Home News KLEM News for Thursday, October 6

KLEM News for Thursday, October 6

HARVEST BEE

Friends and neighbors of a rural Akron farmer came together Wednesday afternoon to harvest his fields, Greg Breitbarth of rural Akron, passed away this summer. Greg’s daughter in law, Amanda, said some 55 people and their equipment turned out to help.

Amanda says Greg Breitbarth had several medical issues leading up to his passing.

The Breitbarth’s friends and neighbors were willing to help.

The harvest bee covered a variety of acres.

Amanda said the harvesters covered a lot of ground in just a few hours.

The Brietbarths are grateful for the help from her neighbors and friends.

 

TULIP COURT

Orange City residents yesterday chose thier 2023 Tulip Festival Court in a city-wide vote.
The five that were elected include Katelyn Huizenga, daughter of Aaron and Kim Huizenga, Amanda Hulstein, daughter of Brent and Mary Hulstein, Elizabeth King, daughter of Don and Miranda King, Nevaeh Sampson, daught of Brent and Teresa Sampson, and Kinzie Van Kekerix, daughter of Leroy and Jasey Van Kekerix. A Queen’s Tea and Pageant will be held next month to crown the 2023 Tulip Festival Queen. The Queen and Court serve as ambassadors for Orange Cit’s 82nd annual Tulip Festival, set for May of next year.

 

JENEARY FUNDRAISER

Iowa Representative Tom Jeneary hosted a fundraiser last night in Le Mars.  Jeneary faces no opposition in the fall election for the Iowa Legislature, but he stresses voting is still important.

Jeneary says Iowans need to elect conservatives to the legislature.

Rep. Jeneary says education is always the chief issue of the legislature, as it takes up over half the state budget.  He says lawmakers need to continue their support for broadband expansion in rural Iowa.  He also wants to make sure eminent domain is not used to make way for carbon capture pipelines in the state.

 

AGRICULTURE SECRETARY

The special guest at the event in Le Mars last night was Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig.  He says this harvest will be a mixed bag, as weather is creating varying results this season.

Naig credits several factors for what appears to be an overall successful harvest.

Naig defended the state’s nutrient reduction strategy, saying its made great strides in reducing erosion and promotion water quality over the past ten years, but more needs to be done.

 

SENATE CANDIDATES DEBATE

Republican Senator Chuck Grassley and his Democratic opponent, Mike Franken, will meet in their only televised debate tonight (Thursday). Grassley is seeking his eighth term in the U-S Senate. Franken is a retired Navy admiral who is a native of Sioux County. Tonight’s debate between Grassley and Franken starts at Seven P-M on Iowa P-B-S. On Monday, October 17th, Iowa P-B-S will host the only debate between Republican Governor Kim Reynolds and Democratic challenger Deidre DeJear

 

ECONOMY SLOWING

The Creighton survey of midwest purchasing managers for September shows the overall measure dropped again. Economist Ernie Goss says it is the lowest lowest number since June of 2020. Iowa’s individual state index was to 50-point-nine in September — down from 55-point-seven in August.   Goss says we’re still seeing a  recession.  The same issues continue to be a drag on the economy, including supply chain issues, labor shortages, higher input costs, global recession, and higher interest rates.   Regional employment is still down seven tenths of  one percent.Goss says gasoline prices are probably going to be move a bit higher, as the federal government gets out of the oil selling business from the emergency reserve.

 

RELIEF CHECKS

Nearly two-thousand meatpacking plant and farm workers in Columbus Junction, West Liberty, and Washington will get 600-dollar pandemic relief checks from Catholic Charities U-S-A. Father Guillermo Trevino (Gee-AIR-mo tray-VEEN-oh) says he witnessed a miracle Tuesday on the feast day of Saint Francis when the funding was announced. He says the meat plant workers were the heart and soul of the nation as they kept the food supply going during the pandemic. The U-S-D-A’s Farm and Food Workers Relief Grants aim to help workers who incurred expenses during the pandemic. They hope to begin distributing the money to the Iowa workers in the new year.

 

MONARCH HABITAT

A 20-year program which Iowa State University launched five years ago to help Monarch butterflies is reporting significant progress, with 430-thousand acres of land already set aside. Nicole Shimp, a program specialist with I-S-U’s Iowa Monarch Conservation Consortium, says they’re over 50-percent of the way to the low-end goal of establishing 790-thousand habitat acres in Iowa by 2038. Iowa and other Midwestern states provide a summer breeding ground for the butterflies and almost 40-percent of the overwintering monarchs in Mexico came through Iowa. Studies over the past two decades show the global monarch population has dropped 80 percent.