Transportation Systems Construction

All aboard: Steam engine roars into Le Mars (10/02/08)
History came to town on the rail Wednesday Chugging and steaming and tooting the whistle, all one million pounds of the steam engine Challenger rolled into Le Mars for a whistle stop on its five-state tour. Dozens of people gathered at the tracks to catch a look at the 1943 Union Pacific (UP) locomotive...

Le Mars Area Dialysis focus is on fundraising, renovation (10/01/08)
Le Mars Area Dialysis Services is stepping up its fundraising efforts. Currently the not-for-profit group has two main focuses -- one is to continue raising money, and the other is to plan renovation of its newly acquired building in downtown Le Mars...

Open house set for LCS additions, renovation (09/30/08)
An open house at the Le Mars Community Middle and High Schools will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 2. The open house provides the public an opportunity to tour the new middle school gymnasium, the three new technology enhanced classrooms at the high school, and the renovations that were completed in the high school following the move of the superintendent's office...

Minnesota woman escapes serious injury in truck, building collision (09/29/08)
A medical condition caused Stephanie Kay Allen to lose control of her pickup and crash it into the Meylor Chiropractic building Friday afternoon, police said. The 39-year-old woman, of Silver Lake, Minn., who was wearing her seat belt, suffered non-life threatening injuries during the 12:45 p.m. accident...

Minnesota woman escapes serious injury in truck, building collision (09/26/08)

Museum gets new LOST money for chimney repairs (09/24/08)
The Plymouth County Supervisors agreed Tuesday Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) money already awarded cannot be redirected to help with chimney repairs at the museum. "We've got a policy issue with that," Supervisor Craig Anderson said. "Money that is not used (for a specific project) should go back into the LOST fund."...

Roadblocks coming down on rec trail progress (09/23/08)
The completion of the 9-mile recreation trail around Le Mars is on the horizon after being pushed back more than a year. The walking and biking trail, which stretches from the south near Wells' Dairy's corporate campus north beyond the little league ball diamonds, then east around the golf course, still has a segment to be completed...

Hinton School Board steps closer to using eminent domain (09/22/08)
Last week Hinton School Board members moved forward to possibly try to obtain agricultural land through eminent domain by scheduling a public hearing in November. "It's a necessary step before we would be able to actually pursue the possible use of eminent domain," said Robert Held, Hinton School Board president...

Supervisors delay decision to repair floors at Pride Group home (09/17/08)
The Plymouth County Supervisors put the matter of restroom floor repairs at a residential facility operated by Pride Group Inc. on hold Tuesday. The supervisors directed Mike Porter, CEO of Pride Group, to obtain a firm cost estimate to fix floors in four showers and two bathrooms at the residential care facility (RCF) on Highway 3...

Supervisors to decide if LOST can be used for museum repairs (09/17/08)
The Plymouth County Historical Museum's chimney is crumbling. Judy Bowman, museum administrator, via letter asked the Plymouth County Supervisors' permission to use $1,000 of Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) money for the repairs. Museum board members originally asked for the $1,000, already awarded, to replace a shattered glass backboard in the museum's gymnasium...

O'Keefe gets maximum sentence for stabbing death (09/10/08)
The man who pleaded guilty to stabbing another man with a butcher knife in a Le Mars downtown apartment will spend up to 40 years in prison. Jody Brent O'Keefe, 35, was sentenced Tuesday in Plymouth County District court for the death of Samuel Ray Toliver, 32...

City works with IML Container to prepare for expansion (09/05/08)
The Le Mars City Council approved buying a piece of railroad equipment to assist an expanding Le Mars business that relies on rail for shipments. IML Containers is currently depending on rail to bring in materials for their planned expansion in southern Le Mars, according to City Administrator Scott Langel...

O'Keefe pleads guilty to stabbing (09/05/08)
The man charged with stabbing another man with a butcher knife in a Le Mars downtown apartment in January pleaded guilty to four felony charges Thursday. Jody Brent O'Keefe, 35, signed a plea agreement that could land him in prison for up to 40 years for the death of Samuel Ray Toliver, 32...

