FIREWORKS IN LE MARS
Le Mars residents are reminded of rules to follow when discharging fireworks. Fire Rescue Chief Dave Schipper says fireworks can only be discharged July 3, 4, and 5, from noon to 11 p.m.
The rules are devised with safety in mind.
Fireworks can be discharged only on private property, not in public places.
Fire Rescue has the authority to enforce the fireworks rules.
IOWA GUARD HELPING WITH DEBRIS REMOVAL IN FLOODED AREAS
Members of the Iowa Air National Guard 185th Refueling Wing and the 132nd Wing have sent equipment and manpower to areas needing help with the removal of flood debris. Iowa Guard spokesperson, Jackie Schmillen (Smill-en),
says the Sioux City based 185th is helping in Woodbury, Cherokee, Ida and Buena Vista Counties. While the 132nd based in Des Moines is in the Iowa Great Lakes region.
Schmillen says guardmembers are in many cases helping their neighbors.
She says the Iowa Guard is also giving some relief to those who have been on the front lines since the flooding started.
Some 30 members of the Iowa Guard are out helping with the debris clean up.
GOVERNOR BLASTS FEDS’ FINES AGAINST IOWA BUSINESSES FOR CHILD LABOR VIOLATIONS
Governor Kim Reynolds says the needs and challenges of today’s workforce have changed — and the U-S Department of Labor is enforcing outdated child labor rules on Iowa businesses.
Reynolds has released what she describes as an open letter to Iowans, criticizing federal fines being proposed against Iowa businesses that have employed minors beyond 7 p.m. on school nights.
Reynolds signed a state law in 2023 that said 14 and 15 year olds could work until 9 p.m. during the school year and until 11 p.m. in the summertime.
While the extra two hours of nighttime work looks like a sensible option to most Iowans, Reynolds says the federal government is treating it like a sinister plot.
A spokesperson for the U-S Department of Labor says it is dangerous and irresponsible for Iowa’s governor and state legislature to undermine federal child labor protections amidst a rise in child labor exploitation in this country.
FEMA CENTERS OPEN IN NORTHWEST IOWA
FEMA will be open disaster recovery centers today and tomorrow in Spencer and Rock Valley, respectively.
The Spencer center opens today at 1 p.m. They will provide one-on-one assistance for people affected by the recent flooding and storms.
Rock Valley’s opens Wednesday at 1 p.m.
Recovery specialists from FEMA and the U.S. Small Business Administration will provide information on available services, explain disaster assistance programs and help people complete or check the status of applications for federal assistance.
The Spencer center will be at the Clay County Regional Events Center 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. on today, then 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, until further notice.
Rock Valley’s center is at the city park shelter house. Hours Wednesday are 1 p.m. to 6 p.m, then 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. every day, until further notice.
Both recovery centers will be open on the 4th of July holiday.
To save time, please apply with FEMA online or by phone before visiting a disaster recovery center.
Go to disasterassistance.gov, or call FEMA directly at 800-621-fema (3362) or download and use the fema app.
40% OF HOMES IN SPENCER DAMAGED BY FLOODING
Stoplights in Spencer are back in action, but power is still out in many neighborhoods following flash flooding that hit the city ten days ago. Spencer Mayor Steve Bomgaars says initial estimates indicate 40 percent of homes in Spencer have flood damage. FEMA representatives went door-to-door in southeast Spencer on Saturday. Bomgaars says the latest tally shows nearly 15-hundred Spencer residents have applied in person or online for some form of federal assistance. Iowa Department of Transportation dump trucks started hauling debris out of Spencer this weekend.
LE MARS COUNCIL
Le Mars’ city council meets today. An appointment to the Planning and Zoning Commission will be made. Items for the council’s action today include a contract for Enterprise Resource Planning software and Cloud-based services; and consideration of a new seatbelt/Restraint Policy as required by the Iowa Municipal Workers Compensation Association.
FOUR INJURED IN RURAL CRASH
A crash at a rural intersection near Sioux Center Monday afternoon injured four people. The Sioux County Sheriffs Office investigated the accident, which occurred at the intersection of of 410th and Hickory. A vehicle driven by Lynnette Reekers, 59, of Ireton, collided with another vehicle driven by Quinn Master, 18, of George. The two drivers, and two passengers in Master’s vehicle were injured. They were taken to Sioux Center Health for treatment of their injuries. Reekers was cited for failure to yield at the intersection. Sioux Center Police, Fire and Ambulance assisted at the scene of the accident.
SMITHFIELD CLOSING ALTOONA PLANT
Smithfield Foods announced it is closing its Altoona ham boning facility to consolidate production volume at other locations in Illinois, South Dakota and Nebraska to improve the company’s efficiency. The Altoona plant has 314 employees and the company says it will meet with them to provide additional details about the transition plan, severance pay, and potential employment opportunities with Smithfield. Smithfield employs nearly four-thousand people in Iowa at its farms and its food-processing facilities in Orange City, Sioux Center, Sioux City, Carroll, Denison, Des Moines, and Mason City.
SPECIAL ENFORCEMENT PLANNED FOR HOLIDAY
The Independence Day holiday is going to be a long one with the 4th falling on Thursday, and that could mean a lot more celebrating across the state. State Patrol Trooper Paul Gardner says they don’t want the celebration to spill over to the highways and reminds you to make sure that you have a designated driver if you are drinking. He says a special holiday enforcement effort will start on Wednesday and they will focus on O-W-I enforcement. Gardner says there were 377 traffic fatalities in 2023. and 38 percent of those involved drunk drivers. The special holiday traffic enforcement will run through Sunday July 7th.
