HAZARDOUS WEATHER THIS MORNING
A Winter Weather Advisory is in effect until noon today. The Le Mars forecast includes freezing rain before 1 p.m., then a chance of flurries between 1 and 3 p.m. Snow and ice accumulations around one tenth of an inch are forecast. Roads, and especially bridges and overpasses, will likely become slick and hazardous. Plan on slippery road conditions. You are urged to slow down and use caution while traveling. You can find the latest road conditions by calling 5-1-1.
WEATHER POSTPONEMENTS AND CANCELLATIONS
Due to the inclement weather, Wreaths Across America has been postponed until next Saturday, December 21. American Legion Post #241 will hold a short ceremony at the Plymouth County Veterans Memorial Park on Saturday, December 21 at 11:00am.
Also, the Pioneer Village Christmas Wonderland will not be held on Saturday evening. However, it will be open from 5 to 8 pm Sunday at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds. The Christmas Wonderland includes a festival of trees and live musical performances at Century Hall, horse drawn wagon rides, a marshmallow roast and the historic round barn Christmas display.
BROWNS WILL BUILD A NEW THEATER
The Browns announced Friday that they will build a larger theater in downtown Le Mars, to open next fall. They plan a 400-seat performance venue at a site next to their current Century Theater. Shelly Brown says this means they won’t have to schedule as many shows.
However, there will be no breakup of their weekend schedule
The new location keeps the Browns part of the Le Mars downtown experience.
Shelly says the new site was is that of the Historic Opera House, and will be well-suited for a new theater and gift shop. Construction will begin in March, and the new venue will be opened in October, 2025.
VILSACK SAYS FARM BILL NEGOTIATIONS BOGGED DOWN OVER MONEY TRANSFER IDEA
U-S Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack says it appears Farm Bill negotiations have gotten more complex. Speaker Mike Johnson says a majority of House Republicans oppose a Senate plan to take nearly 10 BILLION in unspent funds from the Inflation Reduction Act and use it on conservation programs. Vilsack says it would have provided an increase in disaster assistance for farmers in Iowa and across the country. Neither the House nor the Senate brought a new Farm Bill up for a vote this year. If congress fails to reauthorize the 2018 Farm Bill this month, federal farm policies revert to laws passed eight decades ago and Vilsack says that would create chaos in the markets.
SUPREME COURT SIDES WITH FORMER PROFESSOR IN WAGE DISCRIMINATION SUIT
The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled on a former Iowa State University professor’s claim of wage discrimination. Silvia Cianzio (See-ahn-zee-oh) was an I-S-U professor who specialized in plant breeding. While serving on a College Ag Department review committee she discovered she was paid between eleven and 46-thousand dollars less than her male counterparts. She sued I-S-U and the Board of Regents for wage discrimination after retiring with 31 years of service in 2020. A district court judge ruled her lawsuit was limited to two years before she filed it. The Iowa Supreme Court ruled the district court erred, and Cianzio can seek damages for the entire time period for which she was discriminated against.
