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Sheldon Will Host District American Legion Conference

Sheldon, Iowa — This weekend, Sheldon will play host to the 2015 Ninth District American Legion Fall Conference.
Sheldon American Legion 145
On Saturday, October 3 the American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary, and the Sons of the American Legion will hold the district conference at Northwest Iowa Community College. All members of those organizations are invited and encouraged to attend. Bernie Wissink with the American Legion says it is a great way to learn what the Legion is trying to do in order to help their fellow veterans.


He says that the American Legion is based on four pillars: Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism, and Children & Youth. He says each of these pillars encompasses a variety of programs that benefit our nation’s veterans, its service members, their families, the youth of America and ordinary citizens.


He says in the afternoon, they will have committee meetings for several of the programs that they offer.


He says they would imagine that about 120 people may show up for the conference. He says the conferences move around the district. He says if memory serves, the last conference in Sheldon was in 1999.

Registration at the Saturday event is from 8:00 AM to 9:00 AM in Building A at NCC. There will be a noon meal served followed by a raffle, to which many of the community’s local businesses have donated.

The night before the meeting there will be a supper for those who have traveled from out of town, he says and after the meeting they will be having a social hour at the Eagles Club.

ISU Students Assist Local Businesses With Marketing/Branding

ISU Extension LogoSheldon, Iowa — A group of twenty Iowa State University seniors are in Sheldon today, meeting with local businesses to assist them with marketing, branding their businesses, while the students gain some real-world experience in the process.

Kara Hoegh is one of the students, and she says the students are trying to help the businesses gain a better brand overall.

Hoegh says she’s working with the Sheldon Public Library, and addressing issues involving more than just signage.

Beverly Krumm is the Iowa State University Professor who has brought her class to Sheldon for today’s meetings, and she tells us about some of the things they’re doing in thir meetings with Sheldon business people.

Krumm says this project will not only help merchants to better market their businesses, but will provide her students with real-world applications of the concepts they’ve learned in the classroom.

Today’s project was facilitated by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach.

Sheldon 3rd Graders Visit KIWA

Mrs Arnold's ClassSheldon, Iowa — The third grade classes from East Elementary in Sheldon went on a tour of downtown Sheldon recently. This tour coincided with their social studies unit on the history of Sheldon and their reading unit about changes.

The students visited the Sheldon Public Library and met with the Children’s Librarian and Prairie Queen Bakery, where they had the opportunity to see how bakery items are made. They made stops at the Sheldon Community Services Center, where they met with Mayor Tricia Meendering, and also toured the Police Department, visiting with Police Chief Lyle Bolkema. In touring downtown Sheldon the students stopped at Northwestern Bank to view old pictures and see the cornerstone.

The students also made a stop at KIWA Radio. While here, they learned about all the different jobs held by the employees at the radio station, they toured one of the studios, and they recorded the Pledge of Allegiance.

Mrs. Snyder's 3rd Grade Class
Mrs. Snyder’s 3rd Grade Class

 

Mrs. Jansen's 3rd Grade Class
Mrs. Jansen’s 3rd Grade Class

 

Mrs. Arnold's 3rd Grade Class
Mrs. Arnold’s 3rd Grade Class

Sanborn Man Going To Prison As Habitual Offender

Michael RydstromOrange City, Iowa — A Sanborn man will spend up to 20 years in prison following his sentencing Monday in Orange City on a Sioux County charge of Possession of Methamphetamine, Third or Subsequent Offense as a Habitual Offender, a Class D Felony.

Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle says the case against 48-year old Michael Eugene Rydstrom, of Sanborn, was prosecuted by the Sioux County attorney’s office in a collaborative effort with O’Brien County Attorney Micah J. Schreurs for crimes committed by Mr. Rydstrom in both Sioux and O’Brien Counties.

According to Kunstle, the case arose in March of this year, when Sioux County deputies were patrolling Highway 60 for illegal drug interdiction. A deputy recognized Mr. Rydstrom’s vehicle and initiated a traffic stop for speeding. Kunstle says Rydstrom consented to a drug dog walking around his vehicle. After the dog indicated drugs were present, Rydstrom admitted he had a scale used to measure methamphetamine inside the vehicle. The scale was found which still contained methamphetamine.

According to Kunstle, Rydstrom was sentenced to a prison term of up to 15 years, with a mandatory minimum of three years.  The sentence was ordered to be served consecutively to the sentence imposed in an O’Brien County case, and concurrently with a case in Plymouth County, for a total term not to exceed twenty years in prison.

Rock Valley Man Sentenced For Perjury

Clarence WernerOrange City, Iowa — A Rock Valley man was sentenced in Sioux County District Court Monday for Perjury, a Class D Felony; and Gathering where Controlled Substances are Unlawfully Used, a Serious Misdemeanor.

Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle says that the case against 46-year old Clarence Earl Werner of Rock Valley, arose during a civil protective order hearing on February 2nd of this year.  Kunstle says Werner’s ex-wife testified that Werner violated the no contact order by calling her on December 23, 2014.  Werner confirmed this by testifying under oath that he did call her one day when he was in treatment.  Werner was later criminally charged with a Violation of a No Contact Order and the trial was held April 7th of this year.  Kunstle says that, after being placed under oath at the criminal trial, Werner gave conflicting testimony that he did not call his ex-wife.

Werner was sentenced to five years in prison on the Perjury charge and to 365 days in jail on the Gathering charge, where he will serve 45 days with work release and the prison term and remaining jail time was suspended.

DNR Investigating Fish Kill

Fish KillNorthwest Iowa – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a fish kill running about 20 miles along Stoney Creek northwest of Spencer.

The fish kill was reported north of Everly Monday morning, but residents in the area said they’d been seeing dead fish over the weekend.

Two crews from the DNR’s Spencer field office found heavy concentrations of dead fish west of Fostoria, then traced dead fish northwest to the Osceola-Dickinson county line, about 11 miles west of Milford.

So far, the DNR says they have not identified the pollutant source, but believe it is from fertilizer or animal manure because of elevated ammonia levels found just west of Spencer.

DNR Spencer Field Office Supervisor Ken Hessenius says his office has had a number of calls into the field office, mostly from people concerned about watering their cattle from the creek.  He says they may or may not be able to track down the source of this fish kill, because it likely occurred several days ago. He says that if people would remember to call the field offices or the 24-hour spill line as soon as they see something that would increase their chance of finding the pollutant source.”  The DNR spill number is 515-725-8694.

Hessenius say the dead fish are mainly minnows and chubs, but include some larger fish. He says the pollutant slug has likely moved into the Ocheyedan River, become diluted and passed through Spencer by now.

He says the DNR will continue to look for the source of the pollutant.

In another investigation, the Spencer field office looked for the source of a second, but smaller, fish kill near Meridan in Cherokee County. A fisherman reported hundreds of dead chubs and minnows Saturday morning.