The Busiest Little Town in Iowa

L-M School Shows Higher Test Scores

2011-09-09T09:00:00.004-05:00

A year ago the Laurens-Marathon school was declared to be "in need of assistance" under the federal No Child Left Behind law. This year the school has fared better.

The Iowa Department of Education released its annual list of schools this week. If schools do not meet an ever-rising set of standards in graduation rates, reading and math scores, and attendance, they can be added to the list. The L-M elementary and middle schools were added last year because they had not made so-called adequate yearly progress in reading scores for two consecutive years.

But this year they did raise those standardized test scores. If L-M scores high enough again next year they will escape the list. A third of Iowa schools are on the list. More get added every year. Ultimately all schools will be on the list because the standards are higher every year. The 2014 standards set by the federal NCLB law are widely considered unattainable. The law has caused considerable anxiety among educators and has boosted the standing of private schools who are not governed by the law.

Laurens Farmland Auctioned at $8980/Acre

2011-06-29T10:55:00.003-05:00

An eighty acre farm field near Laurens sold today for $8980 per acre. The auction was held at the Amvets Hall in Havelock. About fifty people attended.

The property is bordered on two sides by roadways, leaving 76 acres of crops. Its corn suitability rating (CSR) is 80.2 which is high for Iowa farmland. The bid price is $112 per CSR point. Early this spring land at Rolfe sold for $101 per CSR point. Earlier this month Pocahontas land was auctioned at $106 per CSR point.

The land lies southeast of Laurens. It was owned by the children of Mary Kees and has been farmed by Bill and Christie Mather. It was purchased by Cindy Dubbert who lives nearby.

During the auction the price of corn was near $7 a bushel at the local markets. Soybeans were near $13. Both markets were up from the previous week.

Pocahontas Farm Auction: $8900/Acre

2011-06-04T11:04:00.006-05:00

An eighty acre tract of flat farmland five miles south and four miles east of Pocahontas was auctioned this morning for $8900/acre. It was the Hermon Tjaden property, currently farmed by tenant Bob Beneke. The 2001 cash rent is $15,400, according the auctioneer's statement today.

Bidding was brisk. The auctioneer, Lowderman Auction and Real Estate, said there would be no breaks or timeouts. However he did pause after about five minutes of bidding to acknowledge the property "can be a little wet." Five minutes later the auction was complete.

The land is 80% Webster soil. The tract has a corn suitability rating (CSR) near 84. Pocahontas County's average CSR is only 74. The CSR system assumes drain tile has been added wherever necessary.

Dividing the bid price by the CSR yields a ratio of $106 per CSR point. Earlier this spring a 120 acre Rolfe parcel sold for $101 per CSR point.

One audience member left the auction saying, "I'm going home to put up some For Sale signs."

On auction day the local price for corn was $7.31; for soybeans, $13.75. Both prices are higher than in March when the Rolfe auction occurred.

New Use for Rock Island RR Right of Way?

2011-05-29T21:44:00.009-05:00

Updated within.

A vague plan to revive the old Rock Island Railroad right of way (perhaps) through Pocahontas County will be considered at several area public meetings this week. One will be held in Pocahontas on Friday.

The new use is for electric transmission lines to carry wind power out of the state. It is called the Rock Island Clean Line. It is one of several proposals being considered by various parties who want to profit from wind turbines.

Update: It became clear at the open house that poetic license has been used in naming the project after the Rock Island. The new power lines will not follow the old railroad lines. In fact towns will avoided as much as possible. As with the original Rock Island, the new lines run southeast from this area. Another similarity is that both the railroad and the electric lines serve a similar purpose--getting rural resources to urban markets. The railroads carried grain and livestock. The electric lines will carry wind power.

The Rock Island Railroad dissolved in bankruptcy in the early 1980s. One of its routes ran from Watertown, S.D, to Des Moines, passing through Laurens, Pocahontas, and Manson. In this area it was mostly converted to farmland. The Laurens hiking trail now occupies the old railroad route on the south side of town.

Another set of tracks ran through Estherville, Emmetsburg, Livermore,and Cedar Rapids.

Thursdays hearing will be at the Pocahontas Expo Center, 8am-10am. It is hosted by Clean Line Energy Partners of Houston, Texas. This is a chance for us to learn their plans and for them to gauge our hospitality or hostility to the possibility of a new transmission line through the county.

Similar hearings are in Storm Lake, Spencer, Emmetsburg, Cherokee and Paullina beginning Tuesday, May 31. Comments may be submitted on line here.

Arrested Leaving Laurens

2011-05-27T20:39:00.006-05:00

One cold January night a young man left Laurens with a small amount of marijuana hidden in his car. He drove straight into the hands of the law. On May 24 he was sentenced to six months in the county jail. The sentence was suspended and replaced with probation.

He is 18-year-old Kevin Bergen of Albert City. He was stopped by sheriff deputy Brian Runneberg. According to court papers Runneberg pulled Bergen over as he was turning from N-28 toward Albert City because Runneberg "recognized the vehicle and had knowledge that the plates were expired." Deputy Runneberg also reported Bergen's car "has been parked at a known house in Laurens with drug activity."

Runneberg asked permission to search Bergen's car but Bergen initially declined, according to Runneberg's report of the incident. Later Bergen agreed to a search. Runneberg found no contraband. Nevertheless he impounded the car, telling Bergen "that since the vehicle wasn't registered to him and had no proof of insurance and expired plates that the vehicle was going to be towed." Later a dog found a "small" amount of marijuana in the air vent of the car.

Bergen's driver's license was suspended after his guilty plea to the misdemeanor crime of possession of marijuana. He has been ordered to pay court costs and to accept treatment from Community and Family Resources of Fort Dodge.

Iowa's court system spends about a million dollars a week on marijuana cases. An estimated 20% of young Iowa adults use marijuana every year.

Municipal Cable Puts Laurens On Map

2011-04-27T07:32:00.005-05:00

Laurens has been put on the map, thanks to its city-wide municipal cable and broadband service. Few communities on the US have such a system to protect themselves from "a looming broadband monopoly." Laurens built its hybrid fiber optic and coaxial cable system in 1998. The map was created and published last month.

In some states it is illegal to create a broadband service that is owned by the public, due to legislation pushed by corporations such as Comcast and AT & T.

Eighteen other Iowa towns are on the map as well, including Spencer, Storm Lake, Algona, Mapleton, Sanborn, Orange City, and Coon Rapids. Only some 78 cities appear along with Laurens. An additional 54 cities on the map have even better public systems which offer the gold standard--fiber optics into the home.

