Information And Communication Technologies

Care package organization receives 50-laptop donation (03/11/10)
With laptops stacked 50 high, Kerri Stinton's storage room is more like a computer warehouse. But the laptops are actually a donation made to the Afghanistan Care Package Fund. Stinton, of Le Mars, started the care package program last August, following the deployment last July of her son-in-law, Scott Tillman, to Afghanistan...

Proposed texting and driving ban receives local support, criticism (02/26/10)
As soon as this summer, Iowa drivers who text and drive might see flashing blue and red lights in their rear view mirror. The Iowa House and Senate have both passed their own versions of a bill that would ban texting and driving. However, they have to come to an agreement before the law can move forward...

Facebook safety: Keep predators out and friends in (01/07/10)
If you would have said "I'm going to go check my Facebook" 10 years ago, someone would assume you had a collection of mug shots you needed to thumb through. Fast forward a decade and seemingly everyone is on Facebook, the world's fastest growing social networking website, currently serving more than 350 million people...

City seeks grant dollars for road to truck wash (07/22/09)
Blue Diamond Drive might appear on your next Le Mars street map. The drive, a connecting road between Business Highway 75 and Holton Drive to allow traffic into Blue Diamond Truck Wash, moved a step closer to reality Tuesday. The Le Mars City Council approved submitting a RISE local development grant application to help pay for the project...

Republicans redrawn: New Iowa chairman rallies for a sharper, hipper party (06/04/09)
When Matt Strawn spoke about going on the offensive Wednesday in Le Mars, the 35-year-old wasn't talking about the arena league football team he co-owns. He was talking about the Republican party. Strawn, elected chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa in January, sat around a Le Mars Truck Stop table with half a dozen local supporters and discussed how the GOP should emerge from the rubble of its 2008 campaign efforts...

Requests for county LOST grants reach nearly half a million (03/16/09)
Twenty-two Plymouth County groups are putting their name in for money from the $180,000 Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenue grant pool. Asking for a total of $431,261, the 21 groups' applications range from buying a Wii exercise DVD -- a kind of interactive video game -- for special needs people to renovation of the Akron Opera House...

Ethanol debate: Is your car ready for E-15? (03/12/09)
Currently, government rules allow non-flex-fuel vehicles to use only 10 percent ethanol in their gasoline. Politicians from Iowa are pushing for that to change. Earlier this week, newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, spoke in support of allowing higher blends -- 15 percent...

Developers look at piping methane from wastewater plant (03/11/09)
Waste not. That could be the motto of Le Mars' wastewater plant. The plant already makes 100 percent of what comes in into usable products. Now officials are talking with a local renewable energy developer about using the wastewater plant's methane to help fuel the Plymouth Energy ethanol and corn oil plants north of Merrill...

This IS your grandma's Internet (03/02/09)
Generations are often defined by what music they love or how they view work. But more and more, young and old are coming together in one place: the Internet. Since 2005, the biggest increase in Internet users was in the 70-75 year-old age group, according to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life project...

OdysseyWare gives alternative high school students new class options (02/19/09)
A new software program, OdysseyWare, is helping students make huge strides at the Le Mars Community Alternative High School. Julie Theisen has led the Alternative High School, formerly known as the Individualized Learning Center (ILC), for 19 years and is excited about the software program and what it means for her students. The classroom is located in the Education Service Center at 940 Lincoln St. S.W...

Nor-Am finalizes purchase of Harker's plant (02/18/09)
Nor-Am Cold Storage is the new owner of the former Harker's plant in Le Mars. Greg Brandt, Nor-Am president and CEO, said today (Wednesday) the company will be using the plant to repackage and manufacture some products serving area food companies. Opening day is not far for the new Nor-Am facility...

Winning voices: More than 100 FFA students to compete in Le Mars (02/13/09)
On Tuesday at Le Mars Community School, senior Jacob Conley will make a radio ag. broadcast, junior Angie Breuer will speak on the pros and cons of ethanol, and senior Zerick Kuecker will do a job interview. This is all part of the FFA Leadership Contests...

Courthouse goes wireless: System offers public access to Internet (02/10/09)
A dream is becoming a reality for Plymouth County Information Technology expert, Shawn Olson. Olson's department has received a Local Options Sales Tax grant of $25,000 to upgrade, improve, and expand the wireless network at the Plymouth County Courthouse...

Seniors train to save your life (02/09/09)
Beep. Beep. Beep. Eighteen-year-olds Pat Rosacker and Ryan Baue are already in motion. But it's not their cell phones they're answering. "Le Mars Ambulance needed for a car accident." Rosacker and Baue are answering a dispatcher's call as the Le Mars Ambulance squad's youngest EMTs...

