DOWNTOWN DETOUR
Traffic has been detoured off Plymouth Street in downtown Le Mars for a railroad crossing project. Barricades have blocked the rail crossing along Plymouth Street at the Fairway Grocery, as construction crews begin reconstruction there. This is a federal project that will improve safety factors for traffic crossing the rail line at that location. Until the improvements are completed, highway traffic will be diverted along 1st Street between Business 75 and 5th Avenue NE in Le Mars.
NATIONAL 4H WEEK
This is National 4H week, and celebrations are taking shape at clubs around Iowa. Plymouth County 4H clubs have designated today Memory Monday, where club members are posting their favorite memories on the 4H Facebook page. The county’s Facebook page will be loaded daily with observances each day this week.
Head, heart, hands and health are the four principles on which 4-H was founded, and the organization devoted to helping youth develop skills they can use now and throughout their lives is celebrating its founding this week.
Emily Saveraid is executive director of the Iowa 4-H Foundation and she says the program has more than a century of history in our state and it’s still very much alive.
Saveraid says many Iowa 4-H clubs are holding events to celebrate this week.
Saveraid says she’s excited about the future of the program in Iowa.
Learn more by contacting your nearest county I-S-U Extension and Outreach office or by visiting: https://www.iowa4hfoundation.org/.
SCHOOL DEMOLITION
Now that MOC-Floyd Valley Schools’ new elementary is in use, the city of Orange City will take action to demolish the old elementary, located near downtown. The city purchased the building, parts of which date back to 1928, for one dollar. The city plans to demolish the school building and redevelop the property, as a commercial/residential site. The council will consider a resolution today that would call for demolition bids. A public hearing will take place later this month to consider awarding a contract for this project.
FEENSTRA VOTES TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN
4th District US Congressman Randy Feenstra voted for a bill that avoided a government shutdown Saturday. Feenstra issued a statement which says “The American people are fed up with the dysfunction in Congress and expect us to deliver results. That’s why I voted to ensure that our troops and border patrol agents receive their full pay, our seniors receive their Social Security checks, our veterans receive the quality healthcare they have earned, and our government remains operational.” Representative Feenstra says that the bill extends the time negotiations can continue to reach a budget agreement. “We must now continue our important work to secure our border, reduce reckless government spending, and honor our Commitment to America.”
MARCUS DRINKING WATER ADVISORY -UPDATE
A drinking water advisory and a watering ban are still in place in Marcus today. Saturday, a boil order was put in place because of the possibility that the water supply became contaminated. A power outage caused the city’s water system to lose pressure. While pressure was restored, test results from the water supply will not be known until Tuesday at the earliest. Until then, Marcus residents are urged to boil their tap water, or use bottled water for drinking and food preparation. There’s also a ban on watering lawns and gardens until the water system is fully replenished.
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Residents of Marcus were issued a drinking water advisory Saturday. Marcus Water Supply says a power outage Saturday caused the system to lose pressure. This created the potential for bacterial contamination of the city’s water supply. They recommend Marcus residents not drink the water without boiling it first. Boiled or bottled water should be used for drinking, making ice, brushing teeth, and food preparation until further note. The notice says there was work being done on the city water system when the power outage occurred. The outage caused the well to stop pumping and pressure was lost in the water system. Power has been restored and the system is repressurized. Water samples have been taken to determine if contamination has occurred. The advisory is issued as a precaution until results of the bacterial samples are known.
A WARMER WINTER FOR SOUTHERN IOWA
Another summer-like day is forecast today. Temperatures are forecast into the lower 90s in LeMars. Winds will be strong, gusting to 30 miles per hour, creating high fire danger. A cold front moves in Tuesday, bringing the possibility of severe weather into the afternoon and evening hours. High temperatures will be falling throughout the week, topping out in the 50s on Friday.
State climatologist Justin Glisan says with the El Nino pattern setting up, Iowans may be facing a warmer-than-normal winter ahead.
Glisan says it’s still too early to predict how much precipitation may fall in the winter ahead, including rain, freezing rain and snow.
While traditional calendars have winter starting on December 21st this year, the climatological winter Glisan referred to is from December 1st through the end of February.
PORK TENDERLOIN CONTEST
The Iowa Pork Producers Association has named five Iowa restaurants as finalists for their Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin contest. The finalists include The Roadhouse, an Orange City restaurant. The pork producers received over 9-thousand nominations in this contest. The five were chosen out of 774 restaurants that were nominated. The top 40 that were nominated were judged this summer. A panel of three judges will travel to each of the five finalists, and name the first and second place winners. The winner receives a cash prize, and plaque, and statewide publicity to drive new business. The Roadhouse is among select company. Restaurants in Cherokee and Storm Lake are the only previous northwest Iowa finalists since the contest began 20 years ago.
FREE COVID TESTS AVAILABLE
With cases of COVID-19 rising again, the federal government has re-started its program of offering Americans free at-home testing kits. The director of UnityPoint’s Health Pharmacy Department says you should double-check the expiration date on any older kits you have before throwing them out — and before using them. Brian Benson says the solution you mix with the swab or the indicator panel could go bad over time, putting the accuracy in doubt. Benson says if you’re not sure how old your COVID test might be, don’t use it. The Food and Drug Administration’s website (FDA-dot-GOV) has a section that indicates whether expiration dates on various tests have been extended. Order the free tests at: COVIDTests.gov.
