FLOYD VALLEY AUXILIARY AWARDS THREE SCHOLARSHIPS
Three $2,000.00 scholarships will be awarded to area students by the Floyd Valley Auxiliary.
The 2024 Auxiliary scholarship winners are:
Logan Held of Merrill, Iowa. He will attend Northwestern College in Orange City as a non-traditional student. He is enrolled in the Masters Program to become a Physician Assistant.
Kaden Kraft will graduate from Kingsley Pierson High School. He will pursue a degree in mortuary science at Northwest Iowa Community College and Des Moines Area Community College. His parents are Michael and Debra Kraft.
Sarah Brown will graduate from Le Mars Community High School. She will attend Des Moines Area Community College and Iowa State to pursue a degree in Nursing. Her parents are Matt and Jodi Brown.
The Auxiliary will also contribute $1,000 to the Floyd Valley Education Department to be used for staff and community training, including basic and advanced cardiac life support, neonatal resuscitation and trauma nursing courses.
Each spring Floyd Valley Auxiliary awards scholarships to students in the Floyd Valley Healthcare service area who are pursuing a health related career. The Floyd Valley Auxiliary would like to thank those that applied this year. They received a number of applications from very deserving students. For more information about how to apply for the scholarship, please go to FloydValley.org.
FIREFIGHTERS TRAIN AT AIR GUARD REFUELING WING AT SIOUX CITY
A traveling training unit has been at Sioux City’s 185th Air National Guard Refueling Wing for the past three days. Members of the fire department at the base practiced responses to various scenarios. Master Sergeant Mitch Decker is the Assistant Chief of Fire Operations for the base.
Decker says aircraft fires usually involve large amounts of fuel, so the training helps firefighters review that unique challenge.
The Air Force firefighters were also training while wearing chemical warfare gear along with their regular gear underneath.
The firefighters also practiced how and when to enter aircraft that are on fire.
NEW LAW CLARIFIES JURISDICTION IN DRUG CASES
A new policy going into effect this summer clarifies the prosecution of cases when illegal drugs acquired in one county lead to a person’s overdose in another county. Representative Jon Dunwell of Newton says one of his constituents has personal experience with this kind of situation. His constituent’s 24-year-old daughter was heading back to a substance abuse treatment program, but decided to take one last hit. She bought drugs in one county, then overdosing and died in another county. The law, which goes into effect July 1st, says a person who supplies drugs that cause an overdose can be charged in the county where the drugs were obtained OR in the county where the death or serious injury occurred. If both county attorneys are building a case, the county in which the drugs were obtained would have the primary right to proceed with a prosecution.
EXPANDED DEATH AND DISABILITY BENEFITS FOR FIRST RESPONDERS IN 49 IOWA CITIES
Death and disability benefits for first responders in dozens of Iowa cities will change July 1st. Under current law, firefighters, police and E-M-Ts in those cities are eligible for disability as well as death benefits if they’re diagnosed with one of 14 types of cancer that could be connected to their work.
The governor has approved legislation that lets those first responders be eligible for disability benefits for ANY type of cancer as well as heart or lung diseases. Their spouses or children will be eligible for benefits if any of those illnesses leads to death.
The law also requires local governments to cover the costs of mental health evaluations as part of the annual physicals for police officers and firefighters. First responders diagnosed with a mental illness connected to their service also could qualify for disability benefits.
The 49 cities include: Le Mars, Sioux City, Spencer and Storm Lakte. Le Mars Police will only receive police pensions through the system. Sioux City, Spencer and Storm Lake will include police and fire personnel in their first responder benefits
THREE DIE IN HOME FIRE
Three people have died following a fire at a home in North Sioux City, South Dakota Saturday morning.
Fire officials there say the call came in shortly after 7 a.m. and responding units found the residence to be fully engulfed with fire when they arrived.
Around 9 a.m., firefighters found three deceased individuals inside the residence.
The victims names have not been released pending notification of family members.
Saturday afternoon, a South Dakota fire marshal investigator arrived on the scene, and ruled that the fire was caused by a propane explosion.
North Sioux City responders were assisted by Sergeant Bluff fire and Union County Sheriff’s and Emergency Management personnel
PLYMOUTH COUNTY DEMOCRATS ANNOUNCE MAY MEETING
The Plymouth County Democrats will be holding their regular monthly County Central Committee meeting at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, 2024, at Lally’s Eastside Restaurant, 125 Plymouth Street NE, Le Mars, Iowa.
All interested Democrats are invited to attend. Come at 5:30 if you want to eat with the group.
Emma Bouza, who is running for Iowa House of Representatives to represent District 3, will be speaking at this meeting.
Anyone wishing to participate via zoom can request a link by emailing to plymouthcountydems@gmail.com
IOWA GOVERNOR, ATTORNEY GENERAL REACT TO PENDING LAWSUIT OVER IOWA’S IMMIGRATION LAW
The federal government intends to file a lawsuit Tuesday to block enforcement of an Iowa law that makes illegal re-entry into the U.S. a state crime.
The new law, signed by Governor Reynolds in April, also lets Iowa judges issue deportation orders for people arrested in Iowa who entered the country illegally. Delegates at the Iowa G-O-P’s state convention cheered the governor this weekend when she mentioned the law.
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird told state convention delegates the situation at the U-S/Mexico border out of control and she’ll defend the new state law in court.
In a letter to state officials, the U-S Justice Department said the Iowa law conflicts with federal immigration law and interferes with the functions of the federal goverment. A federal lawsuit is blocking a similar law in Texas from going into effect. In 2012, the U-S Supreme Court ruled the federal government, not states, had authority to set immigration policy. Since then, four new justices have been appointed to the court.
IOWA GOP CHAIR SAYS ELECTING TRUMP IS PRIORITY #1
The Iowa G-O-P’s chairman says getting Donald Trump elected is all the matters in the 2024 election. Over a thousand Iowa Republicans gathered in Clive Saturday for the party’s state convention. Party chairman Jeff Kaufmann told the delegates the party’s number one priority is the presidential race. A Des Moines Register “Iowa Poll” conducted at the end of February showed Trump leading Joe Biden in Iowa by 15 points. The Iowa DEMOCRATIC Party’s state convention is June 15th.
