REYNOLDS VISITS FERRERO
Governor Kim Reynolds has visited the Italian company that recently bought Le Mars-based Wells Enterprises.
Radio Iowa’s OK Henderson reports:
WEEKEND STORMS POSSIBLE
After a week of warm, dry weather for most of Iowa, there’s a chance for showers and thunderstorms tomorrow (Saturday), the first of the summer season. Meteorologist Brad Small, at the National Weather Service, says the rain would bring some welcome relief from the worsening drought that now covers more than 83-percent of the state.
The LeMars forecast includes up to a 90% chance of thunderstorms between 4 and 10 am Saturday, and lesser chances of storms Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures will cool, with high’s Saturday in the low 80 and Highs Sunday in the upper 70s..
LE MARS ARREST
A Le Mars man was arrested early yesterday on an outstanding warrant. The Plymouth County Sheriffs Office says Tommy Suzuky, 24, was wanted for failure to appear in court. He had been charged with third degree motor vehicle burglary, and displaying a dangerous weapon. Suzuky was booked into the Plymouth County Jail and held on bond.
LIVESTOCK YARD CLOSES
A long-time Sioux Center institution has shut down. Tri-State Livestock held its last cattle auction last week. The Sioux Center News reports that changes in the livestock industry forced the closure. The larger dairy farms in the area are raising their own replacements, and there’s less business for the auction. The hog industry has seen the same trend. Tri-State quit auctioning hogs in 2011. The owners also own auction barns in Sheldon and Worthing, South Dakota. Tri-State Livestock was founded nearly 100-years ago. The present facility in North Sioux Center was built in 1963. The facility will be sold, with the understanding that it won’t be used for livestock sales.
CVA PHOTO CONTEST
Central Valley Ag cooperative is staging their 6th annual photo contest this summer. It will take place July 3rd through August 3rd. Photos can be entered into three categories: Beauty in Agriculture, Generations on the Farm, and Working in Acres. Photos can exhibit harvest, livestock, planting, equipment, life on the farm, and more. There will be one winner selected from each category as well as one People’s Choice Award. Winners will be awarded a $100 cash gift card. In addition, winners will receive special placement in CVA’s print and online publications.
ARMED SCHOOL STAFF
The Spirit Lake School Board has rescinded its plan to let up to ten non-teaching staff members carry a concealed weapon on school grounds. The move comes after the company that has provided the district’s liability insurance said it would not renew the policy on July 1st. Board President Teresa Beck says the district had no other options but to withdraw the gun policy that had been approved last fall as part of the school’s safety plan.
The board made its decision last night during special meeting and indicated the district’s existing insurance carrier will renew its policy, which was set to expire June 30th. In a written statement, Spirit Lake’s superintendent said there’s no data suggesting school shootings are going away anytime soon and having armed school employees trained to quickly respond would save more innocent lives if there were an active shooter at the school.
FOREIGN FARMLAND OWNERSHIP
Republican Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa says she and the Michigan Democrat who’s chairwoman of the Senate Ag Committee are calling for creation of a public database of U-S agland owned by foreigners and it would set the stage for forced divestment of real estate owned by foreign entities. Ernst says the bipartisan proposal also would strengthen federal oversight and rejection of foreign investment in the ag sector of the U-S economy. Other members of the House and Senate called for an outright ban on foreign ownership of U-S farmland. Ernst says the bipartisan proposal she’s working on would give the U-S-D-A authority to review the national security implications of Chinese companies doing business on American soil and block suspect deals.
PUBLIC RECORDS SETTLEMENT
The Iowa Freedom of Information Council and two others will be paid 175-thousand dollars to settle lawsuits that accused Governor Reynolds and her staff of violating open records laws. The settlements were approved by the state treasurer and the director of the Iowa Department of Management, who are members of the State Appeal Board. The lone no vote came from State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat in statewide elected office. Sand says it’s yet another example of insiders making taxpayers pay for their own wrongdoing. The lawsuits stemmed from public records requests made to state agencies over a year and a half, starting back in April 2020. In April of this year, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled the delayed responses unreasonable. Kollin Crompton (CALL-in KROMP-tun), deputy communications director for Governor Reynolds, says the COVID-19 response put unprecedented demands on the governor’s team to meet the immediate needs of Iowans and public records requests were unintentionally delayed. Crompton says those delays were not acceptable and the governor’s office continues to reevaluate the process to improve timeliness.
WATER TOWER MISSPELLED
The southwest Iowa town of Stuart is experiencing a growth spurt and a new water tower built in town caused a grammatical stir this week. As the water tower was being painted, the town name appeared correctly on one side — but not on the other. One side of the tower spelled out “START” and had a bit of a clip on part of the first T. Photos and videos of the misspelling went viral on social media in the area. The contractor later explained that the name wasn’t centered properly on that side of the tower initially and was going to be repainted. It has since been fixed. The town is expecting the construction of around 150 new homes and that is why the new water tower was going up. Current residents mostly got a chuckle out of the temporary snafu.
