Tobacco Products Manufacturing

Tentinger honored for speaking out for agriculture (03/17/10)
Even if you haven't met Bill Tentinger, you've probably heard or read his words in the news. The rural Le Mars farmer and pork producer has become a voice for agriculture in northwest Iowa and beyond. That's why he was honored Tuesday with the 2010 Outstanding Service to Agriculture at the Agri-Business Luncheon, sponsored by the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce...

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...

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...

Optimist Club impacts 25 years worth of children (03/12/10)
Twenty-five years ago this week, a group of locals came together to make a difference for youth. Since then, thousands of young people in Le Mars have been reached by the Le Mars Optimist Club. "We've made an impact," said Jerry Haack, founding president of the club. "Over the past 20-some years, we've touched every kid in this town in a positive way."...

No word from GM for Total Sales and Services (03/10/10)
A Le Mars auto dealership hasn't heard anything from GM regarding whether or not the business' Chevrolet franchise will be reinstated. Total Sales and Service is one of hundreds of dealers across the nation that lost GM franchise agreements in the automakers' bankruptcy dealings in May 2009...

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...

Apartments officially on national historic register (03/04/10)
A building which first was home to a hospital and is now apartments is Le Mars' newest listing on the National Register of Historic Places. Floyd Valley Apartments, at 110 Sixth Ave. N.E. has been named to the National Register of Historic Places. That confirmation was made Feb. 3, 2010, according to Iris Hemmingson, president of the Le Mars Historic Preservation Commission...

Ice cream parlor will bring life to historic Le Mars building (02/25/10)

From field to table: Plymouth Oil begins production (02/22/10)
The food-grade corn oil plant just north of Merrill is making liquid gold. After weather and financial delays, the $30 million Plymouth Oil plant is completely constructed and pumping out gallons of crude corn oil, according to Dave Hoffman, chairman of the Plymouth Oil Company board...

Kingsley cleaners burned but not beaten (02/22/10)
A 63-year-old Kingsley business went up in flames Saturday night but owners say they're staying in business. Fire crews were called to Kraft Kleaners and Laundromat at about 9 p.m. after a 911 call and were on the scene for about three hours. "There was a lot of smoke coming out of the building and you could see flames inside," Kingsley Fire Chief Scott Bohle said. "We had the main fire knocked down in about 30-40 minutes."...

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...

Peters pays it forward with Habitat for Humanity homes (02/11/10)
Rob Peters knows how much a Habitat for Humanity house means to a family. He and his three children moved into their home, the first built by Habitat for Humanity in Le Mars, just before Christmas 2006. Now he's even more involved and paying forward what he has received, serving as construction foreman for Habitat houses going up in the Riverside area of Sioux City...

County working to make new disaster hazard plan (02/11/10)
The Plymouth County Supervisors is taking disaster preparation one step further in case of future disaster. The supervisors approved the county's participation in a Local Hazard Multi-Jurisdictional Grant Program Tuesday. "It's a FEMA requirement if we have a disaster and we're going to apply for state and federal assistance this plan has to be done," said Gary Junge, county emergency management coordinator...

Local bright stars catch Food Network's eye (02/10/10)
It was lights, camera, action at the Le Mars Dairy Queen Tuesday. The Food Network was in town tracing the story of StarKiss Bars, a frozen treat at Dairy Queen. "The Food Network approached us and said they wanted to come to Le Mars to shoot a show on how StarKiss Bars are made," said Dean A. Peters, director of communications for the American Dairy Queen Corporation...

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...

TIF: a powerful tool being overused? (02/05/10)
Out of all 99 Iowa counties, Plymouth County is ranked second for using Tax Increment Financing (TIF). About 15.2 percent of the county's taxable valuation is in TIF, according to the Iowa State Association of Counties. TIF is a taxing tool different than regular taxes, according to Plymouth County Auditor Stacey Feldman...

