Wireless Technology

Care package organization receives 50-laptop donation (03/11/10)
With laptops stacked 50 high, Kerri Stinton's storage room is more like a computer warehouse. But the laptops are actually a donation made to the Afghanistan Care Package Fund. Stinton, of Le Mars, started the care package program last August, following the deployment last July of her son-in-law, Scott Tillman, to Afghanistan...

Gehlen student removed from school after e-threat (03/04/10)
An 18-year-old Gehlen Catholic Schools student who allegedly authored a message threatening other Gehlen students was removed from the school immediately Thursday. The student, an 18-year-old female, sent the alleged message via an electronic communication, according to the Le Mars Police...

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...

LADS Valentine's Dance features live quilt auction, silent auction (02/09/10)
A king-size quilt, an afghan and a tie-blanket will be auctioned off as part of the Le Mars Area Dialysis Services Valentine fundraiser Saturday night at the Le Mars Convention Center. The three items were donated to LADS for the fundraiser. All three items can be seen in the window of Linda Mayrose Real Estate in downtown Le Mars...

Supervisors discuss IT salary increase (01/27/10)
Plymouth County's Information Technology (IT) Director Shawn Olson is seeking a nearly $6,000 salary increase for his position as part of the 2010-2011 IT bugdet he presented to the board of supervisors Tuesday. He stated that having the pay increase would eliminate his ability to occur compensation time...

Le Mars Communications Internet restored Friday (01/19/10)
The multiple-day Internet outage for Le Mars Communications' wireless Internet customers ended last Friday afternoon. The service went down last Tuesday. "It turned out to be a piece of the manufacturer's equipment that had a fault in it," said Tony Mau, of Le Mars Communications. "It was a tough deal to find, and the manufacturer said they'd never seen this before."...

Hinton school digging out after partial roof collapse (01/08/10)
Hinton Community School officials are dealing with the aftermath following the collapse of a 45-foot by 30-foot section of roof due to heavy snow. "It collapsed over our computer technology center," said Sue Martens, the school's high school principal. "There were 5- to 6-foot drifts up there, and that was a tremendous weight."...

Facebook safety: Keep predators out and friends in (01/07/10)
If you would have said "I'm going to go check my Facebook" 10 years ago, someone would assume you had a collection of mug shots you needed to thumb through. Fast forward a decade and seemingly everyone is on Facebook, the world's fastest growing social networking website, currently serving more than 350 million people...

Court system to look at bottom line of going digital (01/05/10)
Iowa's Judicial System is counting the cost of a transition that could eliminate court reporters in favor of digital recording in courtrooms. In May, Iowa's Chief Justice Marsha Ternus ordered a committee to investigate digital courtroom recording technology...

When life was simple: Fitzgerald recalls pony carts and hand-me-downs (12/03/09)
Editors Note: This story is the first in a weekly series looking back at life decades ago and remembering a time when people's lifestyle was very different than today. Was life simpler when $1 bought four gallons of gas or during the Great Depression when it cost less to use corn as fuel than sell it or when children played baseball instead of computer games?...

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...

On the hunt: Geocachers storm Plymouth County in search of 'treasure' (09/28/09)
You might have bumped into them around town this weekend. People walking around looking down at a hand-held GPS unit in their palm. These 130 geocachers from across the Midwest were in a race against time. Competing in the Plymouth County Hike 'n' Seek Geocache, they had 24 hours to find as many tiny hidden objects at specific coordinates as they could...

Station in the sky: How to view the ISS (09/24/09)
Even though it is flying 220 miles above our heads at the speed of 17,000 miles per hour, the International Space Station can still be seen from earth by the naked eye. In fact, through Sunday the International Space Station (ISS) can be seen from our backyards in Le Mars and the surrounding area...

A different kind of scavenger hunt in Plymouth County (09/23/09)
This weekend, Plymouth County will host an outdoor activity that maybe not too many people are familiar with. However, that is likely going to change as the sport of "geocaching" is gaining more and more popularity in the United States. Hillview Recreation Area near Hinton will host the Iowa Geocachers Organization's annual Hike 'n Seek event Friday-Sunday...

Library invites high schoolers to play games (09/15/09)
High schoolers, it's your turn to show off your skills on the Nintendo Wii and PlayStation II. The Le Mars Public Library is holding a gaming night from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday to introduce high school-age youth to its new gaming systems. Some of the library's more popular titles include Guitar Hero III, Dance, Dance Revolution and MarioKart...

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...

