Water Utilities

Homeowner gets approval for wind turbine (09/09/08)
A man in southern Plymouth County received approval Monday to install a 30-foot wind turbine on his property to help power his house. Craig Carrell, of Sioux City, sought a conditional use permit from the Plymouth County Board of Adjustment to build the wind generator on his property just north of Sioux City in Perry Township near county road C-80...

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...

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...

Local National Guard unit helps fend off floodwater (06/16/08)
Fifty-five members of the local National Guard unit were working through the night this weekend to help hold back flood water in downtown Des Moines and Burlington. The group from Le Mars' C-Troop 113th Cavalry left Thursday to help sandbag near the rising Des Moines River. This weekend they were called to Burlington to help with sandbagging efforts along the swelling Mississippi River, and they are continuing with that effort this week...

Future ownership of O'Toole property continues to be a question (05/21/08)
The couple who purchased a "surplus lot" in O'Toole Park is considering getting their money back after finding out there is no water connection there. A former California couple, Al and Rosalie Ladie, who purchased the lot last December for $25,000, reduced from the original city asking price of $30,000 taking into consideration the city's "as is" description. The couple discovered later there were no available water and sewer lines to the site intended to be their new home...