Memorial Day Observances
Plymouth County communities plan Memorial Day observances
In Le Mars, American Legion Wasmer Post 241 will present their annual Memorial Day Program. Over 1500 flags will be posted on the Plymouth County Courthouse grounds, with close to 20 new flags to be dedicated this year. A parade is scheduled for 9:30 a.m. starting at the 8th Street South Boulevard, going down Central Avenue to 3rd Street Northeast, and continuing to the Courthouse. The Memorial Day program will be at 10 a.m. in Le Mars with a lunch at the American Legion Hall to follow for a free will donation. Flags will be taken down beginning at 4 p.m. In case of bad weather, the program will be held in the Le Mars Community Middle School Auditorium.
In Brunsville, American Legion Heeren-McHale-Wilkens Post 724 will host a memorial service at 10:30 a.m. outside the legion hall on the street. More than 210 flags will be posted on the Avenue of Flags east of the legion hall as part of the ceremony. A free lunch will be provided by the Legion. In case of inclement weather, the program will be held inside the Brunsville American Legion Hall.
In Remsen and Oyens, observances are sponsored by the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars. There will be a 9 a.m. mass at Remsen Cemetery followed by the ceremony. In case of inclement weather the mass will be held at St Mary’s Catholic Church at 9 a.m. and the ceremony will be held in Remsen City Hall at 10am. The ceremony at Oyens is at 11a.m. at the cemetery. In case of inclement weather the observance will be held at St Catherine Church in Oyens.
American Legion Casper Post 477 of Hinton will host a Memorial Day Program at 10 a.m. Monday at the Hinton Community Hall. It will be followed by a complimentary luncheon provided by Casper Post.
American Legion Oleson-Halweg Post 125 of Merrill will have a Memorial Day program at 10 a.m. in the Kissinger Ballroom.
In Akron, American Legion Albert E Hoschler Post 1896 will host a program in the Akron City Park beginning at 10:30 a.m. This year the pot will dedicate 10 new flags. The Akron Westfield Elementary School Gymnasium will be the rain location.
American Legion Nash Post 140 will host a ceremony at the Kingsley Community Center at 9am. They will Honor Kingsley’s Veterans by reading the name of 382 Fallen Veterans, long with a musical presentation, Taps, and a wreath presentation. Breakfast will be provided for a free will donation . The Post Honor Guard will then travel to the Catholic Cemetery, Kingsley’s Cemetery, Pioneer Cemetery, and the Chad Groepper Memorial and render proper military honors with a 21-gun salute , taps and pray.
Iowa U.S. Reps Approve Big Beautiful Bill
The four Iowa Republicans in the U-S House all voted for a massive package that extends the tax cuts President Trump signed into law in 2017, eliminates the federal tax on overtime and tips and provides more money for the defense department and Trump’s deportation plans.
It also tightens eligibility rules for federal food assistance and Medicaid.
Fourth District Congressman Randy Feenstra says the bill aligns federal policy with taxpayer priorities.
Feenstra, who recently launched a campaign for governor, says Trump promised voters a strong economy and Iowa will lead the way.
He also says the bill helps small businesses and their employees:
Democrats say the bill makes hundreds of billions of dollars worth of cuts to Medicaid that will endanger rural hospitals and nursing homes.
The bill passed 215-214 and heads to the U.S. Senate where changes could be made.
Iowa SNAP Alternative wins approval
Governor Kim Reynolds and the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (Iowa HHS) announced Thursday that Iowa’s waiver to the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service (USDA, FNS) to limit purchases made with SNAP benefits to healthy foods has been approved.
The waiver allows Iowa to align SNAP allowable purchases with the list of foods that are non-taxable under Iowa law. HHS says using the non-taxable foods list is a clear-cut, common-sense way to implement the new guidelines.
The waiver will go into effect on January 1, 2026.
MRHD Awards Grants in Plymouth County
Missouri River Historical Development (MRHD) awarded $500,000 to 33 area organizations during an awards ceremony Thursday for its annual Target Grant program. Roughly 100 people attended the event which was held at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City.
Three grants went to Plymouth County organizations. The City of Brunsville Community Recreation Fund was awarded $15,000 for its playground. The Akron Opera House received a $10,000 grant for dressing room repairs and upgrades. The City of Hinton received $15,000 for bleacher replacement at the Hinton Community Baseball Field.
The MRHD Target Grant is an annual competitive grant opportunity that provides up to $25,000 for one year to support a variety of short-term projects, programs or capacity building items. Applicants submit their ideas and funding requests via an online application system, and do not need matching funds to apply.
MRHD received 76 applications seeking more than $1.5 million for proposals.
MRHD is the non-profit Qualified Sponsoring Organization that holds the license for casino gaming in Woodbury County and receives funding from an agreement with Hard Rock Hotel & Casino – Sioux City. Under Iowa law, a percentage of the casino’s gaming revenues is allocated to MRHD for community development. Since 1989, MRHD has invested more than $58 Million into Plymouth County and the Siouxland community through grants funded by casino gaming revenue.
New Paper Iowa Road Maps Now Available
While many Iowans use their phones or a navigation system to find their way around, some rely on tried-and-true paper maps, which are still available for free.
Mark Hansen, a DOT transportation planner, says the 2025-26 edition of the Iowa Transportation Map is now out, and it remains one of the agency’s most popular publications.
About 750,000 copies are being printed this time, fewer than half of the 1.6 million printed a decade ago.
The new map has a monarch on the cover, as Interstate 35 was renamed the Monarch Highway to celebrate the iconic butterfly species and the migration route it shares with motorists along the I-35 corridor. Seven bridges between Ankeny and Ames on I-35 are being rebuilt, and will feature a unique monarch wing pattern design in the brickwork. Hansen says there are a few other changes.
“We have four-lane US 30 in Benton County, west of Cedar Rapids, and then another US 30 item would be a new interchange east of Interstate 35 in Story County,” Hansen says, “and Decatur City in southern Iowa officially changed their name to just Decatur, and that’s an official process that they went through.”
This new edition of the Iowa map shows 939 cities statewide, in addition to several hundred unincorporated areas.
So why do some people still seek out the paper map when there’s one on our phones? In addition to their reliability and lack of needing a battery, Hansen says paper maps provide you with an overall view, the big picture. The map shows airports, rail lines, lakes, rivers, and major county roads, along with detail maps for the state’s 16 largest cities.
In addition to highways, the maps also have a chart to find mileage between select Iowa cities, and an index of cities along with their populations.
The free maps are available at all Iowa rest areas, welcome centers, driver’s license stations, and all six DOT district offices. There’s also an online version at iowadot.gov/travel-tools/maps along with a mobile app version.
