Government Bodies

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...

Music festival uses hotel/motel tax grant to bring people to Le Mars (08/28/08)
A Hotel/Motel Sales Tax grant is paying off for Le Mars. More than $6,000 of the 5 percent sales tax revenue from hotel and motel rooms rented in town was given to a group advertising the 33rd annual National Old Time Country and Bluegrass Music Festival, held this year in Le Mars for the first time...

Dream Program helps Happy Siesta earn governor's quality award (08/26/08)
A wish to ride in an airplane, watch a play in a theater, take a fishing trip, hear an auctioneer cry -- all came true for Happy Siesta Health Care Center residents. Happy Siesta's Dream Program and other activities earned the center, in Remsen, a Governor's Award for Quality Care in Iowa Health Care Facilities for 2008, presented Monday...

Police officers try to slow down drivers on bypass (08/26/08)
Law enforcement officers issued 131 tickets and warnings for traffic violations at the 24th Street exit of the Highway 75 bypass in two hours last Thursday. From 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., police issued 30 tickets including 16 for speeding, five for insurance violations and three for not using seat belts...

Supervisors approve buying trailer for voting machines (08/20/08)
Election workers will have the help of a cargo trailer to haul voting machines to the polls in September. The Plymouth County Supervisors approved purchasing the single-axle enclosed cargo trailer with a ramp for $3,000 Tuesday. The handicap-accessible voting machines weigh 89 pounds, which K. Kae Meyer, Plymouth County auditor, said she can't lift nor does she expect her staff too...

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...

Merrill council urges 'Yes' vote for ISL (08/20/08)
The Merrill City Council is officially encouraging people to vote in favor of the Instructional Support Levy (ISL) which would raise money for the Le Mars Community School District. During its Monday meeting, the council passed a resolution stating its council "encourages all those eligible to vote YES" to the ISL...

Kingsley funeral director pleads guilty to theft (08/19/08)
A Kingsley funeral director pleaded guilty to stealing about $175,000 and avoiding paying taxes Monday in Plymouth County District Court. Mark Francis Rohde, 49, pleaded guilty to theft in the first degree and tax evasion as part of a plea agreement...

School election absentee ballots available (08/18/08)

When mommy is arrested: Police plan for children on the scene (08/18/08)
Patrol cars pull up to a house, looking for an adult suspect. They enter the house to make an arrest. There, on the couch, an eight year old is reading a book. Suddenly, the plan changes. "Kids are so impressionable," said Le Mars Police Chief Stu Dekkenga. "It's a big deal, removing a parent. You don't want to traumatize the child."...

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...

LCS students ahead of No Child Left Behind curve (08/14/08)
LCS students' math and reading proficiency 2007 In the math area, LCS students exceeded the state proficiency levels as follows: Grade 3-5 Grade 6-8 Grade 11 LCS students also exceeded the state proficiency levels in reading: Grades 3-5 Grades 6-8 Grade 11...

Trailer could make poll workers' job easier (08/13/08)
An enclosed cargo trailer could help election workers transport voting machines to the polls. The Plymouth County Supervisors looked at purchasing a $3,000 trailer on Tuesday, but tabled the discussion until their meeting next week. Auditor K. Kae Meyer said the cost of the trailer could be taken from her her department's budget...

Akron man receives lifesaving award (08/12/08)
An 18-year-old Akron man was honored by Iowa's governor at the state fair on Friday for risking his own life to save another's. Shawn Milbrodt received a 2008 Governor's Lifesaving Award for helping save a 19-year-old's life last July. On July 20, 2007, Jason Bumsted, 19, was involved in a head on collision with another vehicle where both cars caught fire. Shawn Milbrodt and Grant Krentz, 21, of Sioux City, drove upon the accident shortly thereafter...

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...