Together these 133 municipalities serve three million people (just one percent of the USA), according to a report by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance in Minneapolis.

From the report:

. . it appears that the federal government is
unwilling to stand up to powerful corporations to defend the public good. This is where community owned networks come in. The citizens and businesses in each of the towns on our map have a network that will offer access to the open Internet– because they own the network and they make the rules for it.

The report alleges that elsewhere in the US "Comcast owns the internet" because it owns so much of the infrastructure over which traffic must flow.

The report continues:

Wireless providers may increasingly compete with DSL networks, but cable networks will continue to offer higher capacity connections than either.

Laurens Municipal Power & Communications has a website that details its history and rates for services.

Tornado Disaster

2011-04-11T20:21:00.002-05:00

The Governor has called Pocahontas County a disaster area after tornadoes struck Saturday night. The towns of Ware and Varina were hard hit. County Sheriff Lampe said seven hog confinement buildings were destroyed along with several homes, but no injuries were reported.

More than five inches of rain fell southeast of Laurens. The Larry and Sonja Perkins farmhouse was undamaged but three other buildings were destroyed and the blue Harvestore silo was toppled.

Farm fields throughout the area now host crinkled sheets of aluminum roofing. Numerous dead ducks and other birds appear on roadways.

Photos and videos are available at this writing at these websites:

The Messenger

KCCI-TV Channel 8

WHO-TV Channel 13

Ware photos

Political Lines Redrawn Around Laurens

2011-03-31T12:23:00.004-05:00

Proposed new legislative lines give Laurens two Congressmen, two state representatives and a new state senator. Someone will get forced out! The lines were drawn to reflect the census of 2010. All legislative districts must be the same size.

The new Iowa 10th House District would include Pocahontas, Humboldt, Calhoun and parts of Webster counties. Two Republican members of the current Iowa House--Tom Shaw and David Tjepkes--live in opposite corners of the district.

Our proposed new state senate district will include all the same areas plus most of Webster county. Fort Dodge Democrat Daryl Beall would be our state senator until the next senate election.

Pocahontas county is the virtual heart of the proposed Fourth Congressional District. It reaches from Missouri Valley to Carroll to Ames to New Hampton, including everything to the northwest. Republican incumbents Tom Latham and Steve King both live in this district.

The state legislature must approve or reject this map by the end of April. Current office holders will remain in place until the 2012 elections.

Rolfe Land Brings $6775/Acre

2011-03-05T11:34:00.005-06:00

Fifty people gathered at the Rolfe Community Center this morning for the auction of 120 acres of farmland a mile north of town. It was last on the market in 1966 when it was purchased by Jim and Esther Wilson. The high bidder today was a local dairyman, Dean Duitscher, who bid $6775/acre. The runner-up bidder was also an area farmer.

The land has no buildings. It is on Hwy 15. It is rolling and has at least one terrace. The corn suitability rating (CSR) is 69.7 on the 115.3 net acres. The gross price divided by the net acres and the CSR produces a value of $101/CSR point. The current tenant has a lease that extends through this summer.

More details about the property were still available on the auctioneer's website immediately after the sale.

Yesterday the local price of corn was $6.82/bushel. Soybeans were selling for $13.47/bushel.

Joelson Calls Community Pow-Wow

2011-03-02T09:21:00.004-06:00

The L-M school superintendent wants to talk. He has invited the community to a meeting two weeks from today. The topic for the 6:30 p.m. session will be "What does it mean to be an educated adult in Lauren-Marathon in the 21st century?"

Superintendent Iner Joelson issued the invitation in the school's current "Update" publication, a blue booklet that arrived in area mailboxes last week. He reports that school board members recently read The Global Achievement Gap (available on Kindle even!) and want to re-invent the public school, not just "reform" it. He says "we need your help" because "while [the board] focused on the urgency of change, we had great difficulty . . .in defining a specific area to address."

Joelson also referred his readers to a new website that was "formed to help Iowan's find a common voice to promote the need for innovation in education."

Last year the L-M school was called a "school in need of assistance" by the federal government. The No Child Left Behind Act(NCLB) is slowly bearing down on all public schools. It expects all students to be on grade level by 2014. Schools that don't appear on track to meet that goal will be penalized. However the NCLB law is due for re-authorization this year.

Meanwhile the Iowa House wants to cut state aid to education.

New Rural Atlas Tells Our Tale

2011-02-25T10:15:00.004-06:00

A new on-line atlas from the US Dept of Agriculture has just been posted. It tells many figures about Pocahontas County. Here are a few:

--We had a 10.5% poverty rate in 2009.

--We were 38% employed in services; 19% in manufacturing; 13% in agriculture.

--Nearly 10% of us lack a high school diploma(see poverty rate above but don't jump to conclusions); 28% have a college diploma.

--We had 806 farms in 2007, but a quarter of them had less than $10,000 in sales.

--Only 28% of farm operators work off the farm. Only 1% sell food directly for human consumption.

The new website is a map. Roll your cursor over the county of your choice and read all about it. How does Pocahontas compare to where your relatives live? Why don't they move here?

Laurens Shrinks As Fast As County

2011-02-15T10:10:00.004-06:00

The Laurens population fell from 1476 in the 2000 census to only 1258 this time, a drop of nearly 15%. That virtually matches the county decline of 15.6%. In the previous decade the city had declined only 5% while the county shed residents nearly twice as fast. The census reports 106 vacant housing units in Laurens, a vacancy rate of 15% Why can't we escape that number of 15%?

Havelock has 138 residents, down from 177 or 22%. Pocahontas fell 9% to 1789.

Marathon has 237 in the current census, down 22% from 2000. Albert City has 699, down only ten residents from the last census. All the 2010 numbers are at this website.

State Grows But County Shrinks

2011-02-11T14:10:00.005-06:00

Pocahontas County shrunk by 15.6% in the last ten years. Our population dropped from 8662 to 7310. We are the fastest disappearing county in Iowa. We won that honor once before. Only seven Iowa counties have a smaller population. Meanwhile the state grew by 4%. The map shows the counties coded by rate of change with dark purple dropping by the greatest percentage and dark green increasing the greatest percentage.

Laurens Wins What Gamblers Lost

2011-01-26T21:57:00.001-06:00

More than $15,000 in casino winnings were transferred to Laurens today when the Pocahontas County Foundation awarded its 2011 grants. The money went to four projects. An additional $65,000 went to other projects around the county.

The proposed Memory Lane park on South Third Street was granted $10,000. It was the second largest grant given this year, topped only by the $15,000 award to the Palmer fire station.

The Laurens Library will receive $4,000 to replace computers for patron use. The City of Laurens gets $2,000 for its work of digitizing the cemetery records.

