Home News Monday News, January 3rd

Monday News, January 3rd

Floyd Valley Healthcare Welcomes New Year’s Baby

(Le Mars) — Floyd Valley Healthcare has delivered it New Year baby.  Azure Moon Goncalves was born on January 1st at 4:34 a.m.  He is the son of Stephanie and Carlos Goncalves of Le Mars.  Azure Goncalves weighed 8 pounds and 6 ounces.  He was 20 inches in length.  Dr. Destiny Miller assisted with the birth.  Azure is being welcomed by three other siblings: Taije who is ten years old, Freja who is nine, and Amari who is five years old.

 

 

 

2021 Set Record For Traffic Accident Fatalities

(Ames, IA)  —  The number of deaths on Iowa roadways is at a five-year high in 2021.  The Iowa D-O-T reports 348 people have died in traffic crashes this year.  That is the most fatalities since 2016.  There were also over 52-thousand car crashes across the state so far this year, up more than five-thousand from 2020. In Plymouth County during this past year of 2021, there were four fatality accidents.  In 2020, according to the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office, Plymouth County had nine fatal traffic accidents.

 

 

 

Warmup On The Way For Iowa Monday

(Des Moines, IA)  —  It won’t be time to break out the shorts and flip-flops, but today (Monday) will be much warmer than the temperatures in Iowa over the weekend.  Saturday snowfall amounts ranged up to nine inches in Humeston, eight in Pella, and four-point-two inches in Des Moines.  Dangerous wind chills around 30 below kept most Iowans indoors Saturday night and early parts of Sunday.  Blowing snow was a problem for drivers.  A warm front will push temperatures back into the low-30s across the state today.

 

 

 

Waterloo House Fire Takes 1 Life

(Waterloo, IA)  —  Officials with the Waterloo Fire Department report a Saturday house fire took one life.  The victim was a man whose name hasn’t been released.  Another person was able to get out safely.  Investigators say the cause of the fire in the two-story, single-family home hasn’t been determined.  Witnesses told fire crews one person was still inside but the flames and heat were too intense for entry to be made for about an hour.  The burned body of the dead many found in an upstairs room.

 

 

 

Republicans Put Tax Cuts At Top Of Their Agenda For Legislative Session

(Des Moines, IA)  —  Iowa Republicans are putting more tax cuts at the top of their agenda for the legislative session starting January 10th.  Majority Leader Jack Whitver of Ankeny says the aim is to make Iowa one of the most competitive states in the country.  Whitver and Governor Kim Reynolds say their goal is a generational tax change.  The ultimate goal is the elimination of the state’s income tax.  Reynolds says Iowa is in a “really strong position” with more than one billion dollars currently in the Taxpayer Relief Fund.  The Democratic leader in the Iowa Senate, Zach Wahls of Coralville, warns that the current surplus is due mostly to federal pandemic relief payments.

 

 

 

Mask Mandates Lifted In More Iowa Schools Starting This Week

(Des Moines, IA)  —  When Iowa public schools students return from the holiday break today (Monday) they won’t be wearing masks in some districts.  Masks are no longer required in Decorah, Linn-Mar, and Southeast Polk Schools.  They will become optional for students in West Des Moines schools later this month.  All 99 Iowa counties are seeing a high transmission of the coronavirus according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Polk County Health Department spokesperson Nola Aigner Davis says vaccines and masks are still the best ways to limit the number of infections and hospitalizations.  Some districts say they may require masks temporarily if they see a spike in cases.