The Lone Tree Lion track and field teams would put together another strong showing last night at the Belle Plaine Co-Ed Invitational The Lone Tree girls were second in the team standings with a score of 116 points 51 behind the winners from English Valleys The relay teams would again lead the way for the Lions as they were the 4-by-100-meter champions with a time of 53.29 seconds and the winners of the 4-by-200 in a tick under one minute 53 seconds Lone Tree’s victory in the sprint medley came in 1:53 and they would also finish in second place in the distance medley Rylee Shield was one of the individual winners for the Lions taking the title in the 400-meter dash with a time of just under 1:02 Fellow senior Hayden Yoder would win the discus throw with a top toss of 112 feet three inches as was junior Ava Christofferson in the long jump and senior Vivian Zaruba in the 200 meters The Lone Tree boys finished fourth as a team at Belle Plaine but their 4-by-100 relay would claim victory by clocking in at 46.81 seconds Junior Dom Garcia was the runner-up in the 200 for the Lions as was sophomore Brock Nebergall in the 800 while junior Emmett Burke and freshman Trenton McKean took third in the 400 and 1,600 Two Class 2A state ranked teams hooked up in Randolph today and did not disappoint a great crowd at Silk Field Top rated defending State Champion Randolph took advantage of a couple walks and two hits in the bottom of the 7th including a walk-off walk to win 1-0 over the Belle Plaine Tigers The Tigers were in Others Receiving votes in the latest Minnesota Fastpitch Coaches Association rankings 2024 Minnesota Gatorade Softball Player of the Year Carter Raymond recorded her 5th shutout in 6 games.  Raymond senior future Minnesota Gopher tossed 100 pitches with 75 strikes with one walk.  She gave up 2 hits (the most in a game this season) senior pitcher for the Tigers equaled Raymond pitch for pitch until the 7th inning.  she also had 8 strikeouts Skluzacek finished the game throwing 106 pitches Both teams had 2 errors in the game according to the official statistics Belle Plaine made some outstanding defensive plays particularly on long runs for catches in the outfield The best defensive play of the game however was a highlight reel diving catch by Randolph right fielder Kylee Carey of what appeared to be a sure hit in the 4th inning Both teams had their chances to score before the final inning In the top of the first inning Kylie Johnson hit a 1-2 count pitch back up the middle to start the game.  She would end up at third base due to an error placing runners at the corners with one out Raymond focused in to get a strikeout and a weak pop out to third base In the bottom of the inning Raymond led off with a smash to second that was ruled an error.  I gave a hit in my book because of how hard the ball was hit and the second baseman had to range a little to her right on the ball.  I thought the ball was hit too hard for her to move her feet and get in front of the softball which is why I ruled it a hit Raymond stole second base and advanced to third on a passed ball Skluzacek locked in the pitching circle to record three successive strikeouts and end the threat In the top of the 5th Belle Plaine got a single to open the inning and with one out and a runner at second Raymond fanned the next two batters The Tigers opened the 7th with a walk for Geisler and Mell Kelm executed a sacrifice bunt to advance Geisler into scoring position Lock-in mode again for Raymond coaxing a weak pop out and ground out to end the inning started the bottom of the inning with a solid single to right.  Ella Banks stroked a single to center with coach Dennis Trom putting up a stop sign to Preston at third base It was the right move because Tigers centerfielder Rachel Johnson threw a dart from center to home plate on the fly had a hit earlier in the game but popped out.  Coach Trom placed Vienna Anderson Anderson would score the winning run after Maddie Loritz their only other loss against Tri-City United in Belle Plaine.  They go to St The Rockets are now 6-0 and host Faribault Bethlehem Academy Monday at 4:30 p.m The Cardinals jumped to the #3 ranking in Class 1A despite losing to Kenyon-Wanamingo last week A recording of the thrilling contest between Randolph and Belle Plaine is below https://serve.castfire.com/video/7377335/7377335_2025-04-19-202435.128.mp3 A bases loaded walk-off walk ended the game.\nRead More https://serve.castfire.com/video/7377335/7377335_2025-04-19-202435.128.mp3 Share on FacebookShare on X (formerly Twitter)Share on PinterestShare on LinkedInBELLE PLAINE Iowa (KCRG) - The school week for students in Belle Plaine could look a little different in the fall The district is considering moving to a four-day week The Belle Plaine Community School District has been looking at the possibility of moving to a four-day school week for about a year and a half now The superintendent said parent/ teacher surveys showed positive feedback on making the change Charolette Grieder has three children who graduated from the Belle Plaine Community School District She’s part of the school improvement advisory committee (SIAC) that gave community feedback into Belle Plaine’s plans to hold classes four days a week rather than five She says she’s on board with the district changing the schedule “Anytime you don’t have to put those kids in a classroom and keep them cooped up The district has talked to others like the Highland and WACO districts that are already on a 4-day schedule They told Belle Plaine some of the positives and negatives of this schedule The districts said changes they had to prepare for were the need for daycare to make up for young children not being at school Belle Plaine says it’s something it’s taking into consideration “We would definitely look at having a daycare here initially if we had enough interest,” said Chad Straight Belle Plaine Community School District superintendent “We don’t currently have a daycare here but if we had that one day off we would probably look to support our parents with that if the board decided to move to a four-day week.” A recent survey at Highland found a majority of students said their mental health The full results of the survey can be viewed below: Highland 4-Day Survey Results, Feb 2025 by zach.owenskcrg on Scribd ”It gives the opportunity for staff and students on that fifth day to also seek some other educational experiences There’s traveling to colleges or just family time and experiences with your family,” Straight said Superintendent Straight said moving to a four-day school week would also help fight the teacher shortage many schools across the country are currently seeing The Belle Plaine school board is expected to vote in March on the four-day-a-week plan Highland 4-Day Survey Results, Feb 2025 by zach.owenskcrg on Scribd Iowa — We have an update to an incident this morning in Belle Plaine Police tell us they were conducting a welfare check on William Atkinson after he allegedly made threats towards a financial company Police arrived at his home in the 1500 block of 5th Avenue and found him outside yelling at officers and striking one of them with the sideview mirror William Atkinson was charged with Threats of Terrorism and Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations While Using a Dangerous Weapon This investigation continues and further charges are pending Iowa's News Now is working to get more details on an incident in Belle Plaine this morning Heavy police presence was reported in the area of 5th Ave. These photos and videos were sent to us by a viewer in the area We have reached out to the Belle Plaine Police Department They informed us that additional information may be sent out in a press release Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application Belle Plaine-Kyleigh Breanna Stanerson was born July 9 The daughter of Brian Stanerson and Colleen (Heick) Stanerson She graduated from Williamsburg High School in 2012 bonfires and most important was the time she spent with her daughter Ka’Niya Brian and Barb Stanerson of Conroy and Colleen Stanerson of Belle Plaine; five siblings Conner Peterson and Brayden Peterson both of Keystone; grandparents