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No Turkey Shortage Expected At Thanksgiving

Northwest Iowa — State and local officials held a news conference Monday morning near Manson at the first turkey farm to get back into operation after the bird flu outbreak. A little more than one-point-one million turkeys were destroyed in Iowa after the outbreak. There has been a lot of speculation about the impact of the bird flu on the availability of turkeys this Thanksgiving. Gretta Irwin with the Iowa Turkey Federation says she doesn’t expect any impact.
turkey thanksgiving

(as she says) “Here in Iowa, all the turkeys we raise are further processed — meaning they go into deli meats for Subway or Jimmy Johns or into the deli cases at our grocery stores. So, these birds never would have gone into producing Thanksgiving birds anyway,” Irwin explains. So, I do not anticipate that there will be a shortage of turkeys.”

Irwin says producers outside Iowa are working to get birds ready for the holiday.


(as she says)”Turkeys for Thanksgiving are being raised right now, so they would not be impacted by the High Place A-I virus,” Irwin says.

There will be no bird displays at the Iowa State Fair when it opens later this week. Irwin says the Turkey Federation doesn’t plan any special displays.


(as she says)”We are not doing anything specifically related to high path avian influenza, but we sure encourage people to stop by our turkey stand west of the Bill Riley stage and enjoy some wonderful Iowa turkey in supporting our turkey industry and our turkey farmers who have really had a tough year this year,” Irwin says.

The state has some 130 turkey farms and 35 were infected with the avian flu.

Story from Radio Iowa

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Man Arrested After Fatal Hit-And-Run

Sioux City, Iowa — A Sioux City good samaritan is dead and a suspect is in custody after a fatal hit-and-run incident Saturday afternoon on Sioux City’s north side.
fatal ambulance II
Police say the incident began around 3:15 pm when a 52-year-old man and his wife saw a man slumped over the wheel of a pickup truck in the northbound lane of the 4000 block of Division Street. When the couple made contact with the driver to see if he needed help, he awoke and sped away. A flatbed trailer loaded with lawn care equipment attached to the truck struck the good samaritan and rolled over him, causing fatal injuries.

Another motorist followed the fleeing driver, and called in the truck’s license plate number.

Several hours later, Plymouth County and Iowa state troopers spotted the vehicle on county road C-38. The driver fled again but was forced off the road by a deputy. The suspect, 29-year-old Dustin Suppi, of South Sioux City, was taken into custody. He is in custody in the Woodbury County Jail, and is charged with leaving the scene of a fatal accident. Authorities say other charges are pending as the investigation of the incident continues.

Story from Radio Iowa

Sibley Band To Join Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame

Arnolds Park, Iowa — A Sibley area band will be inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame over Labor Day Weekend in Arnolds Park.
electric guitar_sxc
The Iowa Rock ‘n Roll Music Association says the “Interstate Cruisers” from Sibley will join the Iowa Rock n’ Roll Hall of this Labor Day Weekend. Band members include Paul & Shortie Veen of Charles City, Michael Anderson of Primghar, Dave Hill of North Liberty, Harold VanderSloot of Sibley, Phil Sweeney of Hartley, Dave Steuck of Ankeny, and Chuck Post of Sibley.

According to the association, the band began in May of 1983 called the “Blue Ribbon Express.” 1985 brought the beginning of changes in the lineup. Post left and was replaced by Dave Steuck. The name of the band changed to “Interstate Band” in 1986. Paul Veen joined in 1987 when Vander Sloot left. Shortie Veen came on board in 1998. A short time later the band name changed to Interstate Cruisers.

The band played together for over two years and eventually the name changed to the “Cruisers.” In 1990 Sweeney left the band followed six months later by the departure of Anderson. The other members continued on as the Cruisers with Dave Hill on drums and vocals. In 1995 Steuck rejoined the band briefly.

