| SPECIAL SCHOOL BOARD MEETING
The Le Mars Community School Board will hold a special meeting this afternoon to present their initial bargaining proposal for a 2025-26 contract. The meeting will be held at 5:30 today at the Education Service Center Conference Room. The Education Association made their initial contract offer last week.
SALARY RESOLUTIONS APPROVED BY SUPERVISORS The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors approved resolutions which set the salaries of elected officials and their deputies for 2025-26. Salary increases set by the Board of Supervisors in the next budget cycle were 2.5 percent, and included longevity increases, except for the Supervisors. They receive no longevity increases. Salaries for hte county Auditor, Attorney, Recorder, Sheriff, and Treasurer range from 91-thousand dollars for the Recorder and Treasurer, to 168-thousand dollars for the county Attorney.
SHERIFF SUBMITS QUARTERLY REPORT Plymouth County Sheriff Jeff Te Brink came before the Board of Supervisors Tuesday with a quarterly report.
SECOND SUMMIT CARBON PIPELINE APPLICATION REJECT IN SOUTH DAKOTA South Dakota regulators say there’s too much uncertainty surrounding the Summit Carbon Solutions’ proposed pipeline route in South Dakota and they’ve denied the company’s application to build and operate the pipeline in their state. A spokesperson for the company says Summit will reduce the scope of its pipeline route in South Dakota and reapply. Kristie Fiegen — a member of the South Dakota Public Utilities Commission — says the current route plan is not viable and the company needs to submit a route that will comply with the law. South Dakota recently passed a law that does not allow Summit to use eminent domain authority to seize land from South Dakotans who don’t want the pipeline on their property. This is the second time South Dakota regulators have rejected a pipeline application from Summit.
GOVERNOR SIGNS DISASTER RELIEF BILL Governor Kim Reynolds signed the disaster relief bill into law Tuesday that is designed to streamline the disaster assistance process. The Governor said in a bill signing statement that the tornadoes and widespread flooding in 2024 affected tens of thousands of Iowans, and relief programs have proven vital for families and communities to regain their footing and restart their lives. The bill includes nearly 12 million dollars to help repair homes, along with two million dollars to help cities demolish damaged buildings. It puts 19 million dollars in a revolving loan fund for projects that prepare for future floods, droughts, wildfires and severe storms.
SUBSOIL MOISTURE READINGS ENCOURAGING Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Field Agronomists have completed their spring survey of subsoil moisture in northwest Iowa. Readings in soils at 10 locations in nine northwest Iowa locations show a range from 6.98 inches of plant available moisture at Akron to 10.25 inches at Doon, in Lyon County. 10 to 11 inches of plant available moisture are considered a full soil profile. 4/25 11/24 4/24 11/23 |
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HOMELESS COURT PROGRAM TO BEGIN IN SIOUX CITY
The Iowa Finance Authority Board of Directors has awarded $25,000 to the city of Sioux City to support the creation of the state’s first Homeless Court Program, or HCP.
The program is designed to help individuals experiencing homelessness resolve legal barriers that prevent them from securing stable housing and employment.
The program allows participants to resolve outstanding misdemeanor offenses, infractions, and warrants by working with a case manager from a local supportive services agency to develop a self-sufficiency plan and secure services specific to their needs.
If the participant successfully completes the program, court cases may be dismissed and fines and fees that were unlikely to be collected may be removed.
Since 2001, the American Bar Association Commission on Homelessness and Poverty has helped establish similar programs in more than 70 jurisdictions nationwide, and they will provide technical assistance for the Sioux City program.
EMILY’S LEGACY DMV TOUR
The Iowa DOT and the Iowa Organ Donor Network promoted organ donation at the Plymouth County drivers license station Tueday. Liz Markert is carrying out the legacy of her daughter Emily by promoting organ donation.
At the Plymouth County Department of Motor Vehicles to urge people to become organ donors.
Plymouth County Treasurer Shelly Sitzmann says organ donation is an issue that is dear to her.
It’s easy to sign up. When applying for a drivers license, one of the questions asked of motorists is if they would agree to become organ donors.
Liz Markert says her daughter, Emily, wanted to reach each county in Iowa for organ donation. Emily passed away, and Liz is now completing her daughter’s legacy.
Figures from the Iowa Donor Network show there were 130 organ donors and 1118 tissue donors in iowa, as of the first of the year. The national waiting list for organs is 104,799. The Iowa organ waiting list is 593.
GOVERNOR SIGNS DISASTER RELIEF BILL
Governor Kim Reynolds signed the disaster relief bill into law Tuesday that is designed to streamline the disaster assistance process. The Governor said in a bill signing statement that the tornadoes and widespread flooding in 2024 affected tens of thousands of Iowans, and relief programs have proven vital for families and communities to regain their footing and restart their lives. The bill includes nearly 12 million dollars to help repair homes, along with two million dollars to help cities demolish damaged buildings. It puts 19 million dollars in a revolving loan fund for projects that prepare for future floods, droughts, wildfires and severe storms.
GOP LAWMAKER SAYS IT’S TIME FOR SENATE DEBATE OF PIPELINE-RELATED BILL
A northwest Iowa lawmaker is urging his fellow Republicans to pressure G-O-P leaders to allow Senate debate of a bill that addresses the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project. Republican Senator Lynn Evans of Aurelia is critical of the Iowa Utilities Commission decision that gives Summit eminent domain authority to seize tracts from land owners who don’t want the pipeline on their property. Evans says it’s time for a public vote in the senate to uphold private property rights. Republicans and Democrats in the Iowa House have passed several bills over the past few years to address issues related to the pipeline, but none were considered in the Senate. There is a House-passed bill eligible for debate in the Senate this year, but an attached amendment makes significant changes to the bill.
