WEAR RED DAY
Friday was National Wear Red Day at the YMCA Gym.
Liz Rupp is the Cardio Rehab Coordinator at Floyd Valley Health Care.
Rupp is urging patients to know their heart numbers
The event Friday raised awareness for monitoring heart activity.
The YMCA Gym put on a heart walk during the lunch hour Friday.
PLYMOUTH MUSEUM PROGRAM
The Plymouth County Historical Museum will host a program remembering the bus trip to eastern Iowa last fall.
“Rollin’ to the River” memories will fill the afternoon Sunday, Feb. 5, when the Plymouth County Historical Museum in Le Mars hosts a special program about the 2022 bus trip to eastern Iowa.
The program will begin at 2 p.m. in the Museum’s Music Room on first floor. The public as well as bus passengers are invited to the free event.
Also featured during the afternoon will be a preview of the 2023 bus trip planned to the Oktoberfest in New Ulm, MN.
The Museum and the Luxembourg Heritage Society of Northwest Iowa collaborated for the 2022 trip since much of the theme was Luxembourg. Judy Stokesberry, as president of the Luxembourg Heritage Society, served as moderator of the trip.
For the 2023 trip, which will feature a German theme, the Museum will be the sole sponsor of the bus outing Oct. 12, 13, and 14. Plans call for exploring the German celebration known as Oktoberfest in New Ulm, MN. Several other sights in the Mankato area will be on the itinerary.
CHASE
On Friday, February 3, at 5:50 a.m., the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office arrested, Branden Hengeveld, age 26, of Hartley, IA.
The arrest stemmed from an incident that occurred on Highway 60, near Hospers, IA, where a Sioux County Deputy Sheriff patrolling that area checked Hengeveld‘s vehicle traveling at 118 mph.
Upon further investigation, after stopping Hengeveld, the deputy suspected that Hengeveld had consumed alcohol. Further sobriety testing showed the driver was not intoxicated and just under the legal limit of .08.
Hengeveld was transported to the Sioux County Jail where he was charged with reckless driving.
STATE AID TO SCHOOLS
REPUBLICANS IN THE IOWA LEGISLATURE WILL SOON SEND THE GOVERNOR A BILL TO INCREASE GENERAL STATE SPENDING ON IOWA’S PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY ABOUT 106 MILLION DOLLARS FOR THE NEXT ACADEMIC YEAR.
HOUSE SPEAKER PAT GRASSLEY SAYS THAT’S A SOLID NUMBER THAT SHOWS SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND HE EXPECTS THE HOUSE TO ENDORSE THAT SPENDING NEXT WEEK.
THE STATE SENATE APPROVED THE THREE PERCENT INCREASE IN GENERAL STATE SCHOOL AID THURSDAY AFTERNOON.
MAILING ABORTION PILLS
Iowa’s attorney general has signaled she would likely join a multi-state lawsuit if major pharmacy chains start selling abortion pills by mail. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird has not issued a written statement of her own, but has added her signature to letters from attorneys general in Missouri and Alabama. One of the letters Bird and 19 other Republicans signed says as state attorneys general, it is their responsibility to protect the health, safety, and well-being of women and unborn children in their states. The letters to Walgreens and C-V-S come after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced women seeking abortion pills could get them through the mail. A bill has been introduced in the state legislature that would ban sending abortion pills through the mail in Iowa.
IOWA VIETNAM VETS HONORED
The 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Peace Accord — which ended the Vietnam War — was last week and students from Iowa Central Community College in Fort Dodge are tracking down stories of dozens of locals who were killed in the conflict. T-J Martin, Iowa Central’s dean of distance learning, says they ultimately want to create a book about those fallen Iowans. Martin says the project is based around finding the 55 names of service members from the nine-county area who died serving in Vietnam. Martin teaches a course called “Local Vietnam History” and his students are helping research the names by tracking down relatives. He says they’re looking for a range of background information on the early lives of these veterans. The goal is to compile the biographies into a book that would preserve the memories of the men for future generations.
DYERSVILLE NOMINATED AS BEST SMALL TOWN
The northeast Iowa community that’s known for being the home to the “Field of Dreams” is getting some national attention. Karla Thompson, director of the Dyersville Area Chamber of Commerce, says the small town is up for some big honors. Dyersville is nominated for USA Today’s Top 10 List of Best Small Communities in the Midwest, and Best Small Communities in Culture. Dyersville is toward the top of the rankings in both categories. Thompson encourages all Iowans to vote daily through February 20th. The winning small towns will be announced on 10Best.com on March 3rd.
