Food, Beverage And Tobacco Products Manufacturing

All aboard: Steam engine roars into Le Mars (10/02/08)
History came to town on the rail Wednesday Chugging and steaming and tooting the whistle, all one million pounds of the steam engine Challenger rolled into Le Mars for a whistle stop on its five-state tour. Dozens of people gathered at the tracks to catch a look at the 1943 Union Pacific (UP) locomotive...

Not just a wash: Groomer gives dogs the royal treatment (10/01/08)
She knows what kind of shampoo works well for your dog. She knows how to make doggie toothpaste from scratch. And she's even trained in pet CPR. Meet Monica Nilles. The Le Mars woman is the new dog groomer on Central Avenue, part of the Bow Wow Pet Shop and Bakery's new addition: Bow Wow Grooming and Day Spa...

Le Mars Area Dialysis focus is on fundraising, renovation (10/01/08)
Le Mars Area Dialysis Services is stepping up its fundraising efforts. Currently the not-for-profit group has two main focuses -- one is to continue raising money, and the other is to plan renovation of its newly acquired building in downtown Le Mars...

Open house set for LCS additions, renovation (09/30/08)
An open house at the Le Mars Community Middle and High Schools will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2. The open house provides the public an opportunity to tour the new middle school gymnasium, the three new technology enhanced classrooms at the high school, and the renovations that were completed in the high school following the move of the superintendent's office...

Wells' Dairy pays back $1.2 million to state (09/29/08)
Wells' Dairy has been asked to pay back $1.25 million of a nearly $3 million state award after they missed a job creation and retention goal by about 150 jobs. The debt to the state has already been paid, according to a statement from the Le Mars ice cream and frozen novelty producer's CEO Mike Wells...

Minnesota woman escapes serious injury in truck, building collision (09/29/08)
A medical condition caused Stephanie Kay Allen to lose control of her pickup and crash it into the Meylor Chiropractic building Friday afternoon, police said. The 39-year-old woman, of Silver Lake, Minn., who was wearing her seat belt, suffered non-life threatening injuries during the 12:45 p.m. accident...

Minnesota woman escapes serious injury in truck, building collision (09/26/08)

Steam locomotive to stop in Le Mars (09/25/08)
Union Pacific's "Challenger" No. 3985 will steam into Le Mars next Wednesday for a brief visit The visit comes during the 1940s locomotive's round trip tour from Cheyenne, Wyo. to St. Paul, Minn., and back. People can take a look at the restored train engine during its half-hour stop Oct. 1 along Lincoln Street near the south Wells Dairy ice cream plant at Eighth Street Southwest...

Museum gets new LOST money for chimney repairs (09/24/08)
The Plymouth County Supervisors agreed Tuesday Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) money already awarded cannot be redirected to help with chimney repairs at the museum. "We've got a policy issue with that," Supervisor Craig Anderson said. "Money that is not used (for a specific project) should go back into the LOST fund."...

Roadblocks coming down on rec trail progress (09/23/08)
The completion of the 9-mile recreation trail around Le Mars is on the horizon after being pushed back more than a year. The walking and biking trail, which stretches from the south near Wells' Dairy's corporate campus north beyond the little league ball diamonds, then east around the golf course, still has a segment to be completed...

Students use five senses on area farm tour (09/23/08)
They came by the busload. Students from area schools experienced fun on the farm last week during the annual Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Tour. Children from Le Mars Community, Gehlen Catholic, Remsen-Union and Remsen St. Mary's had a chance to visit four farms to learn about agriculture in Plymouth County. The students were from the third or fourth grades, depending on which school they attend. They were divided into four groups that traveled from one farm to the next...

Vintage harvest: Dittmers' vineyard produces juicy crop (09/22/08)
With a juicy plop, a bunch of grapes falls into a heaping pail of the purple fruit. All around, people are talking, laughing, and clipping away at loaded branches of grape vines. It's Sunday and it's harvest time at Barry and Brenda Dittmers' vineyard in Hinton...

Negotiations begin on new Wells' Dairy labor contract (09/22/08)
Negotiations are underway on a contract that impacts about 1,400 hourly manufacturing employees at Wells' Dairy in Le Mars. "A corporate team is sitting down and meeting with an employee team," said Dave Smetter, spokesman for the ice cream and novelty company...

