O’TOOLE PARK IMPROVEMENTS
The Le Mars city council today approved a consult agreement for the desgin of renovations at O’Toole Park. Improvements at the park include more trees, a three-season park shelter, and a splash pad. The estimated cost of the improvements are between 3.5 and 4.2 million dollars. The cost of the consultant’s agreement is not to exceed 35-thousand, 300 dollars. The cost will be paid for through LOST proceeds. This is one of several projects to be done through the Le Mars Community Betterment Foundation.
DIVE TEAM FUNDING
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors this morning gave approval to funding for the Plymouth County Dive Team. Last week, members of the dive team asked for help to purchase new equipment. Their estimated cost or their items list was over 12-thousand, 500 dollars. The Supervisors agreed to provide 15-thousand dollars to the dive team. It will be allocated throuigh a line item in the Sheriffs Office budget.
HINTON LAND PURCHASE
A 14 acre of land adjacent to Hillview Park has been purchased today by the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors. The county had been in negotiations with heirs to Virgil Newberg, Jr. on the parcel. The Dale and Beverly Albers Trust agreed to sell the property to Plymouth County, for some 80-thousand dollars. This was between the property appraisal of the county and the Albers. The Board of Supervisors today agreed to the purchase. Local Option Sales Tax funds will pay for 63-thousand dollars of the purchase price, which is equal to the county’s appraisal of the property, and represents taxpayer dollars. The other 17-thousand will come from the Hillview Foundation. The 14 acres gives the county full access to a pond that was near the parcel boundary. This is the fourth Newberg addition to Hillview Park. Seven years ago, the county purchased almost 300 acres of property to expand the park’s boundaries.
LE MARS AG TOUR
The annual Le Mars Chamber Ag Committee Ag Tour takes place today. Janelle Johnson says this is an annual event for Le Mars 3rd and 4th Graders.
The tour brings the students to four farms, where they can see operations up close.
Some of the students are used to being on the farm, some are going to be there for the first time. Johnson says the purpose of the Ag Tour is to help the students understand the sources of the things they eat.
At the end of the tours, all 275 students will gather at Cleveland Park, where lunch will be served, courtesy of Plymouth County farm groups, and donations from local ag-related businesses.
SUSPICIOUS PACKAGE INVESTIGATED AT STATE BUILDING
Part of a state office building was evacuated this morning over a package. The spokesman for the Iowa State Patrol says they were called to the Lucas State Office Building at 11 this morning about a suspicious package within the Iowa Secretary of State’s Office. The first floor was evacuated and the Des Moines Fire Department’s Hazmat Team was contacted. The State Patrol spokesman says the package was determined to not be threat. The circumstances surrounding the package are being investigated.
STUDY FINDS FEW PRIVATE WELL OWNERS TEST WATER
A study from Iowa State University shows that only five to ten percent of the 230-thousand private well owners in the state test their water annually. Iowa State Extension Water Quality Program Manager Catherine DeLong says one of the barriers to testing is a misunderstanding of what quality well water should be.
Bacteria, nitrates, and arsenic are the most common contaminants, and have all been detected in Iowa wells. DeLong says testing regularly is important because the impact of the contaminants don’t immediately show up when people drink the water.
Nitrates and arsenic in drinking water have been linked to cancers, cardiovascular issues, and birth defects.
CANDIDATES WERE RECRUITED TO RUN AGAINST NUNN, MILLER-MEEKS
An Associates Press investigation has found a group called the Patriots Run Project tried to recruit candidates to run as independents in two of Iowa’s competitive congressional districts. Congressman Zach Nunn — the Republican in Iowa’s third district — says he’s outraged to see anyone prey on hardworking Iowans or try to deceive voters. The man from Scranton who was recruited to run against Nunn told the Associated Press he withdrew his name from the ballot after determining his candidacy was intended as a dirty political trick. The group also recruited a woman to run against Republican Congresswoman Mariannette Miller-Meeks in the first district, but failed to collect enough petition signatures to get her name on the ballot. Iowa Republican Party chair Jeff Kaufmann says it’s truly despicable that this group knowingly took advantage of disabled or retired Trump supporters to try to cheat and pull votes away from Republicans.
U-I TURNS TO A-I TO REDUCE DOCTORS PAPERWORK
Artificial Intelligence software is being used to reduce paperwork — and headaches — for healthcare professionals at the University of Iowa, and now a pilot A-I program is being rolled out statewide. Dr. Charles Blum (BLUM), chief health information officer at U-I Health Care, says some physicians were having to spend two hours doing administrative work for every hour they spent with patients. Blum says those using the A-I are seeing a 50 to 80-percent reduction in their time doing paperwork and other administrative burdens. U-I-H-C has more than one-hundred offices across Iowa and this new technology is being offered to professionals in all of them, including doctors, dietitians, physical therapists, and nurses.
