JENEARY – POLL
Iowa District 3 State Representative Tom Jeneary of Le Mars says recent polling shows majority Republicans are on the side of parents. The poll was done by the Des Moines Register and Mediacom. Jeneary, in his weekly report, says parents of children under 18, attending public schools approve of the way the legislature is handling its job; On specific issues, the polls show these parents approve of a ban on teaching students about gender identity and sexual identity in grades K through 6, and on gender-affirming medical treatments to minors. The margins of approval on each of these questions is between 12 and 22 percent. Parents also approve of efforts to cut taxes and limit local government spending on services by a 39% margin.
SUSPECT ARRESTED IN SHELDON DEATH
A Rock Rapids man has been arrested in the death of a woman in Sheldon. O’Brien County Communication Center received a report Thursday afternoon of a deceased woman found in her home at 604 4th Avenue in Sheldon. The death is being treated as a homicide. A suspect, 41 year old Nathaniel Byron Kessel of Rock Rapids, was arrested yesterday (Friday) in Flandreau, South Dakota. Kessel was charged with first degree murder and felon in possession of a firearm. An autopsy of the victim will take place today (Saturday) at the office of the State Medical Examiner in Ankeny. Sheldon Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact them at 712-324-2525, or call the State Division of Criminal Investigation at 712-224-7680.
LE MARS POLICE REPORT
Le Mars Police has submitted its report for the first quarter of this year. The department reports 2866 calls for service. This includes 643 community police contacts. There were 516 traffic warnings, 477 parking tickets, and 157 arrests. Some of the highlights for the quarter were hosting a town hall meeting on human trafficking, a discussion with school officials on school safety issues; numerous visits with services clubs by officers of the department; and the school resource officer teaching a criminal justice class at Le Mars Community High School.
PRACTICAL FARMERS
Practical Farmers of Iowa (PFI) is looking for more members from northwest Iowa. Sarah Carlson with PFI told an audience in Le Mars this week that water quality issues is one place where they can start discussions with potential members.
Some of these old ideas are workable, especially with precision agriculture. This brings up a new term — precision conservation
Carlson says cover crops is also a place where PFI can become a topic of discussion with farmers. Practical Farmers of Iowa is a non-profit organization seeking to connect farmers with farmers to share what they are learning in their own fields to make their operations better.
US 75 PROJECT
The long-awaited project to rebuild U.S. Highway 75 in Sioux Center will begin next month. This stage of the multi-year project will focus on work between 13th and 20th Streets south. Traffic will be compressed to the east two lanes, while utility and street work will take place on the west side. By late summer, once the west lanes are complete, traffic will be shifted there, while work on the east side lanes takes place. This phase also includes a reconstruction of the 16th Street intersection, to allow smoother access to the commercial area west of 75. Outside of the US 75 construction, is work on an extension of 1st street north, and 13th Street SW, to relieve traffic pressure on 75 during construction. Construction of a new median in that section will take place in 2024. The second phase will include repavement and redesign of the highway from 13th St South to 12th Street north, and will take two years.
