Smoking Regulations

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...

MidAmerican customers may help finance nuclear study (03/16/10)
The 7,184 MidAmerican Electric Company customers in Plymouth County may see a monthly increase in their payment due to a proposed law. The increase would come if Iowa Gov. Chet Culver signs a bill to allow MidAmerican to boost electric consumer payments throughout the state by $15 million to study the possibility of bringing a second nuclear plant to Iowa...

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...

County construction means less LOST money for grants (02/16/10)
The Plymouth County Supervisors set aside $100,000 in Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) money in their proposed budget to be used for grant requests. That's $80,000 less than last year -- but the county has two new major construction projects to pay for with LOST revenue in the next fiscal year...

MidAmerican Energy calls for safety, continues storm restoration (01/26/10)
MidAmerican Energy reminds customers to take additional safety precautions as work continues to restore service to thousands of customers impacted by this week's ice storm. Today (Tuesday) MidAmerican Energy reported only one outage in Plymouth County...

Locals urge legislators to watch medical, school bills (01/18/10)
Plymouth County residents concerned with proposed Iowa laws impacting everything from school dollars to anesthesiology in rural hospitals spent Saturday morning bringing questions before the local legislators. At the Le Mars Public Library, Republicans Sen. Randy Feenstra and Rep. Chuck Soderberg held their first public forum of the year, outlining the beginning of the legislative session and hearing citizens' concerns...

Quitline doubles free nicotine patches, gum (01/04/10)
Smokers in Plymouth County are being offered an option to help them quit. Quitline Iowa is doubling the amount of nicotine patches and gum from two to four weeks of therapy available to callers during the month of January. "I visit with tobacco users quite often and it is not uncommon for them to share the struggles they have when faced with health related issues and the fear of not being able to quit," said Cheryl Buntsma, Tobacco Prevention Coordinator of five counties in Northwest Iowa. ...

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...

EPA pushes back ethanol decision (12/02/09)
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is holding off on deciding whether to raise allowable ethanol content in gasoline until mid-2010. The announcement came on Tuesday, Dec. 1 -- the original deadline set by the Clean Air Act for the EPA to decide whether to allow up to 15 percent ethanol in gasoline, a 5-percent increase on the current limit...

U.S. wildlife leaders worry about future during Akron summit (11/16/09)
Leaders from national wildlife groups shared concerns about the future of clean water and conservation in the United States during a summit near Akron this past weekend. "This is a place where agricultural producers, conservationists and water quality advocates come together for a common program," Jim Martin said of the gathering...

Floyd Valley Hospital restricts patient visitors (10/26/09)
People with flu symptoms are currently banned from visiting patients at Floyd Valley Hospital. That's part of the temporary restricted visitation policy recently posted at the building's entrances by hospital officials. "A new strain of influenza, commonly known as H1N1, is currently widespread across the country," the policy states. "In order to protect our patients, guests and staff, we are temporarily modifying our visitor policy."...

Local electric providers: We're for cap, but not trade (10/23/09)
Under proposed energy legislation often called "cap and trade," the Midwest would get burned, according to representatives from local electricity providers. MidAmerican Energy representative Mark Reinders explained his company's take on the American Clean Energy and Security Act, a comprehensive energy bill proposed by U.S. Representatives...

Day, King thank soldiers, urge patriotism (10/19/09)
It was a good day to be a Siouxland soldier Saturday. Col. George "Bud" Day, America's most decorated living war veteran, spent the day pheasant hunting with soldiers from the 113th Cavalry in Le Mars and the 185th Air Refueling Wing in Sioux City, along with Rep. Steve King (R) in western Plymouth County...

Feds shut down Vantus Bank, Missouri bank acquires deposits (09/09/09)

Iowa businesses comply with nonsmoking act (07/08/09)
Only 1 percent of more than 82,000 Iowa businesses received notice of potential violation of the Smokefree Air Act in the past year. Effective July 1, 2008, the law bans smoking in bars, restaurants and other public areas. Since last year, notice of potential violations have been sent to 1,015 businesses with employees, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health (IDPH)...

