Ben Johnson Awarded The Iowa Pork Producers “Hog Wild” Award
(Des Moines) — Ben Johnson of Plymouth County was named the state winner of the “Hog Wild” award as presented by Iowa Pork Producers Association.
Johnson, of rural Ireton, has served the Plymouth County Pork Producers board of directors for 14 years. He coordinates October Pork Month promotions, and also promotes pork in projects with the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce and the
Plymouth County Fair. That means new residents to the county have been greeted with pork coupons, and many other county residents have seen him grilling pork at the fair and golf outings, or through his involvement with the Dine at the County Line event that brings together farmers and consumers in Woodbury and Plymouth counties.
Johnson also assisted with projects educating students about pork production.
Local students may recognize him from swine production videos produced by the Siouxland Ag in the Classroom program.
Ben and his wife Janelle were recognized as Master Pork Producers in 2011 and as IPPA’s Pork All-American winners in 2017.
Johnson also brings a pig farmer’s perspective in his service to the Plymouth County Farm Bureau and the county 4-H board. Johnson was presented the award at the recent Iowa Pork Producers Council’s annual meeting held at Des Moines.
Floyd Valley Healthcare Auxiliary To Award Two Scholarships
(Le Mars) — The Floyd Valley Auxiliary will be awarding two “tuition only” $1,000.00 scholarships to area students this spring. To be eligible, the applicant must be a resident of the Floyd Valley Healthcare service area, accepted at an accredited school and pursuing a health-related career (including pre-med, nursing, technologist, therapist and medical records professionals).
Interested students may obtain the necessary application form with complete qualifying information from their high school guidance counselor, pick up at gift shop, or print copy off on-line at FloydValley.org under the Auxiliary.
Applications and support information must be returned to Diane Dreckman, by April 2, 2021; instructions are on the form.
“The Auxiliary Board has designated these two scholarships to be awarded to residents in the Floyd Valley Healthcare service area. Applicants may either be a high school graduate or an adult returning to school. We are excited to be able to provide these scholarships to students pursuing healthcare degrees.” stated Auxiliary Scholarship Co-Chairs Diane Dreckman and Vicki
Dixon.
Man Dead After Shooting In Marshalltown
(Marshalltown, IA) — Marshalltown police are looking for a suspect in a fatal shooting early this (Monday) morning. Marshalltown police were called to a Casey’s convenience store on North Third Avenue just after 3 a-m and found a man with a gunshot wound. The man, who has not been identified, has
died. Police are looking for an adult male leaving the area with a black hooded sweatshirt and black sweatpants. The man is described as short in stature, with an accent, possibly Latino. Police released a surveillance photo from the convenience store showing the man holding out a gun as he comes into the store.
Police Investigating Fatal Shooting In Iowa City
(Iowa City, IA) — Iowa City police say an autopsy is scheduled for today (Monday) on the victim in a fatal shooting. Police were called to Iowa City’s Longfellow neighborhood about 8 o’clock on Friday night to investigate a report of shots fired. Officers say a witness told them three men had entered an apartment on South Governor Street, shot the victim, then fled. No information about the victim is being released. Police are asking for anyone
with information on the shooting to come forward. It is the first homicide in Iowa City this year.
Learing A Second Language Can Help Hold Off Dementia
(Ames, IA) — Research at Iowa State University shows learning a second language could provide an important benefit as you get older. Researcher John Grundy says people who are bilingual tend to be able to stave off symptoms of dementia by about four to six years later than those who only know one language. He says that’s after controlling for things like socioeconomic
status, education. Grundy is an assistant professor of psychology at Iowa State and says learning another language gives your brain different options when it faces a roadblock — by really rewiring the brain in a way that is protective as the brain starts to deteriorate in older age. He says it is never really too late to start — and whether it is a new language you learn or something else the key is to keep the mind active.
