NEW VIDEO BOARD
The Le Mars Community School Board gave approval this week to the purchase of a new video board for use in the high school gym. A contract with Daktronics for 135-thousand dollars for installation of the new video display was approved. Funding for the purchase will come from the school district’s Physical Plant and Equipment levy proceeds. The sale of advertising on the video board will raise funds for the student activity account, which has been depleted by COVID, and more sports added for student participation. Installation of the video board will take place in January.
CENTRAL VALLEY AG PAYS $8.6 MILLION OF REVOLVING EQUITY PAYMENTS TO MEMBER-OWNERS
Central Valley Ag (CVA) continues to give back to its member-owners by providing equity payouts. This year, the CVA Board of Directors approved $8.6 million dollars in patronage payments for 2012.
The amount of revolving equity producers receive depends on the amount of business they do in a given fiscal year; this year that is 2012.
In addition to cash patronage, the co-op has earnings that are reserved for later distributions. In the short-term, these equity dollars are an investment by members in their co-op and can be used by the co-op to make capital improvements, which further grow the business or make the co-op more efficient.
IOWA GOVERNOR VISITS 185TH AIR GUARD BASE
Governor Kim Reynolds was in Sioux City Thursday where she met with members of the 185th Air National Guard unit.
Wing Commander Colonel Sonya Morrison says it was Reynolds’ first visit as governor to the air refueling wing:
The governor also met with several city leaders about the importance of the National Guard to Sioux City and needed improvements at the airbase:
During her visit, Reynolds flew onboard one of the 185th’s KC-135 Stratotanker refueling aircraft and witnessed a mid-air refueling.
Back on the ground, the governor took a turn on a refueling simulator the Air Guard members train on:
Her visit included tours of the various facilities at the Iowa Air National Guard base.
EMMET COUNTY PASSES TEMPORARY MORATORIUM ON WIND TURBINE PERMITS
The Emmet County Board of Supervisors has approved a temporary moratorium on construction permits for new wind energy projects in the county. The county’s planning and zoning board has proposed updates to zoning rules for wind turbines. Supervisor Tim Schumacher of Estherville says the board now has time to review the proposal. The moratorium will be in effect until January 31st of next year. A public hearing on the new wind energy ordinance will be held next Thursday, October 24th, at the Emmet County Courthouse.
DORDT BIOLOGY STUDENTS COLLABORATE ON PLANT RESEARCH
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.
Jelsma emphasized the value of CUREs for students to gain practical research experience, “rather than ‘canned’ lab activity.” He adds, “this lab activity makes our work more relevant to the world’s needs.”
Faculty and students at Dordt are encouraged to participate in research, not only because of the way it enhances learning, but also in response to the Christian call to serve others.
COURT SYSTEM’S PRICEY COMPUTER PROBLEM IS NOT FIXED
The governor’s budget director says he’s been told by a top court official that the computer programming error that has improperly distributed over 53 million dollars in court fees and fines has NOT been fixed. Kraig Paulsen, director of the Iowa Department of Management, says he’ll meet before the end of the week with the Iowa Supreme Court’s chief justice to discuss the problem. The Judicial Branch has not issued a statement on the situation. Spending levels for several programs that were changed five years ago were not programmed correctly into the court’s computer system. Paulsen says he believes the age of the computer system for Iowa courts is a factor in this, but he’ll find out more when he meets with the chief justice.
STATE TAX REVENUE EXPECTED TO DROP 11.6% OVER TWO-YEAR PERIOD
State tax revenue is projected to drop by more than 11-and-a-half percent over a 24-month period — a decline the governor’s budget chief says was expected due to recently-approved tax cuts. Kraig Paulsen, director of the Iowa Department of Management, says there is enough available revenue to fulfill the spending promises outlined in the current fiscal year’s budget. Governor Reynolds says she and her fellow Republicans in the legislature believe the government has been taking in too much taxpayer money and they’ve fixed that by cutting taxes. Democrats in the legislature say these new estimates show the state will be taking in a billion dollars less in taxes. Democrats say that means more tax cuts for corporations and wealthy Iowans, while more money will be siphoned away from public schools to support the state program for private schools.