Republicans redrawn: New Iowa chairman rallies for a sharper, hipper party (06/04/09)
When Matt Strawn spoke about going on the offensive Wednesday in Le Mars, the 35-year-old wasn't talking about the arena league football team he co-owns. He was talking about the Republican party. Strawn, elected chairman of the Republican Party of Iowa in January, sat around a Le Mars Truck Stop table with half a dozen local supporters and discussed how the GOP should emerge from the rubble of its 2008 campaign efforts...

Gus Pech: Still producing drill rigs after 130 years (06/03/09)
A Le Mars business, owned by the Collins family since 1900, turns 130 years old this year. Co-owners Cris Collins, president, and Gregg Collins, vice president, are third generation Collins family members to own and direct Gus Pech Mfg. Co. Inc. "A lot of people don't know what we do here. We make truck-mounted water well drilling equipment," said Gregg...

Class invents dung scoops for zoo (05/27/09)
A group of fourth graders in Remsen-Union were presented with an unusual problem: how to scoop scat (animal droppings) at the Great Plains Zoo in Sioux Falls. Zoo workers wanted a way to scoop up animal scat without picking up too much gravel. The more gravel they throw away, the higher the cost for waste disposal, which is paid by weight. On top of that, they have to buy new gravel to replace the gravel thrown away with the scat...

Seven LCS seniors recognized at Foundation Honors Banquet (04/22/09)
Seven Le Mars Community High School seniors, the top 5 percent of the graduating class of 2009, were recognized for academic excellence at the 14th Annual Foundation Honors Banquet April 17. Superintendent Dr. Todd Wendt made the presentation of the students, who he said are not only outstanding students, but also involved in so many activities that make Le Mars Community, in his opinion, one of the the top high schools in the area...

LCS grad soars at NASA, retires after 38 years (04/21/09)
A man who started his journey in the math and science classrooms of Le Mars Community High School finished his career this month at the top of NASA's center for experimental flight research. Kevin Petersen, a 1969 LCS grad, retired from Dryden Flight Research Center as the director after serving nearly 38 years...

Wells' Dairy donates dozens of computers to local schools (04/07/09)
On Friday, a van backed up to Wells' Dairy's corporate headquarters to pick up a load, but it wasn't ice cream. It was computers. Students and teachers from Gehlen Catholic School helped load up 28 computers donated by Wells' Dairy. Earlier, another 44 went to Le Mars Community Schools...

LCHS students take top spots at technical skills competition (04/03/09)
Twenty-eight Le Mars Community High School students took part in the sixth annual Technical Skills Competition Day for high school students Wednesday, with 10 placing in the top three in their skill area. "All the students did good," said Paul Fischer, LCHS Trades and Industries instructor, who took 11 T&I auto and welding students to the contest at Western Iowa Tech Community College...

Requests for county LOST grants reach nearly half a million (03/16/09)
Twenty-two Plymouth County groups are putting their name in for money from the $180,000 Local Option Sales Tax (LOST) revenue grant pool. Asking for a total of $431,261, the 21 groups' applications range from buying a Wii exercise DVD -- a kind of interactive video game -- for special needs people to renovation of the Akron Opera House...

Ethanol debate: Is your car ready for E-15? (03/12/09)
Currently, government rules allow non-flex-fuel vehicles to use only 10 percent ethanol in their gasoline. Politicians from Iowa are pushing for that to change. Earlier this week, newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, spoke in support of allowing higher blends -- 15 percent...

Developers look at piping methane from wastewater plant (03/11/09)
Waste not. That could be the motto of Le Mars' wastewater plant. The plant already makes 100 percent of what comes in into usable products. Now officials are talking with a local renewable energy developer about using the wastewater plant's methane to help fuel the Plymouth Energy ethanol and corn oil plants north of Merrill...

Blue Bunny Aspen Bar Acclaimed as Best and Most Innovative New Product (03/11/09)
Blue Bunny's new frozen creation, the Aspen Frozen Yogurt Granola Bar, has been recognized by the grocery and dairy industry as one of the most exciting and innovative new products of 2009. The International Dairy Foods Association recognized the Aspen Bar as Most Innovative Novelty at their Ice Cream Technology Conference, while the National Grocers Association selected the Aspen Bar as one of the top three best new products at their 2009 Convention...

This IS your grandma's Internet (03/02/09)
Generations are often defined by what music they love or how they view work. But more and more, young and old are coming together in one place: the Internet. Since 2005, the biggest increase in Internet users was in the 70-75 year-old age group, according to a study by the Pew Internet and American Life project...

