Personnel

Dean Foods: Few changes in contract other than wages (03/19/10)
After a 15-month wage freeze, Dean Foods employees are headed for a raise. This week, the employee committee from the Le Mars plant and distribution voted yes to a new contract with the dairy company that includes at least a 2.5 percent raise each year for the next three years...

Merrill industry is model for Iowa's future, Judge says (03/09/10)
If Iowa is going to recover from the recession that has plagued the nation, recovery is going to come from the ground up. That's what Lt. Gov. Patty Judge said Monday during a visit to the Plymouth Oil, a food-grade corn oil plant just north of Merrill...

I-JOBS pays for roads, bridges in Plymouth County (03/09/10)
I-JOBS, a state program using gambling dollars to pay for roads, bridges and other improvements, is funneling about $1.2 million into Plymouth County. Lt. Gov. Patty Judge shared that figure during her Monday stop at Plymouth Oil near Merrill. The dollars will help pay for proposed projects like Blue Diamond Drive in Le Mars, two bridge replacements and the Environmental Conservation Opportunities (ECO) Center at Hillview Recreation Park near Hinton, Judge said...

Fire chief to hang up helmet after more than 40 years (02/26/10)
Le Mars Fire-Rescue Chief Wayne Schipper is about to start a new chapter in his life. Retirement. "I've had a pretty rewarding time," Schipper said. He will retire in June after 27 years as fire chief. He's been with the department 41 years. He started with the Le Mars fire auxiliary in the 1960s while still in high school, and since then rules for becoming a firefighter have evolved, Schipper said...

Branstad says it's time to clean house, Iowa (02/19/10)
Former Gov. Terry Branstad is OK with ice cream for breakfast, but he's not OK with Iowa's government the way it is now. That's what he told the crowd at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars Thursday morning on a campaign stop for the 2010 governor's race...

Public employee bargaining: The reasons behind the raises (02/12/10)
(Editor's note: This story is the second of two stories taking a closer look at public employees' bargaining.) Le Mars City Employees Bargaining Unit: Pay freeze for six months, 3 percent raise starting in January 2011. Plymouth County Secondary Roads Bargaining Unit: 3 percent raise for each year of a three-year contract...

Public employee bargaining: Designed to protect citizens (02/11/10)
(Editor's note: This story is the first of two stories taking a closer look at public employees' bargaining.) In the business world, salaries and benefits of a business' employees are somewhat dependent on how well the business is doing. However, in the public sector, employees like teachers and city workers are given the chance to organize and bargain collectively based on Iowa Code Chapter 20...

E-911 supplements IT coordinator's salary for 2011 (02/10/10)
Plymouth County E-911 Board members approved putting $5,000 toward the salary for Shawn Olson, county 911/information technology (IT)/GIS coordinator. The Plymouth County Supervisors took them up on that offer Tuesday for the 2011 fiscal year. Olson's new wage was OK'd in the supervisors' with their preliminary approval of the 2010-11 proposed $21,891,804 budget...

Steve King says time to stop spending (02/08/10)
U.S. Rep. Steve King thinks the biggest problem in government right now is overspending. He also doesn't believe President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan is working as it was set out to do. Neither does he favor a government-run national health care program...

Sheriff's bargaining unit employees negotiate 6 percent raise (02/03/10)
The Plymouth County Supervisors signed 2010-2013 contracts with the sheriff and secondary road bargaining units Tuesday. After five months of negotiation and a four-hour mediation session in late December, 30 employees within the sheriff bargaining unit will receive a 6 percent salary increase in 2010 as part of the three-year contract...

Mike Donlin named 2009 Citizen of the Year (02/01/10)
Mike Donlin of Le Mars was honored as the 2009 Citizen of the Year at the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner Saturday at the Le Mars Convention Center. "Some people seem to have natural leadership abilities. This year's recipient demonstrates such abilities both in the workplace and throughout the community," said Graham Forbes, 2009 Chamber president as he began to describe Donlin...

Now hiring: Census 2010 needs local workers (01/29/10)
The U.S. Census Bureau is looking for local workers to complete the 2010 Census. Census work will begin in Plymouth County communities within a month, according to Jim Meyers, local census office manager for western Iowa. "At that point we will be hiring people to visit those houses and leave the questionnaire at the household in person," Meyers said. "We still have lots of hiring to do throughout western Iowa."...

¿Habla español? :Plains Area staff trains to be multi-lingual (01/29/10)
Employees at Plains Area Mental Health are learning to say "What do you need?" and "How much does this piano cost?" -- in Spanish. It's all part of a new venture Plains Area is starting to help reduce cultural and language barriers. About 25 therapists and receptionists at the Le Mars mental health center and its Storm Lake counterpart are working on picking up another language and learning about that group's culture...

Job training program revision, could limit local businesses (01/28/10)
One-half million dollars for Plymouth County business could be at stake as the State of Iowa discusses adjustments in funding to the Iowa Industrial New Jobs Training Program. Plymouth County businesses that received job training funding in 2009 were Plymouth Energy - $250,612, Plymouth Oil - $153,000, Wells Dairy - $25,000 and Bodeans Baking Company - $63,403...

Supervisors discuss IT salary increase (01/27/10)
Plymouth County's Information Technology (IT) Director Shawn Olson is seeking a nearly $6,000 salary increase for his position as part of the 2010-2011 IT bugdet he presented to the board of supervisors Tuesday. He stated that having the pay increase would eliminate his ability to occur compensation time...

