Personnel

County Veteran Affairs office to offer more hours (06/12/09)
Changes are ahead for the county Veteran Affairs office. Jim Henrich, Plymouth County supervisor chairman, read a letter describing those new requirements to the board during its Tuesday meeting. Legislation passed this year requires Veteran Affairs offices to be open a certain number of days depending on the county's population...

LCS board OKs gym doors, freeze superintendent's salary (06/10/09)
There will be new doors at the entrance of Carey Gymnasium this fall. The Le Mars Community School Board of Education conducted a bid opening and hearing on the project at the start of its Monday meeting. It also accepted the low bid of $61,000 from L & L Builders of Sioux City...

Ethanol plant grand opening draws curiosity, praise (06/05/09)
Hundreds of visitors donned hard hats Thursday to watch a plant just north of Merrill do its thing: produce ethanol at the rate of 103 gallons per minute. "You read about these things, but you don't actually get to see them up close," said one Le Mars woman, waiting in line for a tour of the Plymouth Energy Ethanol plant during its grand opening...

Dean Foods ramping up for more volume (06/04/09)
A local dairy plant is adding employees to handle increased production volume. Plant manager Joe Leedom said during a Le Mars City Council meeting he anticipates 15-25 new employees will be hired. "Dean Foods has determined to transfer volume to our plant," Leedom said later. "It's a good-sized addition."...

Gus Pech: Still producing drill rigs after 130 years (06/03/09)
A Le Mars business, owned by the Collins family since 1900, turns 130 years old this year. Co-owners Cris Collins, president, and Gregg Collins, vice president, are third generation Collins family members to own and direct Gus Pech Mfg. Co. Inc. "A lot of people don't know what we do here. We make truck-mounted water well drilling equipment," said Gregg...

County says OK to TIF district extension (06/03/09)
The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday gave their stamp of approval to extend the duration of a Tax Increment Financing district near Akron another five years. The City of Akron's timeline to receive TIF revenue from the Akron Urban Renewal Area, which includes the Akron Portlandville Heights Subdivision, is set to expire June 2010...

Arbitrator splits decision on LCS teacher contracts (05/07/09)
Le Mars Community School District teachers will receive an increase in base pay and in insurance contributions by the district following an arbitrator's decision received Wednesday. According to Superintendent Dr. Todd Wendt, the decision of arbitrator Sharon Gallagher was split...

Arbitrator will decide fate of LCS teacher contract negotiations (04/24/09)

Dean Foods closes Lincoln plant, plans to relocate production (04/16/09)
A Dean Foods dairy plant in Lincoln is closing this fall, and the corporation may use the Le Mars dairy plant to help pick up the slack. Meadow Gold's downtown Lincoln dairy production plant, which employs 70-100 people, will close in September, according to Dean Foods spokeswoman Marguerite Copel...

Thrift store gives child care center a hand with costs (04/03/09)
Akron community members joined hands last year to help save parents money on child care. Helping Hands thrift store was born to help with costs at Akron Children's Center after minimum wage increased last year and the nonprofit center had to hike its rates to offset employee salaries...

Calls to Quitline surge in advance of federal tobacco tax (03/31/09)
Calls to Quitline Iowa (1-800-QUIT-NOW) have surged by 20 percent since the price of cigarettes increased ahead of a new federal tax. With a 62-cent per pack increase in the tax on cigarettes going into effect April 1, Quitline Iowa is braced for even more calls. The sudden increase in calls is one of the most significant spikes since the Quitline began offering free nicotine patches and gum in addition to counseling by trained quit coaches in January 2008...

Supervisors check out new angle for courthouse space needs (03/26/09)
Could a modular building be the answer to space problems at the Plymouth County Courthouse? The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday decided to come up with ideas they would like to see on a modular building should that be the direction they choose to go...

Newspaper added to Daily Sentinel's parent company (03/12/09)
The Le Mars Daily Sentinel's newspaper family is growing. Rust Communications, the Missouri-based media company which owns the Daily Sentinel, acquired The Monett Times and the Monett Shopper in Missouri from Cleveland Newspapers, Inc. The change in ownership was announced this month...

American Bank president resigns (03/02/09)
American Bank's Le Mars president Richard E. Magnuson resignation was accepted Monday, Feb. 23 by the bank's board of directors. Magnuson's resignation was made public Friday through a press release from American Bank. Magnuson has served 12 years as American Bank's president...

American Bank president resigns (02/27/09)
American Bank's president Richard E. Magnuson resignation was accepted Monday, Feb. 23 by the Le Mars bank's board of directors. Magnuson's resignation was made public Friday through a press release from American Bank. Don Baker, current board member, was appointed interim president until a permanent president is named...

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...

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...

Doctors on screen coming to Plains Area (12/23/08)
Wait time to see a psychiatrist or clinician at Plains Area Mental Health Center could be shortened thanks to a new teleconferencing system. It's called Telehealth and it will allow a physician to be in one location while a client is is in another. "By giving us more face-to-face time with a psychiatrist, it should reduce patient wait time, the time it takes to get an appointment," said Patrick Schmitz, Plains Area Mental Health Center's executive director...

Uncertain economy pinches health care patients and centers (12/22/08)
Today's economic downturn isn't only affecting what consumers pay at the pump or for groceries, it's also affecting how they pay for health care. Some families have to make a decision as to whether to pay for their health care needs because of higher insurance deductibles, co-pays and larger responsibilities in paying for care...

