Vande Vegte And TeBrink To Speak At Next Lunch And Learn Session
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Chamber of Commerce would like to remind people the next “Lunch and Learn” session is scheduled for Tuesday, August 24th beginning at 12:00 noon. The “Lunch and Learn” will be held at the Brown’s Central Avenue Events Center and will feature both Le Mars Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte, and Plymouth County Sheriff, Jeff TeBrink. The topics to be discussed are Scams and Active Shooters. If you have an interest in attending the event, you are to contact the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce offices by calling 546-8821.
Plymouth County 4-H Members Do Well In Clothing Exhibition At The Iowa State Fair
AMES, Iowa – One hundred twenty-three youth from 70 counties participated in the 2021 Awardrobe Clothing Event held at the Iowa State Fair Aug. 12. This event provides 4-H members in grades 9-12 the opportunity to showcase their apparel design and production knowledge, as well as creativity skills. As a part of the showcasing experience, youth complete a comprehensive report and participate in conference judging. The event concludes with a runway show for all participants. Plymouth County 4-H members did well and received special recognition for their clothing entries that qualified to be exhibited at the Iowa State Fair. Three Plymouth County 4-H members were among the top five in the state competition with the various “Awardrobe Clothing Events.” Claire Blezek placed in the top five in the Fashion Revue, Sarah Stegge was among the top entries for the $15 Challenge, and Samuel Bowen was within the top five for the On Trend Award.
Quimby Lifts Water Boil Order
(Quimby) — The water boil order for the Cherokee County community of Quimby has now been lifted. City officials had issued the boil advisory earlier in the week following repairs on water lines. Water had been turned off on August 16th for the repairs to be made. The town of Remsen is still under their water ban, and city officials report the city of Remsen is drilling a new water well.
Program To Honor Sgt. Charles Floyd Of The Lewis And Clark Expedition
(Sioux City) — Friday marked the 217th anniversary of the death of Sergeant Charles Floyd on the Lewis and Clark expedition. Floyd became ill and died at the encampment along the Missouri River in the area that would later become Sioux City. Floyd’s remains are buried beneath a monument on the bluff overlooking the river along Interstate 29 — and this weekend an 1804 living history camp is underway at the site. Denny Leonard portrays expedition member Sergeant John Ordway in the Floyd honor guard.
Leonard says they will have a reenactment of the burial of Floyd after he died around noon.
Around 20 members of the group will camp on the grounds of the Sergeant Floyd Riverboat Museum and Welcome Center on the riverfront. They will show what life was like at the time.
The encampment runs from 10 a-m Saturday until 4 p-m. There are children’s activities from 10 a-m until 1 p-m Saturday and 10 a-m until 3 p-m Sunday. Floyd was the only member of the expedition to die.
Statewide Drought Becomes More Severe
(Des Moines) — The rains that fell on Le Mars Friday afternoon and early evening were greatly appreciated, but it would take many more rains to make a dent in the long-running — and worsening — drought. State climatologist Justin Glisan says the new drought maps released late this week show drought conditions widening and getting more severe, especially across Iowa’s northern half.
The new climate outlook was issued for the region on Thursday and Glisan says it holds no obvious signs for what’s to come in the long-term.
Fall will arrive in about a month, September 22nd, and Glisan says it’s a toss-up as to what the season ahead may hold.
The map shows at least parts of 22 Iowa counties are now in extreme drought, which covers more than ten percent of the state, up from around seven-percent last week. Fifty-five percent of the state is now in some level of drought, while almost 79-percent of Iowa ranges from abnormally dry to extreme drought. Only a few counties in southwest Iowa and most of the southern two tiers of counties are untouched by the dry weather.
Man Wanted For Death of Ames Woman Arrested in Sac County
(Auburn, IA) — A man wanted by Ames police in the death of a woman is under arrest in Sac County. Police found the woman dead at an apartment Thursday evening after a call for a welfare check. Their investigation identified 26-year-old Oscar Chavez of Ames as a suspect. Chavez was spotted by Sac County sheriff’s deputies near Auburn around midnight Thursday, and was arrested and charged with first-degree murder. Police haven’t identified the woman yet pending notification of her family. No details on her death have been released and an autopsy will be conducted by the State Medical Examiner’s office.
Dubuque Man Sentenced to 9 Years For Distributing Videos of Toddler Sex Abuse
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — A Dubuque man will spend nine years in federal prison for distributing videos on social media of a toddler being sexually abused by her mother. Forty-one-year-old Douglas Buttikofer, Junior was sentenced today (Friday) after pleading guilty to accessing child pornography. Prosecutors say Buttikofer admitted to accessing child pornography in February and March of 2020. He committed the offense while on pre-trial release from an Illinois prison for the unlawful grooming of a minor. A witness testified at sentencing that Buttikofer also expressed interest in traveling to the Philippines to engage in sex with children. The judge said Buttikofer was a danger to the community.
Prosecutors Say Iowa Capitol Riot Suspect Violated Terms of Release
(Des Moines, IA) — Prosecutors say the Des Moines man facing charges over his participation in the January 6th U-S Capitol riot violated the terms of his pre-trial release and should be returned to jail. Federal court documents say Doug Jensen agreed not to access the Internet, but was found in his garage on an iPhone, watching videos on Rumble. That’s an online platform some Trump backers use instead of YouTube. After first claiming it was his daughter’s phone, Jensen then admitted he’d been watching a two-day event organized to review claims that President Trump won the election. In July, Jensen told the court he’d been “fed a pack of lies” about the election and had been “duped” into believing Trump won. Prosecutors say his online viewing this month shows that was “all an act.”
Iowa Economic Development Authority Approves Tax Breaks For Four Projects
(Des Moines, IA) — A state board is approving tax breaks for upgrades to food and meat production facilities in Denison and Columbus Junction and for a plant in Indianola that makes concrete mixers. State tax breaks also have been approved for construction of a new fertilizer plant in Fort Dodge. Calcium Products makes fertilizer pellets and the company plans to spend 17-million dollars on a new production plant and warehouse in Fort Dodge. Tyson is planning a more than 15-million-dollar upgrade to its plant in Columbus Junction and expects to hire ten more people once it’s done. Monogram Food Solutions plans to make nearly 14 million in renovations to the former Quality Food Processors plant in Denison, and plans to hire 125 workers. Cemen Tech in Indianola is spending two-point-eight million to expand its production facility and office space.
