Rail Transportation

Council tables acceptance of Highway 3 project (03/18/10)
The Le Mars City Council put off accepting an engineer's statement to the Iowa Department of Transportation on the completion and owners contract for the Highway 3 widening project. City Manager Scott Langel acknowledged that the city had already, due to state legislative direction, in essence accepted the $721,701 project when the widened portion of the highway was opened last November...

Supervisors to take on mailbox versus road debate (03/18/10)
Are mailboxes sitting too close to county roads? The Plymouth County Supervisors decided Tuesday to look into the matter more thoroughly, after hearing concerns from local farmer Del Kellen. Kellen, who lives and farms south of Le Mars, said there's a problem with sight distance when it comes to rural mail carriers stopped along the K-49 and other county paved roads...

Weinrich Truck Lines turns 50 (03/15/10)
Odds are you've bought or eaten something transported by Weinrich Truck Line. The Hinton trucking company turns 50 this year, marking half a century of transporting everything from oats for race horses to syrup for Coca Cola. The business started out with an agricultural focus and grew to meet needs with a fleet of 50 trucks, both dry vans for hauling dry goods and tankers for liquids...

Vehicle drives into Education Station (03/11/10)
One employee said it sounded like a sonic boom. At about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday a van crashed into the glass front of The Education Station, according to the store's owner John MacGregor. "We were in the store, but no one was injured," he said. The driver, Bridget Ann Overman, 31, of Le Mars, was pulling into a parking spot in front of the education store and mistakenly hit the gas pedal instead of the brakes, according to a report from the Le Mars police...

Cyclists hope bike safety bill pedals through Legislature (03/04/10)
Last year a Plymouth County woman was hurt after being struck by a beer can while riding her bicycle along a country road. Erin Schroeder still gets butterflies in her stomach when she climbs on her bike. She hopes a proposed bicycle safety bill in the Iowa House of Representatives moves forward to help protect cyclists on the roadways...

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...

Neither sleet, snow, or police prevent Milne from walking to work (02/17/10)
The postal service isn't the only thing that keeps going through all the winter elements. Nothing, not even traffic or police, keeps Richard Milne, of Le Mars, from walking to work. At age 62, Milne chooses to lace up his walking shoes to transport him on the nearly 3-mile one-way route to his job as engineering technician at the Plymouth County Engineer's office just north of Le Mars...

Potholes open up challenges for crews, drivers (02/17/10)
Warm winter weather does more than melt snow -- it helps create potholes. And they multiply every time the ground freezes and thaws creating more this year than ever. That's what makes it hard for street crews like Le Mars and the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) to keep up with temporary pothole repairs...

Snow days adding up for Le Mars Community and Gehlen Schools (02/08/10)

Travel not advised on Highway 75, 60 north (01/25/10)
The Iowa Department of Transportation is reporting that travel conditions in northwest Iowa are extremely hazardous. Multiple roadways are being temporarily closed due to a high incidence of traffic crashes, including those involving high-profile vehicles...

Le Mars KCs celebrate 100 years of service (01/18/10)
A Le Mars organization with a history of service in the community will observe its 100th anniversary this month. The Knights of Columbus is a Catholic, family fraternal organization which support services programs in their churches and community. The Le Mars council, Trinity Council 1466, was instituted Jan. 23, 1910, with the first meeting held Feb. 4, 1910, in the office of Dr. Fitzgerald in Sioux City. Sponsoring council was Epiphany Council in Sioux City...

Highway 3 west widening, city signs on 2010 project list (01/08/10)
Adding a lane to Highway 3 west of Le Mars will likely be one of the City of Le Mars' top projects in the works in the new year. Le Mars City Administrator Scott Langel sketched out the 2010 priority projects with the Daily Sentinel this week, noting the finalized list is yet to come...