Hinton School Board steps closer to using eminent domain (09/22/08)
Last week Hinton School Board members moved forward to possibly try to obtain agricultural land through eminent domain by scheduling a public hearing in November. "It's a necessary step before we would be able to actually pursue the possible use of eminent domain," said Robert Held, Hinton School Board president...

Supervisors delay decision to repair floors at Pride Group home (09/17/08)
The Plymouth County Supervisors put the matter of restroom floor repairs at a residential facility operated by Pride Group Inc. on hold Tuesday. The supervisors directed Mike Porter, CEO of Pride Group, to obtain a firm cost estimate to fix floors in four showers and two bathrooms at the residential care facility (RCF) on Highway 3...

Supervisors to decide if LOST can be used for museum repairs (09/17/08)
The Plymouth County Historical Museum's chimney is crumbling. Judy Bowman, museum administrator, via letter asked the Plymouth County Supervisors' permission to use $1,000 of Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) money for the repairs. Museum board members originally asked for the $1,000, already awarded, to replace a shattered glass backboard in the museum's gymnasium...

Smoking law leaves city with cigarette clean up (09/17/08)
Le Mars Councilman Rex Knapp suggested the main entrance of the Le Mars Convention Center can, come weekends, resemble a pig sty. "It looks hideous, terrible," Knapp said during Tuesday's city council session describing what he said was the littering of the area with cigarette butts left by the weekend crowds...

IML Container to expand in industrial park (09/09/08)
A Le Mars manufacturer that makes plastic containers for products like ice cream and butter will have its own permanent home in the industrial park. IML Containers Iowa, which has been leasing space in Le Mars since it began operation in 2006, is planning to build a 63,000-square-foot facility...

City works with IML Container to prepare for expansion (09/05/08)
The Le Mars City Council approved buying a piece of railroad equipment to assist an expanding Le Mars business that relies on rail for shipments. IML Containers is currently depending on rail to bring in materials for their planned expansion in southern Le Mars, according to City Administrator Scott Langel...

Council delays action on bumpy downtown intersection (09/03/08)
"We've cut $700,000 from the budget, reduced services, cut back on books for the library, and eliminated some mowing of city properties, and cut people's jobs. If we don't have the money, we don't do the project," Le Mars City Councilman Rex Knapp said Tuesday referring to repair of the Plymouth Street/Central Avenue intersection...

Farm Bureau honors Conley with Service to Ag award (09/03/08)
A longtime Le Mars area veterinarian was honored with the Plymouth County Farm Bureau's "Service to Agriculture" award Tuesday evening at the organization's 90th annual meeting. Dr. John Conley and his wife, Barbara, of rural Merrill, were called to the stage by President Mark Loutsch, who explained the award is given to those in Plymouth County who have contributed much of their lives toward the helping and development of agriculture...

Questions answered on school levy issue (08/29/08)
Two public information meetings brought approximately 75 Le Mars Community School District residents out to learn about the Instructional Support Levy (ISL) Wednesday and Thursday evenings. A vote on whether to implement the levy will be held on Sept. 9, the same day as school board elections...

Harker's closes after 100 years in Le Mars (08/27/08)
A century-old Le Mars establishment is folding. Harker's, a food service company that began with a meat market started by George Harker in 1906, will have its last day Friday, according to Harker's president Jim Harker. Cardboard boxes fill the front lawn of the Le Mars corporate headquarters building at 801 Sixth St. S.W...

Council moves ahead four street project plans (08/20/08)
Le Mars City Council members Tuesday gave their approval to a professional engineering services agreement for four Le Mars highway and street projects. On the agenda are widening Highway 3 near Floyd Valley Hospital, improving Business 75 from Highway 3 to Airport Drive, curb and gutter work on Seventh Avenue Southeast (K-49), and curb and gutter work on Sixth Avenue West...

Hinton School Board looks into legal options to obtain land (08/19/08)
Hinton Community School Board members discussed Monday the possibility of using eminent domain to obtain land on which to construct a new elementary school and gymnasium. The school board decided to find out more about steps necessary to obtain 8 acres adjacent to the current school from property owners, Kevin and Annette Held, through eminent domain...

