Sioux City JournalAn Italian company has purchased Wells Enterprises. Wells has been a family-owned company since 1913.
Ferrero announced the deal today to acquire Wells. Wells produces ice cream under the Blue Bunny brand and has offices in Le Mars and production operations in Le Mars; Henderson, Nevada; and Dunkirk, New York. Ferrero made it clear it intends to continue current operations.
Mike Wells, the current chief executive officer will serve as an adviser to support the transition.
Ferrero started in 1946 and has grown to become a global leader in sweet-packaged foods, including the brands Nutella®, Kinder®, Tic Tac® and Ferrero Rocher®.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s thankful the company will remain in Iowa. The deal will grow Ferrero’s reach in North America. It comes on the heels of its acquisitions of Fannie May and Nestle’s confectionery business.
Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed. It’s expected to close early next year.
Siouxland Chamber of Commerce executive Barbara Sloniker has announced her interest in filling the future vacancy on the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors, according to the Sioux City Journal.
If chosen, Sloniker would replace supervisor Rocky De Witt who was elected to Iowa Senate District 1.
Former Woodbury County Treasurer Michael Clayton has died.
Clayton had worked in the treasurer’s office for about a decade before being elected in 2010. He resigned his post last year. Clayton was 77 years-old.
The former police chief of the Yankton Sioux Tribe in South Dakota has been charged by federal prosecutors with wire fraud and theft from the tribe. Federal prosecutors allege that Chris Saunsoci sought wages both from the tribe and a local ministry that was providing flood relief. He allegedly held both positions between September 2020 and 2021 and sought wages for both positions on 139 days. The U.S. Attorney’s office for South Dakota says Saunsoci is also being charged with misusing an SUV that belonged to the tribe this year. Saunsoci pleaded not guilty to the charges in November after he was indicted by a federal grand jury. An attorney appointed to represent him did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Officials say COVID-19 hospitalizations and reported positive tests continue to rise.
Federal officials report as of Wednesday 255 Iowans hospitalized have tested positive for the virus. Up from 233 last week.
That’s as the state health department says more than 4,500 positive tests were reported in the past seven days.
State officials also added 22 Iowans to Iowa’s COVID death count. 10,316 Iowans have died from the virus so far.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, 64 percent of all Iowans have completed their primary COVID vaccine series. And 15 percent have received the most recent bivalent booster.
The Sioux City Community School District sent a message out to parents about the increase in several illnesses, including influenza, strep, COVID-19, and RSV. Additional cleaning will be done, and high-traffic areas will be disinfected. Parents are asked to keep students at home if they are not feeling well. The district also stressed the importance of hand washing as another step to help reduce the spread of illnesses. A spokesperson for the district says she doesn’t have a specific number of students out sick.
SCCSD message sent to parents and guardians:
As can be common this time of year, we are seeing an increase in illnesses across Siouxland, including here in our district. Siouxland District Health Department has reported an uptick in cases of influenza, strep, Covid-19, RSV, and other viruses. The District is in constant communication with district health to ensure we take the steps necessary to keep our students and staff healthy. This includes the implementation of additional cleaning measures in our buildings to disinfect high-traffic areas.Additionally, we ask you to keep your student at home if they aren’t feeling well. Reminding your students about the importance of washing their hands is also an important step in staying healthy. Together, these steps can all reduce the spread of illnesses in our buildings.Information about illness protocols and practices is available on the District website. Thank you for your continued partnership.