Marshall, Minnesota — Four high school marching bands from the KIWA listening area were among twenty bands competing Saturday evening during the 20th Annual Pursuit of Excellence Marching Band Competition in Marshall, Minnesota.
In the Crimson Class, the Sheldon Marching Orabs finished 2nd, while the West Lyon Wildcat Marching Band garnered 6th place.
The Navy Class saw the Sibley-Ocheyedan Marching Generals taking home 2nd place. In the Ivory Class, the MOC-Floyd Valley Dutchmen Marching Band finished in 2nd place.
Saturday’s 20th Annual Pursuit of Excellence Marching Band Competition was held at the Schwan Regional Event Center, on the campus of Southwest Minnesota State University.
Hull, Iowa — A northwest Iowa legislator is suggesting that the Iowa legislature attempt to block a lawsuit.
Senator Randy Feentsra from Hull says government entities should not be suing each other because no matter who wins, it’s the taxpayer who loses.
So, the Des Moines Water Works sued these counties, and their drainage districts.
Feenstra says he’s not expressing an opinion about from where the nitrates originated, but rather the bad precedent that is being set.
Feenstra’s critics say they have asked legal scholars for their opinion and they say such a move would not be constitutional as the Des Moines Water Works is asking for enforcement of the Federal Clean Water Act, which is something over which the Iowa Legislature does not have jurisdiction. Feenstra disagrees.
Feenstra says he can’t see how the lawsuit benefits any taxpayer.
Sheldon, Iowa — Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has proclaimed this week to be Iowa Farm Safety and Health Week, a week designed to highlight agricultural safety and health.
Gretchen Mosher is Assistant Professor of Agriculture and Biosystems Engineering at Iowa State University, and she says one of the most common hazards on the farm is grain stored in confined spaces. She says that grain entrapment happens because people don’t always use caution, nor do they understand the forces exerted on the human body by grain.
Mosher says that when one becomes trapped in grain, an enormous amount of pressure is exerted on the body of the trapped person.
According to ISU Extension and Outreach, a 165-pound adult, trapped in just three feet of grain, requires 325 pounds of force to remove them. By the time that same individual is buried in six feet of grain, the force needed to remove them is 625 pounds.
Mosher talks about how to avoid becoming trapped in grain.
She says that grain in confined spaces isn’t the only hazard faced each harvest season.
Iowa Farm Safety and Health Week was scheduled to coincide with National Farm Safety and Health Week, which runs through this coming Saturday.
Rural Iowa — Fall arrives this week and its arrival usually signals the start of the harvest season in Iowa. Several Sheldon area farmers are already in the fields combining soybeans.
Iowa State University extension agronomist, Mark Licht says everything leading up to the harvest has gone pretty well.
He says most farmers are climbing into the combine with confidence about what they’ll see in the field.
Licht says wet weather caused the majority of the concerns in southern Iowa.
Dry conditions had some impact in the northern half of the state, but maybe not as much as the rain did in the south.
There was a stretch of unseasonably cool weather recently where temperatures dropped into the 50s in the evening, and Licht says that could have some impact there.
Weather may still cause some problems before all the crops are in because of development issues brought on by cooler weather.
Licht says the soybean crop appears to be in good shape too.
Licht says its best to have the crops reach maturity before the first frost, which usually happens at the end of September or early October.
Sheldon, Iowa — A Sheldon man was taken to the hospital after a fiery crash south of town on Saturday night.
The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office reports that shortly before 10 PM, 27-year-old Brenton Delaney of Sheldon was driving a 2003 Pontiac Aztek southbound on Highway 60, about two miles south of Sheldon when he lost control of the vehicle, which entered the west ditch and rolled. The vehicle did start on fire but Delaney was able to exit the vehicle on his own.
The Sheldon Community Ambulance Team took Delaney to Sanford Sheldon Hospital.
The Pontiac sustained about $8,000 in damages.
Alcohol is believed to be a factor in the accident and the case remains under investigation.
The Sheriff’s Office reports that the Iowa State Patrol, Sheldon Police Department, Sheldon Fire Company, Sheldon Community Ambulance Team and the Sheldon Emergency Management Agency assisted on the scene.
Sheldon, Iowa — Before the Sheldon City Council makes a decision on the building of a new Events Center in the new Community Park, they need to examine how much it will cost to operate that facility, see a final draft design proposal, and determine how it would be financed.
At last week’s meeting the Council approved a resolution of support for an application for a Vision Iowa Program Grant. The City will be asking for the grant to cover twenty-five percent of the estimated 5.3 million dollars in construction cost. The grant application was approved by a 4 to 1 vote with Council Member Randy Fonkert voting no. In addition, City Manager Scott Wynja reported that although the City has not begun a fund raising effort, they have received pledges totaling sixty thousand dollars for the project.
It was emphasized that the vote to approve the grant application was not a vote to build the Events Center. The Council has asked for a study to determine the expected cost to operate the facility. That information is expected to be available for council study sometime in October.
Marshall, Minnesota — Four high school marching bands from the KIWA listening area were among twenty bands competing Saturday evening during the 20th Annual Pursuit of Excellence Marching Band Competition in Marshall, Minnesota.
