LE MARS INSURANCE RENEWAL
The Le Mars city council approved the renewal of the city’s property and casualty insurance, but not after some sticker shock. Coverage with the Iowa Community Assurance Pool will cost 544-thousand dollars, in the next year. That’s 170-thousand dollars higher than last year, a 52% cost increase, and includes a 20-thousand dollar deductible. Premiums are much higher in Iowa because of a series of severe weather events this year, from floods to hail to tornados. The council was told by agent Matt Susemihl that costs have been driven so high that insurors are dropping out of the market. One option for the city is to renew at a 100-thousand dollars per incidence deductable, but that would cost 484-thousand dollars, a 35% increase. The city council approved the 544-thousand dollars premium. The cost can be covered in the current city budget with no changes.
SIOUX CITY POLICE OFFICER CLEARED IN FATAL SHOOTING
A report from the Iowa Attorney General’s Office concludes a Sioux City police officer was justified in shooting and killing a man on October 20th. The report says Jamie Orozco refused repeated commands to stop when officers arrived and then pulled a silver handgun from his waistband, pointed it at the officers, and ran off. He fired at the officers as he fled, and officers eventually lost sight of him. A SWAT team entered the home where Orozco was believed to be hiding around 10 p-m. An officer found Orozco in a crawl space and told him to stop when he reached for a cloth bundle. The officer fired a single shot when Orozco ignored the warning, and Orozco died seven days later.
CAASA REGROUPS AFTER FLOOD DAMAGE
CAASA, the Centers Against Abuse and Sexual Assault in northwest Iowa, is carrying out its mission of advocacy, despite a setback this spring.
Executive Director Stephanie Henrich says their headquarters was destroyed by the spring floods.
Henrich says they’ve regrouped, and are working on a recovery plan.
CAASA has had to consolidate their offices because of their losses, but maintains a presence in Le Mars.
CAASA helps with victims’ physical needs, but their main function is to walk alongside abuse and assault victims, and speak up for them as they deal with their cases.
Executive Director Stephanie Henrich says they are just making ends meet, and they need help with expenses.
It’s a trying time for CAASA, but Henrich says now more than ever, staff has to stay focused on their clients.
At the same time, CAASA advocates have to take care of themselves. Henrich says that’s tough, especially after their headquarters in Spencer was destroyed by the flood.
Henrich appeared before the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors last week, asking for budget support for their services in the county. She says they will be broadening their fundraising appeal to more local governments that they serve.
THREE RECOUNTS REQUESTED IN LEGISLATIVE RACES
Information from the Iowa Secretary of State’s office shows three recounts have been requested in three legislative races. Republican Mark Hanson requested a recount in his Senate District 14 race against Democrat incumbent Senator Sarah Trone Garriott as he trails by 24 votes. Democrat incumbent Senator Nate Boulton trails Republican Mike Pike by 44 votes in District 20 and wants a recount. Republican Nathan Ramker asked for a recount in House District 98 where results show Democratic incumbent Monica Kurth winning by 45 votes. County election workers are aiming to complete the recounts before December second-that’s when state officials will meet to certify Iowa’s election results.
GRASSLEY WELCOMES RFK JUNIOR TO BRING ‘NEW IDEAS’ TO HEALTH CARE
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says Robert F. Kennedy Junior could help to answer many questions that haven’t been raised before, if he’s confirmed as the next secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services. Kennedy is a former Democrat who ran as an independent in this year’s presidential race, and Grassley says he’s encouraged by the choice of Kennedy to head H-H-S.
Kennedy abandoned his bid for the White House after striking a deal to give Donald Trump his endorsement with a promise to have a role in health policy in the administration. Grassley says he sees an advantage to having a businessman who is not a politician raising questions about government programs.
During the campaign, Kennedy said Trump had asked him to reorganize several agencies, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, and the Food and Drug Administration. Trump also proposes creating a Department of Government Efficiency to be co-chaired by billionaire Elon Musk and former presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. It would look into ways to slash government regulations and spending while downsizing the federal workforce. Grassley says he’d welcome such a review.
Musk pledged to cut two-trillion dollars from the federal budget, but he’s not offered many specifics on how he’d go about it.
FORESTER URGES IOWANS RETHINK PLANTING MAPLE TREES
It’s a bit late in the year to be planting trees, but the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is urging homeowners and city leaders to plan ahead and consider any of about 85 different species of trees to plant in the spring. However, if they’re thinking about maples, think again. Chip Murrow, an urban forestry program specialist at the D-N-R, says maples are beautiful, sturdy trees, but they’ve become too popular, and account for about 35-percent of all trees in Iowa. He says diversity is a good thing when it comes to trees. Murrow fears what our state’s tree canopy would look like if an infestation of insects or some sort of tree disease sweeps in, as has happened many times before, like with the emerald ash borer or Dutch elm disease. The D-N-R is offering an online publication called “Rethinking Maples” which makes a case for cultivating a different sort of diversified canopy in the state. Find it at Iowa-D-N-R-dot-gov.