No jail time required for Kingsley funeral director (09/03/08)
A Kingsley funeral director will have to pay nearly $180,000 in restitution to a former business partner for money he admitted to stealing, but he faces no prison time. Mark Francis Rohde, 49, who pleaded guilty in August to stealing about $179,000 and to tax evasion, both felonies, was sentenced Tuesday in Plymouth County District Court...

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...

Work on GIS website puts Plymouth County on the map (09/02/08)
Plymouth County's success with owning and operating a Geographical Information Systems (GIS) website will soon be known around the world. Autodesk MapGuide Enterprise, owner of AutoCad Map 3D software used on the county's GIS website, wrote a customer success story that will be published in the company's trademark magazines, displayed at GIS conferences and on its website...

Questions answered on school levy issue (08/29/08)
Two public information meetings brought approximately 75 Le Mars Community School District residents out to learn about the Instructional Support Levy (ISL) Wednesday and Thursday evenings. A vote on whether to implement the levy will be held on Sept. 9, the same day as school board elections...

Council moves ahead four street project plans (08/20/08)
Le Mars City Council members Tuesday gave their approval to a professional engineering services agreement for four Le Mars highway and street projects. On the agenda are widening Highway 3 near Floyd Valley Hospital, improving Business 75 from Highway 3 to Airport Drive, curb and gutter work on Seventh Avenue Southeast (K-49), and curb and gutter work on Sixth Avenue West...

Hinton School Board looks into legal options to obtain land (08/19/08)
Hinton Community School Board members discussed Monday the possibility of using eminent domain to obtain land on which to construct a new elementary school and gymnasium. The school board decided to find out more about steps necessary to obtain 8 acres adjacent to the current school from property owners, Kevin and Annette Held, through eminent domain...

Wind blows Texas oilman in to Le Mars to talk energy (08/15/08)
He may be 80 but an audience member still called T. Boone Pickens a "rockstar." The Texas oilman and billionaire landed his jet at the Le Mars airport Thursday afternoon to spin to Iowans his plan for reducing U.S. dependency on foreign oil. His idea: shift to using more wind energy and natural gas -- two things in which the nation is rich...

Plymouth County cracks down on drunk drivers (08/15/08)
The Plymouth County Sheriff's Office announced it will join other police agencies throughout the country in support of an intensive crackdown on impaired driving now through September 1. "The state has several times they do these things," said Chief Deputy Craig Bartolozzi. "Labor Day is one of the worst holidays for this kind of thing because of last minute vacationers and such."...

Construction marches forward on new Remsen Medical Clinic (08/13/08)
June rain delays can't stop construction of the new Remsen Medical Clinic. The clinic on Second Street west of the post office is expected to be completed Dec. 1, said Daryl Friedenbach, director of financial services at Floyd Valley Hospital (FVH)...

Akron man receives lifesaving award (08/12/08)
An 18-year-old Akron man was honored by Iowa's governor at the state fair on Friday for risking his own life to save another's. Shawn Milbrodt received a 2008 Governor's Lifesaving Award for helping save a 19-year-old's life last July. On July 20, 2007, Jason Bumsted, 19, was involved in a head on collision with another vehicle where both cars caught fire. Shawn Milbrodt and Grant Krentz, 21, of Sioux City, drove upon the accident shortly thereafter...

Three injured in Merrill accident (08/12/08)
Three passengers and one driver were injured Sunday when a Sioux City man failed to stop for a car on Highway 75 in Merrill. Peter Volodja Boe, 70, of Sioux City was westbound on C-44 at 7:45 p.m. and came to the stop sign at Highway 75 in Merrill, according to the Plymouth County Sheriff's report...

