DEVEREAUX – CARTER
Former President Jimmy Carter is in the news, as he is now in failing health. It was 48 years ago this weekend that then-Georgia governor and presidential candidate Jimmy Carter made an appearance in Le Mars.
John Devereaux, a Louisiana native who later worked on the Carter campaign in Iowa, was at the time working for Westmar College in Le Mars. He says Carter was invited to LeMars to a Democratic Party event to honor a long-serving county official.
Plymouth County Democrats wanted to invite a high-profile speaker for the event.
Only one candidate accepted the invitation.
February 26, 1975, was the day of the banquet, and Devereaux himself brought Carter and his press secretary, Jody Powell, up from Omaha.
The president-to-be and his press secretary, Jody Powell, were put up in a local motel.
Devereaux says the event ran smoothly, and Carter’s speech was well received.
Carter at the time was not held in high regard as a presidential candidate.
Deveraux later became the state coordinator for the Carter campaign in Iowa in 1976.
Deveraux lived in Le Mars for eight years. His connection with President Carter later resulted in a job in Washington DC. He worked for an agency started by the Carter Administration. Devereaux is now retired and living in California.
SCOTT VISIT
South Carolina Senator Tim Scott visited with key Iowa Republicans Wednesday about the 2024 campaign. Scott has not formally announced he’ll run for president, but has embarked on what he describes as a listening tour to determine what his mission will be. Scott says too often the country seems polarized, but a unity message, with a focus on the future, will put the country in a better position. Scott was appointed to the U.S. Senate in 2013 and easily won reelection to a second full term in November. Scott toured a Catholic elementary school in Des Moines with Governor Reynolds this (Wednesday) morning. He delivered a policy speech at Drake University this (Wednesday) afternoon, saying too many politicians think faith in America means faith in them.
REALTORS OPTIMISTIC
A report from the Iowa Association of Realtors shows the number of homes listed for sale dropped by more than 11 percent in January compared to one year ago. But association president, Krista Clark, says listings were up compared to December which she says was a pretty slow month. Clark says the impact of rising interest rates has diminished after the initial shock threw people off in the late fall and early winter. Clark says the slowdown in the market was a good thing as things had gotten to frenzied. Clark says she is optimistic about spring as the past two or three weeks in February, showings and offers have skyrocketed compared to January and December.
LEGALIZE MARIJUANA
Democrats in the Iowa House are proposing a framework for state licensed businesses that could sell marijuana to customers over the age of 21. Referendums would determine if a marijuana business could be established in a county. A 10 percent state tax would be collected on the sale of marijauna products. House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst (KON-first) says it’s time to regulate a product some Iowans already use and stop tax dollars from going to neighboring states like Illinois, where marijuana was legalized two years ago. Non-violent, low level marijauna possession convictions would be erased from a person’s record after two years under the proposal from House Democrats. Republicans are in the majority in the legislature and G-O-P leaders have said they have no interest in legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
WINTER STORM WARNING
A Winter Storm Warning continues until noon today in Plymouth, Cherokee and Union Counties. Additional snow accumulation of one inch, and 35 mile per hour wind gusts are possible this morning. Conditions will gradually improve through this morning. Plan on slippery road conditions today. Roads are completely snow covered in Plymouth and Cherokee counties, and travel is not advised this morning in five northwest Iowa counties, including Sioux and O’Brien. Iowa Highway 9 in Lyon and Osceola counties are impassable this morning. Blizzard warnings cover that area, and a Winter Weather Advisory covers Woodbury County this morning.
BOOMERANG EMPLOYEES
A University of Iowa researcher is studying what he calls “boomerang employees,” those people who quit their jobs and later return to their former employers. The phenomenon is surging now as those who left careers during the so-called Great Resignation early in the pandemic are now rethinking their decisions. Chad Van Iddekinge, (EYE-dah-king) a U-I professor of management and entrepreneurship, says rehiring former workers is something of a safe bet. Boomerangs are a known quantity, he says, and they’re thought to be a less risky hire than someone new, plus, they require little training. Still, U-I studies have found boomerang employees are more likely to quit a second time, often for the same reasons they left initially.
URBAN CHICKENS
A bill to set a statewide standard for city and county rules for backyard chicken coops has been tabled in the Iowa House. The bill would have required any local ordinance allowing egg laying chickens near a residence to permit at least three birds for each person living on the property. Daniel Stalder (STALL-der), a lobbyist for the Iowa League of Cities, says the bill removes the ability of city councils to address a problem in their community. And Stalder says apartment complexes could potentially have hundreds of chickens if the bill as written were to become law. All three lawmakers who reviewed the bill this (Wednesday) morning expressed concerns about the legislation and agreed to table it. Elected officials in several Iowa cities have wrestled with decisions about whether to adopt ordinances making it legal for residents to raise chickens within city limits.
