THE NEWSPAPER THAT SERVES ALL DECATUR COUNTY
12 PAGES USPS 310-140
LEON, IOWA 50144, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2020
P.O. Box 580, 111 NW. 2nd, Leon, IA 50144 E-mail: JRNEWS@GRM.NET VOLUME 91 - NUMBER 07
Winter Wonderland...in March
This post-card like winter scene was taken Saturday on South Church Street looking to the southwest.
The branches of this evergreen tree on the Bill Cox property on South Church Street showed the impact of the wet, heavy snow, as they drooped downard.
After giving us several warm, early Spring days, Mother Nature decided to remind us that it wasn’t quite time for Spring. Leon residents woke up Saturday morning to find a fresh covering of snow. Amounts ranged from 1-3 inches around this area. The snow didn’t last long as the temperature pretty much stayed above freezing over the weekend. However, the moisture was greatly appreciated in anticipation of Spring planting in the not so distance future. The temperature was to climb back into the 50s and 60s through the middle of the week, accompanied with rain and then drop back into the 30s by the end of the week and weekend.
Steps Taken to Combat the COVID-19 What is the coronavirus and how is the world responding to this pandemic? The coronavirus is a respiratory virus first reported in China in December, 2019 and has since been detected in other parts of the world, including the U.S. Since the spreading of this illness around the globe, the World Health Organization has characterized it as a pandemic. The disease caused by the virus is called COVID-19. The new virus is a type of a coronavirus. Coronaviruses are a group of viruses that can cause a range of symptoms including a runny nose, cough, sore throat and fever. Some are mild, such as the common cold, while others are more likely to lead to pneumonia. They're usually spread through direct contact with an infected person. Including the newly identified form of the virus, there are a total of seven coronaviruses that can infect humans, the CDC says. Other well-known coronaviruses include SARS and MERS. What are the symptoms?
Key symptoms to watch for include fever, cough and shortness of breath or difficulty breathing. However, the illness can also cause body aches, sore throat, vomiting and diarrhea. Up to 80 percent of those who become infected appear to have mild symptoms and may not even know they're sick. But in severe cases, the illness can cause pneumonia, kidney failure and death, according to the World Health Organization. According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, the risk to Iowans is currently low. (Info. Source CDC as reported in USA Today March 12,2020) Why do experts say quarantines and canceled events are a good idea for controlling the spread of the coronavirus, especially when they involve people who are not sick? It's all in the numbers and how quickly they grow. Health officials are trying to avoid a rapid spike of cases that could overwhelm the health care system by "flattening the curve," or spreading out the number of coronavirus
cases over a longer period. In many respects, it's not whether the situation is going to get worse but how quickly. "Whenever you have an outbreak that you can start seeing community spread ... when you have enough of that, then it becomes a situation where you're not going to be able to effectively and efficiently contain it," commented Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. "Bottom line, it's going to get worse," he said. If it happens too quickly, there will not be enough hospital beds or ventilators for treating all patients. More people will die. In the graph below, the difference is visually convincing. A self-quarantine seems brutal when you're not sick with coronavirus – but it really is for the greater good. The preventatives are in hopes to avoid the worst-case scenario, where the daily number of cases jump dramatically, rapidly (continued on page 9)
Sullivan to Fill School Board Vacancy With the recent resignation of School Board Member Ray Bishop, the Board took action last Wednesday night to fill that vacancy. Two candidates showed interest in filling the seat. Andy Sullivan and Patrick Hartley were the two that showed interest. According to the board minutes, Sullivan was unable to attend the meeting but submitted a letter to the board detailing his background and interest to serve and Hartley was present to introduce himself and highlighted his interest to serve. After discussion, the Board appointed Sullivan to fill the vacancy as Director for District Two until the
next school election in November 2021. According to the mintues, the vote was 3 to1: Cayle Buckingham – Patrick Hartley, Jane Chailie, Amber Swartz, and Cassie Allen for Sullivan. Other business ● The Board approved continuing operation sharing agreements for the 2020-2021 for the following: Superintendent (CD and Lamoni), Transportation Director (CD and Lamoni), and Human Resources Director (CD/Lamoni/Wayne). They also approved cooperative sharing for Cross Country, Bowling and Wrestling with Lamoni and Swimming with Indianola CSD. It was noted that soccer is still being studied
and information will be presented the board at a later date. ● The following resignations were accepted: Joni Readout as Instructional Coach; Zach Clark as Varsity Boys Basketball Coach; and Jon Pedersen as Assistant Boys Basketball Coach. The Board also approved the resignation of Curtis Boothe as Varsity Girls Basketball Coach and approved him as the new Varsity Boys Basketball Coach. And, the board approved the resignation of Kat Akers as Assistant JH Softball Coach pending ability to find a replacement this season. ● The Board approved the FY21 budget publication with a proposed rate of $13.00550 per $1,000 taxable valuation, reduction of $4.07 per thousand from the current levy.
DCH Has Voluntarily Implemented Precautionary Procedures To Protect Our Patients, Providers, Staff And Community ATTENTION VISITORS For the safety of our patients, families, and colleagues, at this time the following visitor restrictions are in effect: • Only TWO visitors are allowed for each patient (parents/ stepparents, spouse/ significant other, etc) • Visitors must: o Wash hands upon entering and exiting the patient’s room (Soap and water OR Alcohol-based hand
foam/gel) o Be 16 years of age or older o Always remain in the patient room, as appropriate o Limit movement within the facility o Be free from illness (fever, sore throat, runny nose, cough, vomiting, or diarrhea) HELP PROTECT OUR COMMUNITY We also encourage you to follow precautionary procedures
“Wondrous Love” A Celebration of Easter Once again, the Little River Choir and the Bellievers Bell Choir will be performing at Loving Chapel United Methodist Church located at the 4-way stop in Leon. Their Easter selections will be presented at 7:00 p.m., Friday, March 27 and 4:00 p.m. Sunday, March 29. Musical selections include: “Wondrous Love”, “How Wonderful
His Love!”, “Blessed is He Who Comes” (soloist Tiffani Evans), “The Night Before the Savior Died”, “Behold the Lamb”, “Worthy is the Lamb”, and “My Redeemer’s Love.” Members of the chorus are Lorren Helton, John Dunsdon, Dick Hillyard, Frank Binning and Tanner Bettin, tenors and basses; altos are Barb Dunsdon, Deb Walling,
when in public. If you have a cough, or are suffering from respiratory symptoms, avoid public as much as possible. Especially avoid community members who are in vulnerable populations such as the elderly and immunocompromised. As always, we encourage you to frequently wash your hands with soap and warm water for at (continued on page 12)
Jan Chambers and Karen Jennings. Sopranos are Tiffani Evans, EV Trowbridge, Lori Jones and Delaine Plossel. The accompanist is Laura Allen and the narrators are Todd Applegate and Jan Redman. Members of the Bellievers are Sandra Fullerton, Susan Lane, Rene Fierce, Marilyn Hawkins, Jan Chambers and Bob Redman. A free will donation will be taken.