SENATOR ERNST VISITS LE MARS
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst paid a visit to Le Mars today, to present one of her Small Business of the Week Awards to Browns Century Theater and Gift Shop. Ernst admires the work done to renovate the Browns Century Theater.
Senator Ernst and the Browns go back several years.
Looking forward to the next Congress, holding a key chairmanship of the Small Business Committee.
Senator Ernst describes the criteria for her Small Business of the Week Award
This was one of several northwest Iowa visits Senator Ernst planned for today. She also visited Sheldon High School, to discuss leadership and her role as a U.S. Senator. There was a stop at Storm Lake High School, and another in Emmetsburg, where she was be part of a discussion about economic development.
SUPERVISORS APPROVE INSURANCE RENEWAL
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors Wednesday approved the renewal of the county’s insurance plan through ICAP. ICAP is a self-insurance pool made up of cities, counties, and other public entities in Iowa. Most of the state’s counties are members. The plan covers property, casualty, and autos, bonds, and even the courthouse boiler and generators. The premium is 446-thousand dollars, up 71-thousand, or 19 percent, from last year.
FALL FIELD WORK
Area farmers are getting post-harvest field work done, while the weather holds up. This includes application of inputs such as nitrogen manure. Area Crop Specialist Leah Ten Napel says this is a good time for farmers to make nutrient application on their fields.
Producers don’t always have that opportunity.
Sometimes fall conditions are conducive to applying some inputs.
Considering how wet conditions were last spring, Ten Napel says fall application might be best.
ED DEPARTMENT RELEASES SCHOOL PERFORMANCE RATINGS
The Iowa Department of Education has released its annual ranking of schools. The Department’s Information Bureau chief Jay Pennington says it’s the first time the School Performance Profiles had used an updated state plan for school accountability and support.
Ratings are based on their accountability scores, ranging from Exceptional, High Performing, Commendable, Acceptable, Needs Improvement, and Priority.
In the Le Mars school district, Clark, Franklin, Kluckhohn and the Middle School scored in the Commendable range, while the senior high was ranked Acceptable.
Pennington says more than 93 percent of the 351 schools within the state were identified for having students with disabilities under performing.
Thirty-five schools were listed as “in need of comprehensive support and improvement,” the lowest performance level. Pennington says that’s similar to what the previous system showed.
You can check the rankings of your schools, and see the full report at: iaschoolperformance.gov.
BOHANNAN CALLS FOR RECOUNT IN CONGRESSIONAL CONTEST
A full recount is being requested in all 20 southeastern Iowa counties in the closely-watched 1st District Congressional race. The Democratic challenger, Christina Bohannan has requested the recount, across the district, as permitted by Iowa law. Following Wednesday’s canvass, the total vote tally didn’t change much. Incumbent Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks still has about an 800-vote lead out of more than 414-thousand votes cast. Miller-Meeks’ campaign issued a statement saying a recount won’t meaningfully change the outcome of this race as the congresswoman’s lead is mathematically impossible to overcome. They remain confident Mariannette Miller-Meeks has been re-elected to a third term.
U.S. CAPITOL CHRISTMAS TREE TO MAKE A STOP IN IOWA
Iowans will have a rare opportunity this week to get an up-close peek at one of the national Christmas trees without having to journey all the way to Washington D-C. Susan DeCourcy, a regional administrator with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, says the 74-foot-long spruce is being trucked more than four-thousand miles cross-country and it’ll make a pit stop in central Iowa. The tree is headed for the West Lawn of the U-S Capitol from the Tongass National Forest in Alaska. The truck carrying the giant tree will stop at the Bass Pro Shops along Interstate 80 in Altoona on Friday from 11 A-M to 1 P-M. DeCourcy says people will be able to sign the side of the the trailer and take part in the festivities. The event is free.
