BIXENMAN SEEKS RE-ELECTION
Le Mars Mayor Rob Bixenman says he will seek re-election to a two year term. Bixenman released a statement this morning, saying he will run for a second term in November. This comes after a published report that he was undecided.
Mayor Bixenman describes what he thinks is the highlight of his current term.
He says there’s more work to do in the next two years.
The mayor previously served on the Chamber of Commerce Board, The Le Mars Business Initiative Board and the Parks Board before running for mayor. Municipal elections are November 2. The mayor of Le Mars is elected every two years. City councilmen serve four year terms. The terms of two councilmen, Mike Donlin and Steve Wick, expire this fall.
Mayor Rob Bixenman
MERRILL DAZE
The city of Merrill is getting ready for their annual celebration.
Vicki Hamilton says Merrill Daze activities start this afternoon.
Some activities may be shifted indoors depending on the weather.
There will be an outdoor movie shown at dusk,
Saturday activities include a Parade in the morning
There will also be shopping, inflatables, kid’s games, and food. A barbecue competition is one of the highlights Saturday. The Merrill Fire Department hosts a cornhole tournament at noon. The celebration concludes with a street dance. Merrill Daze activities are at Kissinger Community Center 608 Main Street in Merrill. Hamilton was a guest on this week’s What Now program on KLEM.
WHISTLEBLOWER SUIT
The Iowa Supreme Court says a law allowing for additional damages for whistleblowers cannot retroactively apply to a fired D-C-I agent. Larry Hedlund reported in 2013 an S-U-V he said was going 90 miles an hour on Highway 20. The S-U-V turned out to be carrying former Governor Terry Branstad and then Lieutenant Governor Kim Reynolds. Hedlund was fired several days later. His lawsuit against the state has continued, and he wanted to seek additional damages under the whistleblower law enacted six years after the incident. The Iowa Supreme Court says the law contains no statement that it should be used retrospectively and reversed the district court ruling that sided with Hedlund.
INJURY ACCIDENT
A Sioux Center man was injured last night when he was struck by a vehicle driven by a Le Mars man. The Iowa State Patrol says a car driven by 27 year old Corey Peters of Le Mars was southbound on US 75 in Sioux Center, when he struck a pedestrian, Sixto Abel Chavez Lopez, 35. Chavez Lopez was running across the highway at 19th Street SE when he was struck by Peter’s car. The pedestrian was airlifted to Mercy Hospital in Sioux City. The accident occurred last night shortly after 10 p.m.
PORK EXPO
A Plymouth County Pork Producer says the 35th Annual World Pork Expo is well attended, but also reveals the concerns pork producers have about the industry.
Bill Tentinger of rural Le Mars says the mood of the producers this week was cautious, mainly because of the current economic issues facing producers.
Pork producers are facing a unique economic climate, in that all segments of the pork industry are in a downturn.
Tentinger says the typical greeting response this week by producers he met was “hangin’ in there”. He says the industry must work together, as they are all in this condition together.
The industry is facing what some people describe as a “covid hangover”. During covid, producers couldn’t deliver animals to processing plants, and there were issues of delivery or acceptance of pork products in foreign markets. Tentinger says some of those issues linger.
With high inventories of pork, Tentinger advocated finding a strategy to clear the inventory. He also urged pork officials to be more transparent with their constituents.
Pork producers were highly interested in a discussion held on the Expo’s first day concerning the economic issues facing the pork industry.
Tentinger is a past president of the Iowa Pork Producers and served two terms on the National Pork Board. He is on the bord of directors of the Plymouth County Pork Producers.
Bill Tentinger
MID AMERICAN SEEKS GAS RATE INCREASE
MidAmerican Energy plans to ask state regulators for an increase in its natural gas delivery rates for the more than 600-thousand customers in Iowa. MidAmerican spokesperson, Tina Hoffman, says this portion of your bill is set and covers the cost of the infrastructure to pipe in the natural gas. She says the rate hasn’t increased since 2002 and there have been changes in the delivery area and security issues that are addressed in the increase.
Hoffman says there will be an interim increase of five percent until the Iowa Utilities Board rules on the permanent six percent increase. The I-U-B will seek comments from customers and interested parties and make a final determination on the proposed rate increase in May of next year.
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SAYS ENERGY A KEY ISSUE
Governor Doug Burgum campaigned in Iowa Thursday after kicking off his long shot campaign for the Republican presidential nomination in his home state of North Dakota. The state produced a million barrels of oil a day in 2022 and Burgum, in the middle of his second term as North Dakota’s governor, says energy policy will be a focus of his campaign. He says if the U.S. can selling energy to friends and allies instead of buying it from adversaries, that 180 degree switch is the thing that’s going to help kick start and drive the American economy. Burgum says he supports an all-of-the-above energy policy. It includes support for carbon pipelines and the federal ethanol production mandate. Burgum says Midwest farmers are also well positioned to help supply the plant and animal materials for sustainable aviation fuel.
EMERGING, DANGEROUS DRUGS
The state is launching a website designed to inform Iowans about new and emerging drugs and other products, both legal and illegal, many of which can be deadly. Dale Woolery, director of the Iowa Office of Drug Control Policy, says this type of online educational resource about drugs is urgently needed.
One featured drug is Xylazine, an animal tranquilizer. It’s not new to Iowa veterinarians, but the drug is now being added by traffickers to illicit opioid products and he says it can lead to addiction — or death.
There’s also a product called Kratom, an herbal substance that can produce opioid- and stimulant-like effects, but it can also cause psychiatric, cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and respiratory problems. Kratom is legal in Iowa.
The list of substances covered on the website includes vaping, fentanyl, and highly-potent marijuana products. There are also sections for cough and cold medications, counterfeit pills, and mushrooms or psilocybins.
Woolery says the information will be very useful to people in the health care industry, prevention and treatment, and law enforcement arenas.
https://odcp.iowa.gov/drug-awareness/emerging-drugs-iowa
LAWSUITS SURROUND BUILDING COLLAPSE
Another lawsuit is being filed following the partial collapse of a downtown Davenport apartment building that killed three tenants. Lexus and Quanishia Berry were in their apartment on May 28th when their part of the six-story building dropped to the ground. Lexus was able to escape, but Quanishia was trapped for nearly eight hours, and only got out of the rubble after part of one leg was amputated. Lexus Berry spoke at a news conference on Wednesday, calling herself a survivor, not a victim. Their lawyer says the want someone held accountable. The suit names building owner Andrew Wold, several L-L-Cs connected to him, as well as his property management company, engineering firm and contractors. It also names the City of Davenport and the building’s prior owner.
U OF IOWA STUDIES CAR GADGETS
University of Iowa researchers are studying the electronic gadgets car insurance companies are asking customers to install in their vehicles to monitor driving habits. Richard Peter, a U-I professor of finance, says the devices look for things like speeding, sharp acceleration and braking, and hard cornering. They’re typically provided by the insurance company to promote safe driving, and they usually bring significant discounts on insurance premiums. Peter says only about five-percent of motorists in the U-S are using the tiny monitors, and he’s considering the reasons why they’ve never caught on. Some people have privacy concerns, he says, fearing how “Big Brother” might use the data, while others are worried they may be mistakenly be labeled as a bad driver when they’re obeying the rules. If you break hard to avoid an accident, for example, your score may be dinged for braking too hard, without context.
