Jeneary Announces He Will Seek Re-election For New House District
(Le Mars) –– State Representative Dr. Tom Jeneary of Le Mars made an announcement over the weekend regarding his intentions to seek re-election to the Iowa House of Representatives.
Jeneary, a Republican, will be completing his fourth year in the Iowa Legislature. He currently is the vice chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, and also serves on the Public Safety, Health and Human Services, and Veterans Affairs committees. Recently, House Speaker Pat Grassley appointed Jeneary to also serve on the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Budget Sub-committee. Jeneary says he still has unfinished work yet to be done.
Jeneary identifies those issues he believes will come up during the next legislative session.
Dr. Jeneary was appointed to the Iowa Board of Dental Examiners by former Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, and served six years on the state dental board. Due to the new re-districting, Jeneary will face fellow House Republican state representative, Skylar Wheeler of Orange City as both are residents of the newly formed State House District 3. Wheeler announced his intentions of seeking re-election last week. Jeneary says he knows he will need to meet with the people of Sioux County in order to introduce himself.
The new House District 3 splits both Plymouth County and Sioux County. The southern border of the new district is county road C-38. In Plymouth County it involves the communities of Le Mars, Brunsville, Akron, Westfield, Craig, Struble, Seney, and Oyens. The northern boundary is along County road B-40 and includes the communities of Orange City, Alton, Maurice, Ireton, and Hawarden. Sioux Center is excluded from the district, however a portion of Sheldon is part of the House District 3.
Le Mars Police Department Participates In “Shop With A Cop” Program
(Le Mars) — Several officers with the Le Mars Police Department participated in the “Shop with a Cop” program Sunday evening at the Le Mars Walmart store and assisted youngsters with their Christmas shopping. Assistant Police Chief Justin Daale says this is the fourth year for the program, and officers went shopping with 20 different youngsters.
Daale says the “Shop with a Cop” program is not necessarily directed towards children from lower income families, but rather students who may need some emotional lift.
Several Walmart customers that witnessed police officers conduct the “Shop with a cop” program were complimentary of the officers’ actions. The Le Mars Assistant Police Chief says the program is funded through grants and private donations.
Volunteers helped wrapped the gifts the children had selected for their family members.
Remsen To Hold “Olde Fashion Christmas” Monday Evening
(Le Mars) — Remsen residents will be celebrating the start of the town’s holiday festivities this evening with the annual “Old Fashioned Christmas.” The fun begins at 5:30 p.m. Remsen firefighters will be roasting marshmallows at various fire pits. People will gather around the tree located in the center of town on Washington Street at 6:00 p.m. for the blessing of the tree, followed by caroling lead by Father Tim Pick and the arrival of Santa Claus. The lighting of the tree will occur at about 6:00 p.m. Children and others will have the opportunity to ride on horse drawn wagons, as well as visit with Santa Claus at the Remsen Heritage Museum. Children can stop at Beer City to help select Christmas gifts for their parents. St. Mary’s basketball team will be decorating Christmas cookies. Various local merchants will offer door prizes, as well as serve refreshments, including at the VFW hall where Happy Siesta residents and staff will offer refreshments. The cookie and candy exchange will also be at the VFW hall.
Iowa Farm Bureau To Hold Annual Meeting And Conference This Week
(Le Mars) — Members of the Iowa Farm Bureau will gather in Des Moines this week for the annual meeting of the state’s largest farm organization. “Our Farms, Our Future” is the theme for this year’s state conference. Matt Schuiteman of Sioux County is the District Director for northwest Iowa. He says Iowa Farm Bureau president, Craig Hill, is ending his term as the farm organization’s leader, and voting delegates will decide upon three candidates to be the next president of the Iowa Farm Bureau.
Schuiteman says it may take more than one vote by the voting delegates to determine the next Iowa Farm Bureau president.
The Farm Bureau members won’t be establishing any new policies during their annual conference, but according to Schuiteman, they will be voting on proposed policies that were developed during the summer.
The Farm Bureau District Director says farmers will keep a close watch on the activities coming from our nation’s capital, as well as the next state legislative session with particular interest involving tax issues.
DNR Identifies Hunter Killed On Opening Day Of Shotgun Deer Season
(Pella, IA) — The Iowa Department of Natural resources has identified the hunter killed on the opening day of the shotgun deer season. The D-N-R says 37-year-old Nathan Allen Sharpnack, of Winterset, was killed in Marion County on Saturday. He was participating in a deer drive on the Whitebreast Arm of Lake Red Rock with a large group of hunters when he was struck in the chest. The D-N-R continues to investigate the details of the shooting and has not released any other information at this time.
Grassley Calls Bob Dole “Close Friend, Former Colleague, War Hero”
(Washington, DC) — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley issued a statement on the death of Bob Dole — calling Dole a “close friend, former colleague, and war hero. Dole died Sunday at the age of 98. Grassley says, “Dole was a faithful representative to the people of Kansas and a great civic leader for all Americans. He was also a loyal friend and trusted mentor. He set a standard of leadership through selflessness and mutual respect that all public servants should strive to match.” Dole campaigned in the Iowa Republican Caucuses in 1980, 1988, and 1996, when he won the Republican nomination for president.
Des Moines Police Resolve Brief Standoff With Man
(Des Moines, IA) — Des Moines police responding to a report of a domestic dispute found themselves briefly involved in a standoff Saturday morning. Officers were called to the location at about 2:00 a-m. They say they encountered an armed man wearing a ballistic vest who refused to come, saying he had a homemade explosive device. Negotiators convinced him to surrender after a short time. His name hasn’t been released and no charges have been filed yet. He was taken to a hospital for a mental evaluation.
Both Iowa Teams To Play Bowl Games In Orlando
(Iowa City, IA) — Football fans of both the Cyclones and the Hawkeyes will be going to Orlando for bowl games. Iowa State will face Clemson in the Cheez-It Bowl on December 29th in Orlando. Iowa will play Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day in Orlando. The Hawkeyes finished the regular season with a 10-and-3 record after losing to Michigan in the Big Ten Championship game, 42-3. Iowa won the West Division title. The Cyclones finished the regular season at 7-and-5.
