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UPDATE: Trump Tweets Slam Vander Plaats, Vander Plaats Responds

Bob Vander Plaats 2015

Sheldon, Iowa — It didn’t take long for Republican Presidential candidate Ted Cruz to take on Donald Trump for disparaging tweets that Trump sent out about Sheldon native and The Family Leader President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats, who has endorsed Senator Cruz for the Republican nomination.

At a rally in southeast Iowa Tuesday night, Cruz jumped to Vander Plaats’ defense.

Trump sent a series of tweets, accusing Vander Plaats of being a “phony” and of trying to stay for free at Trump hotels. Vander Plaats tweeted back, saying he still considers Trump a friend — but Trump still can’t have his endorsement. Cruz suggests Trump’s Tweets are a hint to Trump’s true character.

Cruz also called Trump a friend, but added this:

Cruz made the comments to about 400 people at a southeast Iowa Rally Tuesday night.

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Sheldon, Iowa — Sheldon native and The Family Leader President and CEO Bob Vander Plaats was the subject of some sharply worded tweets from Donald Trump earlier today.  Trump tweeted the following earlier today:  “@bobvanderplaats begged me to do an event while asking organizers for $100,000 for himself—a bad guy!”  And later, “Why doesn’t phony @bobvanderplaats tell his followers all the times he asked for him and his family to stay at my hotels-didn’t like paying”

We caught up with Bob Vander Plaats as he was travelling today, and he says Trump’s comments are provoked simply by the fact that he endorsed a Republican Presidential candidate other than Trump.

Vander Plaats says Trump’s tweets expose him for who he really is.

Vander Plaats had this message for Trump, “We can’t be bought.”

Vander Plaats has endorsed Republican Ted Cruz for President, and, when we caught up with him, was travelling to a southeast Iowa rally to appear with Cruz and former Texas Governor Rick Perry.

Vote For Heroes Early By Giving Blood Feb 2

Sheldon, Iowa — The ninth annual Heroes Behind the Badges Blood Drive is coming up on Monday, February 15th, 2016 in Sheldon.

It’s not only a great opportunity to help bolster the area blood supply, but an opportunity to give a team of two city emergency services bragging rights over the team of the other two.

Ken Ver Steeg, spokesman for the Community Blood Bank says that it’s a friendly competition between two teams of Sheldon emergency responders.


heroes behind badgesHe says blood donations tend to be down this time of year.

The actual Heroes Behind The Badges Blood Drive is on February 15th, but you can also vote early by giving blood at one of two blood drives within the community on Tuesday, February 2nd. The first blood drive will be held at Village Northwest Unlimited, in the Wansink Center Parking lot from 7:30 AM to 10:20 AM. The second blood drive will be held at Sanford Sheldon Medical Center from 12:00 PM to 3:30 PM.

You can donate blood at either one of the blood drives and participate in early voting for the Sheldon Heroes Behind the Badges Blood Drive. Again that will be at the Sheldon Community Services Building on February 15.

Jazz Band Festival To Be Wednesday

music 1Spirit Lake, Iowa — The Sheldon High School Jazz Band will be one of ten high school jazz bands participating in the Iowa High School Music Association Jazz Band Festival tomorrow (Wednesday, January 27th) at the Sami Bedell Center for the Performing Arts at Spirit Lake High School.  This event had originally been scheduled for this past Monday, but was postponed due to the inclement weather.

In addition to Sheldon, jazz bands from Harris-Lake Park, Boyden-Hull, Rock Valley, Sibley-Ocheyedan, West Lyon, Okoboji, Estherville- Lincoln Central, Spencer and Spirit Lake will also be performing, and evaluated.

Here is the schedule for tomorrow’s band performances:

Jazz Festival

Sheldon School Board To Meet in Special Session

Sheldon high school 100_2191Sheldon, Iowa — The Sheldon Community Schools Board of Education will meet in special session tomorrow (Wednesday, January 27th) at 4:45 pm.

The purpose of this meeting is to present the Sheldon Community School District’s Initial Collective Bargaining Proposal for the next school year to the Sheldon Education Association, the union that represents teachers in the Sheldon Community School District.

You may recall that the Sheldon Education Association presented their initial proposal to the Board at a Special Meeting leading into the regular January meeting, on Wednesday January 13th.  The union’s proposal called for a 5.53% increase in salary and benefits for the 2016-17 school year. The District’s response to that proposal will be presented at Wednesday afternoon’s meeting.

Wednesday’s meeting will be held in the library at Sheldon High School.

Caucuses Expected To Draw Large Crowds

2016 caucuses democrat republican eledonkNorthwest Iowa — Area voters are expected to turn out in large numbers for Monday’s Iowa Caucuses, the first-in-the-nation test for each party’s presidential candidates.  In fact, the chairman of the Iowa G-O-P says Republican turn-out on Caucus Night may surpass the record set in 2008 when 120-thousand Republicans participated in the Caucuses.

That’s Jeff Kaufmann, chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa. Kaufmann isn’t offering a specific prediction, however.

Andy McGuire, the chair of the Iowa Democratic Party, is predicting “strong” turn-out for this year’s Democratic Caucuses, but says she doesn’t expect it to surpass the record set in 2008.

2008 was the year Barack Obama won the Iowa Caucuses, and 240-thousand Iowa Democrats participated in the 2008 Caucuses.  The 2016 Iowa Caucuses will be held around the state this coming Monday night, February 1st at 7 pm.

A list of caucus locations in O’Brien, Osceola, Lyon and Sioux counties can be found here.

Several NCC Staff Honored For Service

Sheldon, Iowa — Several Northwest Iowa Community College staff members were honored for their service recently at the college’s annual Employee Recognition Ceremony.
NCC Sign Crop
Marlys Schwebach of Alton, was recognized for 35 years of service. Schwebach, a Tutor/Specialist in the Learning Center, has been with NCC since 1980. Recognized for 20 years of service were Ruth Hobson of Lake Park and Jan Snyder of Sanborn. Hobson, the Director of Nursing Education and a Nursing Instructor; and Snyder, the college’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement & External Affairs have both been with NCC since 1995.

NCC employees who were recognized for fifteen years of service included Assistant Registrar Sarah Fykstra of Hull; Financial Aid Coordinator Todd Huesman of Sheldon; and Tutor/Specialist in the Learning Center, Steve Pearce of Hartley.

Seven Northwest Iowa Community College employees were recognized for their ten years of service. They include Carpentry/Construction Technology Instructor Ryan Cannoy of Sheldon; Radiologic Technology instructor Mary Cowan of Cherokee; Electrical Instructor Phil Louters of Sheldon; Heavy Equipment Operation & Maintenance instructor Mark Pritts of Sheldon, Registrar/Associate Dean of Students Beth Sibenaller-Woodall of Sutherland; Administrative Assistant – Dean of Applied Technology and Workforce Lesa Stofferan of Sibley, and VECTOR Coordinator Roy Wohlert of Hartley.

Also honored was the recipient of the Outstanding Employee Award. This time the honor was given to Assistant Registrar Tara Fjeld of Sheldon. Fjeld has worked at the College for the past seventeen years in the Registrar’s Office. College officials say she was chosen for the outstanding employee award because of her service to NCC, its students, staff and faculty, as well as performance of duties, commitment to personal or professional development, and team/committee participation.