The Labor Day Weekend schedule begins with a Kick-Off Concert at 8 PM on Friday in the Roof Garden. The Southeast Iowa Hall of Fame IRRMA All-Stars are ready to entertain with music from the 50’s, 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. Tickets for the Kick-Off concert will be $10 at the door.

A few returning favorite events include the Vintage Car Show, Battle of the Bands, Autograph Sessions and of course Pancake and Omelet Breakfasts.

The weekend’s grand finale on Sunday, September 6 includes the Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony beginning at 2 PM and the Hall of Fame Spectacular Induction Concert, beginning at 6:30 PM on Sunday.

Find more information at iowarocknroll.com

Lyon Co Relay For Life Is Wednesday

Rock Rapids, Iowa — The Lyon County Relay for life is going to be a little different this year.
relay for life 2015
In past years, the relay had been at the Central Lyon track on a Friday night in June. Last year, due to the flood, it was postponed to August. Relay organizers have decided to stick with an August relay this year. But other details have changed as well. One of the organizers of the event, Ronda Arends tells us more.


The downtown Rock Rapids location at the Forster Community Center will change the atmosphere somewhat, but Arends says there will still be the opportunity to do laps such as the survivor lap at the event on Wednesday, August 12th.


She says they’ll still have a luminaria ceremony.


She says that if you want to purchase a luminaria, you can call her at 712-541-7189.

Listen for more information about the Lyon County Relay for Life during the Lyon County Daily News on Monday at 8:50 AM on AM 1550, KIWA.

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Tanks of Thanks Winners Announced!

tanks of thanksSheldon, Iowa — KIWA and Farmer’s Coop Oil of Sheldon are pleased to announce the 2015 Tanks of Thanks winners! In June KIWA asked members of the community to nominate those who they felt went above and beyond to do good and serve their neighbors. Each winner receives a $50 Cenex Gift Card redeemable at any Cenex location. The Tanks of Thanks program started in 2012 and  has recognized more than 12,000 people and given away more than $280,000 in free fuel. Here are the most recent winners from our listening area:

  • Steve & Junell Grady of Archer, for the time they volunteer with BEECIN Hospice Foundation.
  • Dawn Rutzen of Ashton, for her countless hours volunteering & organizing community events through the Ashton Town & Country Club.
  • Ivan & Pat Rimmer of Granville, for their consideration in helping those in need in their community.
  • David Dykstra of Sheldon, for his exemplary work with the numerous programs he helps with above and beyond the call of duty.
  • Jeanne Feekes of Sheldon, for her many years of volunteer work through Bethany Christian Services, as well as many other organizations in Sheldon.
  • Bill Van Otterloo of Sheldon, for the consideration and care he shows in all that he does for those he encounters every day.

The Tanks of Thanks program from CHS and Cenex® retailers encourages people to nominate friends, family and neighbors for free fuel as a way to say thank you for doing good in the community.

Promise CHC Announces New Clinic Manager, More

Sioux Center, Iowa — The Promise Community Health Center in Sioux Center has a new clinic manager.
Vicki Schrock (mug)

Vicki Schrock is her name. She tells us about the position.


But what’s probably more interesting is Schrock’s background.


After that, she says she started at Promise Community Health, working in the OB department and with home births. She says her life took an even more interesting turn, just over a year later.


Schrock tells us what she’s most looking forward to in her new position.


On another note from Promise Community Health Center, they are having a back-to-school block party. Schrock tells us about that.

promise chc doctor checkup

She says they can also do sports physicals that night as well. The Back-to-School Block Party will be from 3-7 PM on Wednesday, August 12th.

Also at Promise right now, they are taking nominations for a volunteerism award. The Addink Community Service Award was created in 2012 to recognize one individual, or family, who has made a positive impact on the community through volunteerism. The award is named after Ken and Barb Addink of Sioux Center in recognition of their 30-plus years of involvement in community activities. In particular, their volunteer service was instrumental in establishing dental services at Promise. If you’d like to nominate someone, you can find a form here, or call Promise at 712-722-1700 and ask for Derrick. The nomination deadline is September 7th.

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