VOLUNTARY ANNEXATION
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors received requests for voluntary annexations to the city of Le Mars. The requests are for several properties bounded by Lake Avenue to the west, and between 27th Street SW and County Road C38 to the south. A public hearing on the annexation requests will take place before the Board of Supervisors on October 3.
CITY PARKS AND RECREATION COMMITTEE
Appointments to the new Le Mars Parks and Recreation Committee were approved by the Le Mars City council Tuesday. Mayor Rob Bixenman submitted five persons to the committee. They include Tom Hansen, who will serve a one-year term… Beth Raymond and Patty Sitzmann, who will serve two -year terms, and Tammy Sudtelgte and Jason Weiland, who will serve three-year terms. This is a committee which acts as an advisory group to the city council.
SCHUSTER INDUSTRIAL PARK
The Le Mars city council Tuesday adopted a resolution which approves the final plat of the Schuster Industrial Park. The plat consists of three lots, totaling 4.5 acres of land along 24th Street SW, west of Lincoln Avenue. The city Planning and Zoning Commission approved the plat two weeks ago..
40 DAYS FOR LIFE
The annual 40 Days for life will begin next Wednesday, and extending through Sunday, November 5. The campaign begins with a kickoff mass at Immaculate Conception Church in Sioux City on September 26 at 6 p.m. Deacon Richard Port of Westfield says there are three Prayer Chains planned, all on Sunday, October 1. Two will be held in Sioux City, and one will take place in Le Mars, along Plymouth Street, from 1 to 2:30 pm that day. 40 Days for Life is an international campaign that aims to end abortion locally.
DeSANTIS COMMENTS ON TRUMP’S VALUES
Republican presidential candidate Ron DeSantis says Donald Trump’s recent statements on the abortion issue show the former president’s values are out of step with Iowa G-O-P voters. Trump said during an interview with NBC’s Meet the Press that the six week abortion ban DeSantis signed into law this spring was a terrible mistake.
DeSantis suggests Trump’s remarks are a window into how Trump’s 2024 campaign is diverting from the promises he made during the 2016 campaign.
Trump also indicated during his Meet the Press interview that he’d negotiate a deal on abortion that’s acceptable to both sides. DeSantis says that’s the danger of returning Trump to the White House for a second term.
GRASSLEY WON’T DRESS DOWN
For nearly two-and-a-half centuries, it’s been tradition to wear professional, business attire on the floor of the U-S Senate, and Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’s in “shock” the Senate Majority Leader would drop the dress code. Grassley, a Republican, says Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York should not have abandoned the long-standing policy of respecting the institution by wearing the proper attire.
Even with the relaxed rules, Grassley wouldn’t consider wearing one of his John Deere hats into the chamber.
Grassley turned 90 on Sunday and says it’s important to carry on traditions as they’ve stood the test of time for a reason.
Reports say the updated rule only applies to senators, as staffers have to continue to follow the dress code.
IUB LIMITING REPETITIVE QUESTIONING
The head of the Iowa Utilities Board says there’s a limit to the questions that can be asked by attorneys for landowners who don’t want the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline on their property. The Utilities Board hearing on Summit’s application to build the pipeline is in its fifth week. Board chairman Erik Helland is citing a district court ruling about a previous pipeline hearing — and he says it gives the board authority to limit cross examination of witnesses that is repetitive. An attorney for the company says not everyone is going to get the last word on every point that’s raised during the hearing. An attorney for landowners objects and says any party in a hearing is allowed to ask questions of any witness.
NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is visiting 70 Iowa schools this fall to encourage 17 year olds to register to vote now, so they’re ready to cast a ballot when they turn 18. Pate’s office sponsors an annual contest. If 90 percent of eligible 17 year olds in a high school register to vote, the school gets a trophy. Pate spoke at a student assembly at a Des Moines High School Tuesday, which is National Voter Registration Day. Nearly 90 Iowa high schools have notified Pate’s office that they’re encouraging 17 year olds to register to vote.
