PAVING PROJECT COMPLETED
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors approved a final payment voucher for a paving project that was completed last fall. The 80-thousand dollars voucher is for work done on the K22 project, where 5 miles of the road between Iowa Highway 3 and county road C44 was repaved in concrete. The total cost of the project was 4.6 million dollars.
LCSD PERSONNEL
The Le Mars Community School District Board of Education approved lists of resignations and new contracts at their meeting this week.
Among the resignations are two teachers, two teacher associates, and two coaches. One of the teachers, Ashley Ludwig, has been with the district for six years. She is stepping down to spend more time with her family. Also resigning at the end of the Sunnie Ludwigs, a middle school special education teacher. The resignations were accepted by the board, with the coaches contingent on finding suitable replacements.
New contracts were approved for three new teachers and a librarian/media specialist.
PULLED PORK CONTEST
A Le Mars restaurant is among 16 across Iowa to be part of a contest put on by the Iowa Pork Producers Association. Luke Larsen reports.
17.5% OF IOWA’S FULL-TIME WORKERS CAN’T COVER A BASIC-NEEDS BUDGET
A report finds one in six full-time Iowa workers struggles to pay for basic needs. The non-profit Common Good Iowa, which advocates for families and children, estimates 17-point-5 percent of all Iowa working households earn below what’s needed to cover a basic-needs budget. Sean Finn, a policy analyst for the non-profit, says figures this year show more low-income Iowans are struggling compared to last year, even as the state sees strong wage growth. The ninth annual report estimates one-third of full-time Black and Latino workers make below what is needed to support their families’ basic needs. That’s almost double the statewide average.
CULVERT PROJECTS
Three culvert projects planned for Plymouth County this year will receive help from the Hungry Canyons Alliance. All are located in western Plymouth County – one northeast of Akron, another east of Westfield, and a third west of Le Mars. Hungry Canyons Alliance will contribute some 60-thousand dollars toward installation of drop inlets at those sites, to control erosion. Each of the projects involve bridge removal, and installation of culverts. The Hungry Canyons Alliance was formed to bring financial and technical assistance for streambed stabilization projects in 19 counties, including Plymouth County, which make up the Loess Hills region.
SENATOR GRASSLEY SAYS PRESIDENT BIDEN’S BUDGET IS DOA
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley predicts President Biden’s just-released budget for fiscal year 2025 will need to be rejected in order to, in Grassley’s words, “rescue future generations from even greater economic harm.” Of the budget, Grassley says: “It’s dead on arrival, D-O-A.” Grassley, a Republican, says if the budget were to be approved, it would be sure to yield severe long-term consequences, including trillions of dollars in tax hikes, while adding 16-trillion dollars to the national debt over the next decade. Grassley says the budget also offers “crumbs” for the Pentagon by limiting defense spending so it won’t even keep up with inflation.
ERNST SEEKS SENATE LEADERSHIP POST
Iowa’s U.S. Senator Joni Ernst will run for the number three position in Senate Republican leadership. Ernst says she will challenge for the position of Republican Conference Chair. She currently holds the number four position in the Senate GOP leadership as chair of the Republican Policy Committee. Her candidacy is part of a shake-up after Kentucky Senator Mitch McConnell announced he’s stepping down from the GOP Senate leadership. One of those seeking to replace McConnell is South Dakota Senator John Thune.
A SECOND RUN FOR IOWA FILM CREDIT PROGRAM GETS COMMITTEE APPROVAL
A House committee has approved a bill with guidelines for a limited revival of state incentives for movies and TV shows filmed in Iowa, but the plan no longer requires that actors be Iowa residents. Under the bill, production companies could be eligible for a rebate worth up to 30 percent of the project’s expenses, but only five-million dollars in rebates would be available in each of the next two years. One lawmaker said it doesn’t matter who the stars of the movie are, what’s important is what the production spends in Iowa on lodging, food, and services that support filming. The State of Iowa canceled its film tax credit program 15 years ago after auditors found the majority of credits were misused and some Iowa vendors were never paid. Bill backers say they’re confident the state can write the rules and ensure the tax breaks cover legit bills that have already been paid.
BILL TO LET STATE AGENCIES BYPASS STATE AUDITOR, HIRE PRIVATE CPAS TABLED
A bill that would have let state agency budgets be audited by private C-P-A firms rather than the State Auditor’s Office has stalled in the Iowa House. It was the first bill Republicans in the Iowa Senate passed this year, but House State Government Committee chair Jane Bloomingdale of Northwood did not bring it up for a vote today (Wednesday) in her committee’s last meeting of the year. Bloomingdale says the bill didn’t have the votes to pass because an analysis showed it would cost the state far more to have private C-P-A firms audit state agencies. State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat elected to statewide office, has said the bill would have let state government insiders pick lapdog C-P-As who’d cover up corruption.