Maureen Hansen of Palo and Jim and Raylee Goethals of Bennett and many uncles She is preceded in death by her two special aunts Celebration of life service will be 10:30am on Friday at the First Lutheran Church north of Conroy Visitation will be Thursday from 4:00 to 7:00 pm at the Powell Funeral Home in Williamsburg A memorial fund has been established for Kyleigh’s daughter Ka’Niya Messages and tributes may be directed to www.powellfuneralhomes.com All text and images © Powell Funeral Homes Enter your phone number above to have directions sent via text This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall outfielder Naya Grahn swings at a pitch during the second game of a Big South Conference doubleheader against Belle Plaine at the Marshall Softball Complex on Saturday MARSHALL — Belle Plaine’s offense was too much for the Marshall softball team to keep pace with in Saturday’s Big South Conference doubleheader The Marshall Tigers fell behind early in both games as the Belle Plaine Tigers claimed a 20-5 win in five innings and a 20-3 win in four innings Sara Dallman led the team with three hits and three RBIs in the doubleheader Marshall falls to 0-4 with the loss and will look to bounce back on Monday when it hosts Pipestone Area (2-1) for a doubleheader at 5 p.m Belle Plaine first got ahead with a nine-run first inning capped off by a two-run home run by Brooke Burgermeister The visiting Tigers also scored seven runs in the third inning and two each of the final two frames Kyla Sklucazek also hit a two-run homer in the fourth Marshall’s big inning came in the third a Naya Grahn single and a Justine Lee walk loaded the bases with one out when Sara Dallman hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run A pased ball advanced the remaining runners into scoring position and Bailey Parsons hit a two-run single to make the score 16-4 giving up six earned and eight unearned runs on nine hits over 2 1/3 innings Sara Dallman allowed four earned runs on 11 hits over 2 2/3 and also came up with a pair of hits at the plate Sklucazek pitched all five innings for Belle Plaine allowing one earned run with 11 strikeouts and a pair of walks allowed Sara Dallman hit a double and scored on a wild pitch She also drove in a run in the fifth when Dieken walked and Sallman singled to score her with two outs three RBIs and a walk for Belle Plaine while Sklucazek and Mallory Kelm each contributed another three hits Belle Plaine surged ahead of Marshall with 11 first-inning runs on 10 hits They added another six runs on seven hits in the second and never looked back Marshall scored all of its runs in the top of the third Aubrey Schaefer doubled and Jaylah Morgan singled to put runners on the corners Claire Kruse grounded out to score Schaefer and Lee reached on an error to score Morgan and Dallman singled to score Lee Belle Plaine tacked on another three runs in the bottom of the third and retired Marshall in order in the top of the fourth to activate the mercy rule Moen pitched all three innings for Marshall allowing seven earned and 13 unearned runs on 21 hits and a walk Hailey Furrer pitched all four for Belle Plaine allowing one earned run on three hits with three strikeouts Dallman and Morgan accounted for Marshall’s three hits in the game with Schaefer having Marshall’s only extra-base hits Laney Dalchow and Isabel Tuchtenhagen each had three hits for Belle Plaine Kelm and Dalchow each driving in four runs MANKATO – The Southwest Minnesota State baseball team battled to the very end on Saturday afternoon before .. COTTONWOOD — The Canby/Minneota track and field team finished as the Section 3A girls runner-up at the Section 3A .. WASECA — Marshall’s Dayton Webskowski finished with the day’s lowest score of 9-over 80 to place first .. Copyright © 2025 Ogden Newspapers of Minnesota | https://www.marshallindependent.com | 508 W Scott County officials said on Friday that officers who shot and killed a suspect in Belle Plaine last year were justified in their actions County Attorney Ron Hocevar said that the use of force from officers was “…necessary to protect these officers from death or great bodily harm” and that “the St Paul Police Department officers acted appropriately and within the law.” On the evening of Sept. 25, 2024, Carrie Shobe Kwok was kneeling in the street and working on an art project in St the gunman — later identified as 29-year-old Seantrell Murdock — was tracked to a home on the 100 block of Meridian Street in Belle Plaine RELATED: Lowertown homicide suspect dead after St. Paul police track him to Belle Plaine Paul police were staking out the address the next morning He was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center but did not survive The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) later identified the St. Paul police officers who fired their weapons in the incident as Aaron Bohlen and Lance Christianson Bohlen has 10 years of law enforcement experience and Christianson has 20 years of experience RELATED: Court docs, bodycam video reveal more about Lowertown homicide, deadly police encounter in Belle Plaine Citing the results of an investigation into the force by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) “… while the premature loss of life is always a tragedy the officers acted both reasonably and responsibly Murdock for an assassination-style murder of an unarmed civilian in Saint Paul on the previous day Murdock’s actions far exceeded ‘resisting arrest’ and rose to the level of presenting a clear and present danger to the arresting officers.” “… the officers appropriately exercised the use of deadly force pursuant to Minnesota statutes such force was used as was necessary to protect these officers from death or great bodily harm.” Any person with disabilities who needs help accessing the content of the FCC Public File may contact KSTP via our online form or call 651-646-5555 Students in Belle Plaine Community School District won’t attend classes on Fridays after this school year Home / Hometown Current Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread BELLE PLAINE — After more than a year of research the Belle Plaine School Board approved in March a plan to switch to a four-day school week in the fall “We spent about a year and a half researching the topic,” said Superintendent Chad Straight “It came up in a survey a year and a half ago,” Straight said Iowa Code requires school districts and accredited non-public schools to choose between 180 days or 1,080 hours of instruction in a school year The state sets no minimum or maximum length of day for districts that measure hours Belle Plaine officials contacted other small school districts that have switched to four days a week and decided that the data supports a four-day week and attitudes and health of teachers and students were significantly better “And recruiting teachers was a factor,” said Straight Teachers increasingly look for positions with four-day weeks The District will probably not save money even with students and staff out of building an extra day “You still have to heat the building on the day you’re not there,” said Straight but the district will be running a route for junior high students to and from activities anyway That will be the biggest logistic challenge The biggest concern parents had about a four-day week was child care The District will provide some kind of child care for parents who want it whether it’s through a community group or at the school Most schools Belle Plaine contacted during its research said that child care was a concern before the schools switched to four-day weeks most parents didn’t use the child care options provided by the schools Food shortage was another concern of parents and staff “We’ll probably support a backpack program,” he said Belle Plaine hasn’t provided food in backpacks for students to take home on weekends but plans to start doing so with the new school calendar According to a December article by Iowa Public Radio six Iowa school districts operated on four-day schedules during the 2023-24 school year Another 12 adopted the schedule for 2024-25 Belle Plaine will join the list which consists of Cardinal WACO and Winfield-Mount Union Community