Kids Korner Day Care will buy a Wii and two laptop computers with the $1650 it received today. Director Michelle Sandvig predicted the audience would be able to hear squeals of delight from the children when the computers arrive.

The Havelock fire department won $6,000 for new protective gear for firefighters. The Pocahontas Hospital's new wound center received $6,000. Libraries in Rolfe and Plover also received grants for computers. Among other recipients were Pocahontas Congregate Meals, the cities of Fonda, Pocahontas and Rolfe, Pocahontas Chamber of Commerce, the Pocahontas Community Band, and the Fonda Arts Center.

The Foundation grants were preceded by a speech from Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey at the Rialto Theater in Pocahontas. The Foundation is a creation of the Pocahontas County Economic Development Commission. It has operated since 2006.

Prettiest Train in Havelock

2011-01-26T20:51:00.005-06:00

Two long rows of brand new identical hopper cars sit on the Union Pacific Railroad siding at Havelock. When the Union Pacific took control of the old Chicago and Northwestern rail line in the mid-1990's a similarly good-looking set of hopper cars came down these same tracks for the maiden voyage by the new owners. Nothing that attractive had been seen since. Until now.

Prosperous New Year: Local Governments Have Little Debt

2011-01-01T07:58:00.007-06:00

Laurens may be surrounded by a debt crisis--from Wall Street to California, from Athens to Washington, D.C.--but local governments are in excellent shape.

Pocahontas County carries no debt whatsoever.

The city of Laurens owes $2.6 million, about $2200 per resident. All the cities of Iowa average about $1500 in debt per resident of Iowa. (Unfortunately this figure assumes all Iowans live in a municipality.) Emmetsburg and Pocahontas each carry about $1800 per resident.

The Laurens-Marathon school district is paying off a debt of $2500 per student. Sioux Central's debt is similar. Pocahontas Area Community School owes nearly eight times as much per student as Laurens, due to the new construction nearing completion. Their enrollment will also increase if they combine with Palmer-Pomeroy in the near future. A vote will be held this winter.

Iowa Central Community College also appears on our property tax bills. ICCC owes $37 million. Its debt ranks exactly in the middle of Iowa's thirteen community college districts.

So that leaves personal credit card debt and mortgage or car payment debts. How is your new year looking?

The figures in this story are derived from data at the office of the State Treasurer.

Merry Christmas: Laurens Farmland Leaps in Value

2010-12-18T07:33:00.002-06:00

The value of an average farm in the Laurens area jumped more than 20% in the last year, according to an Iowa State University survey. Land brings $6345 per acre, up more than a thousand dollars since the 2009 report, largely due to low interest rates and high crop prices. Corn is currently over $5 per bushel and soybeans top $12 per bushel. The news was announced on December 15 by ISU economist Mike Duffy. In the 2009 survey land prices had declined 2% from 2008.

The owner of 160 acres of land that carries no debt can now be considered a millionaire, though few farmers (or landlords) think of themselves this way. Nearly three fourths of Iowa farmland is debt-free.

Current farmers are buying 70% of the land that sells. New farmers get only 3%. Outside investors snap up the rest.

Nearly five hundred persons took part in the survey. It has been conducted annually since 1941.

Laurens School "In Need of Assistance"

2010-12-06T08:49:00.000-06:00

Acting under the infamous federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law, Iowa officials have put Laurens-Marathon elementary and middle school on the state list of "Schools in Need of Assistance (SINA)." There are 356 Iowa schools on the list, including elementary schools in Spencer, Storm Lake, and Fort Dodge. One fourth of all Iowa schools are said to be in need of assistance, but few of them are small rural schools.

Laurens reached this list after being on the "watch list" in 2009-2010.
Also on the new watch list are Emmetsburg Middle School and Pomeroy elementary school.

"The reality is that every school will end up on the list [by 2014] because statistically it's not possible to reach a 100 percent (student proficiency ranking)." says Barb Besch, Spencer's school improvement director, quoted in the Spencer newspaper in August.

Laurens made the list because students were not testing well on reading. Laurens made a previous poor showing in a Des Moines Register comparison in April, 2008. The Register compared the grades of graduates who enrolled at UNI, ISU and SUI. Laurens was in the bottom half while West Bend-Mallard and Pocahontas ranked in the top ten.

The SINA list was made public in August, and was featured in the school publication Laurens-Marathon Update, December/January/February 2010-2011 which arrived in local mailboxes last week. The Update included two messages from superintendent Iner Joelson. While one message was indeed from Joelson, the second was boilerplate provided by the state officials who put Laurens on their SINA list.

In his personal message, Joelson said the SINA list "often stigmatizes the school and the community, not to mention the teachers, students and staff." But he added, "I am confident that we are not on the list because of bad teachers."

In the second, pre-drafted letter Joelson explained that students had not made "adequate yearly progress" for two consecutive years, but also alleged that L-M is "offering a top-quality education." The sentence "Unfortunately, our district is not able to provide school choices because there are no other elementaries in our district for students to attend" was also taken from the state sample letters. Presumably Joelson does not actually think it unfortunate that we lack a second elementary school.

However that sentence does reveal what many observers say is the ultimate effect of NCLB: not to educate children, but to create turmoil, even to the end of changing schools into cash cows.

Francisco Reyes De Jesus, 1979-2010

2010-12-01T16:55:00.002-06:00

Mr. De Jesus was killed in a car accident on icy roads west of Laurens on November 22.

Lowell E. Anderson, 1929 - 2010

2010-11-20T11:28:00.001-06:00

There will be a memorial service the day after Thanksgiving. See here.

AnnaBelle Mosbach, 1921 - 2010

2010-11-20T11:25:00.000-06:00

She was honored as the Outstanding Senior Citizen of Pocahontas County in 1995. More here.

Cellulosic Ethanol Alters the Landscape

2010-11-20T10:59:00.005-06:00

Here wait several hundred large square bales of cornstalks in a field north of Ware. The Poet ethanol plant in Emmetsburg now buys such bales for its experimental process of making ethanol from cellulose rather than from grain. This is the first year of the experiment which is funded in part by the Iowa Power Fund. Newly elected Republicans have been skeptical of the fund which was created by the defeated Governor Culver.

Meanwhile Iowa State's Bruce Babcock says the ethanol blender's credit should not be renewed next month. It does little to boost ethanol production, he says, and points to the way it subsidizes exported ethanol. At present the oil companies benefit from the subsidy as much as farmers do, according to Babcock.

