IOWA AIR QUALITY
The air quality all over Iowa is deteriorating, due to smoke from wildfires. The air quality index in parts of eastern Iowa may be the worst it’s -ever- been today. Residents there are being warned to dig out their N-95 masks that were popular during the pandemic if they’re doing anything strenuous outside.
Tom Russell, an environmental specialist in the Iowa D-N-R’s Air Quality Bureau, says the levels of “very unhealthy” air being recorded are, in his words, “nearly unprecedented.”
Most of the state is in the “unhealthy” category today but large areas of eastern Iowa are considered “very unhealthy,” according to the D-N-R, which has issued an air quality advisory statewide. Drifting smoke from Canadian wildfires is to blame,
Given how the weather patterns are shifting around the air, parts of western and southwestern Iowa are actually in the “good” category today, but for the majority of Iowa, Russell says it’s best to stay indoors for now.
Many Iowans have outdoor plans for the Independence Day weekend, from boating and swimming to cycling and hiking. It’s still not clear how smoky the air may be for the four-day holiday, but Russell suggests we may have to prepare for the long haul.
Real-time air quality maps and information about the air quality index can be found here: https://www.iowadnr.gov/Environmental-Protection/Air-Quality
AHCA/NCAL AWARD
The American Health Care Association and National Center for Assisted Living announced today that Good Samaritan Society – Le Mars received the organization’s Bronze – Commitment in Quality Award. Providers begin the quality improvement process at the Bronze level, where the organization’s mission, vision, and success factors are evaluated and judged against national standards for excellence. Bronze recipients can now move on to the Silver Award level. The awards will be presented during an AHCA/NCAL Convention and Expo in Denver in October.
MOON RESEARCH
Iowa’s two U-S senators say NASA’s lunar research may help improve food production and resource conservation on Earth. The lawmakers joined NASA astronaut Raja Chari (RAH-juh CHAR-ee) for a discussion at Grinnell College Monday. Chari, who was raised in Cedar Falls, says as astronauts learn to live on the moon through NASA’s Artemis Project, they’ll need to learn to grow food. Chari is the leader of astronaut development and testing for the Human Landing System for NASA’s Artemis Program. Republican Senator Joni Ernst says what astronauts learn from living on the moon may wind up influencing a wide range of federal policies. Senator Chuck Grassley says NASA’s ag research may be more quickly adopted by the private sector. NASA’s Artemis crew has begun training, with a target date in 2026 for landing on the moon and spending nearly a month living on the surface.
RAIL CROSSING CLOSED
The LeMars Street Department says a railroad repair project has closed the crossing at Park Lane today. Street Supervisor Scott Kneip says The Park Lane crossing will be closed so that rail repairs can be made there. The crossing should be reopened later today. Park Lane is the main connection to Willow Creek Golf Course.
ROAD DAMAGE
The Plymouth County Sheriffs Office responded to a call of a vehicle driving into a construction zone, causing damage to a freshly paved road. The incident occurred on June 14, along the construction site along K22. The driver, Abby Beck, 27, of Vermillion, South Dakota, was travelling west on 200th Street. She came upon a road closed sign and barricade. Beck drove into a ditch, around the barricade, then onto K22, a concrete roadway that was freshly poured that day. The construction crew was still at the worksite. Beck’s vehicle struck the 1 foot edge of the roadway, causing a tire to deflate, and scratching the vehicle. Beck travelled north on K22, damaging the poured road for about a thousand feet. She then drove off the edge of the roadway, causing damage to the edge of the concrete. Beck was cited for failure to obey a traffic control device.
LE MARS FIREWORKS
Le Mars Police reminding residents of the city fireworks ordinance. Fireworks can be used within the Le Mars city limits on July 3, 4, and 5, from Noon to 11 p.m. each day. Fireworks may only be discharged on a person’s property, or with the permission of a property owner. Fireworks may not be discharged on public property, city parks, or on city streets. The Le Mars public fireworks display will be July 4 at 10 p,m. at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds. Parking will not be allowed along Iowa Highway 3 for safety reasons.
COURT RULES ON MISSOURI RIVER FLOODS
The U-S Court of Appeals has ruled the federal government bears responsibility for causing atypical recurrent flooding that damaged farms and property in the Missouri River basin since 2007. Initially filed in 2014, the plaintiffs in the case include more than 370 landowners from Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. Seth Wright, the lead counsel for the plaintiffs, says while some landowners were frustrated with how long the case is taking, they were pleased with this latest ruling.
Wright says the primary allegation from the plaintiffs was that the changes the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers made to the river through the Missouri River Recovery Program (or M-R-R-P) caused flooding along the river — which the court also ruled violated the 5th Amendment.
Wright says it was a massive win for the ruling to favor their cross-appeals, including compensation for crop losses, damages from the 2011 floods, and the value of the permanent flowage easement on the impacted landowners’ properties.
Wright says it’s unclear whether the federal government will choose to appeal the ruling.
Unless appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals has ruled to remand the case back to the trial court.
