STREET AND BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION
A resurfacing project on Plymouth Street will begin next week. Starting Monday June 17th, the Iowa DOT will be doing a soft closure of Plymouth St. from Bus 75 to 5th Ave. S.E , Traffic will then be detoured to 1st St. N.E./N.W. Local traffic will still be able to use Plymouth St. until they start the asphalt resurfacing, then no traffic will be allowed during construction. If you are driving on Plymouth Street after the surface is milled, and before resurfacing, there will be raised manholes with traffic cones to avoid. You will still be able to get to businesses along Plymouth St. but there is no long-term parking requested along Plymouth Street so that the overlay work can be completed with minimal interruption.
Also on June 17th, 2024, the Le Mars Street Dept. will shut the bridge on 4th Ave. N.E. by the Willow Creek Campground down to one lane traffic while they tear out and replace the approaches up to the bridge. There will be portable traffic lights set up to control the traffic while work is being done. Lane width for vehicles/equipment to get through will be 12 feet wide, anything wider than that will have to use an alternate route. Project is expected to last about 3 to 4 weeks , weather permitting.
The Plymouth County Road Department says, beginning today (Tuesday), Quest Ave from C38 south one mile to 220th is closed for a culvert project. A contractor will be removing a wooden bridge with a culvert at that location. Quest Ave will be closed for approximately three weeks in order to complete the project.
VOTE CANVASS
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors approved the canvass of election returns from the primary elections of a week ago. In Supervisor District 2, Incumbent Mike Van Otterloo of Le Mars was the winner, as was Douglas Manley of Akron in District 5, County Auditor Stacey Feldman of Le Mars, and County Sheriff Jeff TeBrink of Westfield. These candidates for Plymouth County offices are all Republicans.
In legislative races Republican incumbent Tom Jeneary of Le Mars in House District 3, and in House District 13, Travis Sitzmann of rural Le Mars were elected in the Republican Primaries. Also in House District 3, Emily Bouza of Hawarden was the winner in the Democratic primary. In Senate District 2, Jeff Taylor of Sioux Center won the GOP primary in Plymouth County, and in his 3-county district. Incumbent Randy Feenstra won the US House District 4 primary for Republicans, Ryan Melton of Nevada won the Democratic primary. But in Plymouth County, Feenstra was defeated by challenger Kevin Virgil.
CROPS AND WEATHER
Warm and drier weather in Iowa allowed farmers 4.8 days suitable for fieldwork as of Sunday. Some planting and replanting of corn and soybeans and spraying were limited due to wet field conditions.
Topsoil moisture is 5% short, 78% adequate and 17% surplus. Subsoil moisture is 1% very short, 9% short, 77% adedquate and 13% surplus.
Corn planting is nearly complete with 89% emerged, 9 days behind last year and two days behind the 5-year average.
92% of the soybean crop has been planted, equal to the 5-year average.
Corn condition is 73% good to excellent.
92% of the soybeans have been planted, equal to the five year average. 75% of the crop has emerged, which is 9 days behind last year and one day behind the 5-year average.
Soybeans condition is 73% good toe excellent.
Temperatures were slightly above normal over the past week, and moisture was slightly below normal.
CONGRESSMAN FEENSTRA CALLS BIRD FLU A CRISIS
Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra says confirmed cases of bird flu among poultry and dairy cattle in northwest Iowa are a crisis — and another reason congress needs to pass the Farm Bill this year.
Feenstra, who represents Iowa’s fourth congressional district, says 25 million birds in Iowa have been impacted by avian influenza. African Swine Fever, which is fatal to hogs, has not been detected in the United States.
There have been four bird flu outbreaks reported in northwest Iowa of late: A Cherokee County turkey flock, a Sioux County poultry farm, and dairy herds in O’Brien and Sioux Counties.
UKRAINIAN GROCERY OPENS IN ORANGE CITY
Last week marked the opening of a grocery store in Orange City which specializes in foods from Ukraine. Natali Valianska is the owner and manager of the grocery, called Schedryck.
Natali got to know the grocery business as a lender in her home country.
Valianska says she saw a need to fill, as the local Ukrainian community had to travel to Sioux Falls to find Ukrainian foods. She says she found distributors to help stock her store.
Schedryck is located in downtown Orange City.
JUDGE TO RULE SOON ON IOWA’S IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT LAW
A federal judge plans to issue a ruling before July 1st on whether state officials may enforce an Iowa law to deport immigrants who’ve been deported before. The judge heard legal arguments in a Des Moines courtroom earlier Monday. Emma Winger, deputy legal director for the American Immigration Council, says the state of Iowa is trying to set up its own deportation system and only the federal government has authority to enforce immigration law. Iowa Attorney General says President Biden has refused to enforce immigration laws and Iowa plans to do the job for him.
IOWA’S HIGH RANK IN ‘KIDS COUNT’ REPORT ISN’T ALL GOOD NEWS
The annual Kids Count report ranks Iowa 7th in the U-S for child well-being, down one slot from last year. The Annie E-Casey Foundation report looks at child economic well-being, education, health and family, and community. Anne Discher is executive director of Common Good Iowa, which advocates for children and families. Discher says it’s easy to focus on Iowa’s overall high ranking, but she’s concerned because the state’s education ranking dropped four places. She calls the numbers “alarming” as two-thirds of Iowa fourth graders did not test proficient in reading. Iowa’s rankings fell in each category as compared to last year’s report, except for economic well-being where Iowa remains third in the nation.
