Northwest Iowa — Governor Terry Branstad will be in northwest Iowa Tuesday and Wednesday to deliver Home Base Iowa Designations in O’Brien, Lyon and Sioux Counties. Home Base Iowa is an initiative designed to provide a welcoming atmosphere to military veterans who are leaving the service, to provide them encouragement to live and work in the Home Base Iowa communities.
The Governor’s first Home Base Iowa stop will be Tuesday afternoon when he presents the Home Base Iowa designation to O’Brien County in a ceremony at the Veteran’s Memorial at the City Park in Sheldon. That ceremony is scheduled for 4:00 pm Tuesday.
Sheldon Chamber and Development Executive Director Curt Strouth tells us what counties and communities are required to do to earn the Home Base Iowa Designation.
Strouth says an incentive package also has to be put together to attract the veterans.
He says the Home Base Iowa areas also need to provide proper signage.
As part of the Home Base Iowa designations, Governor Branstad will also be designating Northwest Iowa Community College as a CHAMPS institution. NCC President, Dr. Alethea Stubbe tells us what the CHAMPS designation is.
Dr. Stubbe says that, while most of the requirements for the CHAMPS designation are already in place at NCC, there were a few additional things the college had to do to qualify.
Dr. Stubbe says that one of the educational benefits of CHAMPS is that veterans and their dependents receive automatic in-state tuition, regardless of residency requirements.
The O’Brien County Home Base Iowa Designation Event is scheduled for 4:00 to 5:00 pm Tuesday.
After the O’Brien County event, the Governor will head to Glynlyon in Rock Rapids for the Lyon County Home Base Iowa designation, which is scheduled for 7:00 Tuesday evening.
The final Home Base Iowa event for the Governor’s trip is scheduled for 8:30 Wednesday morning, when he’ll take part in the Sioux County Home Base Iowa event at the Sioux County Courthouse in Orange City.