Safe on the Internet? Find out how to be (02/09/09)
With e-mail scams and internet predators in recent news, the Le Mars Public Library is offering an adult course on internet security and understanding social networking sites like MySpace. The free course will be held twice from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17 and Tuesday, March 17, in the library's meeting room...

LCS students compete in national quilt block challenge (01/19/09)
Students in the textile arts class at Le Mars Community High School put their skills good use as they designed quilt square for the National Quilt Museum: Museum of the American Quilter's Society/Moda School Block Challenge Contest 2009. LCS family and consumer sciences instructor Rosemary Cronin obtained the entry information for the contest, based in Kentucky, and had the students put their creative energy to work in creating the 16-by-16-inch square blocks using the paper piecing method of construction.. ...

City makes big cuts, makes department reorganization (01/06/09)
The City of Le Mars is eliminating its engineering department and cutting one person's job to help trim expenses. This decision, plus other cuts like not filling three other positions, will slash between $200,000 and $250,000 from the city budget. Mayor Dick Kirchoff announced the changes Monday afternoon in a press conference...

Predictions 2009: Where will we be this year? (01/02/09)
Has a fresh start ever looked so good? After a year when 401k reports were as dour as the news reports, and when about 11 months of television were dominated by presidential campaigning, 2009 smells fresh. We asked people around Le Mars and Plymouth County what their predictions are for the new year. Here's what they said...

How to survive being snowbound on the roadway (12/30/08)
Help save a life -- your own. Pack an emergency car kit before setting out on treacherous snow covered roads. "Do your planning. If you were delayed or had trouble, think of what you might need," said Gary Junge, Plymouth County emergency management coordinator...

A year to remember: Top stories of 2008 (12/30/08)
Editor's note: This is the first of two stories recapping 2008's top stories in the Daily Sentinel. 10. O'Keefe stabs, kills a man A butcher knife to the chest led to the death of Sam Toliver, 32, Jan. 24, 2008. Jody O'Keefe, 35, most recently of Le Mars, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and other charges and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. ...

Don't get stuck in the cold: Plan for winter power outage (12/29/08)
By Charles Schwab Safety Specialist, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Iowa State University Extension Winter power outages are always challenging but occasionally they can be dangerous if not handled correctly. The key to managing any emergency such as a power outage is to have a specific disaster plan to handle decisions that must be made in the moment of the crisis...

Slower economy equals busier library (12/26/08)
Grab a movie. Get a computer program that helps your daughter prepare for the ACT test. PIck up a new framed print for your living room. Where can you do all this for $1? The local library. Libraries have always been the old standby for checking out books and other resources, but with families facing tighter budgets, they're finding out the library has a lot to offer...

Economic development group on the prowl (12/24/08)
The Northwest Iowa Developers Coalition is putting both feet forward in its efforts to bring economic development to the area. Gary Tucker, Plymouth County's economic development director, shared with the Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday some of the group's plans for 2009...

Lost and found by phone (12/23/08)
With blowing snow and below-zero windchill, Ann Rush wasn't the only person to call into the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office about getting stuck in the ditch Saturday night. But the rural Sioux City woman's call was different. She didn't know where she was to tell rescuers where to find her...

Libraries need more money to provide additional services (12/18/08)
Plymouth County Library Association asked for an additional $5,000 from the county to shore up its 2009-10 budget. The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday heard from Sue Kroesche, Le Mars Public Library director that with the additional $5,000 the county library association's annual budget would be about $70,000...

Community Foundation awards more than $106,000 in grants (12/12/08)
More than $106,000 in Community Foundation grant money was awarded to 26 organizations and groups in Plymouth County at a breakfast meeting Thursday, Dec. 11. The grants were presented by members of the Community Foundation of Greater Plymouth County. The presentation was postponed from Dec. 9 due to weather and road conditions...

Dog tags might help get strays home, veterinarian says (11/20/08)
A peppy Jack Russell terrier squirms in Tammy Singer's arms at the Le Mars Veterinary Clinic. This dog, the veterinarian assistant said, was brought to the clinic -- which also serves as the city pound -- several weeks ago. It was found loose near Greenwood Avenue in Le Mars. Although it has a collar, the pup has no tags to tell who its owners might be...

Supervisors give stamp of a approval to Merrill urban renewal (11/19/08)
An urban renewal area around and in Merrill became a reality Tuesday. Following a public hearing, the Plymouth County Supervisors approved an urban renewal district to encompass the entire city of Merrill and around Plymouth Energy ethanol plant, Plymouth Oil, a food-grade oil plant and Midwest PMS, the liquid cattle feed mill...

Turning down the music could mean saving the hearing (11/06/08)
Next time you plug in your MP3 player and stick in your ear buds, think about this -- you could be damaging your hearing. It's not the ear buds or head phones that are the problem. It's the frequency and the volume, said Mike Sloniker, audiologist MSCCA (Master's of Science of Certified Clinically Competent in Audiology) at Siouxland Hearing Healthcare, in Sioux City...

