LE MARS COMMUNITY SCHOOL BOARD
There are four seats up for election to the Le Mars Community School Board this November. Two of the four office holders said Monday they will seek re-election, and two will not. Jill Feuerhelm is completing her first term on the board, representing District 5. Kyle Plathe is also finishing his first term, an at-large representative. Both Feuerhelm and Plathe indicated they will seek re-election this fall. Jane Arnold, who joined the board in 2018, and current Board Chair Angela Catton, who joined the board in 2015, indicated they will not seek re-election to the board. Superintendent Dr. Steven Webner says those interested in filing for a seat on the school board can pick up nomination materials at his office. The three other members of the school board – Lorraine De Jong, Aaron Tolzin, and Makenzie Lange, are serving four-year terms which expire in 2025.
IOWA 140 BRIDGE WORK
The Iowa DOT is warning motorists to be aware of a road closing in Plymouth County. Iowa Highway 140 was closed 2.5 south of Iowa Highway 3, so that construction crews can complete a bridge deck overlay project. A detour has been put in place along Plymouth County roads C38 and L12. Iowa 140 is scheduled to be reopened Thursday.
CROP REPORT
The weekly Iowa crop report says parts of Iowa received above average precipitation which limited days suitable for fieldwork to 4.7 during the week ending August 13. The US Department of Agriculture says continued precipitation has helped alleviate further crop stress, although conditions remain relatively dry. Topsoil moisture condition rated 47 percent short to very short, 53 percent adequate to surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 63 percent short to very short, 37 percent adequate to surplus. Corn development is 5 days ahead of last yaer and the 5-year average. Corn condition rated 58 percent good to excellent. Soybean development is 7 days ahead of last year, and 6 days ahead of the 5-year average. There were already some reports of soybeans starting to turn color received this week. Soybean condition improved to 58 percent good to excellent. Pasture condition improved slightly to 24 percent good to excellent. Livestock producers have continued to supplement with hay in the prolonged dry conditions, but overall livestock conditions have been decent with the lower-than-average temperatures this week.
MORE CDL TRAINING FUNDS
The governor has announced five million dollars in funding for community colleges to offer commercial driver’s license training. Iowa Workforce Development’s Kathy Anderson says there’s a need for about one-thousand-920, heavy, and tractor trailer drivers. Anderson is the division administrator for the I-W-D Business Engagement Division, and says the grants will help the community colleges create the infrastructure to meet that need — things like remodeling, the space for training, trucks, for training purposes, simulators, monitoring devices. She says the money can be used to expand an existing program, or to start a new one to provide more opportunities statewide. The governor had earlier announced nearly three million dollars in support of employer C-D-L programs.
BUTTER SCULPTURES
The butter cow at the Iowa State Fair usually has a lot of people waiting in line to get a look — but this year one of the companion sculptures is also getting plenty of interest. University of Iowa basketball star Caitlin Clark is one of three athletes sculpted in butter. Sydney Greeney is a member of the North Scott F-F-A club.
She says it’s great to see Clark featured at the fair.
A group of four women also were in line to see Clark.
A couple of the women used to live in Iowa. The other two in butter along with Clark are from U-N-I and N-F-L quarterback Kurt Warner, and former I-S-U football player Jack Trice.
DORDT HONORS ALUMNI
Dordt University announced the recipients of their highest alumni honors. Darin Fey has been named the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient. Fey is global director of of Business Connect. Fey is a 2000 Dordt Graduate. Wendy Gomez Matamoros (’12) has been named the 2023 Horizon Award recipient at Dordt University. Matamoros serves as the executive director of Tesoros de Dios, a Nicaraguan-based Christian nonprofit that seeks to help children with disabilities achieve their full potential. The two will be honored at the Defender Nation Dinner held on October 27 during Defender Days and will receive their awards at that time.
USS IOWA DECOMMISSIONED
The U.S. Navy closed the book on the U.S.S. Sioux City with a decommissioning ceremony Monday morning at the Mayport Naval Station in Florida.
The ship, along with several other littoral combat ships, are being mothballed by the Navy.
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst of Iowa issued a statement saying “There is so much pride and heritage that goes with the City of Sioux City, and we dedicated all of that towards this ship”.
Ernst says to find out the Navy knew they did not want the U.S.S. Sioux City is very frustrating, and she is extremely disappointed the Navy allowed Siouxlanders to spend thousands of dollars to help fund the commissioning of their namesake ship.
Ernst says as a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, she is going to continue to look for answers as to how this happened and the plan going forward for decommissioned ships and the money wasted on this program.
She says the littoral combat ships cost between $50 million to $70 million per year to maintain and some of these ships have been damaged.
The U.S.S. Sioux City was originally commissioned in a ceremony at Annapolis, Maryland on November 17th of 2018.
U.S. Navy photos by MC1(NAC/AW) Brandon J. Vinson
CRITICAL SHORTAGE OF DONATED BLOOD
Many Iowans are caught up in enjoying the last weeks of summer with vacations and yard projects, and giving blood isn’t exactly top of mind. Sue Thesenga (THEE-sing-uh), spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, says this summertime lull is causing a critical shortfall in blood supplies and she’s putting out an appeal for donors.
There are multiple locations in Iowa where you can donate blood and Thesenga says it’s easy to find one.
Thesenga says the need is constant, as every two seconds in the United States someone needs blood.
RFK JR. BLASTS CO2 PIPELINE DEVELOPERS
Democratic presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Junior says it makes no sense to provide federal tax credits to ANY of the three proposed carbon pipeline projects.
Kennedy says the pipelines will not address climate change, since carbon from proposed Summit pipeline will be used to extract fossil fuel from oil fields in North Dakota and Canada. Kennedy says the Iowa Utilities Board should not grant eminent domain authority so the pipeline companies can force unwilling landowners to sign easement contracts. Kennedy describes the projects as a transfer of wealth from taxpayers to oil companies, ethanol producers and pipeline developers.
Kennedy held a town hall forum at a farm near Council Bluffs Sunday and campaigned at the State Fair Saturday.
Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says anyone challenging President Biden is welcome to campaign in the state, but Hart says Kennedy has made concerning comments suggesting the COVID virus was genetically engineered to spare Chinese people and Jews whose ancestors lived in central and eastern Europe.
