MUDDY BITES
A startup firm which began selling their product online will soon have its product on the shelves of Walmart. The product is Muddy Bites. The company is a partnership of former Le Mars area resident, Jarod Steffes, and his business partner Tyler De Vos. Steffes describes a Muddy Bite.
Steffes says Muddy Bites came about by inspiration.
Steffes needed a partner to produce Muddy Bites. Enter Tyler De Vos.
Steffes says they’ve split the workload..
Steffes says Muddy Bites was initially an online firm
and it operated out of cramped quarters.
Steffes says they lately have concentrated on expanding their retail presence.
The company had already worked its way into retail stores, 52-hundred so far nationwide. Their big break came earlier this year, when they competed with several thousand other firms in a product showcase before Walmart executives in Arkansas. Muddy Bites was among those products chosen for sales at Walmart stores nationwide. Steffes says they are now ramping up production to meet an April Walmart deadline.
SCHOOL SHOTS
As schools open for fall classes in Iowa, parents are urged to make sure their children are up to date on their vaccinations. Pediatrician Dr. Nathan Boonstra, says in addition to the state-required shots, parents should also get their children vaccinated against COVID-19. Boonstra says that’s because some children do get very sick from the virus in rare cases.
Boonstra says parents should double check with their child’s pediatrician this year as many families have missed recent routine physical examinations due to the pandemic.
Kids as young as six months of age can be vaccinated against COVID.
GUNS IN SCHOOL
The Spirit Lake School Board held a special meeting this week to share a plan to increase security on school grounds and possibly school events. School officials say the goal is to have 10 anonymous staff members on school grounds who would carry a concealed gun. Superintended David Smith says NONE of the 10 would be teachers, as he wants to keep guns out of classrooms, but having others inside the building who are armed is key to responding to an active shooter.
Spirit Lake has security measures in place to limit access to school facilities. Angela Olsen, director of special projects for the district, says tragic school shootings elsewhere involving students shows that may not be enough.
The ten people sanctioned by the Spirit Lake district to carry a concealed weapon on school grounds will have to complete a five-day, 40 hour training course conducted by a Dickinson County deputy sheriff and have a license to carry a firearm. Spirit Lake school officials say statistics from school shootings show a large portion of casualties occur in the first few minutes and this plan is a way to speed up the response to an active shooter and lower the risk of injuries and fatalities.
OLD HOSPITAL PROPERTY
The Sioux Center city council has approved the sale of the former city hospital property for future development. The 3.6 acre site, located along US Highway 75 in Sioux Center, was sold to RMK Properties. The plan for the property is to create a professional ofice comp;lex, to be the home of Krose and Kroese PC, as well as additional retail or office space. This is one of three areas of the city where retail, professional, and even light industrial uses, will be developed. The city purchased the parcel after it was vacated when the current Sioux Center Health complex opened. The city then razed the property. It is identified as a Brownfield site. This makes the developer of the property eligible for tax credits for future projects. No word on when development at the site will start.
NCC RANKED
Northwest Iowa Community College has received high national rankings from personal finance website WalletHub.com
NCC was ranked #2 in the nation for best overall Community College and #2 nationally for Career Outcomes in the website’s 2022 report.
WalletHub.com compared 650 community colleges, to determine where students can receive the best education at the lowest price.
Last year, NCC ranked 3rd in Career Outcomes and 12th overall.
AFGHAN REFUGEES
Many thousands of refugees from Afghanistan have found new homes in the U-S in recent months, with several hundred settling in Iowa. Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley says there’s new evidence several dozens of them should never have been allowed into the country and at least 70 of them have been identified as possible national security threats. Grassley asked F-B-I Director Chris Wray during a U-S Senate panel meeting this month if he knew where the 70 are located. Grassley says Wray told him he didn’t know but promised he’d find out. Grassley also says there’s no way to know if any of the Afghans who now live in Iowa are among those considered possible security threats. But he adds he’s confident the vast majority of the refugees are “hard working” people and will contribute to Iowa’s economy.
NOEM COMPLAINT
State Representative Jamie Smith wants a special prosecutor to investigate allegations of misconduct against Governor Kristi Noem. Smith made the statement yesterday, saying Attorney General Mark Vargo should recuse himself from the investigation. The Government Accountability Board ruled Monday to refer a complaint about Noem’s alleged personal use of a state airplane to the Attorney General’s office for further investigation. Smith is challenging Noem for governor in November.
COVID AMONG KIDS
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates a vast majority of Iowa kids have had COVID. The C-D-C analyzed samples from children between the ages of six months and 17 years who had blood drawn at commercial labs for non-COVID tests in May and June. The top government health agency says about 84-and-a-half percent of Iowa children have had COVID or were recovering from an infection in late spring. Those kids had antibodies present in their blood. Another study found those antibodies drop after about three months and disappear after a year.
