Perry Business a Total Loss After Large Fire Thursday Night
Whiton Feed in Perry was completely destroyed Thursday night in a fire that broke out shortly after 10pm.
First responders from several different agencies responded to the scene at the corner of 1st Street and Otley Avenue. Flames from the fire could be seen as far east as Highway 169.
Crews were on the scene for several hours fighting the blaze that quickly spread throughout the building.
The Perry Fire Department, Perry Police, Dallas County EMS, Woodward Fire, Dawson Fire, Grand Junction EMS, the Dallas County Sheriff’s Office and Dallas County Emergency Management all assisted on scene, along with help from the City of Perry and MidAmerican Energy.
The cause of the fire is not known at this time.
Raccoon Valley Radio will bring you more information as it becomes official.
No Change in Overall Drought Conditions This Week
Once again, there are no major changes in the overall drought conditions here in the Raccoon River Valley area.
According to this week’s drought monitor from the National Climatic Data Center, conditions range from no drought in most of Dallas County to moderate drought in Greene County and abnormally dry conditions across much of Guthrie County.
Data from the National Weather Service shows Guthrie Center received 1.35 inches of rain this past week, bringing their monthly total to more than four inches. Jefferson received more than 0.7 inch for a total of 4.1 inches this month. Perry’s data is missing for much of this week, so they’re only showing 2.25 inches so far this month.
All three weather reporting areas typically receive approximately 4.5 to 5 inches of rain in May.
INS and Minburn Communications Contribute to Certified Site Project
Perry Economic Development recently received a grant to help assist with efforts to get a site certification from the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
A total of $5,000 was awarded to the group, split evenly between Iowa Network Services (INS) and Minburn Telephone Company.
Sue Cosner with INS says they like to help with projects that shareholders are backing.
“We’re interested in the growth and development of all of the communities that Minburn (Communications) and INS serve, and this is an important community for Minburn and so for that reason we reviewed the application and decided we could match what Minburn was going to put toward the project.”
Debra Lucht with Minburn Telephone Company says their hope is that once the site is certified and a developer moves in they will have to expand their services into the industrial park area even more.
“Bringing the fiber optics into the Perry area, we did extend into the industrial park and so there’s opportunity for continued growth. As the development of the industrial park grows, then we’re able to add more fiber and provide state of the art telecommunication services for those businesses that are coming in so it’s a win-win for both the City of Perry and for Minburn Communications” says Lucht.
Perry Economic Development Vice President Bill Clark says they’re thrilled that these two entities have joined in as financial partners and the grant will help pay for approximately one-quarter of the initial analysis.
Linda Wunsch with the Greater Dallas County Development Alliance says the fact that Iowa Workforce Development has already awarded certifications in the County is definitely beneficial.
“It actually puts Dallas County on the map. We right now are two of four (certified site locations) in the state and having Perry in there, that will make us three. So it makes Dallas County a real leader in the process, so it’s very much important to us.”
The Perry site is currently on the third step in the certification process. They hope to have it all completed before the end of the year.
Perry Crime Stoppers Looking for the Public’s Help
The Perry Crime Stoppers are offering rewards for information leading to arrests of those responsible for two different incidents earlier this year.
The first is a burglary at the American Legion Hall on February 26th. An unknown subject entered through the basement door at 1324 1st Avenue in Perry. They then damaged doors and took two cash boxes containing a small amount of cash. The boxes were later found in the area of Pattee and MicKinley streets.
The second incident happened between the evening of April 28th and the next morning. Parks Director Kevin Kanealy reported damage to property near the baseball and softball diamonds on April 29th. Bleachers were damaged when overturned and parking barricades had been picked up and moved.
Anyone with information on either incident is asked to call the Crime Stoppers at 465-5661. The available rewards are up to $300 each. Anyone calling in tips will remain anonymous.
Kuder Receives President’s “E” Award for Exports
An Adel based company received special recognition for making a significant contribution to the expansion of U.S. exports this week in Washington D.C.
The U.S. Secretary of Commerce presented Kuder Inc with the President’s “E” Award for Exports Wednesday.
It’s the highest recognition of any U.S. entity in regards to exports expansion.
Kuder is an evidence-based assessment, education planning and career guidance tools provider. Their export sales increased by 257 percent between 2012 and 2013 and this past year they significantly expanded business in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
Founder and president Phil Harrington says they’re extremely honored to receive the award and it’s very gratifying to be recognized for contributing to the U.S. economy in this way.
Kuder is one of 66 American companies presented with the “E” Award this year.