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Sibley Council To Meet In Special Session

Sibley, Iowa — The Sibley City Council will meet in special session Monday (April 18th) at 5:00 pm in Council Chambers at City Hall in Sibley.

The meeting is scheduled to go into closed session, pursuant to Iowa Code 21.5c.  Chapter 21.5c allows closed session to allow the Council, quoting the Iowa Code, “To discuss strategy with counsel in matters that are presently in litigation or where litigation is imminent where its disclosure would be likely to prejudice or disadvantage the position of the governmental body in that litigation.”

Iowa House Committee Advances Plan To Defund Planned Parenthood

Family Leader LogoDes Moines, Iowa — Republicans on a committee in the Iowa House advanced a plan Thursday night to “defund” Planned Parenthood. It sets up a likely showdown with the Democratically-led Iowa Senate which has resisted similar efforts in the past.

Chuck Hurley of The Family Leader Foundation, a Christian conservative organization headed by Sheldon native Bob Vander Plaats, has been lobbying Republicans legislators to take a stand.

State tax dollars currently cover the costs for Medicaid patients who get reproductive health exams or contraceptives at Planned Parenthood, but state tax dollars are not used to pay for abortions. Hurley says that’s not good enough.

Democrats suggest House Republicans are out of touch with public opinion. A recent Des Moines Register “Iowa Poll” found 74-percent of Iowans polled want the state to continue spending tax dollars at Planned Parenthood to cover NON-abortion services for low-income Iowans.

Hurley says there’s more “zeal” among activists due to undercover videos released last summer that showed Planned Parenthood officials discussing the organization’s fetal tissue donation program. A Texas grand jury concluded Planned Parenthood broke no laws. Two people who worked on the video project have been charged.

Shed North Of Little Rock Destroyed In Fire

North of Little Rock, Iowa — A shed just across the border in Minnesota was destroyed by fire on Thursday evening, April 14th, 2016, and firefighters from three communities fought the fire.
Little Rock Fire Truck FD
Little Rock Fire Chief Joe Schilling reports that the fire was at 19498 310th Street in Minnesota. That’s about seven miles north of Little Rock. He says the fire department was called about 8:47 PM.

Schilling says when firefighters arrived on scene the shed was already on the ground. He says there were small fires starting by other buildings and in the grove from embers from the main fire.

The Rushmore and Bigelow fire departments were called in for extra water. Shilling says all told they used about 8000 gallons of water.

He says the building was about the size of a 2-stall garage, and was being used as a storage shed. He says there were miscellaneous items and furniture inside, and it was all a total loss. He estimates the cost of the loss at over $10,000.

The chief reports crews were on scene for about two hours, and that the cause of the fire is undetermined at this time, but is under investigation.

Ribbon Cutting & Anniversary Celebration At Top Notch Stitching

TN1Sheldon, Iowa — A downtown Sheldon business held their Ribbon Cutting and one-year anniversary celebration Friday morning (April 15th).  Top Notch Stitching purchased the business formerly known as What A Stitch, and began operation under the name Top Notch Stitching in late March of last year.  Friday morning’s ribbon cutting commemorated the business’ anniversary under the new ownership, and new name.

Sheldon City Manager Scott Wynja congratulated Top Notch Stitching, and wished them many more years of success.

Wynja was followed by Sheldon Chamber and Development Corporation President Rick Nordahl, who echoed Wynja’s sentiments.

Skip Tanner is President of the Ambassadors Club, and presented a portion of the cut ribbon to April Schaeffer, one of the owners of the business.

Schaeffer then talked about some of the things Top Notch Stitching offers.

Schaeffer says the business hopes to have a new e-commerce website launched and available within a couple of months to allow their customers to shop from the comfort of their home or office.

Top Notch Stitching is open Mondays from 9 to 7, Tuesday through Friday from 9 to 5, and Saturday 9 to noon.

Babcock Meats To Open Sheldon Store

Roast beefSheldon, Iowa — A popular Alton meat company will open a retail store in Sheldon next month.

According to Sheldon Community Development Director Curt Strouth, Babcock Meat Company will be open for business next month in the former DeZoete Winkel location at Sheldon Crossing.

Babcock’s line of meat products will include your favorite cuts of steak, chops, roasts, and bacon; ground favorites like breakfast sausage, ground beef, cooked and skinless bratwurst, along with a large variety of smoked products including snack sticks, jerky, summer sausage, and other specialty items.  They are also going to offer Phoenix Grills, Big Green Egg Smoker Grills, and grilling accessories, according to Strouth.

Babcock Meat Company has been family owned and operated since 1975, and Strouth says they are excited for this opportunity to expand, and serve the city of Sheldon and surrounding communities.

He says they are anticipating a Grand Opening Grill Out in early May, with an official date to be announced soon.

For more information, check them out on Facebook.

Trooper Says Drop Texting While Driving Habit

Sheldon, Iowa — April is a popular month as “awareness months” go. April is also Distracted Driving Awareness Month.
distracted driving smart phone
Iowa State Patrol Safety Education Officer Vince Kurtz says that distracted driving has been a hot topic in the news for several years, and yet, despite great outreach, distracted driving is a growing epidemic.


He says it’s believed that distracted driving is under-reported in crash statistics.


He says that up to 64-percent of all fatalities in Iowa may have been the result of distracted driving.

Kurtz says that while the big issue is texting on cell phones, it doesn’t stop there. He says the law says it’s illegal to text or use apps while driving, and it’s illegal for those under 18 to even talk on their cell phone. But practically anything can be a distraction.


He says distracted driving includes anything that takes your attention away from focusing on driving. Texting is certainly one of the most common causes of distracted driving and one of the most dangerous as it requires visual, manual, and cognitive attention of the driver.

Texting while driving is six times more dangerous than driving while intoxicated, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Texting and driving is now the leading cause of death among U.S. teenagers, surpassing drinking and driving, according to a study by Cohen Children’s Medical Center.

Kurtz says the harsh reality is that if you choose to drive distracted, you could change your life and the lives of others in a matter of seconds. Tragedy after tragedy shows that these actions can have deadly consequences. He says when you are driving, driving should have your full attention.