Plows to be pulled, Highway 3 west down to one lane (01/07/10)
Iowa Highway 3 from Le Mars west to Highway 12 at the Akron/South Dakota border is limited to one lane, according to an advisory from the Iowa Department of Transportation. The DOT has also issued a warning that travel is currently not advised in all of western Iowa including Interstate 29 because of treacherous road conditions and blowing snow...

From drifts to piles: Cleanup continues after final flake falls (01/05/10)
Snow mounds dividing city streets and huge piles of snow in parking lots are diminishing -- but where's all that snow disappearing to? It's being scooped up with loader backhoes, with buckets that hold about a yard a quarter, put into trucks and taken to a dump site across Highway 3 west from the Le Mars Vet Clinic...

White Christmas: Le Mars gets wrapped under 13-17 inches of snow (12/28/09)
Pounded with more than a foot of snow and whipping winds, Le Mars hunkered down for a very merry blizzard this Christmas. "The snow just kept coming and coming," said Fire Chief Wayne Schipper, who also serves as the city's chief of emergency operations. "But everything went smooth here."...

Le Mars man killed in icy crash (12/09/09)
A Le Mars man was killed Tuesday morning in a pickup versus semi-trailer crash on icy roads. Juan Chagolla, 46, was pronounced dead on the scene after losing control of the pickup he was driving and crashing into the semi-trailer one mile north of Merrill on Highway 75...

City seeks state input on 12th Street crosswalk (12/02/09)
The idea of spending $9,000 for four push-button traffic pedestrian lights for student safety at the 12th Street and Third Avenue Southwest intersection prompted considerable discussion Tuesday for the Le Mars City Council. Council members plan to turn to the Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) for help in answering the question before making their decision...

Jury finds Robinson not guilty in traffic death (11/27/09)
A Merrill man charged with vehicular homicide was found not guilty by a jury Wednesday. Danny Clyde Robinson, 50, faced the felony charge after being in an August 2007 collision on Plymouth County roads just north of Merrill that claimed the life of 78-year-old Fern Nielson, of Lake Norden, S.D...

Train safety project Tuesday (11/23/09)
Watch the railroad crossings Tuesday. Law enforcement officers will be watching at the tracks in Le Mars for crossing violators during an "Officer on the Train" project with the Union Pacific railroad. Tickets issued to motorists for failing to stop at the red crossing signals will cost a total of $195...

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...

Couple plans to build semi trailers at former grain site (11/10/09)
A Le Mars couple will be transforming a former grain mill site west of Le Mars into a manufacturing business for semi trailers. Clint and Leslie Chapman, now owners of the 3.59-acre property about 2 miles west of Le Mars on Highway 3, received approval Monday from the Plymouth County Board of Adjustment for a conditional use permit to manufacture live-bottom trailers at the site...

Moving house: Rectory leaves churchs ground for new home (11/05/09)
It's a strange feeling watching your house move down the road. That's what Donna Bliek said Wednesday after seeing her new 220,000 pound home lumbering down Highway 3. In August, she and her husband Ken Bliek purchased the former St. Joseph Church rectory -- a massive brick house located in northeastern Le Mars -- with plans to move it to land near Hinton and make it their family home...

Police to use text messages, e-mails to alert public (11/05/09)
You can now get free alerts from the police on your cell phone and e-mail. The Le Mars Police Department recently signed up for Nixle, a free program that allows community groups like law enforcement agencies to provide up-to-the-minute updates to the general public...

Oh deer! It's that time of year (10/28/09)
With tree leaves turning golden and temperatures cooling, the fall season also brings a greater chance of car-deer accidents on roadways across Plymouth County. "We're starting to see an increase in vehicles hitting deer," said Plymouth County Deputy Paul Betsworth. "Once farmers start getting their crops in, they start chasing the deer out of the fields onto the roadways."...

City/railroad agreement seen beneficial to industry (10/22/09)
Le Mars Mayor Dick Kirchoff said Wednesday he sees local industries as beneficiaries of the railroad agreement signed this week by the Le Mars City Council. The agreement with the Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad Company (also known as Canadian National Railway Company) sets up liability for railroad owned and maintained by city...

