PLYMOUTH STREET RESURFACING
Detours were put back in place along Plymouth Street west of Central Ave. in Le Mars this week, as resurfacing got underway there. City Administrator Jason Vacura told the city council that the work should be finished there by the end of this week. Next week, road resurfacing will focus along Iowa Highway 3 east, past Floyd Valley Healthcare to 14th Ave NE. While the Plymouth Street detour will be lifted next week, there will be restricted traffic along the Highway 3 corridor. A pilot car will lead traffic through that construction zone.
REPAIRS TO PLYWOOD TRAIL
Barricades are now up along the Plywood Trail between Le Mars and Merrill. Recent heavy rains and floods have caused damage that must be repaired before the segment can be opened. The matter was discussed this week before the city council. City Administrator Jason Vacura says until emergency funds are made available, no construction can take place. Vacura told the city council that construction on Phase 3 of the Plywood Trail is underway, with some pavement laid in the Leeds area of Sioux City. Phase 3 will extend from Sioux City to Hinton.
EXPERT RECOMMENDS IOWANS CONSIDER FLOOD INSURANCE
Many Iowa home owners are seeing their insurance premiums rise and some companies are refusing to insure some properties altogether. Sonya Sellmeyer, a consumer advocacy officer in the Iowa Insurance Division, says Iowans facing a significant hike in homeowners insurance could consider a higher deductible — if it’s an amount they can afford. Sellmeyer’s encouraging Iowans to have a discussion with their licensed insurance agent, to ensure their policy would cover the cost of replacing their home and its contents. And Sellmeyer, who spent time in Spencer shortly after it was flooded in June, is strongly suggesting all Iowans sit down with their insurance agent and see if flood insurance is something they need. Flooding is the most common AND costly natural disaster in the United States.
NO IOWA SCHOOL WILL START THE SCHOOL YEAR WITH ARMED STAFF
The first semester of this school year will be well underway before the rules are in effect for a law designed to help Iowa districts get insurance if school staff are armed. A spokesperson for the Iowa Department of Public Safety told Iowa Public Radio it’ll be two months before the review process for those rules is completed. Two years ago school boards in Cherokee and Spirit Lake voted to have armed staff members, but dropped the policy after their insurance carrier said it would not renew their coverage. The new law spells out the requirements for a professional permit to carry a weapon at school and school boards may vote to allow teachers and staff who get a permit to have a gun on school grounds. The law is written so school employees would be shielded from liability if they use reasonable force, but it’s still not clear if the insurance company that covers most school districts will issue policies to districts if teachers and staff who are armed. An E-M-C Insurance spokesperson says the company is reviewing the law and analyzing its options.
A HIKE THROUGH HISTORY AT THE IOWA STATE FAIRGROUNDS
The gates of the Iowa State Fair opened Thursday, and the first event was the 10th annual Iowa State Fair Historical Walking Tour. State curator Leo Landis says the goal of the tour is two-fold, to entertain fairgoers with interesting fair facts, and to start the day with a little exercise. Walkers, accompanied by guides from the State Historical Society of Iowa, shared stories about a host of historic sites along the way. The hike wrapped up at the Sheep Barn for the fair’s opening ceremonies. The state fairgrounds has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1987.
HITTING UNDERGROUND LINES COULD BRING A FINE
This Sunday is August 11th or 8-11, the day Iowans are reminded about the three-digit phone number they’re required to call before doing any digging on their property. Ben Booth a spokesman for Iowa One Call is marking what it calls 8-1-1 Day in advance of the fall planting season.
The state law was enacted in 1993, mandating that Iowans use the service before taking a shovel to dirt, and especially before using anything larger to dig. Call at least 48 hours in advance, and crews will mark the underground utilities with flags or spray-paint so you can know where -not- to dig.
Each time an Iowan phones the call center, it typically triggers several more calls, depending on how many utilities may be buried on the property. Booth says they field about 600,000 calls a year, which equates to more than 3.6 million notices back to the utilities.
COMPANY TO TEST IN CARROLL COUNTY FOR HYDROGEN TRAPPED UNDERGROUND
A Colorado-based company will soon begin testing in Carroll County as it searches for hydrogen trapped underground. Scientists say natural hydrogen could be a source of clean energy. A representative of Twin Rivers Exploration says the company uses trucks that are a little smaller than a garbage truck, a plate that’s about a yard in diameter is lowered to the ground and starts shaking the ground. The company’s sensors track the vibrations and come up with maps of underground formations. Twin Rivers Exploration recently completed land surveys in Webster County and the company’s surveys in Carroll County will start around August 19th. There’s only one well in the world currently collecting natural hydrogen from underground and it’s in west Africa, but companies are drilling for hydrogen in Nebraska and Kansas.
MAKERS OF HEMP-INFUSED BEVERAGES HAVE ADJUSTED THEIR PRODUCTS, DROPPING LAWSUIT
The Iowa businesses that make two beverages infused with a chemical derived from hemp are dropping their lawsuit against the state. A new state law that took effect in July lowered the amount of T-H-C from hemp that is legally allowed in a single serving. That made the companies’ products illegal. The businesses sued, arguing Iowa’s law did not follow standards set by a 2018 federal law that legalized the commercial sale of hemp and hemp-based products. A federal judge refused to block Iowa’s law from going into effect, so breweries in Des Moines and Solon recalibrated their “Climbing Kites” sparkling water and a North Liberty brewery that makes “Day Dreamer T-H-C seltzer changed that recipe to comply with Iowa’s law.
A ‘FESTIVAL OF IDEAS’ THIS WEEKEND, SIMILAR TO GATHERINGS IN THE EARLY 20TH CENTURY
A century ago, Iowans in the know attended events called “chautauquas,” summer festivals filled with food, culture and interesting speakers on topics like history, art, and philosophy. The second annual effort to revive the spirit of those gatherings is planned for this weekend in central Iowa. Nathan Beacom is founder of the Lyceum Movement, which is sponsoring “Tallgrass: The Des Moines Festival of Ideas.” Beacom calls the fest “a celebration of ideas and culture,” that will feature “scientists, philosophers, thinkers talking about really important things in America today.” He says the events are designed to inspire those in the audience to discuss the topics and actually talk to one another face to face, with a focus on eliminating confrontations — by having conversations.
