HELP FOR PLYMOUTH COUNTY DIVE TEAM
Members of the Plymouth County Dive Team came before the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors this morning with a request for help in updating their equipment.
Dive team members Cole Heissel and Joel Johnson had a list of items which need replacing, chief among them, new dive suits and funds for training dive team members. The cost of the entire list of items is estimated at 12,800 dollars.
They also requested a pickup truck to pull the dive team’s equipment trailer.
Since this was a discussion item on the agenda, there was no action taken on the request. The Supervisors favored setting up a line item in next year’s county general fund budget. They will next week consider funding for new dive suits and training.
CROP REPORT
Iowa experienced cooler temperatures and dry conditions across most of the State. These conditions allowed Iowa farmers 6.4 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending September 8, 2024, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included cutting hay and chopping corn silage.
Topsoil moisture condition rated 32 percent short to very short, 67 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture condition rated 28 percent short to very short, 70 percent adequate and 2 percent surplus.
Corn maturity reached 20 percent, 4 days behind last year and 1 day behind the average. Corn condition was rated 77 percent good to excellent. Soybean condition was 78 percent good to excellent.
IOWANS INVOLVED IN NATIONWIDE CHECK CASHING SCAM
A federal grand jury has approved charges against 18 people in a massive nationwide scheme involving stolen checks. The charges involved using the stolen checks received from co-conspiritors that haven’t been charged. They would create sham entities and then open accounts at banks and credit unions in Iowa and other states under the names of those entities to deposit the stolen checks. The leaders of the scheme worked in Arizona, and also included people from Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. The court information says the co-conspirators attempted to deposit at least ten million dollars worth of stolen checks into fraudulent accounts and were able to obtain at least two-point-one million dollars. They face charges of bank fraud, conspiracy and money laundering.
DOODLEBUG REUNION IN WEBSTER CITY
Webster City will be invaded by the friends and fans of Doodlebugs for the annual celebration of the two-wheeled scooters that begins Wednesday at the Hamilton County Fairgrounds. Gerald Huisman (HUGHES-man) of the Doodlebug Committee says they rumbled onto the scene in the 1940s.
and were made from 1946 to 1948. More than 40-thousand Doodlebugs were built in Webster City and approximately one-thousand are still running. This is the 38th annual Doodlebug Reunion in Webster City, and Huisman says one of the highlights of the celebration of the Doodlebug this year will be the dedication of a sculpture in the shape of a Doodlebug in downtown Webster City. There is more information about the reunion on the Doodlebug Facebook page or at www.wcdoodlebug.com.
FEENSTRA – MEXICO TRADE
U.S. Representative Randy Feenstra is concerned about a report that the U.S. agriculture trade deficit is 43 billion dollars. Feenstra is concerned about what that means for farm exports.
Feenstra hopes to address the issue in a new Farm Bill.
Mexico’s President Obrador wants to stop trade in GMO corn from the U.S. He’s leaving office soon, and Feenstra hopes his successor is open to continuing GMO corn imports.
Another issue threatening U.S. – Mexico trade relations is a political shift in that country, particularly the rising strength of drug cartels there.
RECORD ENROLLMENT AT DORDT UNIVERSITY
Dordt University reports record enrollment this fall. Overall enrollment for the fall 2024 semester is 1,943; it is the largest enrollment in Dordt’s history, exceeding last year’s record of 1,911. There are more than 1,600 full-time students enrolled this semester. Dordt’s freshmen-to-sophomore retention rate of 84.7%, one of the best retention rates in Dordt’s history. Dordt’s six-year graduation rate is 72.4%, one of the institution’s highest-ever graduation rates.
IOWA GOP GAINED OVER 100-THOUSAND VOTERS
Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate, a Republican, says Democrats have a long way to go to be competitive in Iowa when it comes to voter registrations.
At the beginning of September, there were nearly 462-thousand “no party” or independent voters in Iowa compared to over 634-thousand active registered Republicans — that’s a difference of over 170-thousand. Pate, who has been Iowa’s top election official for the past seven years, says the number of active Democratic voters in Iowa is down about 85-thousand since 2016.
Iowa Democratic Party chairwoman Rita Hart has said party registrations in the Democratic column has grown since Kamala Harris became the party’s presidential nominee. According to data on the secretary of state’s website, the number of active Democrats in Iowa grew by about 19-hundred from August 1st to the beginning of September. The number of registered independent or “no party” voters grew the most during the past month — by nearly 85-hundred.
PROTESTERS DISUPT CONGRESSWOMAN MILLER-MEEKS’ FUNDRAISER
Pro-Palestinian protesters calling for a cease fire in the Israel-Hamas war interrupted speakers at the fundraiser Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks hosted in Iowa City Saturday. All four were escorted out by off-duty law enforcement at the site. About a third of the program at the event was focused on remarks from Riley Gaines, a former competitive swimmer who’s suing the N-C-Double-A for allowing a transgender athlete to compete in 2022. Miller-Meeks told the crowd it’s a women’s rights issue she feels passionate about. Earlier this year Miller-Meeks voted for a bill to bar students who were listed as male on their birth certificate from participating in women’s sports.
