35TH ANNIVERSARY OF FLIGHT 232 CRASH MARKED
Today (Friday) is the 35th anniversary of the crash of United flight 232 at the Sioux Gateway Airport. The Mid American Museum of Aviation and Transportation is holding and open house to remember the 112 who died in the crash, the 180 who survived, and the first responders and community members who aided them. Museum board member Pam Mickelson says begin at 10 a-m and will have activities throughout the day.
Mickelson says Simmons will talk about research that tells the story through the eyes of flight attendant Susan White and how the crew worked together with the late pilot Al Haynes.
Mickelson says White is one of the few people who were involved that haven’t retired. She says they still get weekly visitors to the exhibit that was created during the 25th anniversary. Mickelson says it’s an opportunity for a new generation to hear the details of the heroic efforts of those involved in the crash on July 19, 1989.
JOHN DEERE CUTS SOME DEI INITIATIVES
John Deere has announced it will no longer sponsor external social or cultural awareness events like parades or festivals. Deere’s statement comes after online criticism and says the company is always listening to feedback and looking for opportunities to improve. The farm equipment maker announced it is auditing employee training materials to make sure there are no socially-motivated messages. The company said it has never had diversity quotas or pronoun identification requirements. The statement comes after a conservative on X, formerly known as Twitter, called on John Deere to dismantle its diversity, equity and inclusion programs.
THREE COUNTIES ADDED TO DISASTER DECLARATION
Gov. Kim Reynolds Thursday announced that three more Iowa counties: Dickinson, Humboldt, and Palo Alto, have been added to the Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for areas damaged by severe storms which occurred in June. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Individual Assistance Program is already activated for nine counties, including Plymouth, Woodbury, Sioux, O’Brien and Cherokee, that were affected by floods. Dickinson County residents are now eligible for the Iowa Disaster Recovery Temporary Housing Program. This program is available to survivors whose homes were majorly damaged, destroyed, or deemed not habitable in counties currently under a Presidential Major Disaster Declaration for both FEMA Individual and Public Assistance.
ROCK VALLEY SCHOOLS PLANS
Schools in Rock Valley are making plans to reopen in temporary locations this fall, following the flood last month. In a Facebook posting, Rock Valley Community Schools Superintendent Matt Van Voorst says their preschool was not damaged, and will resume as normal. Kindergarten through grade two will meet at a church until their classrooms are ready later in the fall. Grades three through 5 will meet in unfinished classrooms until their regular classrooms are ready. A building including six temporary classrooms will house grades 6 through 12. They will rotate through these spaces and unfinished spaces during reconstruction. The first day of school for the Rock Valley Community Schools is September 5.
Rock Valley Christian School is scheduled to open on September 4. The school lost nearly all of its furniture, fixtures, equipment and curriculum in the flood. They’ve launched a fundraiser called Welcome the Warriors, to help recover from these losses.
SPENCER SHIFTING 500 STUDENTS TO OTHER BUILDINGS IN DISTRICT
One of Spencer’s school buildings won’t be opening this fall due to flood damage and about 500 third, fourth and fifth graders who would have been starting school at Lincoln Elementary next month will attend classes in other buildings in the district. Spencer Community Schools superintendent Terry Hemann.
Third and fourth graders will go to two other elementary buildings in the district. Fifth graders will go to Spencer’s middle school.
Classes start August 23rd in Spencer. Online registration is underway through August 11th.
Last week, the head Iowa Department of Education said her agency was rounding up portable classrooms for Spencer and Rock Valley schools. Spencer’s superintendent says his district came up with its plan to shift students to other buildings in the district because there was greater need in Rock Valley schools. Like Spencer, Rock Valley was hard hit by flash flooding in June.
INJURY ACCIDENT
A single vehicle accident on Iowa 60 Wednesday resulted in minor injury to the driver. The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office said the accident occurred around 6:45 p.m. a half mile southeast of Alton. 31 year old Orson Castillo, of South Sioux City, NE, was driving northbound on Hwy 60 when witnesses called to report that the vehicle was being driven in an unsafe manner. Before law enforcement could locate and stop the vehicle, Castillo lost control of the vehicle and struck a bridge. Castillo was transported to Orange City Area Health for treatment of minor injuries. Drug or alcohol use may have been a factor and the accident remains under investigation.
The sheriff’s office was assisted by the Orange City Police Department, Alton Fire Department, Alton Ambulance and Orange City Ambulance.
O’BRIEN COUNTY MANURE SPILL
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a fish kill at Mud Creek near Paullina in O’Brien County.
On Wednesday, July 17, the DNR field office in Spencer was notified of dead fish in Mud Creek, south of Paullina. Further investigation revealed Roorda Dairy of Paullina was land applying manure in a field, which entered a blown out tile that discharges to mud creek. The amount of manure released is unknown at this time. Dead fish have been observed for several miles in the creek.
The manure release has stopped. DNR staff from the Spencer field office and Spirit Lake fisheries office are onsite, and the investigation is ongoing.
IOWA GOP DELEGATE WHO’S A POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR REFLECTS ON RNC
An Iowan at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee is not only a delegate, he’s a historian who has written a book about William Jennings Bryan and Hubert Humphrey — Democrats who run for president. Jeff Taylor, a political science professor at Dordt University in Sioux Center, was also a delegate at the G-O-P’s national convention in 2012.
Taylor, who has a seat on the convention floor with the rest of the Iowa delegates, says he’s been observing the teleprompter on stage to see how closely speakers follow the script.
Taylor says that message has filtered down to Iowa delegates, too.
Taylor says that unity was illustrated when Trump entered the convention arena on Monday night and the crowd cheered, applauded and repeated Trump’s “fight, fight, fight” mantra.
Taylor has been a state senator since 2021. He’s running for a second term this year and has no opposition on the General Election ballot.
