CONSULTANT HIRED FOR INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER PROJECT
The Le Mars city council this week approved a 3.3 million dollar contract with a consulting firm to design and award a construction contract for the city’s Wastewater Combined Facility. This involves the expansion of the existing Industrial Wastewater Treatment Facility, located two miles west of Le Mars. The cost of the professional services contract with Bolton and Menk, Inc, will be split between the city of Le Mars, Wells Enterprises and Kemps.
IOWANS ARE WARNED OF VERY HIGH TO EXTREME FIRE DANGER TODAY
Iowans are warned not to do any open burning today (Thursday), and farmers need to use caution in the fields with their hot harvest equipment, as 88 of the state’s 99 counties are under a Red Flag Warning. National Weather Service in Sioux Falls says north winds gusting as high as 35 to 45 miles per hour, along with low humidities and very dry crops will result in dangerous fire weather conditions. The warning runs through 7 o’clock tonight. Similar conditions are forecast Friday and Sunday, with warm temperatures, strong winds and dry conditions. All of the counties in the Sioux Falls forecast area are under the Red Flag Warning. The state fire marshal’s office has burn bans posted for 58 counties, including Plymouth and its surrounding Iowa counties.
ATTORNIES APPOINTED TO DEFENDANT IN MURDER CASE
Two attorneys have been appointed to defend a Sioux City man charged with 1st degree murder after a Le Mars shooting. Omar Martinez Cruz’ appointed attorney requested to step down from the case, due to an overload of these cases in the Sioux City public defenders’ office. Contract attorney Jared Weber was appointed as a replacement. Because this case involves a Class A felony, two public defenders can be appointed to Martinez Cruz’ case. District Judge Steven Andreason appointed Weber and Attorney Michael Jacobsma to the defense in this case. Martinez Cruz was charged with first degree murder in the shooting death of Miquel Martinez in Le Mars on September 30.
REBUILDING IS LONG PROCESS AFTER SPRING FLOODING IN NW IOWA
More than three months after historic flooding hit northwest Iowa, residents in one community still need help — and they’re getting it. When the Little Sioux River hit record levels, half of Correctionville’s 300 houses ended up with some damage from water or sewer. The focus on recovery continues, as FEMA and non-profits met Tuesday with residents who are still trying to repair their properties and lives. Woodbury County Emergency Management Director Michael Montino says he’s proud of the strong support from the community, non-profits and government organizations. Montino says other damage in Woodbury County included 150 homes in Sioux City and 30 properties in the tiny town of Smithland — population 181. The deadline to apply for FEMA assistance in Woodbury and 14 other western Iowa counties is October 22nd.
EMERALD ASH BORER COVERS ALL OF IOWA
Emerald ash borer, an ash tree-killing insect, has now been confirmed in all of Iowa’s 99 counties. Insect samples were collected from a declining ash tree in Armstrong earlier this month by staff from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. The sample was then sent to the United States Department of Agriculture for confirmation. With positive confirmation now in Emmet County, there are no remaining counties in Iowa without a detection.
SOYBEAN HARVEST MORE THAN 80 PERCENT COMPLETE
Dry weather continues to help farmers, especially when it comes to bringing in the beans. The U-S-D-A crop report shows one-quarter of the bean crop was harvested in the week that ended Sunday. That puts the soybean harvest at 81 percent complete — six days ahead of last year and ten days ahead of the average. The report says south-central Iowa farmers are behind the rest of the state, with only 54 percent of their soybeans done. The corn harvest more than doubled so 45 percent of corn is now out of the fields. That’s three days ahead of last year and six days ahead of the five-year average.
GRASSLEY: DISASTER FUNDING IS MORE THAN AMPLE, SATISFIED WITH FEMA RESPONSE
Some Democrats are calling for Congress to return from its recess to enact emergency legislation that would pay for additional relief following the two recent hurricanes that caused significant damage in several southern states. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican, says he’s confident there’s sufficient funding in place to handle the disasters.
Federal lawmakers aren’t scheduled to return to business until November 12th. Grassley says -if- they’re called back, he’d go, but he doesn’t think such action is necessary. The adequacy of FEMA’s response to the hurricanes is the subject of much “he said/she said” debate among the presidential candidates, but Grassley says he thinks the agency is doing what it’s supposed to do.
Hurricane Helene (huh-LEEN) spawned severe winds, heavy rain and record flooding in western North Carolina, where Iowa utility crews are still helping to restore the power. Iowa has had its share of terrible weather events this year, too, and Grassley says FEMA’s response in Iowa to deadly tornadoes and historic flooding was up to par.
In addition to the billions in damage from the two hurricanes coming 13 days apart, Helene killed at least 250 people in seven states, while Milton is blamed in 14 deaths in Florida.
REYNOLDS HONORED FOR FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has been named the top governor in the U.S. for fiscal responsibility. The Cato Institute says Governor Reynolds received their highest score for Fiscal Responsibility for the second time.
America’s 50 governors are ranked on their fiscal policies from the view of limited government. Gov. Reynolds scored an 81, the highest mark of all governors scored since 2008, and received an ‘A’ grade for reforming the state’s tax structure and cutting taxes continuously since she was elected governor in 2018.
When Gov. Reynolds first took office, Iowa had the 6th highest income tax rate in the country at nearly 9 percent. In May, Gov. Reynolds signed a law which accelerated the flat income tax rate for Iowa taxpayers to 3.8 percent. The new single tax rate goes into effect on January 1, 2025 and returns over $1 billion back to state taxpayers.
In 2023, Gov. Reynolds also restructured state government, shrinking 37 cabinet departments down to just 16. Her move to realign government is estimated to save Iowa taxpayers $215 million over four years.
DORDT BIOLOGY STUDENTS COLLABORATE WITH RESEARCHERS
Dordt University’s Biology Department is collaborating with researchers at the Donald Danforth Plant Research Laboratory in St. Louis, Missouri to identify heat-resistant genes in plants. Dordt is one of 9 schools participating in the Course-Based Undergraduate Research Experience (CURE) this semester. The project is taking place in the genetic labs course led by Dr. Preeti Shinde, associate professor of biology at Dordt.
Students in Shinde’s genetics lab course have been studying plants’ response to high-heat treatment to identify genes that allow plants to survive extreme heat. Shinde says that while the specific topic will be covered later in the semester, the project has helped cultivate students’ interest in research.