Violence

This week on The Exchange, we remember a Woodbury County teacher who died from COVID-19. Cherie Dandurand taught at Woodbury Central Schools. She was the first teacher in northwest Iowa to die from the coronavirus.

A northwest Iowa teacher has died of complications of COVID-19.

The superintendent of the Woodbury Central School District in Moville confirmed the death of 53-year-old Cherie Dandurand who first started in the district in 1991.

School was called off early yesterday after hearing the news of Dandurand’s death.

She taught middle school social studies.

There have been three nights of violence in Des Moines over the police murder of George Floyd of Minneapolis  At a news conference this afternoon, Gov. Reynolds also supported the decision to set a curfew of 9:00 p.m. for Polk County tonight said she wanted to work with advocates for social justice to prevent more tragic deaths.  

Reynolds today said she was working with the NAACP to change the criminal justice system to reduce racism and violence to African Americans. 

Betty Andrews is president of Iowa-Nebraska Branch of the NAACP.

Those in the know were not particularly surprised to see Kaitlin Bennett come on campus around graduation dolled up as she was--her mortar board darlingly decorated with a dare, and her brother's assault rifle, with scope, slung over her shoulder. News stories claim that she was an outspoken 2nd Amendment advocate during her tenure as a student and that she wasn't at all shy about shooting off her mouth about guns.   

SPM’s Gretchen Gondek talks with Jeremy Pigg of the CSADV and Verna Bennett, team leader of the 2016 Shimmy Mob Event that is taking place on May 14.  The shimmy mob wiill be held in conjunction with the Rain Drop Belly Dancers, who are raising funds and awareness for victims of domestic abuse in our community.