Iowa Corn Growers Shows Their Appreciation To Long-term Care Facilities Staff
(Le Mars) — Iowa Corn Growers are appreciative of the efforts by nursing staff at long-term care facilities, and as a way to show their gratitude, the commodity organization are delivering pizzas to each of the nursing care facilities within northwest Iowa. Lowell Appleton serves as the Corn Growers
Association’s District Field Manager and says all this week with the cooperation of Pizza Ranch and Chesterman Bottling Company, each member of the staff at our long-term care facilities will receive a pizza and soda.
According to Appleton, this marks the second time the Iowa Corn Growers have expressed their appreciation to Iowa’s health care professionals. Last year, the corn growers sent pizzas to the state’s hospitals for all the doctors and nurses.
Appleton explains why the Iowa Corn Growers Association has taken this action.
The Iowa Corn Growers official says pizzas will be distributed to 43 nursing care facilities located within northwest Iowa.
Law Enforcement Agencies Concentrate Patrol Efforts On Plymouth County
(Le Mars) — Area law enforcement agencies stepped up their patrol efforts on Friday, January 29th, and concentrated on Plymouth County. The purpose for the enhanced presence of law enforcement was to utilize a grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau and to crack down on the high number of speeders, and hopefully reduce the number of serious and fatal
traffic accidents within Plymouth County. In 2020, Plymouth County had nine fatalities from accidents, three of those occurred during November alone.
Authorities say the number of fatal accidents in Plymouth County last year was double the normal average for fatal traffic accidents within Plymouth County. Iowa State Patrol Trooper John Farley says the enhanced patrol proved to be successful.
Farley says the total number of citations from that one day may seem startling.
The Iowa State Patrol trooper says the intent wasn’t just to issue citations, but to educate motorists about the dangers of speeding, distracted driving, and intoxicated driving. He says the various law enforcement officials also gave several warnings to motorists.
Farley says from time to time, law enforcement officials will continue to focus their attention on Plymouth County until such time, speeding citations are reduced, and tragic accidents, including fatalities are also reduced.
Reynolds Defends Her Actions Of Reducing COVID-19 Restrictions
(Des Moines) — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds defended her recent actions to lift many of the restrictions that were in place since November as a result of the emergency proclamation due to the COVID-19 virus. During her news conference held Wednesday morning, Reynolds informed the media she has said
all along during the pandemic, she would reduce the restrictions, including wearing a mask or face-covering, and allowing restaurants and bars to allow more patrons inside their establishments, when conditions have improved.
Reynolds says the number of cases of COVID-19 within the state have declined.
Reynolds acknowledged the pandemic is not over, but she says Iowans have proven that we can manage it while living our lives responsibly and normally.
The governor says it was never her intent to have the mitigation efforts become a permanent fixture.
Reynolds says prior to November their wasn’t a mask mandate, although many Iowans chose to wear a mask. She says she is confident that many Iowans will continue to do wear a mask or face covering even though the restrictions have been reduced. Reynolds also addressed the problem of having a low supply of
vaccines for the state. She says the issue should be resolved within the coming weeks. The governor says Hy-Vee and Medcap pharmacies will also begin giving vaccines in the coming weeks, which also should help reduce the long waits for a COVID-19 vaccine.
House Bill Would Ban Use of ‘1619 Project’ in Iowa schools
(Des Moines, IA) – – A bill that would pull state funding from public schools if a New York Times series about slavery is used in history classes is advancing in the Iowa House. G-O-P Representative Skyler Wheeler from Orange City, who is the bill’s sponsor, said the 1619 Project is projecting “a clear viewpoint.” He claims “It seeks to distort facts, not simply teach them and it does so as leftist political propaganda masquerading as history.”
Rita Davenport told lawmakers the 1619 project promotes Black “victimhood.” She said, “In my 57 years, I’ve never felt that I could not achieve anything because of my race.” The bill would financially penalize public K-12 districts, community colleges and the three public universities for each day the 1619 project is used as history curriculum. Nikole Hannah-Jones, creator
of the 1619 Project, is a Waterloo native. In a tweet last (Tuesday) night, she called the bill “disgraceful.”
FFA Advisor Investigated by State Auditor For Handling of Chapter Funds
(Des Moines, IA) — A special investigation by the state auditor’s office found more than eight-thousand dollars worth of undocumented fundraising and spending by the advisor of a northeast Iowa F-F-A chapter. State Auditor Rob Sand said officials in the North Butler Community School District asked for
the review. The special investigation shows auditors concluded F-F-A advisor Frank Kisley failed to collect or deposit about 21-hundred dollars from two fundraisers for the chapter. Auditors identified another 58-hundred dollars of improper spending for the chapter. Kisley was placed on leave last March and went back in July and told investigators he was able to retrieve nearly
19-hundred in undeposited cash from his desk and turn it over to the principal. School officials told investigators the cash was “bundled as if had come from the bank.”
Eastern Iowa Airport Credits Workers With Stopping Human Trafficking
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — Two workers at the Eastern Iowa Airport in Cedar Rapids are believed to have stopped a possible human trafficking situation.
The workers stopped a teenage girl from traveling to meet a man she’d never seen in person back in November. The workers received an award from the airport last month.
Komen Greater Iowa To Disaffiliate From Parent Organization
(Des Moines, IA) — Susan G. Komen Greater Iowa plans to end its affiliation with its parent organization and cease operations by the end of next month. The organization says it’ll close and redistribute over 250-thousand dollars to local programs and organizations that provide breast cancer services. The Iowa organization announcement comes after changes on the national level. Komen Greater Iowa has operated as an independent
nonprofit and serves all of Iowa and parts of Illinois, South Dakota, and Nebraska.