School Districts Iowa — A train is currently obstructing all three crossings in Belle Plaine Union Pacific Railroad has reported that the train is experiencing mechanical problems The company has not provided an estimated time for when the issue will be resolved you can see the train here on the Belle Plaine Museum Live Railcam - Belle Plaine BELLE PLAINE \u2014 The Belle Plaine FFA Chapter has been busy over the past year BELLE PLAINE — The Belle Plaine FFA Chapter has been busy over the past year Our chapter has done many activities between our annual family-member banquet back in May 2024 to National FFA Week in 2025 The 2024-2025 officer team was announced at this time: Kyla Shaull This year is John Daniels’ fourth year in Belle Plaine as the Agriculture Education Instructor and FFA Advisor and his 17th year teaching overall Belle Plaine FFA kicked off its year by hosting its annual Pedal Tractor Pull July 4 Members set up on the tennis courts in Franklin Park and hosted more than 30 children ages 3-7 to help celebrate July 4 Winners in each age division received a ribbon and a toy tractor as a prize Career success and career exploration was a chapter objective during September Four members competed in the Iowa FFA State Milk Quality and Products contest Stella Rupp and Reghan De Rycke received a silver in the contest out of more than 30 participating teams from across Iowa The contest asked members to demonstrate their knowledge and skills through a general knowledge test and a team test and to evaluate dairy products ranging from different types of cheese to different dairy and non-dairy product evaluations the Belle Plaine FFA Chapter competed in two soil-judging contests Lane Vokoun and Maddox Purk competed at the Quad-County Soil Contest hosted by the NRCS The same team competed a week later at the Southeast District FFA Soil Evaluation Career Development Event Personal growth and leadership development was a chapter focus in October Members attend Greenhand Fire Up with 26 members and sent six members to the 97th National FFA Convention & Expo in Indianapolis Service was a theme for the month of November members volunteered their time to clean a two-mile stretch of Highway 21 as part of the Adopt-a-Highway Program Members also helped decorate the Belle Plaine Community Christmas tree and held their annual fruit marketing and sales of poinsettias from the chapter greenhouse Frosty the Snowman and the Grinch and passed out candy canes to help students at Longfellow Elementary get in the Christmas spirit chapter officers visited the Capitol Building in Des Moines to advocate for agricultural education and FFA in our public schools part of the annual FFA Legislative Symposium chapter members traveled to North Mahaska High School to compete at the subdistrict FFA Leadership Development Event Contests Belle Plaine students competed in the following contests: the Belle Plaine FFA Chapter has a number of activities planned to help celebrate the week Chapter members will read to elementary students during their reading intervention times display facts about FFA and agriculture and hold a faculty breakfast at the high school the annual plant sale and our Chapter FFA Banquet we extend our sincerest gratitude to the Belle Plaine Community for their continuous support to the Belle Plaine Agriculture Education Program To stay up to date with the latest happenings within the Belle Plaine FFA Chapter Iowa (KCRG) - A Belle Plaine man was arrested Friday after police say he made threats toward a financial company then fled from officers when they tried to conduct a welfare check at his home is charged with Threats of Terrorism and Assault on Persons in Certain Occupations While using a Dangerous Weapon Belle Plaine police did not identify the financial company the alleged threats were made towards When officers went to conduct a welfare check at Atkinson’s home speeding past an officer while yelling at him Police said the side-view mirror on Atkinson’s vehicle hit the officer’s hand as he drove past Police then executed a search warrant at the home in the 1500 block of 5th Avenue at 6 a.m Atkinson surrendered to law enforcement about 20 minutes later Iowa (KCRG) - The Belle Plaine Fire Department announced the death of a firefighter who had been with the department since 2016 the fire department said it is mourning the loss of Matthew Daily "His commitment to protecting and serving others has made a profound impact and he will be deeply missed by all who knew him," the department wrote in the post The fire department did not say how Daily died Photo by Jake McNeill: Marshall guard Cooper Mensink (5) knocks down a layup in traffic during the first half of a prep boys basketball game against Class AA No 10 Belle Plaine on Friday night at Marshall High School MARSHALL — It was a battle of top-10 Tigers on Friday night when the Class AAA No 10 Marshall boys basketball team hosted the Class AA No While the visitors fought valiantly to start the second half Marshall jumped out to an early lead and held on from there for its eighth straight victory “I just feel like what we’ve got going with our coaches and believing in ourselves and our team anything in front of us is a challenge [ we can handle],” Marshall forward Braxton Koster said “We’re playing really good basketball Putting 90 points on that team is pretty good we shared the ball and played pretty well.” Alex Franson and Cooper Mensink were hot beyond the arc from the opening tip Franson hit a pair of 3-pointers to give Marshall each of the game’s first points After Jayden Meister answered Belle Plaine’s first points with a layup off a Franson assist Mensink knocked down a 3-pointer to make the score 11-4 The Marshall backcourt duo combined for 26 first-half points to tie Belle Plaine’s team total at the break Marshall went into the locker room with a 42-26 lead “We work a lot in practice on executing looking for cutters and those guys do a great job of executing those things,” Marshall assistant coach Derek Long said “They do a great job of sharing the ball They have a special connection with each other Mensink finished the night with a game-high 21 points on 8 of 14 shooting from the field and 5 of 10 shooting from 3-point range Franson was the game’s second-leading scorer with 15 points on 6 of 8 shooting and a trio of 3s He also helped Marshall finish the night with nine assists as a team Belle Plaine called its first timeout of the night after Mensink hit a 3-pointer and a layup off a bounce pass from Koster and Franson scooped and scored off a tipped pass to make the score 15-5 in favor of Marshall Mensink knocked down a contested layup and a tough catch-and-shoot 3 to extend Marshall’s lead to 27-9 A trio of trifectas gave Marshall its largest lead of the half Meister hit the first after Belle Plaine called its second timeout and Mensink hit the other pair The first of Mensink’s 3s came at the shot clock buzzer after Franson drove and kicked to Mensink after recovering an offensive board Marshall outrebounded Belle Plaine 34-25 in the game though Belle Plaine held a 13-9 edge on the offensive glass The Tigers’ rebounding efforts were well-balanced; seven players had at least three rebounds with Franson and Oliver Voigt leading the team with four each Belle Plaine answered Marshall’s surge with an 8-0 run but Marshall still went into the locker room with a 16-point lead and a Graven layup on a fastbreak bounce pass from JR Vierstraete started the hometown Tigers off with an 8-0 run Belle Plaine wasn’t ready to give up yet catching fire with a 14-4 run by capitalizing on some Marshall miscues The run brought Marshall’s lead back down to 14 points and Belle Plaine eventually trimmed it to 12 the visiting Tigers never got back within single digits Marshall answered with a 21-6 run to bring their lead up to 85-58 The cushion eventually expanded to as many as 29 points as the Tigers rested their starters for the game’s final minutes “Basketball is a game of runs and there are going to be ups and downs throughout the game You’ve just got to create your own energy,” Long said of Marshall’s ability to halt Belle Plaine’s momentum just getting back to the basics and doing