OCTOBER FIRE RESCUE REPORT
Le Mars Fire Rescue had a busy October. Chief Dave Schipper’s report to the city said there were 173 total calls for services in the month. Most of the calls, 99, were for 911 calls, out of town transfers, and second calls. There were 24 fire/rescue calls and 29 requests for services. Some of the highlights for the month included participation in National Night Out with the Le Mars Police Department, and the annual Le Mars Fire Rescue pancake feed, which 545 people attended.
ELECTION FALLOUT
There’s more at stake in next Tuesday’s election at the federal level than who are next president will be.
It’s possible that Republicans could regain a majority of seats in the U.S. Senate.
Senator Chuck Grassley is the longest serving Republican in the Senate, and he would have a leadership role if the G-O-P becomes the majority party:
Grassley says if Republicans take control of the Senate, he believes they will work more hours on legislation than they have the last four years under Democratic majority leader Chuck Schumer of New York:
When the Senate does reconvene following the election, Grassley fears they won’t have adequate time to deal properly with legislation such as a new farm bill:
Grassley says the entire Senate needs to be working five days a week to get the legislation passed.
LATE RAIN IMPROVES OCTOBER AVERAGE
State climatologist Justin Glisan says the rain across the state this week helped bump October down the weather record book. He says through the 29th October was in the top five driest all time. He says much of the state got some rainfall to impact the average for October, which still ended up around eight tenths of an inch below average. October was almost six degrees above the average temperature — ranking it near the top 20th warmest Octobers is on record.
CREIGHTON SURVEY FINDS GROWING FEARS OF LOOMING RECESSION
As we head into the final two months of 2024, typically the busiest months of the year for many retailers, a survey of business leaders in Iowa and eight other Midwestern states points to a looming economic downturn. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss says the Business Conditions Index grades the region’s economy on a zero-to-100 scale, with 50 being growth neutral. It’s risen slightly from around 48 in September to 51 in October, just barely into growth territory.
Goss says supply managers remain pessimistic about the economic outlook, with many expecting a recession, or a sharp dropoff in the next six months. He says the region’s employment index slumped below growth neutral for the 10th straight month in October.
The Creighton survey found four in ten Midwestern supply managers named supply chain disruptions as the top challenge to their firm over the next year, and Goss says interest rates are a key factor.
Iowa’s overall number fell from around 43 in September to 48 in October, still below growth neutral and still “weak,” according to Goss. The latest U.S. International Trade Administration data finds Iowa’s manufacturing sector saw a drop in 2024 year-to-date exports of 954-million dollars from the same period in 2023, a drop of more than eight-percent.
MEETING PLANNED IN LAST IOWA COUNTY TO HAVE CONFIRMED EAB INFESTATION
Emmet County — the 99th and final county in Iowa to have a confirmed case of Emerald Ash Borer — will be the site of a mid-November meeting about what’s next for ash trees in the county. Sue Boettcher (BET-cher) of the Iowa State University Extension Office in Emmet County says residents will learn how to diagnose an affected tree, options for treatment and what species is best to plant if an ash tree is failing and has to be taken down. The urban forestry specialist for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and entomologists from Iowa State University and the Iowa Department of Agriculture will be in Emmetsburg for the meeting.
