LE MARS PUBLIC LIBRARY CELEBRATES NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK
This week, the Le Mars Public Library is celebrating National Library Week. A Chamber coffee was held this morning, where STEM activities were highlighted. On hand were the latest graduates of the 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten program. Tomorrow, there will be book discussion featuring the late Iowa author and former Le Mars resident Ruth Suckow. There is a traveling exhibit at the library featuring Suckow’s life and literary contributions.
IOWA HATCHERIES IN THE MIDST OF BUSY SEASON
Spring is spawning season and Iowa’s fish hatcheries are working to grow the fish to fill lakes across the state. Spirit Lake Fish Hatchery Manager Kim Hawkins says they were very successful in collecting the northern pike needed this year.
Hawkins says it took them six nights last year to catch the same number of fish. The extract the eggs from the females and fertilize them with the males and then wait for them to hatch.
Hawkins says. Other species are grown in the hatchery and then released, but not the pike.
Spirit Lake also handles walleyes and muskies.
Hawkins says the Spirit Lake Hatchery is open to the public starting Thursday, April 10 from 8 a-m to 8 p-m seven days a week until the netting is completed for the walleyes and muskies.
SUPERVISORS CONSIDER BRIDGE, CULVERT PROJECTS
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors Tuesday approved a contract for replacement of a rural bridge near Akron. There were five bids for the project. The low bid came from Richards Construction of Sac City, at 106-thousand dollars. That was below the engineers estimate fo 152-thousand. The actual cost of the new bridge is higher, because 170-thousand dollars in construction materials will be provided by the county.
Contracts for five local culvert projects were approved by the Supervisors. They are located in Stanton, Grant, Fredonia, and Meadow townships. The cost of the culvert projects total just over one million dollars. The Supervisors also approved the purchase of right of way at all six construction sites, totaling 17-thousand, 500 dollars.
HOUSE REPUBLICANS SEND K-12 FUNDING PLAN TO GOVERNOR
Republicans in the legislature have settled on general state funding to support educating Iowa’s K-through-12 students. House Republicans sought slightly more, but have just approved spending nearly eight-thousand dollars on each student in public and private schools during the next academic year. Representative Dan Gelbach is a Republican from Urbandale.
Senate Republicans approved the spending package Monday. It includes nearly a million dollars to support small schools that share more administrative staff, plus it has more money for school districts with high transportation costs due to long bus routes. Democrats like Representative Heather Matson of Ankeny say Republicans aren’t providing enough state funding for public schools.
House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst says the plan amounts to a 44 percent increase in state money towards private schools, since all private school students will be eligible for nearly eight-thousand dollars in state funding this fall — while public schools will get a two percent general increase in state funding.
Repreentative Gelbach says the bill will provide nearly 106 million dollars more to support educating all of Iowa’s K-through-12 students.
Without debate, the House approved another school-related bill on a 92-to-four vote. It requires school districts to adopt policies that at least restrict cell phone use during class time.
LEGISLATURE PASSES ELECTION LAW CHANGES
A bill on its way to the governor’s desk would give Iowa election officials more ways to check the citizenship of registered voters. Senator Ken Rozenboom, a Republican from Oskaloosa, says Iowa needs to update election laws to deal with new challenges, after a recent report showing 40 non-citizens voted in the November election and 35 of their ballots were counted. The bill gives Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate authority to hire a vendor to check the citizenship status of people who’ve registered to vote. Democrats say the bill has major flaws. For example, Senator Matt Black, a Democrat from Johnston, says the bill doesn’t provide enough guidance to precinct workers who may challenge the citizenship status of registered voters trying to cast a ballot on Election Day.
GRASSLEY VOWS TO LIMIT PRESIDENT’S TARIFF POWER
Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says he’ll continue drumming up support for his bill that would limit a president’s power to impose tariffs, even after President Trump vowed he’ll veto the measure if it reaches his desk. Grassley says he’s long pushed for changes in two laws dating back to the 1960s and ’70s in which Congress delegated to the president most of its power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce. Grassley says it’s time to “recapture” the Congress’ constitutional authority. Grassley says his bill is bipartisan and six fellow Republican senators have signed on to support it. The bill would require Congress to approve the president’s tariffs on trading partners before they could take effect. Calling himself a “free and fair trader,” Grassley says trade benefits the family farmer, while tariffs usually target agriculture.
TIPS ON HOW TO TELL SPRING ALLERGIES FROM A SPRING COLD
Buds are beginning to pop on trees across Iowa and the green grass is starting to come up, meaning, spring allergy season is also upon us, and doctors are offering tips on how to help allergy-prone kids to cope. Pediatrician Dr. Megan Yanny says it can be easy to confuse allergies with a cold, but there are certain symptoms for which you should watch. Seasonal allergies might show up as a runny nose, congestion, sneezing, itchy or watery eyes, and a tickle in the throat. Yanny says if it’s a fever, a severe sore throat, or trouble swallowing, it could be something else. She says to treat kids’ spring allergies with antihistamines, the non-drowsy kind, and don’t use cough and cold medications. Some 81-million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies, and Iowa chalked up some of the nation’s highest pollen counts in April of 2024.