The Music Man Plays Laurens

2010-11-05T22:33:00.005-05:00

With a cast of forty-six singing students, the L-M High School performed a musical before an audience of hundreds Friday night. It is the tale of Professor Harold Hill, a traveling salesman of musical instruments. He arrives in River City and tells the people they need him to form a band. Otherwise the town kids will get in trouble at the local pool hall: "Trouble with a capital T and that rhymes with P and that stands for pool."

When the local school board asks for Hill's credentials he turns them into a musical group, too. Pictured are Trent Kischer, Will Cleveland, Jacob Rosendahl, and Colin Lind. Later he romances Marion the librarian. John Stumpf and Kelsey Slattery played the lead roles.

The musical is remembered for several songs including "Til There Was You" and the signature tune of "Seventy-Six Trombones." Hill may have been a peddler and a swindler, but he can surely sing. He's not alone in that regard.

The production was directed by music teacher Joan Enockson with piano accompanist Connie Dallenbach. There is an encore performance Saturday night at 7 p.m. for only seven dollars. Prof. Hill won't be back in these parts any time soon, so don't miss it.

Tom Shaw is State Representative

2010-11-02T23:17:00.004-05:00

Laurens police chief Tom Shaw has been elected to the Iowa House of Representatives. Shaw rode to victory as part of a Republican sweep of Iowa election returns, spending more than $100,000 mostly on television attack ads against his school teacher opponent, Susan Bangert of Algona.

After midnight with one precinct still to report, the result was Shaw 66%, Bangert 34%.

Mark Twain Lectures Laurens

2010-11-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

Writer Mark Twain was in town last night at the library to entertain with humor and history. Twain kept his crowd laughing for nearly two hours.

He told his family history and introduced many of his ancestors. He said they included both lawyers and swindlers though he could never tell them apart. He told how he had made and lost two fortunes. He lost so much money investing in various inventions that he finally gave up. He told Alexander Graham Bell to take his new telephone elsewhere. "What good was it?" Twain asked. "He only had one."

Twain said when the world ends he wants to be in Cincinnati . . . because they are twenty years behind.

With election day coming up Twain explained the meaning of the word "politics." He said the first part "poly" means "many." The second part "tics" means "blood sucking insects."

Twain performs regularly in Branson, Missouri.

Shaw's Campaign Flush with Mud & Money

2010-10-30T07:20:00.008-05:00

Shaw Outspends Opponent 10-1

Laurens police chief Tom Shaw is attempting to bury his opponent under a mudslide in their race for the Iowa House. Documents released Friday show his negative television ads--which say nothing about Shaw himself--are costing nearly $90,000. They are being broadcast on Des Moines channels to the whole of Iowa.

Shaw's campaign has contributed only about five percent of the money needed to fund the ads. The rest is being paid by the Republican Party of Iowa. Shaw is a past president of the Pocahontas Republicans, but he began this race as an independent. Later he re-joined the party and won its primary election against an Algona physician. Many Laurens residents contributed to that effort, as reported by this website at the time.

Since then local contributions have been dwarfed by party funds and political action committees (PACs). In the last week checks of $1000 each were accepted from an Iowa bankers group and from Freedom First PAC, a creature of former Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty.

Shaw's advertising indicts his opponent for supposedly reducing Medicare to senior citizens. However his opponent, Algona educator Susan Bangert, has not been a member of Congress. The seat for which she and Shaw are running has no control over Medicare.

Earlier printed campaign matter had featured Bangert's photo over the phrase "Bad for Iowa". In the summer a flier insinuated that Bangert had voted to ban the flag from schools, an impossibility for someone who has not held office.

By contrast the Bangert campaign has been funded largely by individuals. There has been no net financial help from the Iowa Democratic Party. Bangert's two mailings have been straight forward with no false charges. Her campaign has cost about one tenth as much as the Republican campaign, according to the published reports both campaigns file with the state.

This race has received considerable coverage by various websites and the Des Moines Register. For a while it appeared to be the most competitive legislative race with so little spending. That changed this week with the big purchase of TV time for Shaw.

Update: BleedingHeartland says "In terms of hyperbole and deception, nothing tops a new commercial Republicans are running against Democratic candidate Susan Bangert in the open House district 8 race."

Elaine Hawley , 1930 - 2010

2010-10-06T07:28:00.002-05:00

Elaine Hawley's funeral will be Saturday. More here.

This Weekend

2010-10-01T07:06:00.001-05:00

Music For A Full Moon

2010-09-19T20:29:00.003-05:00

They must be having fun at the music festivals south of Laurens. For the third time this summer, Hidden Acres Music Farm is holding a weekend event. Many of the bands on the bill have appeared there before, arriving from Wisconsin, Minnesota, or farther away. For advance tickets or other details, go to the website.

The festival coincides with a full moon on Thursday night.

Sheriff Calls 800 Homes at Midnight

2010-09-13T10:32:00.005-05:00

Around 1:15 a.m. Sunday morning the Pocahontas County Sheriff placed two automated calls to eight hundred phone numbers near Laurens. The call advised people to collect their car keys and lock their houses while officers pursued someone four miles south of Laurens. It also directed people to not call back for more information. At 2:00 a.m. a second call said the person had been apprehended.

Today I called for more information. Here's how it went:

Caller: I got two calls in the middle of the night this weekend . . .

Sheriff spokesman (agitated voice): Yeah, you and 800 other people.

Caller: What was that all about?

Spokesman: We were looking for someone and we thought he might have a gun and we didn't know where he was. Do you have a problem with that?

Caller: Yes, I don't want to be called next time this happens unless it's in my neighborhood.

Spokesman: It was in your neighborhood.

Caller: It was 7 miles away.

Spokesman: Well we didn't know if he might have been picked up (by a motorist).

Caller: There must be lots of people who might have a gun and might have car. You don't know where they all are either.

Spokesman: I'll make a note of your call. It probably won't happen very often.

LeAnna M. Weeks, 1941 - 2010

2010-09-09T22:48:00.002-05:00

Born LeAnna May Newell, she spent winters in California but was in Laurens for the summer. More here.

Jerry R. Wassom,1944 -2010

2010-09-08T08:31:00.002-05:00

In 1997 Wassom moved to Laurens where he was employed with Bobalee Hydraulics. More here.

Florence M. Endersbe, 1914-2010

2010-09-05T07:51:00.001-05:00

Flo was employed at M & JR Hakes in Laurens as an egg grader for thirty-four years. More at this page.

Erma A. Waterman, 1916 - 2010

2010-08-31T08:01:00.001-05:00

Waterman worked at the office of Dr. Hodges in Laurens for 25 years. More here.