Water for Life Honduras (02/03/10)
A local group is about to change the lives of people of five villages, plagued with parasites and other water-borne diseases. The Le Mars Rotary Club spearheaded fundraising for water projects in Honduras, pulling together more than $35,000. That's enough to build a water system in each of those five villages, bringing clean, potable water to more than 1,000 people's homes...

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...

From biomedical engineering to watercolors: Artist's journey winds its way to Le Mars (01/26/10)
A teacher told Jean Weiner she was born to paint. This affirmation came not during the Le Mars woman's high school career or even her college or graduate studies. It came after Weiner was in her early forties, had worked successfully in biomedical engineering, had two children and had battled a rare form of cancer...

Proposed city budget holds the line on tax levy (01/20/10)
The City of Le Mars is working to keep the tax levy at its current level in the proposed 2011 budget. The $16.1 million budget with $5.5 million in the general fund is similar to the current fiscal year 2010 budget of $15.9 million, Assistant City Administrator Bill Cole said...

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...

City leases Willow Creek Bar and Grill to Fiddelke (01/13/10)
In a 3-2 vote Tuesday, the Le Mars City Council chose Mike Fiddelke, of Orange City, to lease the bar and grill at Willow Creek Golf Course for 2010. The lease, at a rate of $30,000 per year, is tentatively set to begin March 1. The other candidate seeking the lease was Kathy Schwader, of Le Mars, who had been recommended for the lease by the Le Mars Park Committee at last week's city council meeting...

Transfer brings Chrysler back to Le Mars (01/13/10)
A Le Mars auto dealership is expanding. Le Mars Ford is adding Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep sales and service, according to owner Bob Jensen, of Sioux City. Jensen is transferring those franchises from Heartland Motors, which he owns in Hawarden, to his Le Mars dealership...

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...

Late harvest, early winter storms leave crops stranded (01/07/10)
Corn still stands in fields in northwest Iowa and nearby states -- and without a winter thaw it will likely remain there until spring. "Right now there's not much you can do. You can't physically get in the field," said Joel DeJong, crops field specialist with Plymouth County Iowa State University Extension...

Extension staff settling in at new offices (01/05/10)
Freezing rain and snow didn't stop the Plymouth County Iowa State University (ISU) Extension Office staff from moving to its new office at the Le Mars Convention Center lower level just before Christmas. "We were ready to go," said Ann Schoenrock, 4-H County Youth Coordinator last Wednesday as she gave a quick tour of the new office space. It is in what was formerly known as the Vanilla and Chocolate Rooms, previously occupied by Wells' Dairy Inc...

Remembering the decade: At home and beyond (01/04/10)
Ten years ago, as the decade turned, we were waiting to see if the Y2K threat was real. While that turned out to be the biggest non-news event of the Aughts (the first decade of the 2000s), there was plenty of headline material to come, tragedy and triumph alike...

Rewind 2009: The worst of times and the best of times (12/31/09)

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. ...

Keep your driveway shoveled without seeing the doctor afterward (12/29/09)
If you haven't noticed yet, the Christmas season left us all the gift of about 17 inches of snow last week. It was likely left in your driveway among other places. Unfortunately, a heavy snowfall can also be the gift that keeps on giving -- like a trip to the chiropractor or hospital from people trying to dig out...

The Bridge: When the water's too deep to cross alone (12/22/09)
There are three days until Christmas, and a blizzard is blowing its way toward northwest Iowa. Can you imagine having no warm, safe place to go? That's the reality two Plymouth County women and their children recently faced before they were introduced to The Bridge, a transitional living home in Orange City...

Racing the elements: Herbst and crew react to heavy autumn rainfall (12/11/09)
When the September harvest rolled around this year Darwin Herbst thought it would be business as usual. But that wasn't the case thanks to a very rainy October. Herbst, of Merrill, has been farming his whole life. This year was different for the Herbst farm and most farmers in the area...