School's wind turbine's energy production on hold (10/21/09)
Blades the length of almost two school buses from a wind turbine owned by Akron-Westfield School District rest on the ground while repairs are underway. The turbine's gearbox was also brought down using a tall crane to reach the top of the 11-year-old structure's 165-foot-tall tower, which is much higher than people realize, said Dwain Wilmot, A-W technology coordinator...

Intersections to be closed for rail work (10/09/09)
Two city street segments will be temporarily closed Monday morning to allow for rail work by the City of Le Mars. The railroad crossings near Business Highway 75 on both Sixth Avenue Southwest and 12th Street Southwest will be closed to traffic. Work will begin at the Sixth Avenue Southwest crossing at about 9:30 a.m. When that is finished, the crew will move to the 12th Street Southwest crossing and close the street there...

Missing Remsen man found dead (10/06/09)
Answers are still being sought in the death of a 29-year-old Remsen man who was found dead at noon Monday in a pickup truck partially submerged in the Little Sioux River, just north of Kingsley. Michael David Ahlers, of rural Remsen, was declared dead on the scene, according to the Plymouth County Sheriff's report...

Road striping costs less than last year (09/16/09)
It's going to cost about $80,000 to paint center and edge lines on approximately 125 miles of roadway in Plymouth County. But the price tag for the about 7,000 gallons of paint to do that striping is less than last year, Tom Rohe, county engineer, told the Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday...

Council approves work on Business 75 north, Blue Diamond Drive (09/16/09)
Le Mars City Council members continued with the next step for two city road projects: curb and gutter along Business Highway 75 north and the creation of Blue Diamond Drive. The first project, improving current curb and gutter problems along Business Highway 75 from Highway 3 north to the Floyd River Bridge, is scheduled to get underway next year...

Locals would pay price if Cherokee MHI closes (09/15/09)
Closing the Cherokee Mental Health Institute (MHI) would be damaging for Plymouth County, according to area mental health professionals. Transportation costs for both the county and patients having to travel greater distances to other facilities to receive treatment and related agencies that rent space on the institution's campus could face hardships...

Singer, songwriter's career grows during CIA service (09/01/09)
Francis Hahn has worn many caps in his lifetime from CIA operative to shoe store repair owner to airport manager. His most fulfilling career -- his music. "I've enjoyed song writing more than anything I've ever done," Hahn said. The Mapleton man sang his tunes on the Church of Jesus stage at the 34th Annual National Old Time Country Bluegrass and Folk Music Festival Monday afternoon...

Smoother ride ahead for rough railroad crossing (07/27/09)
Help is on the way for the Highway 3 railroad crossing next to Fareway. "Rough Crossing" signs went up recently to warn drivers. The Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Chicago Central and Pacific Railroad Company (CC) are aware of the situation and working together on a solution...

2009 fair truck recognizes fair board and swine show (07/27/09)
The 10th annual edition of the Plymouth County Fair collectible truck recognizes the swine show judging and members of the Plymouth County Fair board. The series of trucks is designed to recognize activities and scenes that make up the Plymouth County Fair...

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...

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...

It's finished...almost: Manager gives nod to CAT grant completion (07/20/09)
The manager for the program that granted the City of Le Mars $650,000 in 2005 gave her stamp of approval Friday to the completed recreation updates. Alaina Santizo, program manager for Vision Iowa/CAT (Community Attractions and Tourism), said the multimillion dollar project, as proposed in the grant application, is finished...

City moving forward with bypass exit lighting (07/15/09)
The idea of lighting Highway 75 exits to Le Mars started about one year ago with the goal of bringing bypass traffic into the city. Now city officials are close to moving forward with the lights. Currently the Le Mars City Council is looking into putting up three lights at each exit ramp for north and southbound traffic -- a total of 18 lights...

