This past week began with Meals on Wheels for three days. Faith Lutheran doesn’t deliver Meals again until May 1. That seems a long ways off! That Monday night, there was a City meeting. The public hearing on “Fiscal Year 2024 Budget lasted one minute and then the rest of the items on the agenda continued.
The snow stayed away but on Thursday morning there were a few schools that were letting out early due to high winds! Before 9 o’clock, there were more schools that were letting out at 11:45 or 12:30. The winds were strong and it is surprising that someone didn’t blow off the road.
If there weren’t enough problems, my dryer quite working! I put a load of wash in it on Wednesday night and the next morning found the clothes were just as wet as before they went into the dryer. I had all the clothes in a clothes basket ready to go to get dry when Bethany decided to take all her clothes out and spread them around (on top of other clothes) to dry. Blue jeans don’t dry that fast! She can be glad that she was sick on Friday and didn’t have to wear damp blue jeans to work!
Zachary had ordered a sensor panel that came Friday but then discovered that it needed a new belt (that won’t be here until Thursday). Meanwhile I found something to wear to church and didn’t have to bother Steve to pick up the wet clothes, put them in his dryer, and after delivering the newspapers, bring them back dry to my house.
Being without a dryer brought back a memory of when we lived across the street from where we live now before our house arrived. One day Floyd said that we should save on electricity and not use the dryer as long as there was a clothes line out back. I told him that unless there was any wind, the clothes would take longer to dry.
I had to go uptown to buy clothes pins and early the next morning I hung the clothes out on the line (there was no wind). That afternoon he had to go to work. “Where are my clothes?” he asked. I told him to go out on the line and get them. When he came back in, he said, “They are wet and I’m not going to wear wet pants!” I had put back a shirt and pants and dried them without him knowing it! This was the last time he mentioned hanging out the wash!
There is a Middle School play on Friday/Saturday this week. I have no idea what it is about. It is nice that these kids get a taste of getting in front of an audience by doing a play. It is getting them ready for high school.
I see where Sheree Ogren is going to celebrate her 90th birthday on March 29. Congratu
Are you getting any “scam” calls lately? I have gotten one from Underwood and Poke City. It is no wonder how they get our names to call. Social media has something on people, that is really no ones business. It seems that these scammers are finding names that are usually senior citizens’ names. What are the ages of people that are most likely to fall for one of their scams—senior citizens. This age group is looking for more money to supplement their Social Security and the scammers know how to hook them. Looking at one of these that was posted, I found numerous things wrong about what was reported. Things that happened 10 years ago are still posted. I declare who ever put these facts on for everyone to read, know what brand of toilet paper you use and the color of your underwear! When ages are given, the scammers know exactly who to contact. Either don’t answer the phone or hang up on them. (Most of the time, they will not give up and still call several times.)
I saw in the Sunday paper where a relative of my mother, Roger Kloster, died. At one time a Mrs. Louise Kloster was an English high school teacher. She was married to probably a cousin of Roger’s. There was a very lengthly obituary in the paper (and costly, also!) I wish it would have mentioned his sisters that were still living. Now I will have to go to the family book and find them!
I read where the Mapleton mayor has taken over as city police chief. Two of the four police officers left their positions, one of them being the police chief. Mapleton has just over 1,400 people and would have four police officers. The mayor says that Mapleton is big enough for big town problems and small enough to have less of them. Friday and Saturday nights as well as school traffic call for someone actively patrolling or at least an officer would be on call.
Mapleton has one full-time officer and one part-time officer at the present time. The two officers that resigned went to a nearby county sheriff’s department. There are only four applications so far. The overall police budget is around $220,000 that covers vehicles, insurance and salaries. The starting salary for a police officer in Mapleton is $44,000—that is for someone that is uncertified but the city pays for an additional $4,000 to $14,000 to send them to the police academy. The former police chief was making around $57,000 and a full-time officer was making around The mayor now is fielding phone calls, making schedules, and filing state paper work (so far, no one has called complaining about their neighbor’s dog barking!). Two years ago, he was filling in for the police department for almost a year but is hoping this time won’t be as long. Previously the town has said that they would have to increase their starting salary by about $20,000 to be competitive, not including benefits.
If Mapleton cannot find replacements, there are two other options. 1. Mapleton police officer would work during the day and the Monona County Sheriff’s Department would cover the rest of the time. The Mapleton officer would deal with city issues, code enforcements, etc. (Logan, Iowa is using this system.) 2. The other option is to have “no” city police department and receive entire coverage by the county sheriff’s department. (Onawa, Iowa is using this coverage.) If the county would take over, that would happen in August or September. The Monona County Sheriff is retiring at the end of March, so until a new sheriff comes there, no contracts or arrangements can be made dealing with Mapleton.
If there are no qualified or willing individuals to take over as police chief after a resignation, Iowa Code allows the city to make a temporary appointment. That is why Mayor Brent Streck (Mapleton’s mayor since January of 2020) had to take over as chief because of these rules set in the Iowa Code.
When this happened two years ago, people seemed to be passionate on both sides as to keep police in Mapleton or go the County Sheriff’s route.
Remember in your thoughts and prayers those who have lost family/friends to death, have had their lives changed; have a health problem some of which are terminal; are still trying to make ends meet even though they have a job; help those who desire “wants” rather than “needs” that prestige isn’t everything and be with those who are still trying to shorten the distance between family/friends to build a bridge instead of a wall. Count your blessings.
I will close with this quote from Leo Tolstoy, Author: “Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.”