Iowa State Fair Begins Today
(Des Moines) — The Iowa State Fair begins its eleven day run today, and Fair Manager Gary Slater says fair officials are anxious and excited about the return of the fair. A year ago, the state fair was cancelled due to the concerns with the COVID-19 virus. Slater says fair officials have taken some precautions to have people not only feel welcomed, but safe as well.
Slater admits there will be some areas of the fairgrounds with concentrated populations, but he says the vast majority of the time people will be outdoors.
Slater says because of the world we now live in, metal detectors and additional security has been placed at the entrances to the fair.
The Iowa State Fair Manager says visitors to this year’s state fair will notice several changes, renovations, and upgrades to many of the facilities, including the 4-H Exhibit Hall.
Slater says daily admission to the Iowa State Fair is listed at $14 for adults. The Iowa State Fair will continue through Sunday, August 22nd.
Plymouth County Family To Be Honored For Environmental Stewardship At The Iowa State Fair
(Le Mars) — A Plymouth County farm family will be honored during the Iowa State Fair for their environmental stewardship. The award will be given to Mark, William, and Jerry Loutsch who farm together between Le Mars and Remsen. The Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Award will be presented by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig, and Iowa Department of Natural Resources Director, Kayla Lyon. The Loutsch brothers are part of 89 Iowa farm families to be recognized. The award acknowledges farmers who take voluntary actions to improve and protect the environment and our state’s natural resources while serving as leaders in their farming communities. The farm families use scientifically-proven practices like cover crops, wetlands, bioreactors, and saturated buffers that support the Iowa Nutrient Reduction Strategy. The recipients recognize the benefits of conservation practices extend beyond their fields to the residents downstream, and their leadership encourages others to adopt similar conservation practices. The winners were chosen by a committee representing both conservation and agricultural groups. Mark Loutsch explains how they were selected for the honor.
Pictured from left to right, Jerry Loutsch, William Loutsch, and Mark Loutsch will be honored at the Iowa State Fair for their environmental stewardship. (picture contributed.)
Loutsch tells of the many conservation practices that he and his brothers have implemented for their farming operation.
Loutsch and his brothers have land within the Deep Creek Water Quality Initiative Drainage Region. He says they were taught at an early age to protect both the soil and the water.
Other area recipients of the Iowa Farm Environmental Leader Award include: Thomas and Linda Binder of Cherokee County, Kirk and Diane Den Herder from Sioux County, Art Moss and Sons Incorporated – Craig and Hayley Moss and Arlan and Ruth Moss also from Sioux County. O’Brien County will be represented by Paul Mugge. The award ceremony will take place on Wednesday, August 18th at the Oman Family Youth Inn located on the grounds of the Iowa State Fair.
Candidates For Mayor, City Council, And School Board Can Begin To File Nomination Papers On August 23rd
(Le Mars) — Nomination petitions for public elected offices can start on August 23rd. Plymouth County Elections Officer Cheri Nitzschke says nomination petition papers for city elected offices can be picked up from the Plymouth County Auditor’s Office at the county courthouse. For school board positions, nomination papers can be obtained through the local school’s secretary office. Nitzschke says the papers must be turned in no later than September 16th at 5:00 p.m. Civil nomination petitions need to be delivered to the county auditor’s office, and school board election nomination papers need to go to the local school district. Nitzschke says each community is different as to how many signatures are needed for nomination petitions. She says for Le Mars, candidates seeking the position of mayor will need to acquire at least 16 signatures. Candidates for Le Mars city council positions in Ward 1 and 3 require at least ten signatures. Nitzkey says those signatures need to be from residents living within the specific ward. City council candidates for an at-large position need to acquire at least 17 signatures, and candidates for the Floyd Valley Healthcare Board of Trustees need to obtain at least 20 signatures. Nitzschke reminds us that school board elections and city elections will both take place on election day, scheduled for November 2nd. Residents in the Akron-Westfield school district will have a special election slated for September 14th. Voters will decide upon a school bond issue listed at $8,990,000.
Woman Who Vandalized Dakota Access Pipeline Reports To Prison
(Waseca, MN) — A woman sentenced to eight years in prison for damaging the Dakota Access Pipeline has reported to prison in Waseca, Minnesota. Thirty-nine-year-old Jessica Reznicek had admitted to damaging and attempting to damage the pipeline using a cutting torch and fires near pipeline equipment in Mahaska, Boone, and Wapello Counties. She was also ordered to pay more than three million dollars in restitution. Prosecutors called the crime domestic terrorism. Information from Reznicek’s supporters indicate her lawyer plans to challenge the length of the sentence and to reverse the terrorism enhancement.
Spirit Lake Council Votes Against Rezoning For Mental Health Center
(Spirit Lake, IA) — The Spirit Lake City Council has voted against changing the city’s zoning ordinance so a mental health access center could open in a commercial area near Spirit Lake’s downtown. Shane Walter, C-E-O of Sioux Rivers Regional Mental Health and Disabilities Services, says the center would reduce the involvement of law enforcement and reduce the use of the emergency room at Spirit Lake’s hospital when someone needs mental health services. Spirit Lake City Councilman Jerry Harbst says the downtown space is limited and there are other areas that they can move into that won’t take any type of rezoning.
Field Of Dreams Game Is Tonight
(Dyersville, IA) — The Field of Dreams game tonight (Thursday) between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox in Dyersville will be the first regular-season Major League Baseball game played in Iowa. The League considered using the field created for the 1989 movie, but the dimensions were limited, so a new ballpark was built next to it. Designer Murray Cook says fans will walk through the original movie site field, enter the corn and walk a path that takes them toward the right-field fence area. Cook says 159 acres of corn were planted around the field this spring and it’s as high as it was in the movie. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:15 p-m.
Manure Spilled In Union County
(Thayer, IA) — The Iowa D-N-R says it is monitoring clean-up after thousands of gallons of hog manure were spilled about six miles south of Thayer in Union County. The D-N-R says Iowa Select Farms reported that a valve was left closed and manure was pumped into the wrong storage tank at a sow facility Monday evening. Iowa Select estimated about 10-thousand gallons of manure spilled over the side of the tank into a small tributary of the Grand River. The D-N-R says a dam was built to trap the manure and that prevented a fish kill in the Grand River. The D-N-R says they will continue to monitor the cleanup and will consider appropriate enforcement action.
Protestors Want Change In School Mask Policy
(Des Moines, IA) — Parents, children, and medical professionals gathered just outside the State Capitol in Des Moines today (Wednesday) to urge Governor Kim Reynolds to let Iowa schools require masks for students and staff. Tanya Keith is the mother of three. Her youngest is six and not eligible for a vaccine. She opposes the bill Reynolds signed into law at the end of the last school year that forbids mask mandates in schools. She says it’s time for the Iowa G-O-P and the governor to say things have changed. Governor Reynolds issued a written statement, saying she trusts Iowans to make decisions about what’s best for themselves and parents have the option to send their kids to school with a mask or not.