POET Ethanol Plant Powered by New Federal Subsidy

2010-08-17T23:07:00.004-05:00

Late this fall bales of corn stover will pass by Laurens on their way to become cellulosic ethanol at the POET plant southeast of Emmetsburg. The bales will have come all the way from Carroll. Eighty-five farmers have signed four year contracts to provide the bales. Most are within thirty-five miles of Emmetsburg.

POET held a kick-off celebration on site Monday. Governor Culver spoke to the crowd of about one hundred. Researchers from Iowa State and Idaho National Laboratory discussed positive findings that support the dream of cellulosic ethanol.

But what really makes it happen is a new federal subsidy tucked into the 2008 farm bill called the biofuels crop assistance program. It pays $45/ton to farmers who supply corn stover for ethanol. With that incentive POET had no trouble finding a supply of stover for this fall. Some 56,000 acres are under contract.

Without the subsidy the cost of baling and hauling the stover and the cost of replacing the fertility that is removed from the field would eat up the full payment farmer's could command from an ethanol plant. No subsidy, no ethanol.

The POET plant expects to need six times as much stover in a few years. New opportunities to supply the plant may be available next fall.

For this year the plant prefers large square bales. Balers from Kansas and elsewhere are expected to help in this area this fall, according to Aaron Bloom of Albert City, a financial consultant with Ag Performance of Buffalo Center, Iowa.

POET has abandoned earlier plans to use corn cobs. They were unable to convince farmers to slow harvest and separate the cobs. Now they plan to buy "whatever comes out the back of the combine." Corn stalks are not as desirable as the leaf, husk, and cob mixture that can be wind-rowed by the combine and baled without additional chopping or raking. An eight row corn head is said to work perfectly. About one ton of desirable stover can be harvested from one acre of corn in this manner.

ISU: Keep Farm Rent Steady

2010-08-14T09:28:00.006-05:00

Prices for crops and crop inputs have stabilized. Farm rents should do the same, according to Iowa State University extension farm management specialist Tom Olsen, who spoke Friday in Emmetsburg. "Steady as you go," Olson said.

The big picture is still one of national recession with a lesser effect on agriculture. Changes to a one-year-old lease are not really needed, he said, "But maybe the rent should be down a little bit." If the lease was negotiated several years ago when prices were more volatile, big changes may be appropriate.

Current cash rent rates in the Laurens area average near $190/acre for high quality land, according to an ISU survey. Two-thirds of the farmland in this area is rented to tenants. Since the 1920s more than half of Iowa's land has been farmed by tenants.

Land values have risen 8% in the Midwest according to the Federal Reserve Ag Letter of May 2010, but the number of land sales in 2009 declined 25% compared to a year earlier. The main driver of high land prices is low interest rates (see photo below). "Keep your head down. Don't leverage two farms to buy a third farm," Olsen advised.

Farm rent agreements automatically renew on September 1 unless either tenant or landlord cancels the lease in writing. Now is the time to decide if changes are needed.

Olsen also suggested farmers learn to use on-line resources such as the Web Soil Survey and the ISU Ag Decision Maker. Olsen can be reached at tolsen@iastate.edu.

Evelyn Schleusener, 1916-2010

2010-08-14T09:24:00.002-05:00

Evelyn Schleusener was a Laurens area resident since 1938. She was past President of the Pocahontas County Historical Society, and curator of the county’s historical museum in Laurens for thirteen years. More here.

Forty Years Since Wadena: Four Days to Jerry's Jam

2010-07-26T17:08:00.003-05:00

Forty years ago this week Governor Robert Ray declined to enforce a court order banning the Wadena, Iowa rock festival. Thirty thousand people came. The skinny-dipping in the Volga River was the talk of the state.

Four days from now Bill Hertz's friends at Hidden Acres Music Farm south of Laurens will host Jerry's Jam. The two day festival is named after another musician of forty years ago, Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead band.

Sixteen bands are on the bill for Friday and Saturday. Tent spaces are available in the shade! Tickets can be purchased on line at the Hidden Acres website.

Laurens Celebrates

2010-07-24T19:31:00.009-05:00

Laurens celebrated last night with fireworks and music. Today began with a parade. By noon the kiddie train was running downtown. Later an inflatable midway occupied the kids who weren't at the free swimming pool. Wine tasters prowled Main Street after paying $10 for a drinking glass.

At the Methodist Church Marcia Leu of the Laurens Women's Club collected donations for the Talents and Treasures show. The money raised (over $125) will finance an L-M school field trip to Des Moines as part of Iowa history education for fifth grade students. Among the treasures on display were Ron Reese's arrowhead collection and Anne Walstead's letter openers.

Mavis M. Wunder, 1918-2010

2010-07-16T19:47:00.002-05:00

Mavis Wunder died at the Good Samaritan Center. There will be a funeral Tuesday at the Christian Church. More details here.

Pocahontas County Fair Opens Tonight

2010-07-15T16:27:00.004-05:00

Jeri Wenell and Judy Boettcher set the stage for the Golden Horizens 4-H Club display Thursday at the fairgrounds. Meanwhile the stage is already set for a community band concert tonight at 6 p.m.

The fair runs through the weekend.

Iowa Homeless--Sleeping in Chairs

2010-07-15T09:22:00.006-05:00

by Dick Layman, Public News Service

DES MOINES, Iowa - A new study backs up what homeless shelters statewide have been reporting; a big jump in homelessness in the last year. The report, produced by the Iowa Institute for Community Alliances, finds there were over 23,000 homeless people in the state and over 15,000 classified as at-risk to become homeless.

Ken Dohmen, the operations manager at Central Iowa Shelter and Services in Des Moines, says the situation has not changed in 2010.

"Usually in the summertime we have empty beds, but this summer we're not having empty beds. Our beds are completely filled and we're putting people in chairs."

Dohmen blames the economic downturn and the lack of an extension of unemployment benefits for the increased numbers this summer.

"What I'm seeing is a lot of people that used to have a job that are now unemployed and their benefits have run out and they are coming to stay at the shelter."

According to the report, homeless people were found in every county in the state, and the increase is noticed in more families and women needing help.

Dick Layman, Public News Service - IA
file photo not from Iowa

Zoo Animals at Laurens Library

2010-07-12T19:36:00.003-05:00

The Des Moines Blank Park Zoo is coming to Laurens. The library will host a show and tell program next Monday July 19 at 3 p.m. At least three animals from the zoo will be on display.

Laurens Sun Has Another New Editor

2010-07-12T19:07:00.003-05:00

For the second time this year the editor of the Laurens Sun is changing. Saying "I am at a point in my life where I have to think of myself first," out-going editor Brooks Taylor heads for a new job at the Mount Pleasant News in southeast Iowa. Taylor oversaw only ten issues of the weekly newspaper in Laurens.