Sen. Harkin suggests alternatives to combat oil prices facing country (08/07/08)
Americans are addicted to oil. Sen. Tom Harkin told Plymouth County residents gathered Wednesday at Lally's Eastside Restaurant that addiction is the reason for the continued increase in oil prices. "When you're addicted to something, you just continue to feed the addiction," Harkin said...

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...

City accepts fee increase for emergency medical services (08/06/08)
Some ambulance fees are going up but most users won't feel the impact. Le Mars City Council members Tuesday, on recommendation from Bill Rosacker, Le Mars ambulance director, authorized city acceptance of a Wellmark-introduced change in payment for emergency medical services (EMS)...

Convention bureau to be topic of Hotel/Motel Sales Tax meeting (08/06/08)
A proposed convention and visitor's bureau is the main item of a Hotel/Motel Sales Tax advisory board meeting Thursday. The meeting, open to the public, will run from 5:30 to 7 p.m. During the meeting, the board will review public comment from its meeting last week, review its plan to present the concept to the city council at its Sept. 2 meeting and review applications for upcoming openings on the Hotel/Motel Sales Tax advisory board...

Fairgoers rate economy first in election (07/31/08)
Presidential candidates better know more about money than how to spend it, according to a survey conducted at the Plymouth County Fair. In a questionaire given to 500 voting-age fairgoers at the Plymouth County Republicans' booth, responders solidly placed "The Economy" as the leading issue that would influence their vote...

LCS board puts ISL issue to voters (07/28/08)
Le Mars Community School District residents will cast their vote on Sept. 9 on whether the district will participate in the Instructional Support Levy. The school board met at noon Friday to hold a public hearing on the resolution to participate. After hearing from two members of the public, the board unanimously passed the resolution and set the date for the vote...

Deadline to enter school board election nears (07/23/08)
Ten school board positions are up for election this fall in Plymouth County, and the deadline to file papers is only a week away. Candidates wishing to run for seats must turn in nomination papers with a designated number of signatures by 5 p.m. Thursday, July 31 to their schools' board secretary...

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...

Robinson pleads not guilty in vehicular homicide (07/22/08)
A Merrill man pleaded not guilty to a charge of homicide by motor vehicle Monday in Plymouth County District Court. Danny Clyde Robinson, 49, is accused of that felony and operating while intoxicated, a second offense, regarding an Aug. 11, 2007 accident which claimed the life of a 78-year-old woman...

Advisory board seeks new members with vision for visitor bureau (07/15/08)
The Hotel/Motel Sales Tax Advisory Board is on the verge of shifting directions, and the members are looking for people to fill two open seats. The board, which guides the distribution of about $100,000 a year in hotel/motel sales tax revenue, is considering the creation of a Convention and Visitor Bureau...

LCS board sets July 25 hearing on ISL resolution (07/15/08)
The Le Mars Community School Board has set a public hearing on their intent to participate in the Instructional Support Program, a tax levy which would raise money for salaries, supplies and program costs for the school. The hearing will be noon on Friday, July 25, at the Education Service Center located at 940 Lincoln St. S.W...

It's 'fair or bust' for the Ludwig family (07/14/08)
(Editor's note: This is the first in a series of stories about families preparing for the upcoming Plymouth County Fair) In less than two weeks the Ludwig's family van will journey to the Plymouth County fairgrounds filled with 4-H baked goods, dogs, a homemade hurdle and coffee table, plus the five Ludwig children and a kitten, if there's room...

'One-stop' visitor bureau a possibility for Le Mars (07/07/08)
Some local brainstormers are suggesting the idea of a new convention and visitor bureau for Le Mars. Being billed as a "one-stop-shop" for tourism, lodging, recreation and convention information, the proposed bureau could be paid for with part of the Hotel/Motel Sales Tax revenue...

Grassley gives his take on fuel crunch at Le Mars meeting (07/01/08)
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley praised ethanol and drilling for more oil in the United States during his stop at a Le Mars town hall meeting where concern about energy and food prices was the prevailing mood. Speaking to a crowd of about 50 people at the American Bank Monday, Grassley responded to questions about fuel prices by presenting his idea for an energy program...

