Home News Friday News, June 17

Friday News, June 17

ICE CREAM DAYS

Ice Cream Days in Le Mars continues today with a full afternoon of activities downtown.  Earlier I talked with Shannon Rodenberg about the events to take place today.

Excessive heat and humidity are back in the forecast for this weekend.  The National Weather Service has issued an Excessive Heat Watch from Saturday afternoon through Monday evening. Dangerously hot conditions are expected, with heat indexes up to 108 possible.

Be careful to avoid heat stress in these conditions.  Kristin Ball, Nurse Manager at Floyd Valley Health, says fatigue and dehydration are your body’s warning signs of heat stress.  She says rehydration, wearing light clothing, and limiting time outdoors are the best ways to avoid heat stress.

 

BallHeat3    OC:to going out    ;30

 

Temperatures today will top out at 92 in Le Mars.  Saturday’s high temperature is projected to be 95.

 

SKYWEST FLIGHTS

Sioux City will continue to have daily passenger jet service at least through July 31st. K-M-E-G/T-V reports that Skywest will continue to offer two flights a day in order to not disrupt already-booked flights this summer. After that, the number of daily flights could be reduced to one or remain the same. A board member for Sioux Gateway Airport says the carrier will continue to service Sioux City until next year or until a new Essential Air Service (E-A-S) provider is found.

 

ELDER ABUSE LAW

Elder abuse will be defined as a crime in Iowa when a new law takes effect July First. Governor Reynolds has approved a bill that creates new criminal penalties for emotional abuse and neglect of Iowans who are 60 or older. She says, “the safety and wellbeing of older Iowans is so very important, and this bill ensures that there will be consequences for those who target and harm them.” The bill also establishes a new criminal charge of financial exploitation of an older individual. The governor held a bill signing ceremony Wednesday at a senior living center in Williamsburg.

 

TREE STUDY

Researchers at Iowa State University using satellite data have found an impact from city lights on trees and plants. Yuyu Zhou  is an associate professor of geological and atmospheric sciences at Iowa State. He says the impact is significant, as “artificial nighttime lights” can advance the date of breaking leaf buds in the spring by nearly nine days and delay the coloring of leaves by about six days in the fall. Those who suffer from allergies could feel an impact from earlier and longer pollen seasons. Zhou says there is one positive, though — longer growing seasons for farms in urban areas.

 

GOVERNOR”S CABIN

Some Minnesotans are asking, “does Governor Tim Walz really have a lake cabin in South Dakota?” Twitter activity ramped up when former Minnesota Viking Matt Birk, lieutenant governor running mate of Walz’s Republican challenger Scott Jensen, tweeted “Here’s a guy from Nebraska, who just bought a lake place in South Dakota, aiming to turn us into California, lecturing us about OUR Minnesota values.” But Walz’ campaign manager says neither the governor nor the First Lady own any property, let alone one in South Dakota — adding that kind of dishonesty doesn’t belong in the governor’s office.  Walz sold his Mankato home before moving into the Governor’s Residence. Property records and the governor’s most recent economic disclosure seem to support his no-real-estate status.