This spring The Laurens Sun was sold by the children of Dar and Bill Chaffee to Jerry Wiseman, who also owns the Pocahontas Record Democrat where Taylor had previously worked.

The in-coming editors are Kevin and Nancy Verzich. They moved to Iowa from Ohio last winter and currently reside in Pocahontas.

Dr. Dale Ferguson, 1935-2010

2010-07-12T19:03:00.002-05:00

Former Laurens veterinarian Dale Ferguson has died in Arkansas. His funeral will be in Laurens. More details here.

Robert Otto Braesch, 1954-2010

2010-07-09T21:18:00.002-05:00

Memorial services will be held Sunday July 11, 2010, 2:00 PM at Bethany Lutheran Church in Laurens. More at this page.

Pocahontas Movie: Toy Story 3

2010-07-07T17:51:00.001-05:00

Over two hundred critics at Rotten Tomatoes gave this movie a 99% favorable rating. The Fort Bend Sun wrote

"The emotional roller coaster this film takes its audience on is better than anything at Disneyland."

Meanwhile the New York Times has this piece on rural theaters in North Dakota run by the community members. Here's one person's preference for a theater rather than a DVD at home:

“But at the theater,” she continued, “the phone doesn’t ring, it’s not time to change the clothes from the washer to the dryer, and there isn’t anyone at your door. It’s kind of the heart and soul of our town.”

Toy Story 3 starts Friday at 7 pm.

Pocahontas County More Republican Now

2010-07-06T21:42:00.004-05:00

The number of active registered Republicans in Pocahontas County jumped more than eleven percent this spring, a result of two contested races in the June primary. Both Democrats and No Party voters re-registered as Republicans in order to vote in the races for Governor (Branstad, VanderPlaats and Roberts) and state house (Shaw and Richards). Democratic registrations fell by four percent. No Party registrations declined five percent. The total number of active voters held nearly steady at 5530.

There are currently 1780 active Republicans, 1352 active Democrats, and 2394 active independents not registered in either party. Independents cannot vote in the primary unless they re-register in a party.

County Republican voters preferred Vander Plaats and Shaw as candidates for November. Although Shaw won his race, Vander Plaats did not. Complete registration data can be found here.

ISU Ag Dean Doesn't Understand Cattle

2010-06-30T06:00:00.001-05:00

The Dean of the ISU College of Agriculture doesn't understand that cattle are made to eat grass. Even many small children have heard that cows have four stomachs. That's because their digestive system has evolved to handle forage.

Dean Wendy Wintersteen told the Chronicle of Higher Education, "I don't have an opinion on that statement," when she was asked to acknowledge that cows naturally eat grass. The Chronicle article investigates the failure of ISU to higher a new director for the Leopold Center, a research and education center with statewide programs to develop sustainable agricultural practices that are both profitable and conserve natural resources. It was established under the Iowa Groundwater Protection Act of 1987.

Most Iowa cattle are fed corn. Corn farming leads to soil erosion and water pollution. The Leopold Center should work to make agriculture more compatible with the environmnet. But the influence of corn growers is affecting the ability of the ISU Dean and the ISU President to hire anyone who might criticize how corn is grown or cattle are fed. Thus Wintersteen would rather appear foolish or ignorant than acknowledge the obvious -- cattle and sheep naturally eat grass, not corn.

Street Theater in the Graveyard

2010-06-27T21:34:00.012-05:00

Maud Coldren came to life and re-opened her hat shop today at the Laurens Cemetery. Coldren's business occupied the spot where Streeter's Specialties now does business on South Third Street. Pat Frantz played the role of Maud. Coldren's business opened in 1913.

This was the third year that the Laurens Women's Club offered "Voices From the Past." Trolley cars from the Albert City Thresherman brought the audience to the grave sites.

John Pohlman spoke the Gettysburg Address on behalf of President Lincoln. Bob Schuler recited the names of twenty-five Civil War soldiers buried here. Schuler ended with his personal commentary. "I have seen war," he said. "I have seen bodies in the mud, and starving children. I hate war."

Pictured below are Thaine Hopkins, the voice of his own great-grandfather Bill Hopkins; Kristen Alstott, voice of 1920's high school basketball player Pauline McDermott; and Bill Mather, voice of butcher Edward Bigglestone. His shop was on the location now occupied by Heart N Home on North Third Street.

Not pictured but also performing were Jan Hersom, Lois Jirgens, Dale and Barbara Ryon, Jim Runneberg, Lyle Wallin, and Mary Svuba.

More cemetery tours were promised. Anyone wanting to play a part is asked to contact the Women's Club.

Voices from the Cemetery

2010-06-23T06:12:00.001-05:00

Laurens history will be taught by ghosts of the local cemetery Sunday evening. The Women's Club will run trolley cars from the ball diamonds to the cemetery where they will be greeted by the ghosts of residents past. It costs $5 and runs from 4 pm to 8 pm.

Mulberries Ready on Preservation Trail

2010-06-22T07:08:00.000-05:00

Juicy mulberries are ready for picking on the Laurens Prairie Preservation Trail south of town. The best picking is near the south end of the trail. Wear your old clothes--those berries may leave stains.

Read This Book

2010-06-21T08:41:00.005-05:00

Is this book a touching story about a nine-year-old and the Holocaust? Or is it an indictment of self-centered people everywhere? What does that surprising ending mean?

You still have time to read this very easy novelette before the Laurens Library book club discusses it. Pick up your copy at the library now. Then return to dissect it Monday, June 28 at 7 p.m.

VFW Post Demolished

2010-06-19T07:01:00.000-05:00

The building once known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars Archibald Southworth Post 3533 is being torn down. It is on East Veterans Road.

Return to Debtor's Prisons?

2010-06-14T10:54:00.004-05:00

by Public News Service

Debtor's prisons were outlawed in the 19th century, but recent practices by debt collectors in Iowa have civil rights experts wondering if the prisons are back in a new form. Here's the tactic being used by some collection agencies - ask a judge to issue a warrant for the arrest of a debtor if they don't make good on a court-ordered payment.

Randall Wilson, legal director the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa, says the practice is troublesome, yet perfectly legal.

"It does sound like debtor prison and I think for that reason you would expect the courts would be kind of leery of going that direction in the case of a person who truly couldn't pay their bills."

Even if jail is not imminent for someone behind on their bills, Wilson says the threat of being jailed could be used by collection agencies to harass people.

"My fear is that this is being used, if not to establish a debtor's prison, at least to threaten unsophisticated debtors."