Smoking in most public places will be extinguished Tuesday (06/30/08)
No Smoking signs started going up last week in preparation for the Iowa Smokefree Air Act which goes into effect Tuesday. Lally's East Side Restaurant, in Le Mars, sported homemade signs Friday telling customers the establishment, which previously allowed smoking, will be smoke free July 1...

City okays iCash Program participation (06/19/08)
Le Mars city council members Tuesday agreed, subject to determination of several legal questions, have approved city membership in a new Iowa League of Cities system for the electronic direct payment of utility bills, permit charges and other city fees...

Entities will pay administration costs for county's help (06/19/08)
The Plymouth County Supervisors on Tuesday approved charging $1,500 in administrative costs for helping issue bonds or grants under its tax-free canopy. The topic came to light when Girls Inc., a nonprofit organization from Sioux City, requested the county's help to route revenue bonds through the county...

SRTS considering 'fuel -saving' designated bus routes for Le Mars (06/18/08)
Le Mars residents could, if interest warrants, find themselves with a new fuel-saving transportation option in the future. Bill Cole, assistant city administrator, Tuesday shared with city council members that among "new ideas" under discussion by the Siouxland Regional Transportation System (SRTS) is the consideration of possible designated routes throughout the city. Such routes, Cole said, is being looked at as a means of continuing to increase SRTS usage...

Gas station falls victim to burglars (06/17/08)
CarGo Express Convenience Store No. 1 was damaged and robbed sometime after 11 p.m. Friday. Police estimated the value of items stolen and the damage done to the business at $7,000. Le Mars Police Department officers were called to the store, at 327 Plymouth St. N.E., at about 6:45 a.m. Saturday, June 14...

Local National Guard unit helps fend off floodwater (06/16/08)
Fifty-five members of the local National Guard unit were working through the night this weekend to help hold back flood water in downtown Des Moines and Burlington. The group from Le Mars' C-Troop 113th Cavalry left Thursday to help sandbag near the rising Des Moines River. This weekend they were called to Burlington to help with sandbagging efforts along the swelling Mississippi River, and they are continuing with that effort this week...

LCS board tries again for instructional support levy (06/10/08)
The Le Mars Community School Board of Education unanimously approved a resolution to participate in the Instructional Support Program for a five-year period beginning with the 2009-2010 school year. This is the board's second attempt to implement the instructional support levy (ISL). A petition by district patrons put the same issue to a vote in March, when it was defeated...

Hotel/Motel Tax special meeting next week (06/09/08)
A meeting next Tuesday will offer information for groups seeking Hotel/Motel Tax dollars. The Le Mars Hotel/Motel Tax Advisory Board is hosting a special meeting to learn about proposed improvement options for tourism and community development in the City of Le Mars...

Schipper tells council local diaster plan learning efforts going well (06/06/08)
Le Mars Fire Chief Wayne Schipper put the city council on alert Tuesday. The council members, Schipper said during the group's regular session, are most likely the next to be tested on their awareness and knowledge of the city's disaster plan. "We want everyone," Schipper said, "to be aware of the plan's basics."...

Loutsch defeats Schneider in county supervisor race (06/04/08)
Republican challenger Mark Loutsch unseated incumbent John Schneider as the District 2 Plymouth County supervisor in Tuesday's primary election. Based on unofficial numbers, Loutsch brought in 682 votes compared to Schneider's 386. As he celebrated with family Tuesday night, Loutsch said he was surprised at the wide gap in the number of votes between himself and Schneider, but that the people had spoken...

Two caught after scam at truck stop (06/02/08)
Two Minnesota men were caught for scamming a Le Mars business just hours after pulling a similar scam on a Sheldon store Thursday, May 29. Scott Richard Coxworth, 30, of Houston, Minn. and Christopher Wayne Swinger, 24, of Minneapolis, Minn. pulled a scam at the Le Mars Truck Stop, stealing $90, before heading out of Le Mars...

