WISE RETIREMENT
There will be a shift in leadership at Le Mars Fire Rescue. They have announced that Assistant Fire/EMS Chief Mike Wise will retire after 33 years of service to fire and EMS services. A gathering to mark Wise’s service will be Monday, December 16 at Fire Station #1 at 9-30 A.M.
TWO NEW PROGRAMS AT NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE
There will be two new undergraduate programs offered at Northwestern College in Orange City. Majors in cybersecurity and writing and digital media. Course requirements in the cybersecurity major include shared coursework in the computer science and software engineering majors. There will also be psychology courses which will help students understand the human vulnerabilities that cyber attackers can exploit. The writing and digital media major includes courses in social media and journalism, among others. It’s intended to prepare students for roles in communications.
NW IOWA BRIDGE DAMAGED BY FLOODING REPLACED, TRAFFIC FLOWING ON NEW STRUCTURE
The replacement for a northwest Iowa bridge destroyed by flooding in June opened to traffic Tuesday night. The flood damaged remnants of the bridge on U-S Highway 18 over Stoney Creek in Clay County, near the town of Everly, were removed in August. Construction crews were able to complete work on the new bridge about a month earlier than scheduled. The Iowa D-O-T reports all the bridges and roads damaged by the historic flooding in northwest Iowa this past June are now open to traffic.
JUVENILE RUNAWAYS FROM SIOUX CITY ARRESTED IN O’BRIEN COUNTY
An accident last weekend in O’Brien County involved runaways from Sioux City. The Sheriffs Office responded to the report of a crash northwest of Primghar on Redwing Avenue. The driver of the vehicle Brian Trey Young, 15 of Sioux City, said his vehicle was rearended, causing it to go off the road, over a ravine, and into a farm field. An investigation revealed that evidence indicated there was no second vehicle. The deputy said Young was listed as a missing person. It was discovered that the driver and two passengers had run away from Sioux City. Their parents were unaware that they were in O’Brien County, and the driver did not have permission to drive the vehicle. The Sheriffs Office says based on evidence at the scene, it was a single vehicle accident. One of the passengers, 15 year old Ian Lopez, was injured, and taken to Sheldon Hospital for treatment.
IOWA GETS FEDERAL FUNDS TO HELP DISTRIBUTE FOOD
Two dozen small and mid-sized farms, food processors and distributors in Iowa are receiving grants totaling nearly three million dollars aimed at strengthening local food supply chains. Giselle Bruskewitz is on the state steering committee for what’s called the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program that will invest nearly one million dollars into the state’s wholesale food hubs.
. Bruskewitz says the program gives everyone more options.
The program is supported by the U-S Department of Agriculture with funding from the American Rescue Plan Act.
NEW IOWA HOUSE COMMITTEE TO REVIEW FEDERAL BLOCK GRANT SPENDING
A new committee in the Iowa House will take a deeper look at state accounts that are set aside for specific purposes as well as the “block grants” the federal government sends the State of Iowa. Federal block grants are distributed to states and are designated for a wide variety of programs that are managed by state officials. The next Trump Administration might be sending even more block grants to states and giving state officials broader authority on how the money is spent. Republican Representative Martin Graber of Fort Madison, the chairman of the new House Committee on Federal and Other Funds, says the legislature needs to be prepared if that happens and this committee is key to setting up a system for making decisions.
HINSON BACKS DACA FIX, HOPES ICE TARGETS CRIMINALS
Iowa Congresswoman Ashley Hinson says Congress may provide a reprieve for so-called DACA recipients — people who were brought into the country illegally when they were children, but Hinson says any adult who entered the country illegally should consider self-deporting now. President-elect Trump has said he will declare a national emergency when he takes office on January 20th and start the largest deportation effort in U-S history. Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says she hopes Immigration and Customs Enforcement removal efforts target criminals. During an appearance on Iowa P-B-S this weekend, Hinson said she does not expect immigration raids in Iowa cities and towns.