Whether someone is actually imprisoned until they pay their debt depends on where they live, as it varies from jurisdiction to jurisdiction and judge to judge for how court orders are enforced. Due process would require a hearing before the judge to determine if the debtor willfully violated the court order.

Photo shows 1787 Virginia debtor's prison with stocks.

Fonda Museum Movie Premiers Twice

2010-06-13T19:53:00.004-05:00

A documentary about the Fonda Museum premiered today at the Fonda Arts Center. It was followed by an open house at the museum complete with root beer floats and popcorn. The museum is usually open only by appointment. It is housed in the nineteenth century Fonda Opera House building on main street.

So many people attended the premiere that it had to be screened twice. It is the work of Buena Vista University students under the tutelage of Media Studies professor Jerry Johnson, a Fonda native. Copies of the documentary on DVD are available from Johnson for twenty dollars. Contact him at 712-749-1218 or send an email to johnson@bvu.edu.

The video features many items in the museum and explains how it opened in 1994 during a Fonda all-school reunion. Museum proprietor Gib Alpers modestly says they decided to call it a museum even though it was just a collection of junk. Alpers himself restored many items in the collection. Most items were used at one time in Fonda businesses. The documentary is named "The Fonda Museum: Restoring the Past."

Music Festival Flying High

2010-06-12T10:46:00.004-05:00

It was non-stop music last night at the festival south of Laurens. Two stages alternated their acts with barely time for the audience to move from one to the other without missing some notes. Everything was pretty electified Friday, especially that guy from St. Louis. Today's billings include some acoustic acts such as Jon Eric of Iowa City and The Brothers Burn Mountain from Wisconsin. The local Prairie Land Band plays today as well.

The musicians weren't the only ones itching to perform. One pair of dancers in front of the stage displayed their moves. Several hula hoop artists were very watchable, too. They were more memorable than the bands. They had apparently spent as much time practicing, too.

Painting Postponed One Week

2010-06-11T12:07:00.004-05:00

Volunteers will need to keep their brushes dry for another week. Today's planned painting of the Carnegie Library has been rained out. For more information on the need for your help on June 18 to try again, call Glenda the librarian at 841-4612.

Local Music: Fire in the Flatlands

2010-06-10T07:47:00.005-05:00

Bill Hertz is hosting another music festival this weekend at a farm south of town. The program lists twenty bands from around the country, including some who have played here in previous engagements.

Many of these bands are on tour. This stop in Laurens is just one in a series that makes up their road trip. Most of them can be previewed at their pages on MySpace.com.

This is the third summer for these concerts. Previous festivals have not been well attended, so Hertz has let musicians know that they may only recoup their gas money if they stop here. Advance tickets cost $40 for the entire two days of music, or $25 for one day at time. They are available at Bill's website.

The photo was taken last summer. The music that night by "Useful Jenkins" of Mankato, Minnesota was excellent. They are due back this weekend.

I'll be there, at least part of the time, when it's not raining. See you!

Shaw Wins: Faces Another Algona Opponent in November

2010-06-09T06:54:00.004-05:00

Police chief Tom Shaw won 55% of the vote and will run for the Republicans this fall. He is attempting to succeed Dolores Mertz as Iowa state representative. Shaw began his campaign a year ago as an independent, but joined the Republican race in late 2009. He upset Algona physician Steve Richards who had nearly won the seat from Mertz in 2008. That race was so close it forced a recount of the ballots. Shaw was outspent by Richards this spring, but won everywhere outside of Richards's home county of Kossuth.

Shaw will run against Algona educator Susan Bangert. Ironically Bangert is married to the Algona police chief. She works for the area education association as a speech and language specialist.

More on Shaw here, and on Bangert here.

Tiny Turnout; Shaw Landslide in Havelock

2010-06-08T21:32:00.004-05:00

Tom Shaw easily won Havelock's Republican vote for state legislative candidate, 19-3 over Dr. Steve Richards of Algona. Bob Vander Plaats beat Terry Branstad 17-11. The winner statewide will face Democratic Governor Chet Culver.

Hardly any Democratic ballots were cast. Roxanne Conlin won the precinct in the US Senate race: Conlin 4, Krause 2, Feigen 1.

Only thirty-six voters appeared in person during the fourteen hours the poll was open. Others may have voted earlier by absentee ballot.

Get statewide or district-wide results here.

"When the Barn's on Fire, Let It Burn Down to the Ground"

2010-06-07T15:23:00.002-05:00

Chad Elliott of Coon Rapids sang last night at the Fonda Central Park. Elliott is the winner of the 2009 Woody Guthrie song writing contest. He will sing in the Sioux Rapids city park Friday June 18 at 7 pm.

Elliott performed the role of Buddy Holly last year in the 50th anniversary commemoration of the Holly’s last concert at the Surf Ballroom at Clear Lake. He says it was “quite an honor.” Sunday he sang his own songs (e.g., Barn’s on Fire) and those of Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Leonard Cohen, James Taylor and more.

Elliott’s current tour of small town Iowa is called his “One Horse Town Tour.” There is no charge for the concerts, but there is a tip jar. The Fonda stop was sponsored by the Fonda Arts Council. More about Elliott is at his web site.

Tom Shaw's Grassroots Campaign

2010-06-06T10:02:00.004-05:00

Laurens police chief Tom Shaw has run a grassroots campaign for the Iowa legislature. His campaign finance reports filed just days before the Tuesday election show a hundred contributors chipping in over $6000. No contributions exceed $300. Many are from Laurens residents. The vast majority of funds come from within the legislative district.

Shaw’s expenses are mainly for printing, postage, and advertising in newspapers. In addition he has spent more than two thousand dollars of his own money driving around the district to campaign. He bought a thousand copies of pocket U.S. Constitutions for his campaign.

Also in the race is physician Steve Richards of Algona. Richards has raised more than twice as much as Shaw and has spent twice as much. Contributions came mostly from the Algona area. At the beginning of this month Richards had a balance in his campaign account that was nearly as large as Shaw has spent in this campaign, due in part to money loaned to the campaign in the past.

Details are available at this site.

Petersen Funeral a Time for Mercy; a Numinous Moment

2010-05-30T09:39:00.002-05:00

Hundreds of mourners gathered Saturday at the Laurens schoolhouse to hear a passionate and memorable eulogy of Alan Petersen by his brother and a message of mercy from Rev. Tim Walker of the Laurens Methodist Church.

“We live in a world of chaos and pain,” Walker said, citing a letter from the apostle Paul. We cannot expect life will be fair, he said, but we can trust in God's mercy. Rev. Walker spoke of two families torn by this tragedy, but said the thing to remember is that mercy has been promised by God.