Get ready to 'Scoop da Loop' (08/18/08)
For those who like classic cars, trucks and cycles, downtown Le Mars is the place to be Wednesday evening for the annual Scoop da Loop fun. People may gather at Olson Cultural Event Center at the corner of First Avenue and First Street Northeast for some good food starting at 6 p.m...

Wind blows Texas oilman in to Le Mars to talk energy (08/15/08)
He may be 80 but an audience member still called T. Boone Pickens a "rockstar." The Texas oilman and billionaire landed his jet at the Le Mars airport Thursday afternoon to spin to Iowans his plan for reducing U.S. dependency on foreign oil. His idea: shift to using more wind energy and natural gas -- two things in which the nation is rich...

Construction marches forward on new Remsen Medical Clinic (08/13/08)
June rain delays can't stop construction of the new Remsen Medical Clinic. The clinic on Second Street west of the post office is expected to be completed Dec. 1, said Daryl Friedenbach, director of financial services at Floyd Valley Hospital (FVH)...

Remsen urban renewal district in the works (08/11/08)
Creation of an urban renewal area in Remsen could generate money to extend public utilities to a new business and tear down old buildings in its downtown. An urban renewal area is a district which designates where Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenue can be spent. TIF is created based on taxes from designated structures built within the district. Those taxes can be collected for 20 years...

Building on education: LCS addition nearly complete (08/07/08)
With only two weeks until school starts, teachers and staff at Le Mars Community High School and Middle School are busy putting the finishing touches on moves to new classroom space and computer labs and looking forward to the new middle school gymnasium...

Street closings approved for Scoop da Loop event (08/07/08)
The Le Mars City Council on Tuesday granted the request by the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce/Main Street for closing streets for the 11th annual Scoop da Loop event set for Aug. 20 in Le Mars. The areas to be closed for the event are the Olson Cultural Event Center and Postal Playhouse parking lots and First Street and First Avenue surrounding the cultural center. The closings will be effective from 5 p.m. to 10 p. m...

Sign-up deadline nears for new disaster program (08/07/08)
Sign-up for the SURE, the new USDA disaster program, is underway, and the deadline to participate in this year's program is Sept. 15. SURE is a permanent disaster program that will be specific to each farmer. Unlike previous USDA disaster programs, this one does not require an Act of Congress for it take place...

Senator Harkin plans Le Mars visit (08/04/08)
Senator Tom Harkin will be hosting a Le Mars meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 6 during a cross-Iowa tour. The Democrat plans to visit with local residents about his work in Washington to help Iowa's working families. The public is invited to attend the cafe stop, which will be held at 10 a.m. at Lally's Eastside Restaurant...

Branching out: Hinton couple goes vintage with planned winery (07/31/08)
Tuscany. Napa Valley. Hinton? If Barry and Brenda Dittmer have their way, yes -- their sloping vineyard on a Plymouth County hillside will be not only an agricultural plot but a destination winery. An Iowa winery isn't as surprising as people think, Barry pointed out...

Help ahead for 102-year-old Akron opera house (07/29/08)
Akron's opera house has weathered many changes since it opened in 1906. Now another phase is planned for the building that towers over the town's main street. "My head spun for two weeks just thinking about this," Akron Community Theater President Doug Olson said Monday evening while discussing upcoming plans for the theater...

Samantha Tentinger takes top dairy prize (07/25/08)
The name was a familiar one as the championship awards went out Thursday at the Plymouth County Fair's 4-H dairy show. Samantha Tentinger, Remsen, a Union Livewires 4-H member, not only exhibited the grand champion dairy heifer but also walked out of the ring as the champion junior dairy showman. Her grand champion heifer also took the purple ribbon in the Jersey division. Samantha, also had the reserve champion heifer in the show, winner of the heifer competition in the Ayshire judging...

Smoking outside gets mixed reviews (07/25/08)
Smoking inside Iowa bars and restaurants is just a memory. The Iowa Smokefree Air Act that became effective July 1 means customers who want to smoke in those places must now go outside. "It's definitely affected business," said the Red Hanke Saloon manager, who did not wish to be identified. "They (customers) don't stick around as long."...

2008 fair truck recognizes Belgian owners and beef show (07/23/08)
The ninth annual edition of the Plymouth County Fair collectible truck recognizes the beef show, a longtime tradition, and Dr. John and Barbara Conley and their team of Belgian draft horses. The series of trucks is designed to recognize activities and scenes that make up the Plymouth County Fair...

