October 8 – Things haven’t been happy in southwestern Iowa these past few months.
The trend began when the Orient-Macksburg School District began the arduous process of closing the school after the 2024-2025 school year. The committee formed to signal the end had only one chance to get voter approval for how the district area would be divided among its adjacent neighbors.
Committee member Ryan Fredrick thought it best to equate the entire closing process to a funeral, as several people in the district feared that day would come.
Unfortunately, OM voters will never get that opportunity, as Creston and Winterset schools, through the same attorney, have filed objections to the commission’s proposal on how the territory would be divided. The committee followed state rules. There was no concern at all about following the guidelines. The analogy to the funeral was tantamount to dropping the coffin on the way to the grave, as both Creston and Winterset did not like the gift they received or did not ask for, which added to the grief of the mourners.
Losing a school is difficult because they are a huge part of the culture of rural America. What will happen next to OM has still not been determined, even though the district pretends this year will be the last.
Other things in southwestern Iowa are disappearing, too.
NSK Americas officials announced the closure of their AKS manufacturing facility in Clarinda last month. Items made at the factory are made available to other AKS locations worldwide. When the news broke, the scheme was due to close in March. With 54 employees, AKS produces ball bearing components for the automotive industry, among others.
On Highway 2 in Shenandoah, Brown’s Shoe Fit announced in September its plan to move general offices to the Des Moines metro area.
In a statement, officials said the decision to move is intended to “meet the company’s increasing demands and better position itself for future success.” Des Moines offers “access to a broader population, improved infrastructure and enhanced logistics resources to support the company’s long-term vision and ability to more efficiently serve its network of stores.” Their new excavations should be completed in 2025.
Brown’s Shoe Fit was founded in Shenandoah in 1911. Leaving the city must add some salt to the wound. They have closed some of their stores in other states over the past decade.
The Iowa National Guard facility in Shenandoah will also close next year and troops will be sent to a new location in Des Moines.
It’s depressing that our region of the state is losing things that have long been part of the fabric of southwest Iowa. Hearing phrases like “better position oneself for future success” is critical and something we can all probably relate to.
It’s not all depressing for rural Iowa. It’s encouraging to see Greenfield rebuilding just over four months after the tornado destroyed many homes.
The new homes will stand out and the placement of the houses on the blocks will probably be different than before. In any case, it’s good to see it coming back.
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I need help.
Was anyone outside early Sunday morning between 7:00 AM and 7:30 AM? The sky was clear and I looked south of Creston and I saw something I couldn’t easily recognize. At first I thought it was a commercial plane, but the contrail wasn’t long enough for what I’m used to seeing.
The bright light, ahead of what I thought was a contrail, did not look like a typical commercial aircraft. Additionally, the bright light moved depending on the time of day and the bright, clear sky. I didn’t see enough detail to guess it was a plane. I wondered if it was a comet. During some online research, scientists tracked a comet called C/2024 A1 late last month, which was expected to be visible in October.
Reports claim it would be bright enough to see in daylight. We are used to seeing ‘shooting stars’ at night as they streak across the sky.
If anyone saw what I described on Sunday morning, I would love to hear from you.
