Le Mars Historical Preservation Commission To Hold Window Restoration Workshops
(Le Mars) — The City of Le Mars Historic Preservation Commission will hold a two-day window restoration workshop in May.
The workshop, which is open to the public, will inform property owners and area contractors on the options and techniques for window repair and restoration on historic houses or buildings. Facilitating the workshop will be Terry Philips, Historic Window Rehabilitation specialist.
The first session, Window Repair, Restore, Replace: How to Decide, will be held on Friday, May 14 from 4:00pm to 7:00pm at the Brown Central Event Center. A complimentary light dinner will be served.
On Saturday, May 15 the second session will be held from 9:00am to Noon at Care1 Nurses office building, 35 Plymouth St NE. You’ll participate in a hands-on learning experience in the various techniques to restore historic windows. This session is entitled Hands on Window Repair/Restoration Techniques.
Le Mars Historic Preservation member Stu Dekkenga stated that “The workshop is being offered to educate and assist contractors and home owners as they address issues with their properties. This educational opportunity will allow people the chance to ask questions and learn about the right ways to restore historic windows.”
Admission is free to both sessions. Reservations for the workshop are needed. Contact Le Mars City Hall at 712-546-7018 to reserve your spot by May 7. The workshop is open to contractors and historic property owners. If you have questions, please contact Stu Dekkenga 712-540-5503 or Karla Dekkenga 712-540-2909.
COVID Vaccinations Open To Everyone Starting Today
(Des Moines) — As of today (Monday), all Iowans age 16 and above are eligible for Covid-19 vaccinations. Governor Kim Reynolds says getting an appointment may be challenging, but she has repeatedly urged Iowans to get the shot.
A Des Moines Register “Iowa Poll” conducted a month ago indicated 27 percent of Iowans do not intend to get vaccinated. Reynolds used part of news conference last week to make a direct appeal to reluctant Iowans.
At 10 p.m. last (Sunday) night, the state website tracking vaccinations showed nearly 663-thousand Iowans have completed their vaccinations, either the single-dose Johnson and Johnson or both doses of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines. Iowa City computer programmer Brian Finley set up a Twitter account to list vaccination appointment times as soon as they become available. Iowa Vaccine Alerts Twiter account is an outgrowth of Finley’s own search for appointments when his family became eligible for shots.
More than 33-thousand people are following Finley’s Iowa Vaccine Alerts Twitter account. Some of Finley’s Twitter followers are now volunteers helping schedule vaccination appointments for people who lack the time or internet access to get shots lined up.
He says two of the volunteers who’re using information from his Iowa Vaccination Alerts Tweets have helped more 500 people sign up for appointments.
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Ernst Critical Of Biden’s Spending
(Washington) — Republican Senator Joni Ernst says President Biden’s more than two-trillion dollar infrastructure plan is too bloated to get G-O-P support.
Ernst says the plan contains every progressive wish list item under the sun, like support for electric vehicles and labor unions. Other elements in the plan can be debated separately, according to Ernst.
Ernst suggests a starting point for Biden Administration negotiations with congress could have been the bill that unanimously passed the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee last year.
Ernst says last year’s bipartisan highway bill included crucial funding to repair and replace the lock and dam system on the Mississippi River.
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AAA Warns Motorists About Distracted Driving
(Des Moines) — More Iowans are getting behind the wheel after many months of doing little driving during the height of the pandemic, and there’s concern they may have forgotten some important rules of the road. Meredith Mitts, spokeswoman for Triple-A-Iowa, says distracted driving remains a crucial problem. A federal report blames distractions for 19 fatal crashes in Iowa in 2019.
The report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds about nine deaths a day nationwide are caused by distracted drivers, and in most cases, a cell phone is to blame.
Other primary causes of distraction include: in-vehicle technology, eating or drinking, and passengers in the vehicle.
A Triple-A survey found 96-percent of drivers agree typing or reading on a hand-held cellphone while driving to be very or extremely dangerous, but 39-percent admitted to reading and 29-percent admit to typing on a smartphone at least once while behind the wheel within the past month.
Creighton Survey Shows Slight Drop In Business Conditions
(Omaha, NE) — The Creighton University monthly survey of business leaders and supply managers in Iowa and eight other Midwestern states shows a moderate drop in the region’s leading economic indicator for March. Creighton economist Ernie Goss says the region’s been above that growth neutral mark for ten straight months — although the index dropped slightly from last month. He says about eight in ten manufacturers reported bottlenecks in getting raw materials and supplies from vendors, curtailing what could be even stronger growth.
Grassley Comments On Capitol Police Officer’s Death
(Washington, DC) — Members of Iowa’s Congressional delegation were not at the U-S Capitol Friday when a capitol police officer was killed as a man rammed his car into a barricade. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley issued a statement following the incident. Grassley says, “The United States Capitol Police work tirelessly to protect the U-S Capitol and the people in and around it. I’m praying for the family and friends of Officer Billy Evans and for the entire Capitol Police force.” Police shot the man in the car — identified as 25-year-old Noah Green. He died at the hospital.
Pella Preparing For Return Of Tulip Festival
(Pella, IA) –– Organizers in Pella say plans are in progress to bring the city’s annual tulip festival back next month. Festival board member, Cyndi Atkins, says they are excited about the return after COVID-19 forced the cancellation of last year’s festival. The annual festival, which started in 1935, had only been canceled once before, back in 1946. Atkins says the Pella Historical Society had to cut its budget by 150-thousand dollars without the revenue from last year’s festival.
