NEW FLOYD VALLEY HEALTHCARE MANAGEMENT ROLES
Floyd Valley Healthcare CNO Tara Geddes announced recent staff promotions within Floyd Valley Healthcare.
Laura Weiler, RN, BSN assumed the role of Clinical Excellence Manager in January. She will manage the daily operations of patient relations, risk management and corporate compliance. Weiler worked a director of nursing in long-term care for nine years prior to joining Floyd Valley Community Health for the last eight years. She served as the homemaker and quality coordinator and then as the Floyd Valley Community Health manager.
Stephany Zabel, RN assumed the role as Floyd Valley Community Health Manger in January. She will manage the daily operations of community health, home health and the public health functions of emergency preparedness, immunizations, and communicable disease surveillance. Zabel has 27 years of experience in nursing including 15 years in home health. She enjoys promoting patient independence, safety and promoting an enriching life in their own home as well as patient and public education for healthier lifestyle choices for positive individual outcomes.
PRIMEBANK MAKES PRESENTATION TO GEHLEN CATHOLIC
This week, representatives of Primebank in Le Mars presented Gehlen Catholic with a check for $3,366.02 which represented the 2024 proceeds from the Primebank Gehlen Catholic Visa Credit Card program.
Since the program began in 2000, Primebank has donated a portion of gross sales made with the Primebank Gehlen Catholic Visa Credit Card. Primebank has now donated a total of $75,396.70 through this program. The funds have been used to enhance the programs Gehlen Catholic offers to students, assuring a focus on faith, values, service and academic excellence.
- photo courtesdy Primebank
GEHLEN ESTATE GIFT
Gehlen Catholic School expansion plans are being made with an eye on Le Mars Vision 2045 plan. This is Gehlen Development Director Amy Jungers.
Gehlen sees themselves as a part of the city’s growth plan.
Gehlen will make use of a major estate gift to the school. They will soon begin a campaign planning study to prioritize plans for improving and expanding school facilities.
FATAL ACCIDENT NEAR SPENCER
A two-car accident near Spencer Friday resulted in the deaths of the two drivers. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident occurred a half mile north of the US Highway 18-71 junction, in the northbound lane. A pickup driven north by Randal Scott Dykstra, 70, of Everly, collided with a vehicle driving south in the northbound lane. That vehicle was driven by 45 year old Bridget Lee Baird of Milford. Both Dykstra and Baird receive fatal injuries in the accident. Both were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash.
HOUSE PASSES FENTANYL LEGISLATION
Thursday, U.S. Rep. Randy Feenstra voted for, and the U.S. House of Representatives passed, the HALT Fentanyl Act. The bill would permanently list all fentanyl-related substances under Schedule I of the Controlled Substances Act. Law enforcement would be empowered to confiscate fentanyl and other deadly substances at our border and throughout the country.
Feenstra says more than 107,000 Americans died from a drug overdose in 2023, 75,000 of whom were killed by synthetic opioids like fentanyl. Fentanyl poisoning is now the leading cause of death for Americans between 18 and 49 years old. He says it is tragic and unacceptable,
GRASSLEY URGES PROTECTION FOR WHISTLEBLOWERS
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley and Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations Chairman Ron Johnson encouraged President Trump to stand up for the Internal Revenue Service whistleblowers who exposed the Biden IRS and Justice Department’s efforts to obstruct the federal criminal investigation into Hunter Biden’s tax offenses. The Office of Special Counsel recently confirmed IRS Supervisory Special Agent Gary Shapley and IRS Special Agent Joseph Ziegler were illegally issued a gag order and retaliated against as a result of their efforts to sound the alarm on those responsible for slow-walking the Hunter Biden investigation.
HOUSE GOP ATTEMPTING MORE CARBON PIPELINE REGULATIONS
A group of Republican lawmakers has introduced six bills that would strengthen landowner rights in response to the potential use of eminent domain for a carbon capture pipeline. The Iowa Utilities Commission has given conditional approval for Summit Carbon Solutions to move forward with pipeline construction in Iowa to capture carbon dioxide from ethanol plants — if South Dakota regulators approve construction of that segment of the pipeline. Republican Representative Charley Thomson of Charles City says the commission made several errors that must be addressed. House Speaker Pat Grassley says the six bills may be combined into one or two packages, but each of the six will get a subcommittee hearing first to bring attention to issues surrounding hte carbon pipeline project. Over the past few years the House has passed several bills about eminent domain and pipelines that carry a hazardous substance like liquid carbon dioxide — but none have passed the Iowa Senate.
NORTHWEST IOWA NATIVE WILL START IN THE SUPER BOWL
Northwest Iowa native Cooper DeJean will be starting for the Philadelphia Eagles in the Super Bowl on Sunday. After a standout college career with the Iowa Hawkeyes, the N-F-L rookie is having an impressive season. He grew up in the small town of Odebolt in Sac County. Larry Allen, his high school coach, says DeJean is a quiet, human young man and the whole community is proud of what DeJean has accomplished. A Super Bowl win for the Eagles would be a big birthday present for DeJean, who turns 22 on Sunday.