Saving lives one night at a time (08/11/08)
Keith Garner, once retired, has an interesting nightlife. He saves people's lives. Garner isn't a caped crusader or masked marvel, but when the M.D. slips on his white jacket and steps into Floyd Valley Hospital's emergency room, he becomes a man of action...

Remsen urban renewal district in the works (08/11/08)
Creation of an urban renewal area in Remsen could generate money to extend public utilities to a new business and tear down old buildings in its downtown. An urban renewal area is a district which designates where Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenue can be spent. TIF is created based on taxes from designated structures built within the district. Those taxes can be collected for 20 years...

Building on education: LCS addition nearly complete (08/07/08)
With only two weeks until school starts, teachers and staff at Le Mars Community High School and Middle School are busy putting the finishing touches on moves to new classroom space and computer labs and looking forward to the new middle school gymnasium...

Street closings approved for Scoop da Loop event (08/07/08)
The Le Mars City Council on Tuesday granted the request by the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce/Main Street for closing streets for the 11th annual Scoop da Loop event set for Aug. 20 in Le Mars. The areas to be closed for the event are the Olson Cultural Event Center and Postal Playhouse parking lots and First Street and First Avenue surrounding the cultural center. The closings will be effective from 5 p.m. to 10 p. m...

City searches for solutions to indoor pool problems (08/06/08)
alse alarms on the fire alarm system. Temperature spikes. Ventilation system running non-stop. Computer lock ups. Since it opened in March 2007, the Le Mars Indoor Aquatic Center has been plagued with heating/ventilation/air conditioning (HVAC) problems...

More Business 75 sidewalks may get another look (08/06/08)
Council members could, at some point in the near future, be re-walking the topic of sidewalks for business areas along Business Highway 75 south. Council member Delana Ihrke raised the likelihood of the walkways during Tuesday's council session having observed the increased pedestrian traffic in that area, she told fellow council members...

Merrill's before- and after-school program is a go (08/04/08)
Kissinger Elementary students will be able to enroll in a before- and after-school program at Merrill's First United Methodist Church when classes resume on August 21. Throughout the past year, the town has been working to develop a before- and after-school program to provide activities and supervision for students whose parents work longer than school hours...

Registration open at Gehlen until Aug. 13 (08/04/08)
Registration is underway at Gehlen Catholic Schools for the 2008-09 school year and will continue through Aug. 13. Families may stop at the school during regular office hours of Monday through Thursday, between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., to purchase lunch tickets, bus passes, activities tickets and pay tuition...

Merrill's before- and after-school program on hold (07/31/08)
What began as a great opportunity for the Merrill may not be ready in time when classes resume this fall. Throughout the past year, the town has been working to develop a before- and after-school program to provide activities and supervision for students whose parents work longer than school hours...

Help ahead for 102-year-old Akron opera house (07/29/08)
Akron's opera house has weathered many changes since it opened in 1906. Now another phase is planned for the building that towers over the town's main street. "My head spun for two weeks just thinking about this," Akron Community Theater President Doug Olson said Monday evening while discussing upcoming plans for the theater...

Sign theft could mean jail time (07/29/08)
When Mark Sturgeon looked out his window Sunday morning, his lawn looked a little emptier. The sign he put up two days earlier, supporting a candidate running for office this fall, was missing. He was not alone. "We have had some energetic people taking signs from all over the place," said Le Mars Police Chief Stu Dekkenga. "We had a call this morning on missing real estate signs, too."...

Scouts use Eagle projects to help local churches (07/23/08)
For Boy Scouts, Eagle Scout is the highest rank they can achieve. To earn such distinction, scouts must demonstrate that they live by the principles of the Scout Oath and Law in their daily lives, earn a total of 21 merit badges, serve actively in a position of responsibility for six months, and plan, develop, and give leadership to others in a service project...

2008 fair truck recognizes Belgian owners and beef show (07/23/08)
The ninth annual edition of the Plymouth County Fair collectible truck recognizes the beef show, a longtime tradition, and Dr. John and Barbara Conley and their team of Belgian draft horses. The series of trucks is designed to recognize activities and scenes that make up the Plymouth County Fair...