the things that we want to execute.” The Marshall boys basketball team extends its winning streak to eight games with the win The Tigers will next travel to South Dakota to take on S.D 2 Brandon Valley (8-1) on Tuesday at 7 p.m with the hope of ending the Lynx’s seven-game win streak Marshall will have a road rematch against Class AA No The undefeated Bluejays handed Marshall its last loss before the current win streak topping the Tigers 71-52 in Marshall on Jan “Just coming to practice on Monday and being ready to work like we did yesterday,” Koster said when asked what the team needs to do in order to carry its current momentum into next week’s matchups “Practice was great yesterday and that’s what carried into today’s game Iowa — Belle Plaine shocked the world of 8-player football on Friday night handing #7 Iowa Valley its first loss of the season 30-24 The Tigers average over 70 points per game but were held to less than half of their average by the Plainsmen defense The Sigourney Savages started its season by winning a conference boys’ golf dual against Belle Plaine posting a combined team score of 249 strokes that was almost 90 less than the Plainsmen Junior Solon Yates had the medalist round of 37 to lead the Savages while freshman Jordan Tremmel was only two strokes behind him in his varsity debut while sophomore Ike Molyneux finished with a 44 and seniors Cain Weber and Isaac Bruns had rounds of 41 and 47 sophomore Adalynne Tremmel led the Sigourney girls by shooting a 47 against Belle Plaine Freshmen Ella Bruns and Ella Fineran each had a 56 with senior teammate Reagan Clarahan only one stroke back of them The man who St. Paul police officers fatally shot Thursday morning in Belle Plaine is believed to be the person who killed a woman in St. Paul’s Lowertown neighborhood on Wednesday Paul Police Chief Axel Henry explained how the situation unfolded in the community southwest of the Twin Cities Paul Police Department investigators identified a vehicle believed to belong to the homicide suspect and tracked it to an address on the 100 block of Meridian Street in Belle Plaine SPPD officers staked out the address and developed a plan to get anyone in the home out safely — before officers made contact with anyone in the house — the suspect emerged The man was airlifted to Hennepin County Medical Center The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension handles officer use-of-force investigations and will release more details on the specifics of what happened in the days ahead Family members identified the deceased suspect as 29-year-old Seantrell Murdock and said he was a father of four children Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said the city is shaken by the “cold-blooded” nature of the shooting behind the Lowertown Lofts Artist Cooperative on the 200 block of Kellogg Boulevard The police chief said surveillance footage shows the victim was on her knees painting a mural in the street when the gunman shot her “About as vulnerable as a person could be for someone that intended to do them harm,” Henry said Carter extended his condolences to the victim’s loved ones and said the shooting ended the life of a woman who was trying to make her city a better place to have lost a member of our community who was in the act of beautifying our community,” Carter said all she was trying to do was give us an even more beautiful and enjoyable and peaceful community.” that was an artist that vocalized the importance of art in community,” said Rep “Somebody that saw hope and light and vision in our city and in the community of Lowertown.” Paul and was planning to do door-knocking in the area with volunteers when the shooting happened “I heard some noises that did not sound like construction,” she described explaining that she parked a block away.  “There was a large massive response immediately that stopped traffic Several court records show that Murdock shouldn’t have had a gun in the first place He suffered from bipolar and schizoaffective disorders, court documents show. In 2023, a Scott County judge ordered him to be civilly committed, but that commitment was stayed. According to NAMI Minnesota “a stay of commitment means that the court will not enforce the commitment as long as the person participates voluntarily in a treatment.” Court documents show he was convicted of first-degree burglary in 2014 Minnesota law states that people convicted of violent crimes and people who have been “confined in a treatment facility under the civil commitment law as mentally ill” are prohibited from possessing firearms a law creating Extreme Risk Protection Orders went into place It allows Minnesotans to petition the court to prevent someone from possessing a firearm if they pose a significant risk to themselves or others the Legislature passed additional gun laws this shooting highlights the need for stricter legislation “This is an epidemic that’s happening and it’s hit home “This is not just about one policy initiative this is about combining the necessity for social services health and mental services and having community engaged in the public safety piece as well.” “It’s going to take action it’s going to take collaboration.” The white suspect allegedly called his victim a racial slur before punching him A Belle Plaine man stands charged with federal hate crimes on allegations he called a Black man a racial slur before throwing a knockout punch that left his victim going in and out of consciousness from one day to the next was charged last week in connection with the attack outside a Belle Plaine bar in the early morning hours of Feb District Court in Minneapolis on Monday and has another hearing scheduled for Friday after being charged with one count of interference with federally protected activities and one count of committing a hate crime Messages were left Tuesday with Kudla’s attorney seeking a reply to the charges was charged earlier in Scott County District Court with first-degree assault in connection with the incident outside a bar on Meridian Street He’s scheduled to go on trial in that case on Jan The victim is identified in an online fundraiser as 37-year-old Benjamin Morelock of Belle Plaine. State court records show Kudla’s criminal history includes two convictions each for terroristic threats and stalking, and one conviction each for a felony-level violation of a no-contact order and trespassing. A woman who works at Huck’s Shipwreck Saloon said she heard Kudla call Morelock a racial epithet. Kudla then punched Morelock in the face. He fell to the ground and was unconscious for about 20 minutes. Two days later, the Huck’s employee went to Morelock’s home and found him in bed and going in and out of consciousness. She took him to a nearby hospital before he was transferred to Mayo Clinic in Rochester. A woman who works at the Neisen’s Red Door Bar in Belle Plaine described Morelock as “a wonderful person and [Kudla] as very mean when he drinks,” the criminal complaint read. A Red Door bartender said Kudla “was drunk and beyond” that night, the complaint continued. A patron helped escort Kudla outside. She said Kudla had been harassing Morelock a few weeks earlier in the bar, and at one point called him a racial slur. He also was bothered that Morelock is gay, the bartender added. Paul Walsh is a general assignment reporter at the Minnesota Star Tribune. He wants your news tips, especially in and near Minnesota. Tim Harlow covers traffic and transportation issues in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, and likes to get out of the office, even during rush hour. He also covers the suburbs in northern Hennepin and all of Anoka counties, plus breaking news and weather. Twin Cities Suburbs Conservative board members had questioned the content of the books and curricula prompting criticism from the teachers union Ariel Lawhon and Imani Perry also are coming to Hopkins for the popular Hennepin County Library series Hyperlocal cable TV stations that broadcast everything from high school sports to city government meetings confront a perilous existence Iowa (Iowa's News Now) — Multiple departments worked to put out a shop building fire near Vining early Thursday morning and Toledo