Le Mars School Board to Vote on Bonds on Property Exchange
This afternoon, the Le Mars School Board will hold a special meeting at 5:00 p.m. at the Education Service Center.
The board will discuss nearly $50,000 in general obligation bonds and will review sealed bids. The board will also consider and vote on a resolution that would allow a land exchange agreement with Dogwood properties. The board is considering the land exchange for the construction of the new elementary school.
The plan originally called for the school to be built on district-owned land near the middle/high school complex. However, the land exchange with Dogwood Properties would mean the district would swap their 17 acres for approximately 30 acres located at the south end of Central Avenue along 18th street, plus additional money on top of the exchange.
Plymouth County Board of Supervisors to Meet Tuesday
Today the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will meet at 9:30 a.m. The board will hear from John MacGregor of Le Mars Ambulance and discuss county opioid funds, as well as an ambulance equipment purchase. The board may vote on this issue.
The board will also discuss and possibly take action on a proposal for a tax abatement on a county held tax certificate. The board will lik take action on the approval of Dale Beckmann Addition, a minor subdivision in Section 10 of Remsen Township and the Bryce & Mary Weinreich Addition, a minor subdivision in Section 20 of Garfield Township.
Mainstreet Index Predicts One-in-Four Farmers Could See Negative Income
Federal program that helped 96,000 Iowans pay winter bills may vanish
Even though it’s summer, advocates are worried about a winter heating program for Iowans. The Trump administration’s proposed budget includes eliminating funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, or LIHEAP (LY-heap). Jean Logan, with the Community Action Agency of Siouxland in northwest Iowa, says LIHEAP is a very beneficial program that helps many tens of thousands of Iowans pay their utility bills.
Logan says almost one-point-four million dollars was spent to help almost 29-hundred households in Woodbury County alone this past winter. Statewide, LIHEAP helped some 96-thousand Iowa customers pay their winter heating bills last year. Logan also oversees a summertime cooling program through LIHEAP that provides window air conditioners and helps people get their utilities turned back on.
Logan says her non-profit only has about two-thousand dollars left in its coffers to help people through the summer.
Congress created LIHEAP in 1981 as a way to counter concerns about skyrocketing energy prices during the 1970s. (Sheila Brummer, Iowa Public Radio)
Lawsuit challenges new Iowa regulations on Pharmacy Benefit Managers
A coalition of business groups, labor unions and a major Iowa clinic is seeking to overturn a law that puts restrictions on companies called Pharmacy Benefit Managers that set the price of medications for people with insurance. Supporters of the law say it will ensure pharmacies are properly reimbursed for filling prescriptions and patients aren’t forced to use certain pharmacies. The Iowa Association of Business and Industry is leading a lawsuit that argues the law is unconstitutional because it forbids employers from telling employees how to save money on prescriptions. The groups also argue the new regulations outlined in the Iowa law are pre-empted by federal law. Iowa Association of Business and Industry president Nicole Crain says the law will raise health care costs for businesses of all sizes by hundreds of millions of dollars.
Iowa Corn and Soybeans Ahead of Schedule
Across the state of Iowa, approximately 2% of planted corn acres are beginning to silk, and 13% of soybean acres are blooming, which is five days ahead of the five-year average, according to the crop progress and condition report.
The report, put out weekly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, showed Iowa corn rated 83% good to excellent and soybeans rated 77% good to excellent.
Iowa’s oat crop also rated highly with 85% good or excellent.