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...

New first aid booth turns the page of history (07/21/08)
First aid at the Plymouth County Fair got a whole new look this year. The aging first aid booth was replaced by a new building just in time for the fair this year. "Last year there were concerns about the booth -- it was aging," said Tim Paul, chief engineer at Floyd Valley Hospital...

Hinton residents debate future home for new elementary (07/17/08)
By a show of hands the majority of more than 100 Hinton residents expressed a desire Tuesday to build a new elementary adjacent to the town's existing school. The Hinton School Board met with the public Tuesday to receive comments from the people as to their thoughts concerning the district's plans to construct a new pre-Kindergarten through third grade elementary school and competitive gymnasium...

Farrer says fair is five best days of summer (07/16/08)
When you think of livestock at the Plymouth County Fair, rabbits and poultry may not be the steer or swine you were imagining. Thirteen-year-old Grady Farrer would disagree. The owner of rabbits, chickens and pheasants, Farrer believes that poultry and rabbits are where the real livestock shows occur...

Supervisors appoint new conservation board members (07/16/08)
Chris Beeck and Troy V. Hemmelrick are the two newest members on the Plymouth County Conservation Board. The Plymouth County Supervisors on Tuesday appointed Beeck and Hemmelrick to replace members Ron Wilmot, who died in June, and Eric Julstrol, who recently resigned...

School's out forever (07/10/08)
A Le Mars landmark for more than a century was demolished Wednesday. St. Joseph School, completed in 1905, was torn down to make way for a new Catholic church. A handful of the more than 2,000 students that studied in the building's classrooms gathered Wednesday to take pictures and watch the school be reduced to a pile of rubble...

Officials say crippled highway system won't affect northwest Iowa (07/09/08)
The closest northwest Iowa got to this summer's flooding was photos and video clips in the news. But this region of the state is linked to the flood ravaged areas via a vital connection -- the state highway system. Now the already financially strapped Iowa Department of Transportation (IDOT) is hustling to fix the bridges and roads destroyed by floodwaters in central and eastern Iowa...

Meals packed in Le Mars reach Honduras (07/08/08)
Two containers full of dry meals, many packed at the Kids Against Hunger event at Gehlen Catholic School in May, are reaching their destinations in Honduras. The first container of 285,000 meals was delivered at the end of June to Montana de la Flor, a remote region populated by a group of native Hondurans...

Couple hopes musical notes carry in dollars for prison church (07/07/08)
Foot stompin' country and gospel music will be featured in concert this Sunday in rural Remsen to help raise money for The Church of the Damascus Road. The congregation of The Church of the Damascus Road Evangelical Lutheran Church of America ministers to inmates of any denomination within the prisons in Fort Dodge and Rockwell City...

Ministry pegs Le Mars as possible center for Bibles for Missions (07/01/08)
Bibles for Missions Thrift Center ministries would like to open a store in Le Mars to help convert merchandise into Scriptures. The store's profits would be used to purchase Bibles for people overseas. "We accept donations from the local community which are tax deductible," said Jessica Bruinsma, volunteer coordinator for the Bibles for Missions Thrift Center ministries. "Then we sell those donations to the local community at very affordable prices."...

Hinton school hosts public meeting on proposed expansion (07/01/08)
Hinton Community School is looking at building a new early elementary building and gym, and now officials want to hear what the public has to say. The school board will host a public meeting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, July 15 in the school gym to give an update on the proposed pre-Kindergarten through third grade building and competitive gymnasium, anticipated to cost more than $7.5 million...

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...

Flood damaged Iowa (06/19/08)
AMES, Iowa - June 18, 2008 - Ignoring or moving barricades and attempting to travel on closed roads can be extremely dangerous to motorists. The Iowa Department of Transportation (Iowa DOT) is receiving reports of motorists moving road blocks to travel on highways that may...