fire departments from 12:30 am to 4:45 am Crews had to open up wall sheeting and roof panels to expose burning and smoldering materials Half of the building has heavy smoke and heat damage Search warrants filed in Ramsey and Scott counties reveal new details about the investigation following the murder of 66-year-old Carrie Shobe Kwok. she was fatally shot while working on a mural on Wednesday evening on the 200 block of Kellogg Boulevard East in St “Trying to honor the fact that everybody in the cooperative is grieving differently,” says Ben Krywosz president of the Lowertown lofts artist cooperative and she did alternative Vincent’s clothes and made new things of it,” Krywosz says “What I appreciate about her most was how vivacious and enthusiastic she was She was with life,” notes Krywosz notes RELATED: St. Paul shooting leaves member of Lowertown Lofts Artists Cooperative dead “I’m sad that she lost her life for something senseless,” says Ta-Columba Aiken “There were probably 3 to 4 people out here; one of them tried to help and realized when they rolled her over that she had passed.” I ran because it was super loud,” Aiken continued “You know it’s going to take a lot of healing for our building Hopefully people will remember the goodness of her and the goodness of artists how they want to give art for free.” According to applications for search warrants filed Friday a witness told investigators she was parking her vehicle next to the mural when she heard two or three gunshots and saw the suspect A 911 caller also described the suspect vehicle as an older model silver sedan with rust on the roof investigators saw a silver Chevy Malibu leaving the scene Court documents state the car was registered to Murdock at his address in Belle Plaine The video also showed a shot of Murdock’s face Another surveillance video showed Kwok bent over and painting a mural on the ground before the shooting The suspect vehicle was seen on the video driving west through the alleyway before the car stopped and Murdock got out Murdock was then seen approaching Kwok and shooting her multiple times Court documents state he was then shown on video getting back into his car and driving away Investigators went to Murdock’s listed address in Belle Plaine to surveil it and saw him leave Court documents state Murdock was “approached by law enforcement officers and there was an officer-involved shooting incident.” Body camera footage released on Tuesday shows a lightning-fast interaction with Murdock before Officers Aaron Bohlen and Lance Christianson shot him The footage shows officers pull up in squad cars before yelling “He’s got a gun!” before the officers open fire It takes roughly four seconds from the time police address Murdock to the initial gunshot The officers are then seen putting Murdock in handcuffs before calling for a medic dude.” One frame from Christianson’s bodycam video shows a handgun next to Murdock while he is restrained on the ground During a search warrant execution at Murdock’s home investigators collected 21 pieces of evidence — most of them were related to firearm and ammunition possession Murdock was prohibited from having a gun due to previous felony convictions Court records also show Murdock suffered from bipolar and schizoaffective disorders Murdock’s mother brought him to the hospital and she reportedly told hospital staff he “had access to a firearm and was fearful for her son’s safety.” Authorities are still working to find out how Murdock obtained the gun he reportedly used to kill Kwok Minnesota U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger announced that Justin Kudla, 35, who was already facing state-level assault charges over the Feb is now indicted with one count of interference with federally protected activities and one count of a hate crime The fight took place outside the bars on Meridian Street in Belle Plaine in the early hours of February 3 Charges against Kudla say he called the victim the N-word with a friend checking on him the next day and finding him going in-and-out of consciousness He was hospitalized with critical injuries that included skull fractures and a brain bleed an employee of Huck's Shipwreck Saloon said she had heard Kudla call the victim the N-word Sign up for our BREAKING WEATHER newsletters The state charges filed against Kudla last year also cites a witness testimony from a woman who worked at the Red Door Bar, who said Kudla had entered the bar around 1:30 a.m. and was escorted out because he was drunk and "very loud." The woman claimed she'd seen Kudla verbally harass the victim three-and-a-half weeks prior, calling him an anti-gay slur and the N-word. Kudla appeared in U.S. District Court on Tuesday with a detention hearing scheduled for Thursday. He faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison if convicted. By Adam Uren is the head of Minnesota and Western Wisconsin news coverage for Bring Me The News a screening of the movie Sight and Sound says is the best movie ever made saying he'd killed the mother of his child which features a swimming beach and splash pad Attorney for Minnesota said this week he will start charging carjackings as federal crimes is also accused of similar incidents in Minneapolis BELLE PLAINE \u2014 Union Pacific Railroad\u2019s steam engine Big Boy will stop in Belle Plaine during its Heartland of America … BELLE PLAINE — Union Pacific Railroad’s steam engine Big Boy will stop in Belle Plaine during its Heartland of America Tour which begins this month Missouri and Arkansas before returning west through Texas The train will stop at the Ninth Avenue crossing in Belle Plaine Thursday Check the website up.com/heritage/steam/schedule/index.htm for changes as the date approaches Twenty-five Big Boys were built during World War II according to Union Pacific’s website the world’s largest operating steam locomotive As crowds gather to see Big Boy along its scheduled route Rail fans should stay 25-feet from the tracks when taking pictures or viewing the locomotive to avoid debris and steam and to keep out of the way of the train The average train overhangs the track by at least three feet and a train can’t stop quickly to avoid people or vehicles on the tracks A train’s distance and speed can be deceiving yards and rights-of-way are private property Violators can be cited for trespassing on railroad property Keep drones at least 25 feet from all tracks and follow all FAA regulations for their use Big Boy will make short stops for viewing at Carroll’s Old Depot 4 from 12:30 -1 p.m.; in Belle Plaine Sept Follow Big Boy’s location on the steam tracking map at upsteam.com WORTHINGTON — The Belle Plaine Tigers and Worthington Trojans were engaged in a battle of winless teams Friday night at Trojan Field that narrowly went Belle Plaine’s way in a 20-14 effort but battled back and had the ball with one last chance to potentially grab the win But their comeback efforts fell short as the Tigers got their hard-fought first win of the season we battled right down to the last play so there's always something you can take out of the game positive and negative,” said Trojans head coach Geno Lais we only get so many of these Friday nights We can be grateful for all that family and friends that care about them and they enjoy that and appreciate it because they're guaranteed so many in their life.” The Tigers received the ball first and threw for three first downs to get past the Trojan 35 yard line Their passing game got them into the red zone but a penalty and a tackle behind the sticks forced a third down at the 25 a high pass over the middle from Tiger quarterback Reed Creighton was picked off by Dawson Svalland The Trojan drive quickly stalled on a three-and-out as they couldn’t capitalize on the turnover Belle Plaine took over on its own 44 yard line and worked the ball near the red zone Back-to-back runs from Walker Koepp resulted in an eight-yard touchdown from him with 1:17 left in the first quarter for a 7-0 Tigers lead Belle Plaine took that touchdown lead into the second quarter a short punt from WHS resulted in good field position for the Tigers getting the ball at the Trojan 29 yard line Svalland forced a fumble from Koepp on the