The northmost section of the PlyWood Recreational Trail near Le Mars, Iowa, is officially open.
That trail will eventually connect Le Mars to Sioux City, as it also runs through Hinton and Merrill in between.
Officials announced the northerly trail segment is open, and last week Le Mars City Council members approved some procedural details relating to a portion of the PlyWood Trail being designated as part of the city’s park system.
The PlyWood Trail is named after the two counties it connects, Plymouth and Woodbury. The trail costing at least $23 million is being funded with grants and private contributions, and much of it is in proximity to U.S. Highway 75.
There are three segments, and the southern segment from Sioux City to Hinton could be done in a few more months. The middle segment from Merrill to Hinton will be finished last.
In related news, a distinctive fitness court also could be coming to the town of Le Mars.
The city of Le Mars has received a $30,000 grant from the National Fitness Campaign Grant Committee in California for an outdoor court with many pieces of exercise options.
The goal of the grant program is to create substantial fitness pieces that are accessible in public places, and that grant was discussed at last week’s meeting of the Le Mars City Council.
Le Mars City Councilman Mark Sturgeon on Monday said the outdoor fitness court is being planned for Municipal Park, which is on the northeast side of town near a recreational trail and a campground. He said the project will be good for people who want an outdoor option that’s not in a gym.
Sturgeon said the outdoor fitness park could be done by 2026, and adds onto more that is coming to Le Mars city parks. O’Tool Park this year will be getting a new splash pad.
*Additionally, the U.S. State Department is cancelling the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program’s grant funding. The program is known for its fall residency, which typically hosts thirty writers from around the world.
Due to the cuts, participation in the fall residency program will shrink by half. The program is also cancelling its summer youth program, distance learning courses and its Emerging Voices Mentorship Program that serves displaced writers.
Christopher Merrill is the director of the program.
“I think we have enough money to host a small cohort of writers this fall as a sort of placeholding opportunity, and then during these next six months, we hope that we can figure out a different way to keep this storied program going,” Merrill said.
Merrill says the funding cuts are nearly a million dollars, between one half and two-thirds of the program’s budget.
*In other news, the suspect in a Sioux City cold case, dating back more than 40 years, is back in Iowa to face charges.
Thomas Duane Popp is accused of first-degree murder for the death of Terri McCauley of Sioux City. She disappeared in 198 at age 18, and her body was found several days later.
Popp was extradited from Washington State over the weekend. He’s currently in the Woodbury County Jail in Sioux City on a bond of $3 million.
McCauley was a mother of two and a member of the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska.
Family members credit growing publicity around the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR) movement for movement in the case.
*Elsewhere in Iowa, an after-school literacy program in Waterloo will be independently hosting the annual African American Read-In after the city’s school district withdrew from the event last month.
The 1619 Freedom School helps Waterloo’s African American elementary and middle schoolers with reading skills.
It made the decision to host the read-in after Waterloo Community Schools said it wouldn’t participate, citing a fear of losing federal funding amid D-E-I rollbacks.
Nikole Hannah-Jones, who is the 1619 Freedom School co-founder, said the read-in is important for everyone in Waterloo’s diverse community.
“Black stories are valid and worthy in and of themselves, and we don’t have to defend that. All people in a community are better when we learn about different cultures and we have empathy with people who have different experiences,” she said.
This will be the 19th read-in for the city’s students. It is scheduled for March 15.
*Additionally, Iowa Department of Natural Resource officials are monitoring a relatively dry winter for precipitation and how that factors into drought conditions.
The monthly Water Summary Update is out, and Iowa’s average snowfall for February was just under 5 inches, which is 2 inches less than normal. That follows January also having less snow than typical years.
Therefore, moderate drought conditions expanded slightly last month in central and eastern Iowa. The National Weather Service’s forecast for March is predicting average precipitation for the western half of Iowa.