Ronald Petersen told the crowd that he had been overwhelmed by feelings of love brought on by the death of his brother and the outpouring of memories it has evoked. “There's not one bad memory” in all his thoughts about Alan, he said. This experience produced what he called a “numinous moment.” Ronald said he had recently learned of the word numinous. He said he thought it could be “Alan's word.” He then went on to describe the meaning of the phrase.

A numinous moment is one in which the power of life overwhelms us. We should pay attention to such moments because they are the purest experiences of our lives. He recalled a certain portion of the music of Handel's Messiah when the choir sings fortissimo and the sun is shining brilliantly through the church windows as such a numinous moment. These moments can involve beauty, love, or even the thrill of a sled ride down a snowy slope.

Ronald said his brother Alan knew how to live large in the numinous moments of his own life. “Pay attention” to these moments, he implored, as Alan Peterson had done. “How did he do it” Ronald asked, “all the time?”

L-M Teacher Killed on Highway 10

2010-05-27T20:42:00.006-05:00

Al Petersen, Laurens resident and high school science teacher, was hit by a car while riding a bicycle before sunset on Highway 10 and died of his injuries Wednesday. The car was driven by one of his students, Kelsey Fredricks of Marathon, who was on her way home after helping chaperone a school field trip to Adventureland Park. Fredricks had graduated on Sunday.

Petersen had taught at Laurens-Marathon since 1983. He was known for his memorable class lessons such as setting his head on fire with flammable soap suds, or going to the Clay County Fair to study the physics of the midway rides. He also gave technical assistance to many stage productions at the high school. He was fifty years old.

The Buena Vista county sheriff reported that the collision occurred three and a half miles east of Marathon about 8 p.m. Furthermore,

A preliminary investigation of the accident indicates that a bicycle being ridden by the deceased was west bound when it was struck by a vehicle that was west bound on Hwy 10 driven by Kelsey Fredricks age 18 of Marathon, IA. Indicators are that both the bicycle and the vehicle were both west bound into the sun as it was setting and that the motor vehicle was unable to see the bicycle due to the blinding sunlight coming from the west. The driver of the motor vehicle was not injured in the accident.

The news prompted the creation of a Facebook page that drew over five hundred followers within 24 hours of Petersen's death. The messages expressed sympathy and support for friends and family of both Petersen and Fredricks. Petersen was praised as a kind neighbor and inspiring teacher.
(sxc file photo of Minnesota road at sunset)

Wind Splits Tree Top to Bottom

2010-05-25T09:53:00.002-05:00

Wind gusts near fifty miles per hour Monday split this tree east of Laurens at Mather's place. The tree turned out to be hollow.

School Lunch Goes All Summer--For Free!

2010-05-20T20:38:00.003-05:00

The school lunch program will continue for free this summer at the Marathon Municipal Building and also at the L-M school lunch room. Parents can eat, too, for two dollars.

The Summer Food Service Program begins Monday, June 7 and continues weekdays through July. Mealtime is 11:30 to 12:30. All students under age 18 are welcome regardless of family income.

The program is sponsored by the United State Department of Agriculture "in low-income areas where at least half of the children come from families with incomes at or below 185 percent of the Federal poverty level, making them eligible for free and reduced-price school meals." For a family of four, $40,793 is 185% of poverty.

Census 80% Complete in Pocahontas County

2010-05-17T09:15:00.004-05:00

The census form return rate from Pocahontas County is higher than any surrounding county. Eighty percent of forms were mailed back by late April, according to this map. That is five points better than Buena Vista County, six points better than Clay County and nine points better than Palo Alto County.

Laurens had a return rate of 88%. Albert City was 82%; Marathon 75% and Havelock 68%. The national average is 72%.

Census workers are needed to complete the work by going door to door. A test for job applicants is being given in Pocahontas at the public library Tuesday, May 18 at 1 p.m. and also on Friday. Walk-ins are welcome.

Saturday Night in Laurens

2010-05-12T23:17:00.002-05:00

The Laurens-Marathon Speech Department
presents the comedy:

“Faith County: An Evening of Culture”

on Saturday , May 15tth, at 7:00 p.m. in the old gym.
Pre-show starts at 6:45 p.m.
This is a fundraiser for the speech department
with a suggested free will offering of $5.00.
No school passes will be honored.

Rained Out

2010-05-12T23:09:00.001-05:00

The J.H. NW Conference, scheduled for Thursday, May 13th, at Alta
HAS BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL
Monday, May 17th.

Harkin, Grassley Split Over Big Banks

2010-05-07T13:26:00.003-05:00

Yesterday the Senate voted on whether to shrink some banks that are "too big to fail." The vote was on the Brown-Kaufman amendment to the financial regulation bill that already passed the House. Iowa Senator Harkin voted to prohibit any bank from holding more than ten percent of the deposits in the USA. Senator Grassley voted against the limit.

Six banks are currently so big that they would have been affected by the bill. Wells Fargo in Emmetsburg and Bank of America in Spencer are the closest to Laurens. More on the legislative fight here.

Frost Threatened; Cover the Strawberries

2010-05-06T12:33:00.005-05:00

The average date for a spring frost in this county is May 1, but frost warnings are up for this weekend. Collect some old blankets for your berries, tomatoes, peppers and other plants that can be covered.

Apple trees that have finished flowering should be safer than those that still have blooms.

See here (map) and look at this list of crops from Ontario Ag.

Expecting Company

2010-05-05T15:14:00.005-05:00

Laurens RV grounds lie ready to welcome visitors. Five spots feature free hook-ups, fire rings and colorful picnic tables. Sportsman's Park is adjacent to the RV park.

The website "WhereToStayUSA.com" claims there are no RV parks in Laurens. It directs campers to West Bend and Spencer!

You get better information about Laurens right here.

Read All About It!

2010-05-04T22:17:00.002-05:00

Times are tough for newspapers. The Laurens Sun has been sold. Whatever becomes of the Sun, there are other ways to spread the news. This site will report Laurens area news in a way that other formats cannot. Here you will find both timeliness and color. Laurens will come first, but neighbors in Marathon, Albert City, and Havelock are invited to participate. The most recent news will be at the top, but once posted, all news will be here in the archives.

One reporter cannot cover even as small an area as this and do it justice. You can help. Send your stories or story ideas, your club announcements or press releases, your letters to the editor to the ncn address at the right.

There are two ways to read this news. You can come here and browse the stories, or your browser can subscribe by going to the very bottom of this page and clicking "Posts (Atom)".