ensuing play and Trojan defensive lineman Jack Schmitz recovered it The WHS offense again couldn’t cash in the turnover though The Tigers again took over in plus territory at the WHS 45 yard line They found themselves just 11 yards away from the end zone and looked for their second score but two-straight penalties pushed them back to the 24 for third down The WHS defense then got the stop on fourth down and had the ball back with 6:18 left in the first half But another three and out ensued and Belle Plaine got another shot on offense with under four minutes left The Tigers’ drive included a fourth-and-one conversion and they then faced another fourth down when Creighton lobbed a pass to the goal line that was caught by Mason Bungarden for a 33-yard score The Trojans were shut down offensively throughout the first half as Belle Plaine took its 13-0 into halftime “We got ourselves in trouble offensively and we got behind the chains quite a bit with some unfortunate penalties,” Lais said “And we're not one of those teams that can play behind the chains We got ourselves in trouble that way tonight Thought we came out and played a little better in the second half Fino Noeno fumbled the second-half kickoff for WHS and Belle Plaine recovered at the WHS 21 yard line a Creighton pass sailed out of the back of the end zone on fourth down The Trojan offense again took over and looked to move the ball for the first time Jacari Swinea broke off a 44-yard run as WHS crossed midfield for just the second time Swinea ran right up the middle for a 21-yard touchdown to put the Trojans on the board cutting Belle Plaine’s lead to 13-7 with 6:30 left Both teams continued to trade defensive stops for the rest of the third quarter and then throughout the fourth quarter until Creighton found Koepp down the right sideline for a big Belle Plaine first down at the Worthington 22 Creighton threw a screen pass to Josh Sparby for the nine-yard touchdown It looked like the Tigers put the game out of reach with that play at 20-7 with 2:37 left Noeno raced untouched down the sideline for an 85-yard touchdown to keep the Trojans in it and make it 20-14 An onside kick from the Trojans was easily recovered by Bungarden and the Tigers looked to run the final 2:23 off the clock at their own 48 Back-to-back runs and then a penalty set up a third-and-nine A pass from Creighton slipped out of the hands of Niklas Tharaldson to make it fourth down WHS got the ball at its own nine yard line with a minute left But a sack and two incomplete passes set up a fourth-and-15 with 30 seconds left but an interception from Caleb Eppen ended the game to seal the Belle Plaine win Swinea carried the ball 23 times for 131 yards and a touchdown and quarterback Isaiah Schroeder ran for 10 yards on five carries Noeno totaled 119 kick return yards on three returns the Trojans forced two turnovers and had eight tackles for loss with two quarterback sacks Senior linebacker Ryan Dorcey led the way with 11 total tackles including 10 solo tackles and three for loss Fellow senior Chase Byrne added nine total tackles Creighton completed 15-of-23 passes for 196 yards Sparby caught eight passes for 67 yards and a touchdown and Koepp ran for 87 yards and a score on 27 attempts Up next for the Trojans is the big homecoming game next Saturday against New Ulm The Eagles are undefeated at 3-0 this season including a win over Belle Plaine in their season opener you put the blinders on and forget about what day of the week it is,” Lais said about next week’s game The Marshall girls volleyball team celebrates becoming Big South Conference Champions Tuesday evening with a 3-0 win over Belle Plaine This is the 11th consecutive time the program claimed the conference title Below: The volleyball team groups together with their championship plaque MARSHALL — For the 11th consecutive time the Marshall girls volleyball team claimed the title of Big South Conference champions Tuesday night with a 26-24 Since the Big South Conference had developed in the 2014-15 season which merged together the formerly known South Central and Southwest Conferences Marshall has finished first in the conference every season “This feels amazing,” junior Avery Fahl said Marshall also won the three prior conferences before joining the Big South in 2014 because everybody’s chasing you,” Marshall head coach Dan Westby said regarding the consecutive championships “I think it’s just a credit to our kids and their hard work.” Marshall last met Belle Plaine in its second game earlier this season on Aug Both teams entered the night undefeated in conference it upheld a match of tight back-and-forth competition in sets one and three Marshall began to pull away midway through the second set and kept the pace going “Belle Plaine has got a tremendous team … They’ve had a great season and we knew coming in that this was going to be a dog fight “We knew we were going to have to scratch and claw for points and started the evening with intensity from both sides Marshall was able to build to a 14-10 advantage but Belle Plaine responded immediately out of a timeout with three straight kills A pair of Belle Plaine serving errors and two kills from Fahl helped Marshall build a 20-17 lead Fahl finished with seven kills and 16 set assists A miscommunication in Marshall’s back row and a kill from Belle Plaine brought its deficit to 21-20 Fahl came out with a strong hit to the opponent’s back right corner and Belle Plaine committed an attacking error Reese Drake spiked a kill of her own and a Belle Plaine serving error handed Marshall the first set victory The start of the second brought Marshall a bit more comfort compared to the first with a 7-3 lead with points from a soft hit over the middle of the net from Drake and another kill from Laurel Ryks Drake led the team with 11 kills on the night There were several long volleys throughout the match Kezlyn and Kyah Pinckney and other rotations helped to save a handful of points Kezlyn had a team-high five service aces and 24 digs “I thought our kids really passed the ball well “When players get a little bit more fatigued and that sort of thing I thought we really did a good job of focusing and passing the ball on target.” Marshall extended its lead to 18-8 behind kills front row blocks and Belle Plaine attacking errors Fahl and Ryks kill and a few more Kezlyn and Drake digs helped in part to increase to a 24-13 Marshall advantage Gillingham had a double-double performance with 14 set assists and 12 digs and the group hi-fived one another as they brought themselves one set closer to becoming champions Belle Plaine did everything it could to force a fourth set but Marshall was able to grab the sweep after a close start in the third Fahl credits the team’s success to the chemistry it has built “I feel like we’re all very good friends and we all love each other so much,” Fahl said We get along so well … This is such a fun group.” Belle Plaine rallied back for a 8-7 deficit with a combination of serving errors and Marshall continuing its aggressiveness and accuracy at the net Belle Plaine again cut the lead and fought back to being down by just a single point at 19-18 a Belle Plaine attacking error gave Marshall its last point and the gym erupted as the team ran to hug one another and shake hands with the runners-up “We had told the kids between sets two and three if you remember the last time we played them that third set was a battle,'” Westby said They’re [Belle Plaine] a very good team.” Marshall received a plaque detailing the champion accomplishment afterwards “We were all ready,” Fahl said about entering the match will next await seeding and date information for the Section 2AAA Tournament which will be released in the coming days and it will make a run to once again become section champions for the fourth year straight “I know it was a goal the players had I think that should always be a goal,” Westby said “I think when you win the conference that just says that you’re doing things as well I’m happy for our kids anytime they can accomplish any goal I think it’s a credit for them and their hard work.” the largest operating steam locomotive in the world Home / News BELLE PLAINE — Hundreds of people