Floyd Valley Healthcare To Offer Minimum Wage Of $15/Hour
(Le Mars, IA) — Floyd Valley Healthcare in Le Mars is excited to announce that a $15 per hour minimum wage will be implemented beginning June 27th. We believe it was a necessary step in supporting the continued growth of Floyd Valley Healthcare. The importance of a great staff is important at all times, but became even more evident during the global pandemic.
“This is an exciting time for FVH to announce a $15 hour minimum wage increase,” states Dustin Wright, Floyd Valley Healthcare’s CEO.
“Recognizing and rewarding our current team and future employees was an important goal for us to accomplish. We know this will positively impact so many of our team members and it takes an entire team to care for our communities and this
increase recognizes the hard work and dedication of so many frontline caregivers and support departments at FVH.”
In addition to the new minimum wage, Floyd Valley offers a competitive benefits package including dental, health and vision insurance; educational opportunities; discounts and participation in the IPERS program.
County Supervisors To Vote On Budget Amendment
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will hold a public hearing regarding a budget amendment then they are likely to vote to approve the budget amendment during today’s scheduled meeting at the County Courthouse Board Room. The county governing board will get their meeting started at 9:30
a.m. and they will hear from Surveyor Dave Wilberding as he is seeking approval of Maple Grove Farm second addition. County Treasurer, Shelly Sitzmann will appear before the county board to discuss and abatement of interest on county tax certificate. County Engineer Tom Rohe will also appear to answer questions relating to the county’s secondary road department.
Le Mars Community Board Of Education To Hold Special Meeting
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Board of Education have scheduled a special meeting set for 12:00 noon on Wednesday, May 26th. The school board will hold a public hearing on a budget amendment for the school year 2020-2021. It is
expected the school board will approve the budget amendment. The school board will also act on several resignations including: Elaine Van Otterloo who is retiring from her position as a teacher associate at the middle school, effective May 28th. Toni Schwebach Jurgens is resigning from her position as a teacher associate at the high school effective, May 27th. Ann Harms wishes to resign her position as a high school teacher associate at the conclusion of the 2020-2021 school year. Warren Bates is resigning his position as a bus driver effective May 28th. Emily Beller has resigned from her position as a teacher associate at Clark Elementary effective May 26th. Nicole Decker is
resigning from her position as a teacher associate at Clark Elementary effective May 27th. The school board is likely to approve a contract for Josh Fakkema as the assistant baseball coach. In other business, the Le Mars Community Board of Education will discuss a propose agreement between Mid-
Sioux Opportunities and the school district regarding transportation of Head Start students for the 2021-2022 school year.
Plymouth County Community Health Director Comments On “No Mask” Bill
(Le Mars) — Last week, the Iowa Legislature passed a bill and it was quickly signed by Governor Kim Reynolds that basically allows people to not wear a face covering or masks in public places such as schools, businesses, and government offices. Tara Geddes serves as the Director of Plymouth County Community Health Services and was asked if she believed the state lawmakers and the governor perhaps acted too quickly on the measure.
With graduation ceremonies and receptions, plus the Memorial Day holiday fast approaching, is it likely we could see a resurgence of positive COVID case numbers?
Geddes says the demand for vaccinations has tapered off somewhat, although because the Pfizer vaccine is now available for people over the age of 12, she says many adolescents are getting the COVID vaccine.
The Plymouth County Community Health Services Director offers the latest trend that is occurring with Plymouth County regarding COVID cases.
Geddes says Plymouth County still has a sufficient amount of vaccine doses available, and she urges all people to get vaccinated, or to complete their vaccination process.
Naig Says He Is Pleased State Legislature Passed Agriculture Bills
(Des Moines) — The Iowa Legislature finished its work from this year’s general session late Wednesday night of last week, and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig is pleased the legislature included funding for several agriculture-related projects. Naig says he had listed three priorities for the legislature with the first being a continuation of funding for various water quality initiative projects throughout the state.
Naig says the state legislature also passed bills that would appropriate additional money towards bio-security measures to ward off any potential foreign animal diseases.
The Iowa Agriculture Secretary says his third priority was to fund money towards Iowa’s food security issues.
State lawmakers passed a bill that would offer more protection against animal livestock production facilities from potential animal rights groups wanting to enter a person’s property and videotape the operations, only to be posted on social media with the idea to question production procedures. Opponents of the
bill say they will challenge the validity of the bill in court.
Farmers Ahead Of Schedule For Planting Crops And Nearing Completion
(Des Moines) — Iowa farmers are nearing completion of planting their crops for this year. According to the latest weekly crop condition report, farmers have planted 97 percent of the state’s corn crop, and 89 percent of the state’s soybeans have been planted. Recent rains and warmer temperatures have
helped with the emergence of the crops. However, in an interview from Monday, with KLEM news, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig says the reason why many farmers are ahead with planting schedules is because it has been dry.
Defense To Present Its Case In Tibbetts Trial
(Davenport, IA) — The defense takes over this (Tuesday) morning in the Mollie Tibbetts murder trial after the prosecution rested Monday on the fourth day of the trial. Cristhian Rivera is accused of killing Tibbetts after confronting her as she ran in her hometown of Brooklyn in July of 2018. In a common procedural move, defense attorney, Jennifer Frese (Freeze) asked the judge to throw out the case after the prosecution rested. She said there was little evidence to link Rivera to the crime beyond a forced confession. Judge Joel Yates denied the motion for acquittal — and the trial will resume in the Davenport courtroom at 8:30 a-m today (Tuesday).
Hawkeye Basketball Player Assaulted
(Iowa City, IA) — The University of Iowa reports that senior basketball player Jordan Bohannon was physically assaulted early Sunday morning in Iowa City. The school says Bohannon is recovering after receiving medical attention to treat a serious head injury. No other details of the assault were given. A
statement from U-I head coach Fran McCaffery says Bohanon is recovering after being attacked by an individual he did not see coming at him. McCaffery says they were made aware of the incident immediately, and “are grateful that friends who were with Jordan at the time kept the incident from escalating.”
Broadband Update Gets Governor’s Signature
(Des Moines, IA) — Governor Reynolds signed a budget bill that includes 100 million dollars for state grants to companies that extend broadband to areas without service — or to significantly improve slow broadband speeds in other
areas. Reynolds says there’s a glaring need and this money, along with another bill that outlines grant specifications, addresses it. She says the state’s broadband infrastructure is about to reverse quickly and dramatically. The move got bipartisan support in the legislature.