Two men caught after scamming Le Mars Truck Stop (05/30/08)
Two Minnesota men were caught for scamming a Le Mars business just hours after pulling a similar scam on a Sheldon store Thursday, May 29...

Six county residents on the ballot June 3 (05/30/08)
Voters will go to the polls for the primary election Tuesday, June 3, to pick candidates from their party to face off in the November general election. Six Plymouth County residents are running for county offices. On the Republican side, Mark Loutsch and incumbent John Schneider are competing for the District 2 seat on the county board of supervisors. ...

June 3 primary polling places set (05/30/08)
Polls for the June 3 primary election will be open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. at 13 precincts in Plymouth County. At the primary election, voters will choose either a Democrat or Republican ballot. Voters may change their party affiliation at the polling site, according to deputy auditor Cheri Nitzschke. "This will change their party at that time, and they cannot change back until after the (primary) election is over," she explained...

Feenstra says focus on results would drive his work as senator (05/29/08)
Randy Feenstra traces his path to politics back to selling candy. Feenstra, of Hull, is running unopposed in the June 3 primary for the Republican nomination to the Iowa Senate seat vacated by Dave Mulder. The Dordt College graduate, now the Sioux County Treasurer, worked seven years as the head of sales at the Foreign Candy Company...

LCS board restarts process to adopt ISL (05/28/08)
The Le Mars Community School Board of Education has adopted a resolution to consider participating in the Instructional Support Program for five years and set a public hearing for 7:30 p.m. Monday, June 9. The instructional support levy (ISL) program allows the district a source of raising revenue with a mix of property tax and income surtax for the district's instructional support program...

Service honors soldier who fell 40 years ago (05/27/08)
First Lieutenant Corbin Clark Tindall was killed in action on April 12, 1969. He and other members of the Armed Forces were honored Monday at The Avenue of Flags Memorial Day Program, in Le Mars, at the Plymouth County Courthouse. Tindall and his unit's service were recognized during the ceremony as this month is the 40th anniversary of their mobilization, May 13, 1968...

Officers hand out 84 tickets and warnings in two hours (05/27/08)
Area law enforcement officers wrote up 29 tickets and 55 warnings Thursday in the first of several special traffic enforcement projects (STEP) planned for the summer season. The 84 citations and warnings were handed out by the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office, the Le Mars Police Department and the Hinton Police Department in a two-hour period near the 24th Street exit of the Highway 75 Bypass...

American Legion Auxiliary announce winners of Poppy Poster Contest (05/21/08)
Sixth grade students at Gehlen Catholic School showed their support of veterans of all wars by participating in the American Legion Auxiliary's annual Poppy Poster contest. Poppy Week is usually observed as the week that ends on the Saturday before Memorial Day. However, Gehlen Catholic sixth graders learned about it earlier as part of a unit on good poster design in art class in preparation for the American Legion Auxiliary Poppy Poster Contest, under the direction of Beth Schlichte...

Mayor observes School Board Recognition Week (05/16/08)
With May 11-17 set as Iowa School Board Recognition Week, Le Mars Mayor Dick Kirchoff made sure he did his part to honor the local school boards. On Monday, May 12, he signed and presented a proclamation to members of the Le Mars Community Schools board of education. This year's theme --"Helping Students Reach New Heights" -- recognizes that Iowa's volunteer school board members are local leaders working to help students succeed...

Failed bottle bill means uncertainty for Can Farm (05/12/08)
The Can Farm's future hangs in the balance after legislation to double redemption handling fees failed again this year. Owners Mark and Cheryl Juhl may have to close their doors after 15 years of service. "We don't know what we're going to do," Mark Juhl said. "We're going to take a look at everything and see if we can make it work."...