from across Iowa and perhaps beyond gathered in the Benton County city of Belle Plaine on Thursday to see the world’s largest operating steam locomotive in action 4014 is one of 25 large steam engines — weighing about 1.2 million pounds measuring 132 feet long and boasting 7,000 horsepower — that the Union Pacific Railroad built during World War II The locomotive steamed into Belle Plaine as part of its “Heartland of America” tour through several Midwestern and Southern states after it was restored by the Union Pacific Railroad between 2013 and 2019 The others are on display in museums around the country “It’s a very proud job that we have to be able to represent this beautiful corporation and all the proud work that they do every day,” said Ed Dickens the train’s engineer and senior manager of the Union Pacific Heritage Operations “That’s what this locomotive does It shares the proud accomplishments of the last 160 years of the Union Pacific Railroad.” Dickens has taken the engine on several tours around the country since it went back into service in 2019 the train will have about 21,000 miles on it in its second life but we’re backed by thousands and thousands of Union Pacific colleagues men and women of the Union Pacific that help us do this,” Dickens said “It’s exciting that we get to be out in front and get to wave at people but … there are so many people that make this locomotive go.” Radio Iowa reported that entertainer Jay Leno was aboard the locomotive when it stopped in Denison in western Iowa on Wednesday but did not continue as the engine headed into Eastern Iowa The engine arrived in Belle Plaine shortly after 1 p.m. pulling empty passenger cars and stayed in the city of 2,300 about 15 minutes Dickens said he tries to keep the stops short so that he doesn’t get in the way of the freight trains using the tracks “Railroads are just trickling along in the background of your life,” he said “People don’t really remember how important the railroad is The locomotive presumably is spending Thursday night in Cedar Rapids It’s scheduled to depart Cedar Rapids en route to Rochelle The engine last went through Eastern Iowa in July 2019 as part of the commemoration of the Transcontinental Railroad’s 150th anniversary Hundreds of people came out to see the Big Boy The area around the tracks started filling up with blankets and lawn chairs hours before the engine arrived saw the locomotive with her son and husband on one of its previous tours through the country Her son was working and couldn’t come to Belle Plaine but he hoped to step away from his job and see the steam engine pass through Tama earlier Thursday so we wanted to see the big one,” Hinkle said and we have trains going through Tama all the time.” stood as close as they could to the tracks Thursday holding up a sign that read “Deanna Fan Club.” Mezera is close friends with engineer Dickens’ sister Deanna — who she worked with in Colorado several years ago — and she and her mother have greeted him in the past when he’s come through Iowa with the steam engine and he did not know I was going to be here I came up and we connected,” Witter said we followed the train all the way to Marshalltown Comments: (319) 398-8328; emily.andersen@thegazette.com I cover breaking news and trends related to public safety for The Gazette The Gazette has been informing Iowans with in-depth local news coverage and insightful analysis for over 140 years independent journalism with a subscription today © 2025 The Gazette | All Rights Reserved Ann was born the daughter of Elza and Dorothy (Ward) Miller on August 2 whose devotion transcended the walls of the church and found expression in missionary work both at home and abroad with Campers With A Mission Ann and Ronald would travel with other camping couples to help rebuild churches and church camps She wove love and prayers into the quilts she crafted with skilled hands and a generous heart each stitch a testament to her talent and compassion her artwork mirroring the depth and richness of her soul Ann lived a life that was as vibrant and colorful as her canvases and love,giving God every bit of the glory for her talents Her green thumb could coax the most stubborn of blooms into blossoming her garden a testament to her nurturing spirit and love for beauty Her love for the Kansas City Chiefs was as vibrant as the team colors each game day finding her decked in red and white Ann’s spirit of adventure propelled her across the globe her passion for travel matching her insatiable zest for life Trips to the Holy Land and The Hills in Jamaica just to name a couple of her favorites But nothing was more precious to her than her family whom she loved deeply Survivors include her loving husband for over 69 years and 11 great grandchildren along with numerous other family members Memorial contributions can be given in her name and loving memory to Annie Armstrong or Lottie Moon Offering Contributions can be mailed or left with the funeral home We invite all who knew Ann to share a memory, leave condolences or sign her digital tribute wall at www.cornejofuneralhome.com Arrangements are being handled by Cornejo Funeral Home + Crematory in Wellington BELLE PLAINE \u2014 Renovation of a historic building on Belle Plaine\u2019s Mainstreet will add housing to a town that is … BELLE PLAINE — Renovation of a historic building on Belle Plaine’s Mainstreet will add housing to a town that is short on that commodity A $475,000 Community Development Block Grant for upper story living from the Iowa Economic Development Authority will help Brian Bock construct five apartments on the upper floor of the Moore building the building had been cleaned out and gutted said Belle Plaine City Administrator Steve Beck electrical wiring and insulation has been installed which also qualified for a $100,000 Community Catalyst Building Remediation grant The building will have retail space on the ground floor and five apartments on the upper floor “It’s an enormous building.” King Theatre’s renovations are nearly complete is also looking into a Community Development Block Grant to develop its upper story “Kate Robinson with Benton Development Group has helped us get those grants,” Beck said Paul Mitchell of East Central Iowa Community of Governments told the Belle Plaine City Council that there were only 123 rental units in Belle Plaine as of December 2022 The city needs 42 more units to meet current population needs “There’s a lot going on here,” said Beck A new investor came to the city council meeting this month to talk about opening a sports bar and golf simulator but thinks Belle Plaine will be a good fit Beck helps developers find locations for their ventures ‘I want to start a business in town.’” Beck talks with them about demand for the service or product and about financing “And we figure out what kind of grants will be available,” Beck said Most grants provide reimbursements and come with caveats “So we try to go with stackable grants” so they can harmonize with one another “A lot of people don’t have $800,000 to $1 million to buy a building and renovate it.” the city is pursuing upper story residents and infill housing fixing up older homes or building new on existing lots “I want to keep the population density,” Beck said the city has a housing development planned for the south part of town east of Highway 21 The property belonged to attorney Anders Norgaard He’s waiting for the city to add infrastructure A new development requires that the city build roads Infrastructure already exists for infill housing The city has identified a number of houses that are in disrepair or have been abandoned The city works with owners to try to get those houses occupied sell them or tear them down and offer the lots for sale the city tears them down and makes the lots available for infill housing The city tore down one house that had been empty for 30 years A couple of years ago Belle Plaine High School started a construction program that will make new homes available Students are finishing up a three-bedroom home at 1207 16th Street “We’re getting ready to do two more where the old Junior High was,” said Beck “I got on the City Council when I was in my 20s,” said Beck