Labor Day

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...

Le Mars native to speak on behalf of National Education Association (09/19/08)
A Le Mars native who is now president of the National Education Association will be speaking in West Des Moines at the end of this month. Dennis Van Roekel, who was elected to the position in July, will be talking at an IowaPolitics.com forum about the November election and answering questions educational issues...

LCS board OKs allocation of state money for teachers (09/11/08)
An agreement between the Le Mars Community School District and the Le Mars Education Association provides for the distribution to teachers of more than $800,000 in additional state money for the 2008-09 school year. The Educator Quality Basic money is allocated by the Iowa Legislature in an effort to increase the average teacher salaries in Iowa and raise Iowa's ranking in average teacher salary in the United States...

Offices closed for Labor Day (08/29/08)
Americans will celebrate the country's 126th annual Labor Day, the three day-weekend that marks the unofficial end of summer. There will be several closings in Le Mars for the day. The first Labor Day was celebrated in New York City on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, after the Central Labor Union came up with the idea and planned a demonstration and picnic for that day...

Employee health insurance plan awarded to Avera Health (06/19/08)
Le Mars city council members Tuesday voted to continue the city's Employee Health Plan with Avera Health with Northwood continuing as the city's reinsurance carrier. City Finance Director Bill Cole said that while the plan represents a 10 percent cost increase, the plan was the lowest of 15 proposals received. Despite the increase, he said, the city will be paying less for the insurance fixed costs in 2009 than in 2006 due to the health contract accepted at that time...

Council approves city administrator pay hike (06/18/08)
Le Mars City Administrator Scott Langel is in line for a 3.75 percent pay increase for the coming year following action Tuesday by the city council. The council, meeting in a closed executive session, approved a fiscal year 2009 salary of $118,119 for Langel, compared to his present salary of $113,850...

Supervisors approve deputies' salaries for 2008-09 (05/28/08)
Plymouth County Sheriff deputies' salaries and others were approved Tuesday for 2008-09. The Plymouth County Supervisors approved salaries for the sheriff deputies, the deputy recorder, the auditor's deputies, the tax, motor vehicle and driver's license deputy, and the assistant Plymouth County attorney...

LCS middle school principal hired (05/16/08)
The Le Mars Community Schools board of education approved the hiring of a new middle school assistant principal for the 2008-09 school year. Christopher Schmit, a middle school instructor at Waterloo, was recommended from the candidates interviewed for the position. He will replace Amy Johnson, who resigned the position this spring...

Corn oil producer planned near Merrill ethanol plant (04/21/08)
Better together. That's what Dave Hoffman of Merrill says about the $30 million corn oil plant he and others are planning to build next to the Plymouth Energy ethanol plant near Merrill. The corn oil plant will produce up to 60 tons every day of the oil used for human food and cooking. Employing 25 people, the plant is slated to be in operation by the spring of 2009...