New radios for LCS buses approved (07/15/09)
Bus drivers in the Le Mars Community School District will use a new two-way radio system this fall on their routes. Le Mars Community Schools Board of Education approved the purchase of a new base communication system and 31 two-way radios. The new system, according to transportation director Gary Herman, will replace a Motorola system that has been used for more than 20 years...

Highway 3 work to close main hospital entrances (07/10/09)
The two main entrances to Floyd Valley Hospital will be closed during Highway 3 road work likely starting Monday. To get in and out of the hospital, as well as Medical Associates, Park Place Estates and Park Village, traffic must come from the south...

City to provide added traffic control for Highway 3 detour (07/09/09)
Le Mars City Administrator Scott Langel and Le Mars City Council members agreed Tuesday that additional orange "temporary" stop signs are necessary for the detour which will likely begin Monday as the Highway 3 widening project gets underway. The portion of Highway 3 being closed for work runs from First Street Northeast to Park Lane, the north golf course entrance...

What's open, what's not this weekend (07/01/09)
Closed: All City of Le Mars offices will be closed Friday, July 3, for the 4th of July weekend holiday. The Grass and Twig dropoff site north of the Riverview Complex will not be open Saturday. Regular hours resume 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, July 11...

Back in the saddle: Akron woman overcomes challenges (06/12/09)
Nothing can keep Lea Jacobs from riding horses. Not even a vehicle accident paralyzing her from the waist down in November 2006. "When I couldn't ride after the accident, it felt like forever," Jacobs said. Only about a year after breaking her back, then going through four months of physical therapy, two surgeries and having steel rods put in her back, the Akron woman was back in the saddle...

Oyens centennial: A big hairy deal (06/08/09)
Bill Loutsch has lived near Oyens for nearly 50 years. But lately, he hasn't been looking like himself. That's because Bill, along with about 30 other men from the community, loves Oyens so much he was willing to grow out his beard six months to help celebrate the Oyens Centennial...

Special law enforcement project set for weekend (06/05/09)
Drive safe this summer. Buckle up and obey traffic laws. That's the message of a special law enforcement project that involves agencies from the three-state area, including the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office. Stepped up traffic enforcement begins tonight, according to Sergeant David Eral of the Iowa State Patrol...

Always believe: Hanno celebrates gift store ownership (06/02/09)
A rural Le Mars woman is rising above a tragic accident to follow a new dream. Megan Hanno, who was seriously injured in a car accident in October 2003, now runs her own gift store which draws shoppers from as far away as the United Kingdom. "We started out small and now we've grown," she said...

Catch a ride for free next week (05/28/09)
Going shopping? Take a free bus ride to the store Monday. Instead of paying $1 to ride, passengers get a break June 1 when they can ride the fixed bus route in Le Mars all day for free. "It's to try and promote ridership," said Sandy Langel, Siouxland Regional Transit System transport director. "We're trying to get people used to using it."...

Dull has passion for community theatre (05/27/09)
One might say that Bonnie Dull has a love affair with the Le Mars Community Theatre. The 87-year-old Le Mars resident has been involved with the local theater group since its inception more than 40 years ago and just completed directing the latest production, "The O'Conner Girls."...

Bicyclists plan Ride of Silence in Le Mars (05/18/09)
This week Le Mars area cyclists will have the opportunity to participate in the annual Ride of Silence Wednesday evening, May 20. The Ride of Silence is a slow-paced bicycle ride that will occur in hundreds of locations world wide to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways...

Fighting fires whets the appetite of five generations (05/15/09)
Fighting fires has been in Wayne Schipper's blood more than 100 years. The Le Mars fire chief's great-grandfather Henry Schipper started the tradition in the 1890s with his great uncle Hy (Harold) Schipper following in the early 1900s. "They just came and participated in the fire department to help citizens," Wayne said of his ancestors. "We just continue that tradition they established."...

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