MARCUS JUNIOR FIREFIGHTERS
5 students from MMCRU High School make up the first group of Marcus Junior Firefighters. Marcus Fire Rescue Captain Matt Dreckman says this the first year of the program. The students are so far taking training with the department on a voluntary basis.
They plan to develop a training program next year.
MMCRU High School Principal Brandon Weisert says Marcus Fire Rescue approached them with the Junior Firefighter Program, and they wholeheartedly endorsed it. Weisert says the school is always looking for practical ways for students to become more involved in the community, and to open avenues to new career opportunities.
NORTHWESTERN ENROLLMENT
Northwestern College in Orange City has set a student enrollment record for the fifth consecutive year. Enrollment this fall is 1715, up three from last year. There are 543 graduate students enrolled this year, which is another record. Their graduate programs include education, physician assistant studies, and counseling. The freshman to sophomore retention rate was 79.9%.
STUDY CONCENTRATION IN LIVESTOCK INDUSTRY
A bill to study consolidation in the livestock industry has been introduced in the House by U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra. Feenstra and Michigan Rep. Elissa Slotkin introduced the Livestock Consolidation Research Act. This Act directs the USDA to study the impact of consolidation in the livestock industry on Iowa farmers and producers. The study outlined in the bill would encompass the beef, dairy, pork and poultry industries, including broilers, eggs and turkeys.
SUMMIT MAY BE DENIED A PERMIT IN SOUTH DAKOTA
South Dakota’s Public Utilities Commission appears to be on the verge of denying a pipeline construction permit to Iowa-based Summit Carbon Solutions.
Summit also could resubmit its construction permit application in South Dakota if it gets waivers from counties or changes the pipeline route in South Dakota. Summit Carbon Solutions has proposed a two-thousand mile pipeline through Iowa and four other states to ship liquid carbon from Midwest ethanol plants to underground storage in North Dakota.
GOP CANDIDATES IN AMES SATURDAY
Extra security will be on hand today in Ames. Former President Donald Trump and other G-O-P presidential contenders join the crowd on hand for the Iowa-Iowa State football game. I-S-U police chief, Michael Newton, says the candidates make a big day even bigger.
He says security teams will try to minimize the disruption for football fans coming and going to Jack Trice Stadium. But he says people should expect to spend some extra time in the gameday traffic.
He says his department made mutual aid requests to other state, local and federal agencies to be sure enough law enforcement officers will be on hand. Republican candidates Vivek Ramaswamy, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson also have plans to be in Ames on gameday.
