LE MARS SCHOOL BOARD
The Le Mars school board meets tonight in regular session. Several policy updates will be considered for approval. These include policies on standardized testing and graduation requirements. A collective bargaining team will be appointed for upcoming contract negotiations. The board will also consider approval of an architect and engineering firm to shape construction plans for the new elementary school.
ONLINE CITIZEN REPORTING
The Le Mars Police Department is introducing “Online Citizen Reporting”. This is an easy, convenient way to file non-emergency police reports. The police department is also introducing a new way to request “Vacation House Watches” and a new platform to help share “Keyholder” information with the police department. Keyholder information will help officers update business contacts in case of emergencies, and share camera locations throughout the community of Le Mars. The access portal can be found on the City of Le Mars website.
DISASTER PROCLAMATION EXTENDED FOR BIRD FLU
Gov. Reynolds extended a disaster proclamation for Sioux and Palo Alto Counties for confirmed cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI. Separate declarations were issued for the two counties. Sioux County had an HPAI report in a commercial laying flock, and Palo Alto County in a commercial turkey operation.
This proclamation allows state resources to be used to assist in these cases. Further, The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship is strongly encouraging Iowa poultry producers and dairy farmers to bolster their biosecurity practices and protocols to protect their flocks and herds.
BOARD OF ED APPROVES NEW OPEN ENROLLMENT RULES
The Iowa Board of Education has approved updated rules for school open enrollment to comply with changes made by the Iowa Legislature. Department of Education attorney Thomas Mayes says a fairly large change involves transportation limits.
He says the change creates what he calls a “skip pattern” to allow the crossing into other districts.
The change allows districts with enrollments of two-thousand or more to send vehicles without a distance requirement if student’s residence district is less than two-thousand students and contiguous to the receiving district. It also outlines who pays for the transportation.
REPORT: IOWA’S VANISHING WETLANDS OFFER VERY VALUABLE FLOOD PROTECTION
Wetlands in Iowa help prevent nearly 500-million dollars in flood damage every year, according to a new report from the Union of Concerned Scientists. Report author Stacy Woods says wetlands are natural floodwater barriers that absorb and slow down rushing water like a sponge. Federal data shows a decline in the number of wetlands over the past decade. Woods fears the trend could accelerate, as a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year stripped away federal protections in the Clean Water Act for many wetlands. Along with flood mitigation, the report says wetlands provide habitat and food for roughly half of the endangered species in the U.S. They also act as natural pollution filters for drinking water. In the last two decades, Iowa has had six flood disasters with losses exceeding one-billion dollars. The report recommends boosting conservation programs that help restore and protect these habitats.
ISU RESEARCH SUGGESTS EARLIER SOYBEAN PLANTING DATE ADDRESSES NITROGEN ISSUES
Iowa State University researchers say an earlier planting date for soybeans in the spring takes better advantage of nitrogen left behind from corn production. I-S-U agronomy professor Michael Castellano (cast-ell-AH-noh) says their study found 40 percent of nitrous oxide emissions from the two year rotation of corn, then soybeans planted in a field comes during the year soybeans are being grown. Castellano says this new research finds that once nitrogen for corn production is reduced to the optimum level, the main way to cut nitrous oxide emissions is to move up the planting date of soybeans. The study was published in the November issue of a scientific journal called “Nature Sustainability.”
