Home News Monday News, June 27

Monday News, June 27

JUDGE INTERVIEWS
Hearings took place today to fill a vacancy on the Iowa Supreme Court. Five candidates were questioned, the first of whom was 3rd Judicial District Chief Judge Patrick Tott of Sioux City. He says his experience makes him a good choice for the Court.

Tott said his record shows he has the intellectual capacity to serve — and the temperament to work with other judges.

Tott was asked whether he perceives a questioning or a loss of faith in the court system because of perceived politics.

The others who were being interviewed were Ames attorney Timothy Gartin; Des Moines attorney. William Miller; First Judicial District Court Judge Alan Heavens, of Garnavillo, and Iowa Court of Appeals Judge David May of Polk City. The Judicial Nominating Commission selected three of the five to forward to Governor Kim Reynolds. Reynolds then has 30 days to make her nomination to fill the position of Justice Brent Appel retires on July 13th.

 

CHILD CARE REPORT
A special steering committee has been formed to address child care needs in Le Mars.
The Le Mars Business Initiative Corporation initiated an effort to survey employers, caregivers and parents about the need for child care in the city.
Their survey showed that there is a shortage of 400 child care slots in Le Mars.
A series of planning sessions ensued, in order to create a vision for child care in Le Mars, set goals, and develop a plan to address the shortage.
A steering committee, representing the city, major businesses, the schools, health care, and child care providers, will over see the plan.

 

PAGELER GRANT
A Le Mars business owner is competing for a prize that could enhance a portion of his operation. Scott Pageler owns the Hardware Hank store in Le Mars. He says the city’s Chamber of Commerce has helped him launch his entry into a statewide business competition.

Pageler made a pitch for a new way to service customers in his flooring department.

He has already won an 8-thousand dollar Main Street Iowa Open 4 Business award in a preliminary round of competition. He moves on to a final competition in Pella on August 1. The winner receives a 75-thousand dollars grant. Pageler says if he wins, the bigger grant will help him make his mobile flooring business a reality.

 

JOB FAIR
There’s a Work Fair planned in Le Mars tomorrow afternoon. Local businesses have immediate openings, and they will be recruiting and interviewing job-seekers from noon to 3 pm Tuesday at the Le Mars Convention Center. The companies involved cover a wide range of jobs, and are ready to hire. Notices for the job fair urge candidates to bring your resumes, and be ready for job offers.

 

RURAL IRETON ARREST

A Hawarden man has been arrested after an incident at a rural home  near Ireton.  The SIOux County Sheriffs Department says 39 year old Christopher Heuer was arrested Sunday afternoon..  The arrest came after the sheriffs’ office received a report of destruction of personl property and an assault that had occurred at the rural residence 4 miles southwest of Ireton.  Heuer was taken to the Sioux County Jail, where he was charged with criminal mischief and domestic abuse assault causing bodily injury.  Hawarden Police assisted the sheriffs department in the arrest…

 

PLYMOUTH COUNTY ARREST

A Remsen woman was arrested last week by the Plymouth County Sheriff’s office.  27 year old Samantha Ann Evelyn Miller was arrested on a valid warrant.  The warrant is for possession of a controlled substance second offense.  Miller had failed to appear at the hearing.  She was booked into the Plymouth County Jail and held on bond.

 

ROE VS WADE PROTESTS

Crowds gathered in many cities over the past three days to protest the end of nationwide abortion rights. Lexi McKee Hemmingway spoke at a rally in Sioux City. She leads an abortion rights group in South Dakota, where abortion was banned immediately after the Supreme Court’s ruling. She says their mission has now changed.

Maggie DeWitte is executive director of Pulse Life Advocates, previously known as Iowans for Life, which was founded in 1972.

The President and C-E-O of the Christian conservative group The FAMiLY Leader, Bob Vander Plaats, is praising the U-S Supreme Court decision on abortion.

He says the decision was not a given, despited the earlier leaked opinion that indicated what might happen.  Vander Plaats says the ruling opens the door for those who are pro-life.

Opponents of the ruling are urging others to turn in November’s elections to send a message. Vander Plaats believes his supporters will be energized by the decision as well.

Under IOWA law, abortions are allowed up until the 20th week of pregnancy. A 24-hour abortion waiting period is expected to take effect next month, following an IOWA Supreme Court ruling that said Iowa women do not have a fundamental right to an abortion under Iowa’s constitution.

 

GUN BILLS

Democratic Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines and Republican Senator Joni Ernst voted for the bipartisan gun bill President Biden signed into law this weekend. The rest of Iowa’s congressional delegation opposed it. Republican Congressman  Randy Feenstra of Hull, and Congresswomen Ashley Hinson of Marion and Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Ottumwa opposed the bill, as did Senator Chuck Grassley. All expressed concern it does not provide adequate due process rights when it comes to confiscating guns from people considered a threat to themselves or others. Republican Senator Joni Ernst says the law does not place new restrictions on law-abiding gun owners. Congresswoman Axne, a Democrat from West Des Moines, says the bill will make schools safer, but doesn’t go far enough. Axne supports restoring the ban on assault weapons.

 

LAKE RESTORATION – Saturday

After several delays due to the weather, work is nearly complete on the restoration project at Little Swan Lake in northwest Iowa’s Dickinson County. Mike Hawkins is a fisheries biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.  Hawkins says they were finally able to get the lake level low enough to kill all the carp in the lake and reset the fishery in late 2020.

The project began seven years ago, during extremely wet conditions and will conclude during a drought. Little Swan Lake covers 371 acres and is near the small town of Superior.