Hog Barn Is Destroyed By Fire
(Akron) — Fire officials were called to 14421 K-22 for a hog barn that caught on fire Monday afternoon. The address is about 12 miles west-northwest of Le Mars. The alarm came in at about 12:25 p.m. and the Akron Fire Department quickly called for mutual aid assistance from the Le Mars Fire and Rescue
Department and Ireton Fire Department. Later, the Hawarden Fire Department and the Merrill Fire Department were called to also help transport water to the scene. Smoke and flames could be seen coming from the structure when firefighters arrived. Firefighers not only had to battle the flames, but also the heat. The Akron EMS services was providing bottles of water and sports drinks to the exhausted firefighters. Many firefighters were seen taking wet rags and draped them around their necks to help keep them cool. EMS officials were monitoring the vitals of many fire officials to prevent heat exhaustion.
It is not known at this time how many hogs were killed as a result of the fire, but the barn did have market size hogs inside the hog barn. It had appeared the flames had extended the entire length of the barn as firefighters were spraying water on all four sides of the structure. Earth moving equipment and excavators were brought to the scene to help knock down the
walls, and to get better access to the flames and some hot spots. Later in the afternoon, excavator equipment was used to lift the building debris. The barn was totally destroyed.
Firefighters were still at the scene as of late Monday afternoon.
Nearby neighbors assisted with loading of the surviving hogs on to a semi-truck and livestock trailer. Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office also responded to the hog barn fire. No word as of yet as to what may have started the fire.
Plymouth County Board Of Supervisors To Meet With Attorneys Regarding Bishop Heelan Refunding Bonds
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors have a short agenda for today’s meeting to be held at the County Courthouse Boardroom. The county governing board is expected to set a date for a public hearing regarding the amended budget. The county board of supervisors will hear from Surveyor, Kyle
Johnson as he seeks approval of a minor subdivision in Remsen township.
County engineer Tom Rohe will appear before the county board to discuss current road construction projects, and Darla Giese and David Grossklaus with the Dorsey and Whitney law firm will meet with the county board of supervisors to discuss refunding bonds for Bishop Heelan and approve a resolution.
School Board Approves Bread And Milk Contracts
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Board of Education approved the bread and milk contracts for the upcoming school year during Monday evening’s monthly meeting. Only one bid was submitted for the bread contract, and it came from Casey’s Bakery of Sioux Center. The bid was listed at $34,050.99 Two contract bids were submitted for the milk contract. They were from Kemps with
a milk processing facility in Le Mars, and the other submitted bid was from Hiland Dairy of Omaha. The school board went with Kemps who had a lower bid of $61,436.35 Hiland Dairy’s bid was listed at $85,559.67. School superintendent Dr. Steve Webner says bread contracts were also sent to HyVee bakery, but the supermarket did not respond. Milk contracts were also
extended to Anderson-Erikson Dairy of Des Moines and Prairie Farms, a milk processing facility in Dubuque, Iowa.
In other business, the school board approved the purchase of a textbook for students enrolled in Spanish language classes. The school board approved insurance coverage renewal with property and casualty insurance through Employers’ Mutual Company for the 2021-2022 school year. Rob Bixenman with Perspective Insurance Company appeared before the school board and explained that due to the derecho storm last August that damaged many school buildings across the state, insurance
premiums were higher. The school district principals submitted their end-of-the-year reports by sharing information regarding the assessment tests that were conducted near the end of the school year. The school principals indicated they had set a goal of 80 percent proficient for each category including reading, mathematics, and science. In many instances, the classes
under-performed the proficient rating of obtaining 80 percent. School principals said the decline may be attributed to a new type of test, and because of the COVID virus which had many students learning from home instead of in the classroom.
Two Boys Set Up Lemonade Stand On Plymouth Street
(Le Mars) — The Ritz Chiropractic digital sign indicated the outdoor temperature Monday afternoon was 96 degrees when two young boys were spotted in front of their father’s business office along Plymouth Street southwest selling lemonade and Popsicles at a lemonade stand. The sign in front of
their stand read: Lemonade or Popcicles – 50 cents. The boys, nine-year old Landon Ritz, and his seven-year old brother Easton Ritz, were selling the cool refreshments to customers of all ages and to anyone who would stop and make a purchase. Landon Ritz explains why the two boys decided to go into business
selling lemonade.
The stand consisted of a small table with two child-size chairs and an ice chest cooler, two lemonade dispensers, along with a white board sign advertising their price, and a patio umbrella to protect the boys and their product from the intense afternoon heat and direct sunlight. The boys indicated business had been brisk Monday afternoon during the heat wave.
Easton says they offered their customers a choice between two types of lemonade.
As for the Popsicles, Easton says they offered a wide variety of flavors and colors of Popsicles, but one flavor stood out above the rest.
The two lemonade entrepreneurs have a specific item in mind that they want to purchase with the money raised from selling lemonade.
Tuesday’s weather is expected to be another hot day with sunny skies and temperatures again in the 90’s. So, does that mean the Ritz brothers will be back Tuesday afternoon with their lemonade stand selling lemonade and Popsicles?
Both boys indicated how much volume of lemonade they had sold by pointing to the respective lemonade dispensers showing the level at the start of their sales.
Cedar Rapids To Help Derecho Victims With Pandemic Funds
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — Cedar Rapids officials hope to use part of the city’s federal pandemic relief money to help property owners recover from last year’s derecho. Mayor Brad Hart says they are trying to figure out what the gap is for people who are uninsured or underinsured and so they can figure out ways to provide money and services to them. Hart says half of the
28 million dollars from the American Recovery Act could be delivered this week.
Body Recovered In Suspected Drowning In Waterloo
(Waterloo, IA) — Waterloo Fire Rescue recovered the body of a man who apparently drowned at George Wyth (with) State Park this weekend. They were dispatched to the park Sunday shortly after 6:30 p-m on the report of a man who went under the water and had not resurfaced. The man’s body was located and pulled from the water in the vicinity of where he was last observed.
Officials identified the victim as a 30-year-old man but did not immediately release his name. Waterloo police say the cause of the man’s death is pending an autopsy.
Iowa Falls Man Sentenced To Prison On Several Counts
(Iowa Falls, IA) — A 19-year-old Iowa Falls man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison after he was arrested with a 12-year-old girl in his car. Christopher Allen Dale Hogan of Iowa Falls was involved in a single-car accident in the early morning hours of New Year’s Day this year. Hogan was charged with drunk driving and police discovered he had committed multiple sex acts with the girl in his vehicle. He was convicted of three counts of third-degree sex abuse, three counts of lascivious acts with a child and one count of lascivious acts with a child by solicitation for sex as well as drunk driving.
IDPH Seeking Information From Pregnant Women
(Undated) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is asking pregnant women to fill out a survey to help improve the state’s strategic plan. The outreach effort is funded in part by a federal grant the state received to address disparities in maternal health. I-D-P-H Doctor Nalo Johnson says the survey will help figure out what the gaps are in the health system. She says
it will also tell them which programs are working well. Iowa’s maternal mortality rates have increased in the past several years, although the state still considers maternal death a rarity.
