There is a new District Associate Judge for a Judicial District that includes nine Northwest Iowa counties.
Iowa Governor Kim Reynoldss has appointed Melinda Wicks, of Sergeant Bluff, as the District Associate Judge for Judicial District 3B. Wicks is the successor in the post that opened with the retirement of Todd Hensley.
Wicks currently serves as a Magistrate in Woodbury County and as a deputy attorney in the Dakota County Attorney’s Office in Nebraska. The district includes Buena Vista, Cherokee, Clay, Crawford, Ida, Monona, Plymouth, Sioux and Woodbury counties.
*Additionally, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is going to the high-profile Clay County Fair as a means to remind people of support they can get for disaster assistance.
The fair in Spencer, Iowa, will run through September 15. FEMA personnel will be at a fair booth for nine hours per day to 6 p.m. Spencer was one of hardest hit towns by late June flooding in Siouxland.
The FEMA team at the Clay County Fair will connect people from 16 counties impacted by flooding with information about home repairs, how to register for federal assistance, and how the U.S. Small Business Administration can provide loans to help cover home repairs and business needs.
*In other news, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a wastewater bypass at the city of Denison in Crawford County.
DNR officials on Monday received a tip from Denison Municipal Utilities regarding a wastewater bypass that occurred due to a main that had become plugged.
The discharge was discovered at the Denison Country Store located on Fourth Avenue. It is estimated that up to 300 gallons of sewage flowed onto the ground, and some flowed into a storm sewer which outlets to the Boyer River.
After the discharge stopped, cleanup efforts began. Water samples will be tested, and DNR officials will work with Denison city officials on any further steps needed.
*The new bicycle courses in Sioux City opened in June, and now one of those pieces hosted a first mountain bike race on Sunday.
The race was the season opener of the Nebraska Interscholastic Cycling League. About 250 people registered for the race, which covered just more than two miles of singletrack terrain through the Loess Hills that lie in Cone Park on the city’s south side.
The Cone Park bicycling pieces include the mountain biking trails, plus pump tracks that people can ride with circular loops and dips. Sioux City parks officials are seeking to make sure the Cone Park pieces are introduced to more people and well used.
In related bicycling news, the former owner of a longstanding bike shop in Sioux City has died.
Albrecht Cycle Shop via social media announced that Otto “Bud” Albrecht died, and he turned age 100 in June. Albrecht’s has been in existence since 1965, and his funeral will be in Sioux City on Tuesday.
Corey Smith, who bought the cycle shop from Bud, said he was a well regarded man who was known for his kindness and joking demeanor. Smith said Albrecht was a staple in the Sioux City community who will be missed by many people.
* The Sioux City School Board has changed its application deadline for community volunteers who would like to join its Educational Equity Committee.
Applications must be submitted by September 13.
The Educational Equity Committee members advise the Sioux City School District on the coordination and development of policies, programs, resources, and methods that increase maximum achievement for all students in a multicultural, gender-fair environment.