The Browns plan for Le Mars concert (10/02/08)
The Browns will be singing in Le Mars this weekend. The musical family is performing in concert at their home church, Le Mars Bible Church, 6:00 pm. Sunday, Oct. 5. The Browns will perform old favorites and songs from their brand new compact disc release "A New Day."...

Speakers urge local leaders to consider possible threats (10/01/08)
Maybe it will be an ice storm. Maybe a pandemic flu. Or maybe a terrorist strike with chemical weapons. Disaster is always on the horizon -- at least that was the message at a "Fail to Plan, Plan to Fail" videoconference that brought together local leaders from Le Mars and in six other states...

New feeding clinic may help children eat (09/19/08)
Some children don't like to eat or have difficulty eating. Floyd Valley Hospital's new children's therapy services will try to determine why and how to overcome those problems through its feeding clinic using sensory and motor equipment. Erin Schroeder, OTR/L, an occupational therapist, said those tools, like a trampoline, an obstacle course, a slide and a large ball, can help settle a child down in preparation for eating...

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...

Landfill amnesty days set for next weekend (09/12/08)
The City of Le Mars is offering three more days of free dumping for certain items at the Plymouth County Landfill next weekend Sept. 18, 19 and 20. For these days, the city is declaring an amnesty from the landfill disposal cost for up to 1,000 pounds per household of "throw away" material...

School board candidates share views heading into election (09/02/08)
The Le Mars Community School District has two open seats on the board of education. The election to fill the District 3 and 5 seats will be Sept. 9. Joe Cain and incumbent Dan Smith are running for the District 5 spot, and Mark Hemmingson is running a write-in campaign for the District 3 spot, which no one filed papers to fill. To get to know the candidates more, the Daily Sentinel asked each one eight questions, which are printed below with their answers.

Work on GIS website puts Plymouth County on the map (09/02/08)
Plymouth County's success with owning and operating a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) website will soon be known around the world. Autodesk MapGuide Enterprise, owner of AutoCad Map 3D software used on the county's GIS website, wrote a customer success story that will be published in the company's trademark magazines, displayed at GIS conferences and on its website...

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...

Users need to protect computers against security threats (08/29/08)
Experts say there are no foolproof methods to keep home or corporate computers safe from security breaches, but taking precautions helps deter attackers. "The best practice is to keep everything up to date, anti-virus and anti-Spyware programs, and use it (computer) responsibly," said Jerry Christiansen, owner of Computer Crossing. "That's not a hundred percent guarantee that it won't get hit with something, but it does decrease the odds."...

Cell phones beat landlines in Iowa (08/21/08)
Will cell phones eventually replace landline telephones? In Le Mars, store managers from Verizon Wireless/Wireless World and Frontier Communications, are on opposite sides of the debate. "The future is wireless," said Steve Harrington, Verizon manager. "People now are carrying cell phones. They all say this is their main form of communication."...

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...

Japanese students learn Iowa life from local families (08/13/08)
Brian and Sarah Kehm have an extra sister in their house for a month. She's 16. She likes to shop. She likes pop music and video games. And she's a black belt in karate. Shoko Harashima, a Japanese teen, is living with the David and Janet Kehm family for most of August. She's part of a group of 26 Japanese students living with 4-H families in Iowa from July 24 to Aug. 21. Five of those 4-H families are in Plymouth County...

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...

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 searches for solutions to indoor pool problems (08/06/08)
alse alarms on the fire alarm system. Temperature spikes. Ventilation system running non-stop. Computer lock ups. Since it opened in March 2007, the Le Mars Indoor Aquatic Center has been plagued with heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) problems...

SRTS will offer rides to country music festival (08/06/08)
Those attending the country and bluegrass festival later this month can catch a ride with the Siouxland Regional Transit System (SRTS) at its regular fee rate. Supervisor Don Kass told the Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday a SRTS bus will be available within Le Mars to take people to and from festival, which will be at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds...

Le Mars composer makes musical notes come alive (07/30/08)
David Moore began writing melodies as a teenager. "I started dabbling when I was in high school just kind of messing around," the Le Mars man said. "I actually did a couple of arrangements for my jazz band experimenting a little bit." Since then, a band instructor by day, Moore has composed full concert band and smaller solo, piano and ensemble pieces...

Landfill amnesty days added this weekend (07/28/08)
The City of Le Mars is offering two more days of free dumping for certain items at the Plymouth County Landfill Aug. 1 and 2. For these days, the city is declaring an amnesty from the landfill disposal cost for up to 1,000 pounds per household of "throw away" material per household...

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...

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...

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