Golf course manager commended for staying in black (12/18/08)
The Le Mars City Council had praise and a raise for Willow Creek Golf Course Manager Doug Schultz during their Tuesday meeting. The city council approved a new two-year contract with Schultz, who has managed the course for some 20 years. The contract includes a 2 percent base raise for 2009, bringing the base compensation to $132,863, and another 2 percent base raise for 2010, brining the total to $135,520...

Museum officials seek county dollars to ride economic storm (12/18/08)
The Plymouth County Historical Museum officials requested the same amount as last year for its 2009-10 fiscal year. Museum officials asked for that $7,000 amount because they understand the economic challenges facing the county's budget for the next year...

Board suggests increases to elected officials' salaries (12/17/08)
The Plymouth County Compensation Board recommended salary increases for elected county officials for the 2009-10 fiscal year Monday. The compensation board approved a 2 percent increase for county supervisors and a 3.5 percent raise for the county auditor, recorder, treasurer, sheriff and attorney...

Negotiators propose 1.19 percent raise for teachers (12/16/08)
Members of the Le Mars Community Schools Board of Education bargaining team presented their initial proposals for the 2009-10 master contract to the Le Mars Community Education Association bargaining team members at a 5 p.m. meeting Monday. The board's proposal calls for a 1.19 percent total package increase, or $122,059 spread among the teachers as set forth in the teacher salary schedule in the Master Contract. The proposal also includes no benefit changes...

Outside review of information refutes allegations against school board (12/16/08)
A letter to the office of the State Auditor of Iowa with allegations against the Le Mars Community School District Board of Education by a district resident was addressed at the Dec. 8 board meeting. Jeffrey Peters, a certified public accountant with Williams & Company, in Le Mars, presented his findings to the board after receiving the information from the state auditor's office...

LCS teachers group proposes salary, insurance increases (12/02/08)
Le Mars Community Education Association members are proposing increases in base pay and insurance for the 2009-10 school year. Members of the bargaining team for the LCED met with Le Mars Community Schools Board of Education members Monday to present their initial proposal...

LCS board crunches numbers for 2009-10 (12/01/08)
It was numbers and more numbers as Le Mars Community Schools Board of Education pondered whether to seek an Instructional Support Levy (ISL) or implement a Cash Reserve Levy as a funding source for the 2009-10 budget year. At the Nov. 24 board meeting, Superintendent Dr. Todd Wendt gave the board information on preliminary fiscal year (FY) 2010 budget information. He also outlined various options for the board to consider as they decide whether to pursue the ISL for the next budget year...

LBIC seeks at-large member (11/21/08)
The board of directors of the Le Mars Business Initiative Corporation (LBIC) is looking to fill an at-large seat vacated by a retiring board member. The LBIC is made up of four representatives of the City of Le mars, four representatives of the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce, two seats for the Plymouth County Supervisors and six at-large positions. All at-large positions are three-year terms...

School board predicts money crunch, weighs ISL option (11/20/08)
A "mixed bag" is how one board member described the input on the Instructional Support Levy (ISL) received from the Le Mars Community School's District Learning and Instructional Impact Team, (DLIIT) at the board's meeting Monday, Nov 10. The Instructional Support Levy provides a funding source for general fund expenditures through property tax, income surtax and a small amount of state aid...

Worker killed in construction accident (11/19/08)
A 21-year-old Storm Lake man was killed after a steel beam fell on him while working at a construction site southeast of Le Mars, according to a report from the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office. Jose Gustavo Sivrian, injured by the beam the morning of Nov. 12, was transported to Floyd Valley Hospital in Le Mars at 7:30 a.m. by a private vehicle, the report states...

LCS ends fiscal year with $1.1 million general fund balance (11/14/08)
The Le Mars Community School District ended the 2007-08 school year with a general fund balance of $1,123,037. That fund is down $731,756 from the year's beginning balance of $1,854,793. Jeff Peters of Williams and Company presented the district's annual audit report to the board of education Monday evening...

Le Mars Insurance cuts 12 jobs (11/06/08)
Twelve layoffs were announced Wednesday at the Le Mars Insurance Company. "It was primarily driven by gains in efficiency due to a significant investment in technology," said Jeff Miller, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Donegal Insurance Group in Marietta, Penn., the parent company of Le Mars Insurance...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

School board members answer questions about ISL (08/26/08)
On Sept. 9, voters in the Le Mars Community School District will decide whether to approve a tax levy that would raise money for LCS teacher salaries, books, programs and transportation fuel. That Instructional Support Levy (ISL) has proved the source of much debate. Two LCS School Board members -- Patrick Murphy and Mark Stelzer -- sat down with the Daily Sentinel editorial staff to talk through some of the questions about the levy...

New library director could be reading in Le Mars by Nov. 1 (08/26/08)
The hunt for a Le Mars Public Library director is moving ahead full steam as officials now have a handful of applicants to consider. The personnel committee met Monday to shorten that list even more, said Randy Becker, president of the library's board of trustees...

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...

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...

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...

Delivery pains: Trucking industry crunch hits home (06/05/08)
High fuel prices are taking semis off the road. With diesel surpassing $4 a gallon, trucking operations as small as one person and as large as 1,000 drivers are closing down and parking their semis. "In the first quarter of 2008, more than 1,000 companies declared bankruptcy," said Steve Schuster, the president of trucking company Schuster Co. in Le Mars...

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...

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