Absentee Ballots Are Available Beginning Today
(Le Mars) — Today, Wednesday, is the first day that absentee ballots can be distributed for the upcoming city and school board elections. Absentee ballots can be picked up at the Plymouth County Auditor’s office inside the Plymouth County Courthouse. Absentee ballots must be returned to the Auditor’s office by election day. Absentee ballots may be cast in person at the Auditor’s office until Monday, November 1st until 5 pm.
Absentee ballots may be mailed to voters from October 13th to October 18th per Iowa law and must be requested in writing. Monday, October 18th is the last day absentee ballots can be mailed. Forms are available at the Plymouth County Auditor’s Office or at www.co.plymouth.ia.us by clicking on the blue City/School Election tab or can be obtained from the Iowa Secretary of State website. Completed absentee ballot request forms can be dropped off or mailed to the Auditor’s office at 215 4th Ave. SE, Le Mars, IA 51031 and a ballot will be mailed to you.
Gehlen Catholic Celebrates Homecoming This Week
(Le Mars) — Gehlen Catholic is celebrating Homecoming this week, and according to Amy Jungers, the Development Director with Gehlen Catholic, the week is full of fun and festive activities all with the thought of showing school spirit.
Jungers says the students, both elementary as well as middle school and high school students, have chosen to dress in different outfits calling attention to the week-long homecoming celebration. Jungers talks about the costumes that will be worn by students for the remaining days of the week.
Friday, at 12:00 noon will be the coronation ceremony along with the pep rally inside the Dreckman Memorial gymnasium. Jungers says Father Travis Crotty has been chosen to deliver the coronation and pep rally address.
The Gehlen Catholic official reviews those seniors chosen to be a part of this year’s Gehlen Catholic Homecoming court
Tomorrow, we will hear more from Amy Jungers about the Gehlan Catholic Homecoming parade along with the game, and the dance to follow the Gehlan Catholic game. Jungers says Gehlen will hold its Homecoming Mass on Wednesday at St. Joseph’s church at 8:45 a.m. and everyone is welcome to attend.
Farmers Are Seeing A Wide Range Of Yields From This Year’s Harvest
(Le Mars) — Farmers have been busy with this year’s harvest and the yields have varied depending on whether you received adequate rains during the spring and summer. Many parts of northwest Iowa were dry during the crop growing season, and Joel DeJong, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Crops Specialist says farmers are seeing a wide range of yields sometimes within a short distance. DeJong says he has heard of soybean yields from about 30 bushels an acre all the way up to 80 plus bushels an acre.
Despite some lower yields, DeJong says the quality of the soybean crop is being reported as being good.
As for the corn harvest, DeJong says there is a similar story as with the soybean harvest. Farmers are seeing a wide range of yield potential, again depending upon how much rain was received.
DeJong says moisture levels in this year’s corn have been at around 18 percent, which in some cases may require additional artificial drying. The I-S-U crops specialist says there are some instances where the corn stalk is weaken due to the lack of rains, and farmers are needing to harvest those fields perhaps earlier than previously expected.
DeJong says there have been some reports of Army worms present in pastures, but he says it may not be necessary to apply any insecticides. DeJong is also urging farmers to wait on their fall manure and fertilizer applications, until such time daytime temperatures will be cooler.
Iowa Republicans Pick Up Seat In House With Special Election Win
(Des Moines, IA) — Republicans have picked up a seat in the Iowa House after Jon Dunwell’s victory in a Tuesday special election. Dunwell defeated Democrat Steve Mullan by taking 60 percent of the vote. House District 29 covers Newton and parts of Jasper County. It came open when Democrat Wes Breckenridge stepped down to take a position at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy. Dunwell’s victory means Republicans now hold 60 of the 100 seats in the House of Representatives.
MidAmerican Warns Of Big Natural Gas Price Increases
(Des Moines, IA) — MidAmerican Energy is warning natural gas customers the cost of heating is going to be a lot more this winter. Spokesman Geoff Greenwood says gas prices on the open market last year were really low and this year it’s the exact opposite. He says global demand is up while production here in the U.S. and storage are down. Greenwood says residential customers can likely expect their total bills to increase anywhere from 46 to 96 percent. He says MidAmerican takes some steps to try and mitigate the price of natural gas by locking in purchase contracts before prices go up.
Lawsuit Filed Against State Auditor
(Des Moines, IA) — Iowa’s Democratic state auditor is facing a lawsuit related to a report he issued accusing Republican Governor Kim Reynolds of violating ethics laws. The state ethics panel rejected Rob Sand’s claims. The Des Moines Register reports, the Kirkwood Institute, a conservative public interest law firm, says Sand is violating the state’s open records law by withholding communications with a reporter and a blogger relating to the report. A spokesperson for Sand told the Register they will “respond to the lawsuit and the nature of the email in court.”
Ethics Complaint Filed Against Second District Congresswoman Miller-Meeks
(Des Moines, IA) — Iowa Democrats accuse Second District Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks of failing to disclose thousands of dollars in income over the last three years. The state party has filed an ethics complaint against the Republican. The complaint says Miller-Meeks apparently violated federal law and an investigation should be conducted. A spokesperson for Miller-Meeks pushed back, saying her office is working with the House Ethics Committee and House Clerk’s office to “resolve the discrepancies.”
Gasoline Prices Likely To Go Higher
(Undated) — A spokeswoman for Triple-A Iowa says crude oil prices are starting to rise, which means gasoline prices will certainly follow. Meredith Mitts says the weather is getting colder and refineries are starting to switch to the winter blends of fuel — which also will contribute to an increase at the gas pump soon. Iowa’s average gas price average is roughly $3.04 a gallon, which is well below the national average of $3.27. Mitts says the cheapest gas in Iowa is being sold in Council Bluffs at $2.99 a gallon, while it’s most expensive in Dubuque at $3.14.
Arkansas Man Charged With Murder For Hardin County Killing
(Union, IA) — An Arkansas man is accused of killing 74-year-old Steve Reece inside Reece’s home in Union. First-degree murder charges have been filed against 22-year-old Osborn Eugene Gavel. Emergency responders were called to the home just after 5:30 a-m Tuesday about an “unresponsive male.” Reece was dead when they arrived and was identified as the homeowner. Investigators say Reece died after “being struck” by Gavel. The suspect and others had spent the night in Reece’s home. Gavel is being held in the Hardin County Jail.
Early Voting Starts For Iowa City, School Elections
(Des Moines, IA) — Early voting starts today (Wednesday) for Iowa city and school elections. County election offices are open for in-person early voting through November 1st. Some counties will be offering “satellite” voting locations. All people wanting to cast an early ballot must offer one of the accepted forms of identification. Today is also the day county auditors can start mailing absentee ballots to voters who asked for one.
