CULVERT PROJECTS
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors took bids on four culvert projects today. The low bid for all four projects came from the same contractor. Richards Construction of Sac City competed with nine other bidders on these projects. The work includes removal of old, steel frame bridges, and replacing them with concrete culverts. The four low bids were between 151-thousand and 177-thousand dollars, and all were below the engineers estimates for each. The work will be done this summer.
PLYMOUTH COUNTY SERVICE AWARDS
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors today honored eight employees with service awards. The eight received certificates recognizing service of 15 to 40 years to the county. Gaylen Spink and Larry Bohnenkamp received certificates for 40 years of service to Plymouth County… Keri Borchers for 25 years… Jan Hoffman, Heidi Tritz, Shondon Wurth, and Cheri Nitzschke for 20 years of service, and Tommy Rice fo 15 years of service. Supervisors Chairman Don Kass praised the eight for their dedication. He says it’s rare that people complain about the service they receive from county employees.
ERNST HOSTS FORUM FOCUSED ON FAFSA PROBLEM
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst says time is running out for the U.S. Department of Education to fix the application college students and their parents fill out to find out how much federal aid they may qualify for. On Friday, the agency announced another error on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or FAFSA form will delay decisions for up to 200,000 students. Ernst says the application is worse than it was before and the rollout of the FAFSA has been completely botched. Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, hosted a forum in Lamoni Monday about the FAFSA problems. Students and administrators from Graceland University, the three state universities and two community colleges were there.
CHALLENGES TO NOMINATING PAPERS FROM TWO CANDIDATES RUNNING FOR IOWA HOUSE
A state panel will meet today to review challenges to the nominating documents submitted by two candidates running in the same northwest Iowa House district.
Ken Carlson, the Republican from Onawa who’s currently serving in Iowa House District 13 is not seeking reelection at the end of his first term. Two Republicans announced they’re running in the district. Travis Sitzmann of Le Mars is a risk control consultant for Travelers Insurance. Noah Wieseler of Sioux City works in construction and property management. Both are first time candidates. The Secretary of State’s office has announced there are challenges to the nominating petitions the two men submitted, but included no other details.
Candidates for Iowa House seat must submit petitions with the signatures of at least 50 eligible voters in the district.
Recently, the three-member state objection panel has reviewed challenges related to the names and addresses of people who’ve signed petitions as well as whether a potential candidate’s name and the office they were seeking was listed on each page of petition signatures.
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, Attorney General Brenna Bird — both Republicans — and Democrat Rob Sand, the State Auditor, are the three members of the state objection panel that will meet at 10 a.m. to review the challenges to the G-O-P candidates in House District 13.
No Democrat filed to run in the district.
SUPERVISORS MEETING
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors meets this morning. Their agenda includes recognition of Plymouth County Employees for their years of service. There are a number of items from the county engineer, including a bid letting on four culvert projects. A preliminary road construction program will be presented today.
FICKETT – HABITAT DEDICATION
Siouxland Habitat for Humanity is celebrated the dedication of a new home in South Sioux City Nebraska, and in northwest Iowa.
Kim Fickett says the house is ready to officially become home to Ahmed Said Hajji and Zeynaba Bala and their children.
It is the second Habitat house completed in the Missouri View Lane neighborhood of South Sioux City.
Fickett says last week, Habitat for Humanity held a groundbreaking for a new home in Rock Valley.
Siouxland Habitat for Humanity recently received a grant of 50-thousand dollars from the Iowa Finance Authority to help with the Rock Valley project. The home will be sold to the Alex and Rebecca Arteaga family.
ROCK VALLEY FIRE
One person was injured in a house fire reported in Rock Valley last Friday afternoon. The Rock Valley Fire Department was dispatched around 2 p.m. to a house fire that occurred at 2002 15th Street.
Rock Valley Police Department says they found the house to be fully engulfed in flames. A resident was trapped in an upstairs bedroom. Officers were able to catch the resident as he fell from a second story window.
That person was transported by the Rock Valley Ambulance to Hegg Health Center; they were later flown to Sanford Health in Sioux Falls, SD, for further medical treatment.
The fire remains under investigation by the Rock Valley Fire Chief and Iowa State Fire Marshal.
OFFICIALS CONSIDER CHANGES IN HOME SCHOOLING RULES
School districts may get rid of a limit for how long a student who’s being home schooled, but monitored by a licensed teacher, may also attend classes in a public school district. It’s called “dual enrollment” under “competent private instruction.” Current state rules say those students may attend their local public district for 75 percent of the school day. There’s no limit for independent home schooling families who have no oversight from a licensed educator. The legal counsel for the Department of Education says the agency is at least thinking about changes after parents raised the issue during a public hearing.
STUDY: PEOPLE’S LEFTOVERS COULD BE RECYCLED INTO ANIMAL FEED
Studies find 30 to 40-percent of food that’s produced is never eaten, and researchers are looking for possible solutions that could be implemented in Iowa livestock lots to help prevent food waste. University of Minnesota Professor Jerry Shurson favors turning leftovers into animal feed. Another option Shurson suggests would be feeding livestock byproducts from bakeries that are safe to eat but don’t meet certain quality standards. Shurson also says we could take leftover parts from animal carcasses after slaughter or after harvesting and recycle them into high protein feed ingredients for livestock and for pet foods. He’s hosting a virtual international conference this week to educate people in feed and feeding industries about the value of food waste for livestock in the backdrop of food, climate, and sustainability challenges.