Proposed raises increase county law enforcement budgets (01/14/10)
Projected costs in salaries, insurance and retirement are the majority of increases in the Plymouth County sheriff's, correction's and communication center's proposed 2010-11 budgets. Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo presented those estimated budgets to the Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday...

Raises approved for city administrator, assistant city administrator (01/06/10)
Le Mars City Administrator Scott Langel and Assistant City Administrator Bill Cole will be receiving salary increases effective Jan. 1 for the balance of fiscal year 2010. Langel's salary will go from $118,119 to $122,844 and Cole's will increase from $81,500 to $84,760...

Rewind 2009: The good, the bad and the blizzard (12/30/09)
Editor's note: This is the first of two stories recapping 2009's top stories in the Daily Sentinel. Mother Nature put a wet (or white) blanket on Plymouth County's Christmastime plans, nailing northwest Iowa with more than a foot of snow and winds that lowered visibility and drifted roads shut. ...

Supervisors to consider raise for elected officials at budget time (12/30/09)
The Plymouth County Compensation Board recommended a 2 percent salary increase for elected officials in 2010-11. The Plymouth County Supervisors said Tuesday they will take that into consideration as they prepare the new budget. The first work session on the 2010-11 budget will be Monday...

Six-month pay freeze for city employees, then a raise (12/23/09)
The wages for the 41 Le Mars city employees in the bargaining unit will be frozen for six months next year, then see a 3 percent raise. The Le Mars City Council made the motion Tuesday afternoon to freeze bargaining unit members wages starting July 1, 2010 for six months -- with the exception of three positions...

LCS board proposes no teacher salary increase for 2010-11 (12/22/09)
No increase in base salary. No step movement on the salary schedule. No changes in contract language other than date changes. That's the opening proposal put forth by the Le Mars Community Schools board of education negotiating team in response to contract talks with the Le Mars Community Education Association (LCED) for the 2010-11 teachers' contract...

LCS teachers seek 3% package increase (12/08/09)

Deadline looming for first look at closure of Mental Health Institutes (12/01/09)
The Iowa Department of Human Services will make its recommendation in two weeks as to which of the Cherokee, Independence, Clarinda or Mount Pleasant Mental Health Institutes should close. On Dec. 15, the Department of Human Services (DHS) will present its decision to Iowa Gov. Chet Culver and the Legislature...

BoDeans expands production, adds more than 50 jobs (11/23/09)
A Le Mars ice cream cone and wafer baking company is upping production with a $12 million investment and adding close to 60 new jobs. BoDeans Baking Company is in the process of expanding both it's cone and wafer production at its facilities in the Le Mars industrial park, according to co-owner Dean Jacobson...

Brunsville grain elevator adds capacity, speed (11/23/09)
Brunsville's Premium Feed and Grain upped the ante this harvest with a new 204,000 bushel storage bin and a new grain dump that can take in grain at the rate of 8,000 bushels per hour. The company's growth also included adding three new full-time jobs. Now Premium Grain and Feed employs 12 people, 10 of which are full-time...

County court employees' jobs safe from judicial cuts (11/13/09)
No one in the Plymouth County court system will lose his or her job despite the Iowa Judicial Branch's 9.3 percent reduction in employee workforce announced Thursday. "No personnel will be laid off in Plymouth County," emphasized Clerk of Courts Charlene Peterson. "We're very thankful for that."...

LCS board appoints negotiating team, purchases vehicle (11/13/09)
Opening negotiation sessions between teachers and the Le Mars Community School District will be held in December. In a letter to the school board president, the Le Mars Community Education Association (LCEA) notified the board of its intent to bargain, with the first bargaining session for the 2010-2011 master contract to be held at 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 7...

Courts cut out 10 more days (11/11/09)
All of Iowa's judges, magistrates and court staff are ordered to take 10 already scheduled days of unpaid leave by July 1, 2010, including those in Plymouth County, in a cut announced Tuesday by the Iowa Supreme Court. The statewide unpaid leave, which will reduce the judicial branch's operating expenses by $4.1 million this fiscal year, were made in response to Iowa's "serious revenue shortfall," a press release from the Iowa Supreme Court stated...

Boosting employee morale when dollars aren't there (09/25/09)
In the past year, more than 70 percent of employers laid off employees or restructured their organization. About 60 percent of employees say they're not getting bonuses this year. And about 50 percent of workers saw negative effects from pay and benefit changes...

Scott retires from LCS board (09/18/09)
Le Mars Community School Board members gave thanks to a retiring board member and welcomed a new member at their Sept. 14 meeting. Dr. Leon Scott retired after serving 10 years representing District 1 on the board. Superintendent Dr. Todd Wendt presented Scott with a lifetime activity pass and a plaque in appreciation of his years of service...

County employee bargaining talks begin (09/04/09)
Bargaining employees in two county departments have entered into initial 2009 employee negotiations with the Plymouth County supervisors. The Plymouth County sheriff's department and the secondary road department submitted their first proposals Aug. 25...

Courthouse annex building in hands of architect (07/29/09)
The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday hired an engineering firm to oversee construction of an annex building near the courthouse to help with space needs. M Plus Architects Inc., of Sioux City, was hired at a cost of $36,400 to develop designs, prepare construction documents, oversee bidding and provide construction administration for the annex building...

Answers not easy in paying for Iowa's roads (07/24/09)
The cost of maintaining Iowa's road system is rising, and the dollars available to pay for it can't keep up. That's according to Plymouth County Engineer Tom Rohe. "The dollars are coming in but the buying power -- what we can buy with those dollars -- has seen a big decrease in the last four or five years," he explained...

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...

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