A mom with a message: Porterfield visits Washington D.C. (06/16/09)
"I'm not a lobbyist," Barbara Porterfield said. "I'm a mom." Even so, the rural Plymouth County woman just returned from Washington D.C. where she spoke to legislative officials about her family's plight to get affordable health care. Porterfield, a medical transcriptionist, had health coverage through her company until its ownership changed a few years ago...

Plymouth Energy hearing for grain dealer license postponed (06/11/09)
The Merrill ethanol plant has another 2 1/2 months to make their financial system comply with state standards. The Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) temporarily revoked Plymouth Energy's license to purchase grain as a dealer in early May because of "deficiencies" in the company's financial system and accounting with grain transactions, according to Rich Wahl, of the IDALS...

More smokers calling it quits (01/02/09)
Tobacco users who want to start out the New Year right by kicking the habit can now call the Quitline Iowa number and receive four weeks of free nicotine replacement therapy. Northwest Iowa smokers who are resolving to quit smoking for the New Year will be joining a growing group. They'll also have more resources than ever to end their costly habit...

2008 in review: Hellos and goodbyes (12/31/08)
Editor's note: This is the second of two stories recapping 2008's top stories in the Daily Sentinel. 5. Iowa begins Smokefree Air Act Indoor smoking, except in people's homes, became a rarity after the Smokefree Air Act went into effect in Iowa July 1. ...

Impaired waters in county not on monitoring schedule (12/22/08)
Eight bodies of water in Plymouth County are among 445 listed as impaired throughout Iowa. That means those streams, lakes, creeks and rivers have some type of pollutant -- like too high levels of bacteria -- based on standards set by the Federal Clean Water Act...

Legislators predict budget crunching, right-to-work laws to top session (12/12/08)

Great American Smokeout - an opportunity to quit (11/20/08)
There may be a few less cigarettes lit today. That's because today, Nov. 20, is the 33rd annual Great American Smokeout, a day designated by the American Cancer Society as a time to quit smoking. According to the American Cancer Society, smoking cigarettes tops the list as the most preventable major risk factor of the nation's number one killer --heart and blood vessel disease...

Smoking law leaves city with cigarette clean up (09/17/08)
Le Mars Councilman Rex Knapp suggested the main entrance of the Le Mars Convention Center can, come weekends, resemble a pig sty. "It looks hideous, terrible," Knapp said during Tuesday's city council session describing what he said was the littering of the area with cigarette butts left by the weekend crowds...

Smoking outside gets mixed reviews (07/25/08)
Smoking inside Iowa bars and restaurants is just a memory. The Iowa Smokefree Air Act that became effective July 1 means customers who want to smoke in those places must now go outside. "It's definitely affected business," said the Red Hanke Saloon manager, who did not wish to be identified. "They (customers) don't stick around as long."...

Smoking in most public places will be extinguished Tuesday (06/30/08)
No Smoking signs started going up last week in preparation for the Iowa Smokefree Air Act which goes into effect Tuesday. Lally's East Side Restaurant, in Le Mars, sported homemade signs Friday telling customers the establishment, which previously allowed smoking, will be smoke free July 1...

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...

LBIC gets city land project reimbursement (06/06/08)
The City of Le Mars is reimbursing the LBIC for costs of two economic opportunity activities the corporation said "do not fit" under the current development agreement between the LBIC and the city. Both projects, Le Mars Business Initiative Corporation's (LBIC) Neal Adler said, took place with prior knowledge of the city. ...

Not just a number: Drivers choose message with specialized plates (04/21/08)
GODLVSU, SKI BUG, 3 LTL PGS, MAN CAVE, HUMMMMR -- they're all license plates with meaning. Personalized and specialized license plates allow drivers to express themselves, support a cause or send others a message. Duane McLay, owner of Emily's Home Furnishings in Le Mars, drives a car with GODLVSU, which translates into "God Loves You," license plates for almost 20 years...

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