GYM DEDICATION
Gehlen Catholic Schools has announced that their auxiliary gymnasium will be named in memory of Mr. Rick Fox. Fox served Gehlen Catholic for over 40 years. He is described in the announcement as “a teacher, coach, friend, and volunteer”. He passed away in November, 2022. The school board reviewed and approved the submission. Bishop R. Walker Nickless officially accepted and signed the naming rights request. A dedication ceremony and ribbon cutting of the Rick Fox Memorial Gym will take place Monday, February 26, at 3 p.m.
PLYMOUTH COUNTY ACCIDENT
The Plymouth County Sheriffs Office investigated a two vehicle accident Tuesday morning. The accident occurred at the intersection of Iowa Highway 12 and County Road K18 in rural Plymouth County. A semi traveling north on 12 was struck by a pickup pulling out from a stop sign at K18. The truck driver, Joel Hirschman, 46, of Ireton, and the pickup driver, 70 year old Robert Clift of Jefferson, South Dakota, received what are believed to be minor injuries, and were treated at the scene. Clift was cited for stop sign and yield violations, and a seat belt violation.
SHOOTING OF HORNICK MAN JUSTIFIED
Woodbury County Attorney James Loomis says officers were justified in shooting a man to death in rural Hornick last October 29th. Forty-four-year-old Walter Sulsberger died in a shoot out with officers. Loomis says Walter’s father Todd called 9-1-1 around 7 p-m and told them his son was going to shoot him. A shot was heard about a minute and a half into the call and there was no response from Todd. A standoff ensued after deputies arrived and Loomis says Walter told officers he had killed his 72-year-old father and was not going to surrender. Armored vehicles were brought in and heated gun battle then broke out and Walter Sulsberger was shot multiple times and killed. Loomis and the Iowa Attorney General both reviewed the D-C-I report and determined the shooting was justified.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE ENROLLMENT APPEARS TO BE LEVELING OFF
Community college overall enrollment in Iowa was down slightly in 2023. Amy Geiske works in the Bureau of Community Colleges in the Department of Education.
But that enrollment decline appears to be slowing.
The number of high school students taking community college classes continues to increase.
The high schoolers taking those college classes have a major impact.
She says the success rate of students who graduated or transferred from a community college to another school was up three percent to nearly 53 percent.
BILL TO GET RID OF GENDER BALANCE REQUIREMENT ON IOWA BOARDS, COMMISSIONS
An Iowa Senate committee has approved a bill to remove the requirement that state and local government boards and commissions have an equal number of men and women. A federal judge recently ruled that Iowa’s gender balance requirement for the State Judicial Nominating Commission violates the U-S Constitution’s equal protection clause. Senator Jason Schultz, a Republican from Schleswig, says it’s time to end the mathematical gymnastics required for an outdated law. Senator Claire Celsi, a Democrat from Des Moines, says the goal of gender parity hasn’t been reached, especially on government boards in smaller Iowa cities and rural areas. The bill cleared the Senate State Government Committee and a House subcommittee this week.
ICE-TRAPPED SWANS ARE RECOVERING AFTER RESCUE BY HOVERCRAFT
Thirty swans were trapped in the ice on Little Wall Lake in central Iowa’s Hamilton County last week. Rescue efforts were hampered as the ice was too thin to safely support humans, so a hovercraft was used to reach the struggling birds. Jeni Boonjakuakul, with the Iowa Bird Rehabilitation Center in Des Moines, says seven swans were saved, but three died, likely from a combination of exposure and lead poisoning. The four remaining swans were taken to the Nebraska Wildlife Center where two had the lead removed from their gizzards. The other two are still too weak for the procedure. Recovery could take months.
