WIND URBAN RENEWAL INFORMATION MEETING
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors have rescheduled an information meeting concerning the Wind Urban Renewal Area. The information meeting was moved up a week, and will take place during the next Supervisors session, Tuesday, October 1. This meeting is to take place prior to a public hearing on the latest Wind Urban Renewal Plan. Taxes raised by wind generators in this Wind Urban Renewal Area are used to pay for infrastructure projects in Plymouth County. The new Urban Renewal Plan includes 24 road, bridge and culvert projects. Their estimated cost is not to exceed 31 million dollars.
This overall plan will be reviewed at the information meeting next week. A public hearing on approval of the plan will take place Tuesday, October 15.
FIVE IOWA SCHOOLS NAMED AS 2024 NATIONAL BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS
Two northwest Iowa schools were named National Blue Ribbon Schools for 2024 by the Iowa Department of Education. Rock Valley Elementary School and Alta-Aurelia Middle School were so named, based on excellent student academic achievement and growth. The two are among five in Iowa that were named National Blue Ribbon Schools. These schools demonstrate exemplary high student performance, based on state assessments or national test scores. Each performed in the top 15% of all Iowa public schools.
GRASSLEY SAYS TIME IS RUNNING OUT ON PASSING A FEDERAL BUDGET
Time is running out on a new federal budget.
In an interview with KLEM News, U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says all the appropriations bills have passed the House, but are stalled in the Senate.
A continuing resolution on the budget would avoid a government shut-down
Grassley says the farm bill was approved in the House. would like the Senate to take up the farm bill, but there is only a slight chance that this will take place by the end of the year.
With a lot of attention paid on the presidential race this fall, attention on President Biden has faded.
Grassley says that since Biden stepped down from his re-election campaign, he has lost relevance on the world stage.
Today, Biden spoke to the United Nations general assembly for the final time as President. He says the world must unite in lieu of fighting in Israel and Gaza, Ukraine, and growing concerns over China.
TWO-VEHICLE ACCIDENT
A Sioux Center man was arrested Saturday night after the investigation of a two-vehicle accident on Main Street in Hull. The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office arrested Luis Juarez-Lira, age 32. Juarez-Lira was involved in an accident at the intersection of Main and Railroad Street in Hull. Juarez-Lira failed to stop at a stop sign and crashed into a pickup driven by 19 year old Eli Klein of Hull. There were no injuries, but both vehicles received extensive damage. Deputies suspected that Juarez-Lira was under the influence of alcohol. He was charged with OWI, no valid driver’s license, no proof of insurance, and a stop sign violation. The owner of the car, Marcario Hernandez of Dakota City, Nebraska, was cited for permitting an unauthorized person to drive.
MAN HELD AFTER GIRL’S BODY FOUND
A Gowrie man has been charged in connection to the weekend death of a teenager from Farnhamville, in Calhoun County. The 17-year-old victim’s name has not been released, but the Southeast Valley Community School District Superintendent confirmed in an email to parents that she was a student in the district. A criminal complaint from the Calhoun County Sheriff’s Office says the victim was reported missing by her family late Sunday and the family encountered a man while searching for her. The man had some of the girl’s belongings, including her scooter, and appeared to have blood on him according to the criminal complaint. At around 9 a.m. Monday, the girl’s body was found in a cornfield. 21-year-old Nathaniel Kyren Bevers-McGinvey has been charged with abuse of a corpse and is being held in the Carroll County Jail.
CORN AND SOYBEAN HARVEST UNDERWAY
The U-S-D-A crop report says farmers were able to harvest five percent of the corn in the last week. That is five days behind last year but equal to the five-year average. The report found nine percent of the beans were out of the fields and into the bins at the end of the week. The harvest rate is equal to last year and one day ahead of the five-year average.
IOWA AG SECRETARY TALKS ABOUT TRADE TRIP TO INDIA
Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig is back from a trade trip with the governor and business leaders to India.
Naig says India has a lot of potential.
Naig says there are some key Iowa products that could fill the void there.
Naig says feed and ethanol are just a couple of the items that could be exported.
Naig says they did sign two memorandums of understanding with India.
Naig says the trip is part of the effort to lay the groundwork for longer term trade.
Naig joined the governor, and directors of the Iowa Economic Development Authority and Iowa Finance Authority on the ten-day trip to India.
SNOWPLOW SIMULATORS NOW IN USE AT IOWA DOT GARAGES, BEFORE THE FLAKES FLY
A sort of snowplow driving school gets underway this week for hundreds of Iowa Department of Transportation workers who will use those big orange machines to keep our roads clear of ice and snow in the season ahead. Craig Bargfrede (BARG-freed), the D-O-T’s winter operations administrator, says trailers containing sophisticated snowplow simulators are being set up at many D-O-T garages across the state. Bargfrede says the simulators provide realistic training in a safe environment that doesn’t put wear and tear on the vehicles. About 500 D-O-T plow operators will use the sims in the coming weeks. While this past Sunday was the start of fall, Bargfrede knows winter weather can sometimes arrive in Iowa early, and his goal is to have all crews and equipment ready for the roads by October 15th.
