PICKUP AND TRAILER RECOVERY
The Plymouth County Sheriffs Office Friday evening was advised of a vehicle in the Big Sioux River at the Millsite River Access on Highway 3 west of Westfield. Plymouth County Rescue and Recovery Dives were called to the scene. Deputies determined that the vehicle was not occupied. It was determined that a pickup was backing down the access to launch a boat, when the vehicle had a mechanical failure. The pickup, trailer and boat entered the river. Both occupants of the vehicle escaped by swimming out the windows. A diver located the truck in 8 to 10 feet of water. It was winched out of the river around 9:15 PM. Plymouth County Conservation, Akron Fire Rescue and Stockton Towing assisted the Sheriffs deputies at the scene.
SCHROEDERS NAMED FARM ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERS
A rural Le Mars couple was recognized at the Iowa State Fair as 2024 Iowa Farm Environmental Leaders.
Tony and Shirley Schroeder were among 44 recipients of the award this year. It was presented by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and the state DNR. Tony has been a Soil and Water Conservation District Commissioner, and also serves on the Plymouth County Fair Board. Shirley is board president of the Siouxland Ag in the Classroom organization and has been a 4-H and FFA leader.
The Schroeders have operated their farm for over 68 years, and farm with their four sons. Their farming operation includes over 850 acres of terraces, grassed waterways, windbreaks, and tree plantings, all without cost share assistance. They no-till their corn and soybean acreage.
Governor Kim Reynolds, Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, Ag Secretary Mike Naig, and DNR Director Kayla Lyon presented the award.
STREET REPAIRS
The Le Mars Street Department is closing a section of a residential street for repair work. Street Supt. Scott Kneip says starting today a section of 4th St. S.E. between 8th Ave. S.E. and 9th Ave. S.E. will be closed for 10 days for some street repair. Starting Wednesday morning, Sept. 18th, a section of 18th St. S.W. will be closed due to some street repair. The street should be reopened by Saturday, September 21st.
TWO INJURED IN ACCIDENT WEST OF MAURICE
Two people, including an Akron resident, were injured in a motor vehicle accident Friday evening, one-half mile west of Maurice. The Sioux County Sheriffs Office says a vehicle driven by 34 year old Omar Hernandez of Maurice was driving west on B58, west of Maurice, when he was struck while attempting to turn into a private driveway. 23 year old Brooklyn Albers of Akron was driving an SUV which struck the Hernandez vehicle. Both Hernandez and Albers were transported to Sioux Center Health for treatment of injury. Alcohol may have been a factor and the accident remains under investigation.
FEMA OFFERS REPAIR AND REBUILDING ADVICE
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is offering advice on home repair and rebuilding Tuesday and Friday at a Rock Valley home improvement center. If you had flood related damage or storm-caused expenses and live and own a business in Plymouth and its surrounding counties, FEMA is providing free information on how to make your home stronger and safe. FEMA Specialists will provide home rebuilding techniques, tips for reducing disaster risk, and proven methods for preventing damage from future disasters. The FEMA reps will be at Rock Valley M&H True Value Hardware, Tuesday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
DRY CONDITIONS MEAN CORPS WILL KEEP MISSOURI RIVER LEVELS LOW
The drought has eased across much of the Midwest, but dry conditions persist in the upper Missouri River basin, prompting the U-S Army Corps of Engineers to keep releases from Gavins Point Dam at the minimum rate. John Remus, chief of the Corp’s Missouri River Basin Water Management Division, says there is a big difference between conditions in the upper and lower basins.
After four years of drought, heavy rains brought Iowa completely out of the drought this spring, but abnormally dry conditions are returning, and now cover about two-thirds of the state. Remus says the long-range forecast doesn’t provide much hope for improvement.
Remus says he understands the continued minimum water releases puts pressure on cities, businesses, and utilities that rely on the Missouri River.
The Corps of Engineers reports 73-percent of the Missouri River Basin is experiencing dry or drought conditions.
ISU RESEARCHER BLOWN AWAY BY BLOOD CELL DISCOVERY
A group of Iowa State University researchers has made a discovery that could lead to a new treatment for patients with blood disorders like leukemia. I-S-U professor Clyde Campbell says blood cancers account for about 10 percent of all diagnosed cancers in adults each year and about 25 percent of all cancers in children — and their research could lead to creating blood stem cells from a patient’s own cells that would be re-introduced in the body. Current treatment for blood cancer is often a transplant of bone marrow from a live donor, to respond to the way cancer disrupts the body’s production of blood stem cells. Campbell is the I-S-U researcher who first observed the switch inside a zebrafish stem cell that triggered production of blood stem cells. Campbell says he was blown away and nearly fell off his chair when he saw the one-hundred-fold increase in the number of blood stem cells produced after a certain protein was added.
‘IOWA POLL’ SHOWS PRESIDENTIAL RACE TIGHTENING IN IOWA
A Des Moines Register “Iowa Poll” released Sunday shows women, Iowans under the age of 45 and Iowans with a college degree have more interest in voting now compared to when Joe Biden was running. The Iowa Poll’s latest snapshot of the presidential race in Iowa found Donald Trump at 47 percent and Kamala Harris at 43 percent. An Iowa Poll conducted in late spring found Joe Biden trailing Donald Trump by 18 points. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says Democrats have a big opportunity to capitalize with Harris at the top of the ticket, while Iowa G-O-P chair Jeff Kaufmann says Democrats can fantasize, but the Republican Party of Iowa remains confident about November.
