LE MARS SCHOOL FACILITY BOND REFERENDUM
The second of three information meetings concerning a new Le Mars Community Schools Elementary Facility will take place tonight. The District is proposes a school Facility Bond Referendum. On November 5, school district voters will decide on a 50 million dollar plan to fund construction of a new PreK-5th grade Elementary School. The new facility would replace the Clark, Franklin, and Kluckhohn Schools. At the meeting, school officials will explain why a new facility is needed, how the project will be funded, and what the bond issue would cost property owners in the district. The first of three meetings was held last week. The meeting tonight is at the Kluckhohn Elementary School Gym at 6 p.m. A third information meeting will take place at the Franklin Elementary School Gym on Monday, September 30, at 6 p.m.
TIGHT TURNAROUND FOR ABSENTEE BALLOTS
Two of Iowa’s top election officials say the window for receiving and then returning an absentee ballot is very narrow and mailing the ballot back may not be the best option. Adams County Auditor Becky Bissell is president of the Iowa State Association of County Auditors. Bissell says after she drops a ballot off at the Post Office, it takes between five to seven days before it’s delivered to a voter if they live in rural areas of her county.
Iowans are able to fill out a form and REQUEST an absentee ballot today, but October 16th is the first day county auditors can start mailing out the ballots. Bissell says voters have other options once they get the absentee ballot — like hand delivering it to their local county auditor’s office.
That’s an option in other counties, too, plus eligible Iowa voters can cast ballots at their county auditor’s office staring October 16th. Secretary of State Paul Pate says voters who want to vote-by-mail can track their ballot online at www.voterready.iowa.gov
Pate and Bissell made their comments this weekend during an appearance on Iowa Press at Iowa P-B-S. Pate indicated he and other election officials
Earlier this month state and local election officials around the country issued a statement warning delayed delivery of ballots by the U-S Postal Service could lead to fewer people voting and a loss of trust in the electoral system.
IOWA AG TO PROSECUTE ILLEGAL VOTING CASE
Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird says her office will lead the prosecution against a non-U-S citizen, who was arrested Wednesday in Marshall County for alleged voter fraud. Bird says 42-year-old Jorge Sanchez-Vasquez was legally living in Marshalltown, and was arrested for two counts of election misconduct. He was charged for registering to vote and illegally voting on the same day, July 16, 2024, in a special election for the Marshalltown City Council. The case will be heard in district court on October 2nd in Marshall County.
FLOODING DID NOT HAVE MAJOR IMPACT ON UNEMPLOYENT
Iowa Workforce Development director Beth Townsend says the flooding that hit Iowa this spring didn’t significantly impact unemployment numbers.
The claim numbers didn’t go up after the initial filings.
Townsend says there was the opportunity for some to make claims that normally wouldn’t.
Townsend says the floodwaters did not hit any of the larger cities where there are large concentrations of workers, and that is why unemployment didn’t see the impact.
UNIVERSITIES HOPE FAFSA IS FIXED
Representatives of the three state universities are hoping the federal student application process known as FAFSA goes better this year after it was delayed last year. Iowa State University Assistant Vice President of Admissions Katharine Suski says the delay had an impact on everyone.
University of Northern Iowa Director of Admissions Terri Crumley also says the delay kept them from getting out awards.
Crumley says the delay impacted other issues as well.
University of Iowa Director of Admissions Kirk Kluver says a few thousand students had already accepted their offers, but it left them no knowing what the enrollment would be after aid offers went out. Kluver says they think the issues have been addressed.
They made their comments during a presentation to the Board of Regents Wednesday.
COVID, RSV SHOTS CAN BE TAKEN AT SAME TIME
The latest COVID-19 shots from Pfizer and Moderna are now available across Iowa for anyone ages six months or older. It’s reported the vaccines protect against the widely-circulating K-P-two Omicron variant. Mike Brownlee, chief pharmacy officer at the University of Iowa Health Care, recommends everyone eligible get the shot, especially those who are immunocompromised or 65 and older, as those groups are at higher risk for getting severely ill. Brownlee says the vaccine may not prevent you from getting the illness, but it’s going to prevent serious illness. He says people can get the COVID shot at the same time as they get their shots for the flu and R-S-V. The Centers for Disease Control recommends waiting three months after a COVID infection to get the vaccine.
POPULARITY OF PICKLEBALL PICKS UP IN RURAL AND URBAN IOWA
Pickleball is said to be the fastest-growing sport in America, and more than 20 Iowa cities have opened new pickleball courts this year. The game is played on a small court with a net, similar to tennis or ping pong, and players use paddles to hit a plastic ball with holes across the net to score points. Stephanie Mehmen, general manager of Pickle Palace in Cedar Rapids, says pickleball can be competitive, social, or both. While more courts are being found in cities like Des Moines and Davenport, rural Iowans are jumping on the trend, too. According to the Sports and Fitness Industry Association, the number of pickleball players has tripled in the past three years.