who grew up on a farm between Belle Plaine and Marengo Main Street in Belle Plaine was falling down at the time Fewer than a dozen businesses were open there “We decided we did not want to lose our community,” said Beck The town also resisted consolidation of its school district the schools were rebuilt and Belle Plaine’s downtown began its recovery It all started with a $30,000 grant for period light poles working relentlessly to keep Belle Plaine growing “I think people want to live in a resilient community,” said Beck The secret is to create an environment where it’s OK to dream “Belle Plaine has always been able to pivot and recover quickly because of the … work ethic of the citizens.” The town supports employers such as Iowa Mold and Engineering Garling Construction has provided jobs in Belle Plaine for 50-plus years and Town and Country Wholesale has been there for a century “People can work here and live here,” said Beck The cost of living is lower in Belle Plaine than in Cedar Rapids “Some of them are just begging to be fixed up,” said Beck “We are working very hard to revitalize our community,” Beck said “We’re all in to make our small town the best place it can be.” BELLE PLAINE \u2014 The results of a community survey has prompted Belle Plaine Community School District to consider a four-day … BELLE PLAINE — The results of a community survey has prompted Belle Plaine Community School District to consider a four-day school week next year The District will conduct one or two public forums in the next few weeks to hear the opinions of parents Superintendent Chad Straight said Thursday “Our community brought it up in a survey last year,” he said The survey sought feedback on infrastructure and academics A four-day school week was one of several subjects on the survey and it received a significant positive response recommended that the district present the idea to the board and the board has discussed it several times The school board presented information about a four-day week to staff members during the Dec While there might be some savings from not running buses or having the school open five days a week “That’s not why we’re considering it,” Straight said Superintendents in school districts with four-day weeks tell Straight that they are fully staffed for the first time It’s easier to find teachers and other staff members.” Belle Plaine is short one preschool instructor has no STEM teacher this year and couldn’t find a long-term art teacher The four-day week isn’t a benefit for district staffing only Students and parents see a benefit as well “[They] seem to think it’s a good balance of work life and home and family.” The Belle Plaine school board will probably make a decision in March whether or not to move forward with a four-day school calendar The public will have several opportunities to give their opinions before that time Four-day school weeks have become so common in Missouri that its legislators have become concerned Four-day weeks have been an option for Missouri schools since 2011 according to an article published by The Missouri Independent more than 30% of the state’s districts serving about 11% of the state’s students A study on the four-day school week found no statistically significant effect on either academic achievement or building growth Districts that switched before the pandemic were more likely to be rural while districts embracing four-day weeks now are likely to be in towns have multiracial populations and have more foster students an associate professor at Missouri State University who researches the four-day school week was not surprised that the department found little to no effect on academic achievement “It is pretty consistent nationwide,” he told The Independent there is a minimal if any negative academic impact.” The research he has studied has shown that the four-day week does not diminish academics so long as the instructional hours remain constant Iowa school districts with four-day school calendars according to the Iowa Department of Education are Cardinal Community School District Martensdale-St Marys Community School District and Melcher-Dallas Community School District WACO Community School District and Winfield-Mt Union Community School District Please enable JS and disable any ad blocker Sign In Register MOOSE JAW — A Saskatoon-based agriculture company plans to construct a multi-billion-dollar nitrogen fertilizer production plant east of Moose Jaw that is expected to financially benefit area farmers and municipalities Genesis Fertilizers Limited Partnership plans to construct a $2.3-billion nitrogen fertilizer production and distribution enterprise SuperCentre near Belle Plaine that is expected to produce 1.128 million tonnes per annum (MTPA) while the plant should be operational by 2029 Construction will create more than 1,500 direct jobs and 5,000 “induced” jobs while 180 permanent full-time employees will run the plant once it’s operational the plant’s profits will return to producers The company — formed in 2021 — is a farmer-owned initiative that allows producers to invest based on their fertilizer requirements This ownership model should secure future supply and provide financial distributions based on plant profits by establishing an ammonia urea fertilizer manufacturing complex near Belle Plaine Genesis Fertilizers aims to reduce farmers’ reliance on imports and high freight costs and ensure a consistent and affordable supply of fertilizer for Western Canadian producers Genesis Fertilizers has a network of SuperCentres strategically located across the three Prairie provinces blending and distributing fertilizer directly to producers This distribution network also lowers the overall cost of fertilizers to make them more affordable for farmers vice-president and chief business development officer for Genesis Fertilizers spoke about the proposed project during city council’s recent executive committee meeting Western Canadian farmers pay the highest prices for urea fertilizers in the world because they farm in land-locked Prairie provinces that are far removed from major import supply routes This allows local producers to charge farmers high prices based on the “NOLA-plus-freight price-setting mechanism.” since that’s from where most fertilizer is produced fertilizer manufacturers in Western Canada enjoy low costs of production and consistently high urea profits due to the abundant supply of low-cost natural gas Western Canadian farmers pay excessively high prices for fertilizer (while) higher input costs reduce farmers’ income,” he said Drabiuk added that Canada is a leader in selling natural gas and that Western Canada produces the lowest-cost natural gas while Canada is one of the cheapest places to manufacture fertilizer Belle Plaine is a great location for a nitrogen urea fertilizer manufacturing complex because it’s located 28 kilometres from Moose Jaw and 40 kilometres from Regina both national railways have nearby rail lines “… the nitrogen plants in Western Canada are selling at the highest cost and they’re manufacturing at the lowest cost so they’re cash cows,” said Drabiuk “That’s why we’re building this plant.” Genesis Fertilizers “lucked out” after buying land near Belle Plaine because Whitecap Resources plans to build a carbon capture hub adjacent to the site the latter will capture 800,000 tonnes to one million tonnes of carbon dioxide from the former and make the former “the only green nitrogen fertilizer plant in the world.” the federal government will provide $178 million because of the carbon-capture aspect while the provincial government will provide $545 million in tax-focused incentives and benefits The new plant will provide security for the agriculture industry since it will reduce farmers’ dependence on global markets and mitigate tariff risks and address fertilizer price volatility The majority of fertilizer plants in Canada are foreign owned which means most of the profits made from nitrogen production leave this country Drabiuk added that Genesis Fertilizers has “an army of engineers working on this project around the globe” and has attempted to de-risk the project so it is a success The next executive committee meeting is Monday