Local Pork Producers will donate to flooded hog farmers (07/23/08)
A group of northwest Iowa pork producers are coming to the aid of southeast Iowa pork producers who were hit hard by the June floods. The Plymouth County Pork Producers Association will once again operate its Grandstand Pork food stand during the Plymouth County Fair. The producers have decided to donate the entire day's proceeds from the stand on Friday, July 25, to help their flooded brethren in southeast Iowa...

Ahlers anticipate upcoming Plymouth County Fair (07/22/08)
As the prize hopeful pumpkin bread bakes in the oven and the sheep are led around the farm one last time, John and Debra Ahlers' four children Jill, Rebecca, Kristen, and Daniel, are busy putting the finishing touches on livestock entries and 4-H exhibits for the upcoming Plymouth County Fair...

Plymouth Oil may receive $1.2 million in tax benefits (07/22/08)
The State of Iowa pledged about $1.2 million in tax incentives to a plant near Merrill that will make corn oil for food and cooking. The $30 million Plymouth Oil plant is planned next to the 50-million-gallon Plymouth Energy LLC ethanol plant near Merrill. The projected completion date is July 31, 2013, according to an Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) spokesperson...

From field to shelf: Local stores sell local foods (07/21/08)
Right now, Le Mars' grocery stores boast a few shelves of ripe red tomatoes grown only a couple dozen miles away. Later in the summer, shoppers might be able to fill their carts with sweet corn, green beans and other produce that were grown locally...

New first aid booth turns the page of history (07/21/08)
First aid at the Plymouth County Fair got a whole new look this year. The aging first aid booth was replaced by a new building just in time for the fair this year. "Last year there were concerns about the booth -- it was aging," said Tim Paul, chief engineer at Floyd Valley Hospital...

Mid-Sioux emergency food pantry in need of supplies (07/18/08)
The Mid-Sioux Opportunity, Inc. Outreach Office in Le Mars is in need of non-perishable food and paper supplies. The food pantry relies on local donations to keep the shelves stocked. "Most people think of donating to food banks during the holidays," said Melissa Juhl development director for Mid-Sioux. "In fact, summer is a very busy time at the food bank. Families consume more food during the summer months with school aged children at home all day."...

Galles recovering from Alton fire explosion (07/18/08)
The Remsen farmer that was burned when a blast started the Alton grain elevator on fire is on the mend. Matt Galles, who was rushed to a medical center in Lincoln, Neb. to be treated for burns July 9 said his skin is healing well. "In a week's time it can change a lot," he said...

Hinton residents debate future home for new elementary (07/17/08)
By a show of hands the majority of more than 100 Hinton residents expressed a desire Tuesday to build a new elementary adjacent to the town's existing school. The Hinton School Board met with the public Tuesday to receive comments from the people as to their thoughts concerning the district's plans to construct a new pre-Kindergarten through third grade elementary school and competitive gymnasium...

Farrer says fair is five best days of summer (07/16/08)
When you think of livestock at the Plymouth County Fair, rabbits and poultry may not be the steer or swine you were imagining. Thirteen-year-old Grady Farrer would disagree. The owner of rabbits, chickens and pheasants, Farrer believes that poultry and rabbits are where the real livestock shows occur...

Supervisors appoint new conservation board members (07/16/08)
Chris Beeck and Troy V. Hemmelrick are the two newest members on the Plymouth County Conservation Board. The Plymouth County Supervisors on Tuesday appointed Beeck and Hemmelrick to replace members Ron Wilmot, who died in June, and Eric Julstrol, who recently resigned...

Remsen man injured in grain explosion in Alton (07/10/08)
ALTON, Iowa (AP) -- One person has been injured in a fiery explosion at a grain elevator in Alton in northwest Iowa. Officials say Matthew Galles, 31, of Remsen, was unloading grain at the Midwest Farmers Cooperative on Wednesday when the explosion occurred about 3:15 p.m...

School's out forever (07/10/08)
A Le Mars landmark for more than a century was demolished Wednesday. St. Joseph School, completed in 1905, was torn down to make way for a new Catholic church. A handful of the more than 2,000 students that studied in the building's classrooms gathered Wednesday to take pictures and watch the school be reduced to a pile of rubble...