HARVEST COMPLETED
Harvest is complete across Plymouth County, and the surrounding area. This is Area Crop Specialist Leah Ten Napel.
Dry conditions have resulted in spotty yields.
Localized rains and drought resistant hybrids helped take the edge off inconsistent yields across the area.
Harvest may be finished, but there’s still field work going on.
Northwest Iowa’s harvest has progressed ahead of the rest of the state.
Ten Napel hasn’t seen anything unusual in this harvest season, other than the dry conditions.
Ten Napel will be checking on subsoil moisture levels across her district in the next week.
GOP RALLY
The major Republican Party candidates for Iowa and federal elected offices held a get-out-the-vote rally Saturday in Orange City.
US Senator Chuck Grassley, who earlier in the day spoke at the dedication of new agriculture buildings at Dordt University, joined the group that gathered at Windmill Park in downtown Orange City.
It included Congressman Randy Feenstra. Governor Kim Reynolds, Lt Governor Adam Gregg, Ag Secretary Mike Naig, Secretary of State Paul Pate, Attorney General candidate Brenna Bird, and State Treasurer candidate Robi Smith.
Most of the group rode a Reynolds/Gregg tour bus, making several stops in northwest Iowa Saturday.
Those who attended the event took photos of the candidates, and were urged to autograph and Iowa map emblazoned on one side of the bus.
JEWELRY THEFT
Sioux City Police are searching for two male suspects wanted for stealing jewelry Saturday afternoon in a smash and grab at Gunderson’s Jewelers on Sergeant Road.
Investigators say the two men were wearing masks and carrying sledgehammers when they entered the store around 1 P.M.
They broke the glass on the display case and left the store with an undisclosed amount of jewelry.
The suspects got into a white pickup truck and fled the area.
No persons were hurt during the robbery.
Anyone with information should call the Crimestoppers tipline at 258-TIPS.
CAR SINKING
One man was hospitalized following an incident Friday evening where his car sank into the Missouri River.
Sioux City Police received a report Friday evening that a car was floating in the river around 7:20 p.M. in the area of Chris Larsen Park
The car eventually sank near the railroad bridge.
A short distance away from where the car went under, an adult male was located that had been the driver and only occupant of the vehicle.
He was provided medical assistance and taken to a local hospital for evaluation. No one was injured in this incident.
The accident remains under investigation.
GLOW STICK CONTENTS
Experts say parents should advise their kids to be careful when handling a common Halloween accessory. Tammy Noble is a registered nurse and educator at the Iowa Poison Control Center. She says the directions on glow sticks emphasize they are not to be cut or punctured — because the chemicals inside are an irritant. Glow stick chemicals are not toxic, but if the stinging lasts longer than an hour, Noble suggests calling the poison control center hotline for advice.
SIOUX CITY SHOOTING
A Sioux City man is in custody, facing murder charges after a shooting early Saturday morning on the west side of Sioux City.
19-year-old Joseph Cruz was charged with two counts of second degree murder, intimidating with a dangerous weapon causing serious injury and willful injury causing serious injury. Sioux City Police were dispatched to a home around 2:15 a.m. Saturday. They found two shooting victims. One was dead at the scene. The other was pronounced dead at a local hospital. Cruz was later arrested and booked into the Woodbury County Jail where he’s being held pending a bond hearing.
TEACHER REINSTATED
The Iowa Supreme Court has reinstated an Osceola County teacher, who was fired in January, 2020 by her school district. Danna Braaksma, a Spanish teacher, sued the Sibley-Ocheyedan School District Board, after she was terminated over poor job performance. She claimed an intensive assistance program she was ordered to participate in hadn’t been completed before she was fired. The District Court upheld the firing, but Braaksma appealed to the state Supreme Court, who sent the case to the state Court of Appeals. The Appeals Court ruled in favor of Braaksma, overturning the District Court ruling. The Sibley-Ocheyedan School district then appealed to the state Supreme Court. The high court sided with Braaksma, and ordered that she be reinstated to her teaching position.
WATER TOWER
Le Mars Water Department is going to drain the water tower on 3rd Ave SE for maintenance. Water will flow from the tower down several blocks to a storm sewer on 8th street. Water should be running along the street all day today. Tomorrow, a company will come in to perform maintenance inside the tower. The project should not affect water usage in the city.
SEABOARD SCHOLARSHIPS
Seaboard Foods announces applications will be accepted, beginning November 1, for their Community Scholarship Program. Forty 1-thousand dollar scholarships are available in counties where Seaboard operates. In Iowa, graduating seniors from Plymouth, Sioux, O’Brien, Lyon, Ida, and Buena Vista counties are eligible to apply. In addition, twenty-five 1-thousand dollar scholarships are available to students of Seaboard Foods employees.
RECYCLED WATER
Iowa State University engineers have received a grant from the E-P-A for research to help small rural communities reclaim wastewater and rainwater for other purposes like irrigation, firefighting, and drinking. Project leader Kaoru (KAH-oh-roo) Ikuma (ee-KOO-muh) says they are searching for options.
She’ll work with researchers from the University of Rhode Island and the University of California-Berkeley for the next four years.
She says the researchers will look at different technologies to treat water, and they’ll also be testing the treated water for contaminants such as forever chemicals that are harder to remove. They’ve received three million dollars for the research.
WYFFELS FACILITY
An Illinois seed corn company plans to build a new distribution site in Ames. Wyffels (Wiff-els) Hybrids announced the new facility will be located on approximately 150 acres along Interstate 35 and Highway 30. The company says first phase of construction includes a new warehouse and distribution center to bring seed closer to customers in Iowa, southern South Dakota and southern Minnesota. A spokesperson for the company says they will add jobs — but she did not have an exact number at this time. Wyffels Hybrids plans to begin shipping from the Iowa site in spring 2024.
