panel members.
The current state fiscal year ends June 30th. The council’s tax collection prediction for the next fiscal year is nearly 300 million higher. Iowa Department of Management director Dave Roederer (ROH-der-er) says the big question is whether wide distribution of Covid vaccine will stoke the economy.
Roederer says the economy won’t start growing until people believe the pandemic is coming to an end and they start spending their money on goods and services again. The Revenue Estimating Conference predicts the State of Iowa will collect eight-and-a-quarter BILLION dollars in the next budgeting year. That total is what the governor will use as the basis for the state spending plan she’ll present to legislators in January.
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COVID Pandemic Leads to Spike in Iowa Alcohol Sales
(Ankeny, IA) — The state agency that distributes liquor says the fiscal year that ended in July saw around an eight-percent increase in sales compared to last year. Iowa Alcoholic Beverages Division spokesman Jake Holmes says that’s better than they’ve seen in recent years. Sales in the fiscal year were 367-point-three million dollars and more than 133 million was transferred to the state general fund. Holmes says this is something that’s been seen in liquor sales across the country. He says the number of liquor licenses approved in the fiscal year was down — which is another indication people are buying the booze and taking it home to drink.
2057 New COVID Cases in Iowa, 77 Additional Deaths
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is reporting 77 more Iowans have died of COVID complications, increasing the death toll to three-thousand-197. Two-thousand-57 positive tests were confirmed today (Friday), increasing the state’s total to 253-thousand-85 cases. Eight-hundred-33 Iowans are hospitalized with COVID. One-hundred-75 of those patients are in intensive care and 97 are on ventilators. There are currently 141 COVID-19 outbreaks in long-term care facilities in the state.
Iowa Supreme Court Upholds Overturned Murder Conviction of Dubuque Man
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld an Appeals Court ruling that overturned the murder conviction of a Dubuque man and ordered a new trial in the death of his girlfriend. The Appeals Court overturned the second-degree murder conviction of Fontae Buelow in the 2017 stabbing death of 21-year-old Samantha Link. The court says the district court should have allowed Buelow’s defense team to review Link’s medical history that included prior attempts at suicide to support his defense the Link stabbed herself. The Supreme Court says the relevance of past events decay over time — but suicide attempts and mental health diagnoses from a few years prior are clearly relevant to the question of whether Link took her own life or was killed by Buelow. It says those mental health records and testimony relating to her suicidal disposition are relevant in this case which now goes back to the district court.
Man Suffers Serious Injuries in Cedar Rapids Tree Cutting Incident
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — A man is hospitalized with serious injuries suffered in a tree cutting incident in Cedar Rapids. Firefighters were called to a home this afternoon (Friday) for a tree that had fallen on a victim in a wooded area. Crews found a 24-year-old man with a large oak on tree on top of him. They used extrication tools including air bags to remove the victim from the tree on his lower torso. Authorities say he was rushed to the hospital for treatment. Investigators say the man was hired to remove a Derecho-damaged tree behind a home when it rotated and fell on him.