When life was simple: Life on the farm was busy with work and fun times (12/10/09)
Editor's Note: This story is another in a weekly series looking back at life decades ago and remembering a time when people's lifestyle was very different than today. Life on the farm has many memories for Leonard Molzen. "I've lived on the farm all my life in the same township, Johnson Township," Molzen said. He moved to Good Samaritan Society-Le Mars in 2005...

The stimulus dollars and you: Have you been touched by recovery money? (12/10/09)
More than $8 million worth of federal stimulus dollars has been quietly sliding through the IV of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and into Plymouth County's veins. That injection meant some schools could keep a teacher one more year. It meant replacing a worn bridge and repaving some roads. It meant some families will have money to weatherize their homes...

New airport funding requests being made (12/03/09)
Le Mars City Council approved an application this week for $204,476 in Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) money to house that snow removal equipment for the Le Mars Airport. This application, for Fiscal Year 2011, comes following a FY 10 application for $120,000 in similar federal dollars for snow removal equipment for the airport...

Merrill Fire Department to build a fire station that fits (12/02/09)
To fit a new fire truck in the door at the Merrill Fire Station, the truck has to be cut down in size. "For the last engine we bought, downsizing it cost us an extra $30,000," said Merrill Fire Chief Bill Merchant. That's the problem the Merrill Fire Department is working to fix by building a new fire station...

Holiday shoppers scurry downtown, retailers optimistic (11/30/09)
Christmas music played as people swarmed downtown Le Mars stores this past weekend making retailers hopeful for a positive holiday shopping season. "Our weekend went very, very well," said Robin Grosenheider, owner of Hotopp Jewelry & Gifts. "I was pleasantly pleased."...

Finish date uncertain for Highway 3 bridge (11/30/09)
A Highway 3 bridge near Westfield is still under construction although the expected mid-November completion date has come and gone. "We're hoping we can get it open in the winter, but it's not likely," said Dwight Jenkins, Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) construction tech. supervisor...

Family brings new life to former church (11/25/09)
The former St. Catherine Church in Westfield has a new calling -- to become a family's home. In September, Chris and Joni Vondrak purchased the former Catholic church and along with their children Emily, 14, Joe, 10, Frankie, 9, and Molly, 6, are working to make it into a home...

There's a glow in the west (11/23/09)
Now as an adult, Scheitler has decorated on the grounds of his acreage just one mile from that farm for the past 14 years, each year adding a bit more. Make that a lot more. "We call it 'Christmas Acres,'" Scheitler said. He estimates there are 60,000 lights on 55 trees and 60 bushes, with 17 inflatable decorations in the yard. ...

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...

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...

Local grocery stores feed the hungry (11/17/09)
Local grocery stores are working to bring food to the tables of those who can't afford to buy it. At the Le Mars Wal-Mart, twice a week, a truck from the Food Bank of Siouxland pulls up to the back of the store. When it drives away, it's loaded with about 15 boxes of food to distribute to regional agencies helping people in need...

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...

Prehistoric people leave footprints in Loess Hills (11/12/09)
Eight hundred to 900 years ago the first corn farmers dwelled in the northern Loess Hills. Evidence of the prehistoric Mill Creek native people, as archaeologists have deemed them, and their villages and cemetery sites have been found in parts of Plymouth County and northwest Iowa...

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...

China to lift ban, pork industry sighs in relief (11/02/09)
Last week officials from China announced plans to lift a six-month ban on pork imports from the United States -- news that could be a shot in the arm for a suffering pork industry. The ban has yet to be lifted, but National Pork Board president Tim Bierman, of Larrabee, Iowa, has no doubt this will have a widespread positive impact on the pork industry...

Olympic champion returns to roots: Jennie Finch headlines Pink Ribbon Night (10/30/09)
You won't find too many natives of Southern California who enjoy the smell of a cattle farm. But Jennie Finch is not your typical California girl. "It's funny how you appreciate the smell of cows and cornfields," said Finch, a softball pitcher for Team USA and a two-time Olympian, said in Le Mars Thursday. ...

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