OdysseyWare gives alternative high school students new class options (02/19/09)
A new software program, OdysseyWare, is helping students make huge strides at the Le Mars Community Alternative High School. Julie Theisen has led the Alternative High School, formerly known as the Individualized Learning Center (ILC), for 19 years and is excited about the software program and what it means for her students. The classroom is located in the Education Service Center at 940 Lincoln St. S.W...

Nor-Am finalizes purchase of Harker's plant (02/18/09)
Nor-Am Cold Storage is the new owner of the former Harker's plant in Le Mars. Greg Brandt, Nor-Am president and CEO, said today (Wednesday) the company will be using the plant to repackage and manufacture some products serving area food companies. Opening day is not far for the new Nor-Am facility...

Winning voices: More than 100 FFA students to compete in Le Mars (02/13/09)
On Tuesday at Le Mars Community School, senior Jacob Conley will make a radio ag. broadcast, junior Angie Breuer will speak on the pros and cons of ethanol, and senior Zerick Kuecker will do a job interview. This is all part of the FFA Leadership Contests...

Courthouse goes wireless: System offers public access to Internet (02/10/09)
A dream is becoming a reality for Plymouth County Information Technology expert, Shawn Olson. Olson's department has received a Local Options Sales Tax grant of $25,000 to upgrade, improve, and expand the wireless network at the Plymouth County Courthouse...

Seniors train to save your life (02/09/09)
Beep. Beep. Beep. Eighteen-year-olds Pat Rosacker and Ryan Baue are already in motion. But it's not their cell phones they're answering. "Le Mars Ambulance needed for a car accident." Rosacker and Baue are answering a dispatcher's call as the Le Mars Ambulance squad's youngest EMTs...

Safe on the Internet? Find out how to be (02/09/09)
With e-mail scams and internet predators in recent news, the Le Mars Public Library is offering an adult course on internet security and understanding social networking sites like MySpace. The free course will be held twice from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17 and Tuesday, March 17, in the library's meeting room...

LCS students compete in national quilt block challenge (01/19/09)
Students in the textile arts class at Le Mars Community High School put their skills good use as they designed quilt square for the National Quilt Museum: Museum of the American Quilter's Society/Moda School Block Challenge Contest 2009. LCS family and consumer sciences instructor Rosemary Cronin obtained the entry information for the contest, based in Kentucky, and had the students put their creative energy to work in creating the 16-by-16-inch square blocks using the paper piecing method of construction.. ...

City makes big cuts, makes department reorganization (01/06/09)
The City of Le Mars is eliminating its engineering department and cutting one person's job to help trim expenses. This decision, plus other cuts like not filling three other positions, will slash between $200,000 and $250,000 from the city budget. Mayor Dick Kirchoff announced the changes Monday afternoon in a press conference...

Predictions 2009: Where will we be this year? (01/02/09)
Has a fresh start ever looked so good? After a year when 401k reports were as dour as the news reports, and when about 11 months of television were dominated by presidential campaigning, 2009 smells fresh. We asked people around Le Mars and Plymouth County what their predictions are for the new year. Here's what they said...

How to survive being snowbound on the roadway (12/30/08)
Help save a life -- your own. Pack an emergency car kit before setting out on treacherous snow covered roads. "Do your planning. If you were delayed or had trouble, think of what you might need," said Gary Junge, Plymouth County emergency management coordinator...

A year to remember: Top stories of 2008 (12/30/08)
Editor's note: This is the first of two stories recapping 2008's top stories in the Daily Sentinel. 10. O'Keefe stabs, kills a man A butcher knife to the chest led to the death of Sam Toliver, 32, Jan. 24, 2008. Jody O'Keefe, 35, most recently of Le Mars, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and other charges and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. ...

Don't get stuck in the cold: Plan for winter power outage (12/29/08)
By Charles Schwab Safety Specialist, Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Iowa State University Extension Winter power outages are always challenging but occasionally they can be dangerous if not handled correctly. The key to managing any emergency such as a power outage is to have a specific disaster plan to handle decisions that must be made in the moment of the crisis...

Slower economy equals busier library (12/26/08)
Grab a movie. Get a computer program that helps your daughter prepare for the ACT test. PIck up a new framed print for your living room. Where can you do all this for $1? The local library. Libraries have always been the old standby for checking out books and other resources, but with families facing tighter budgets, they're finding out the library has a lot to offer...

Economic development group on the prowl (12/24/08)
The Northwest Iowa Developers Coalition is putting both feet forward in its efforts to bring economic development to the area. Gary Tucker, Plymouth County's economic development director, shared with the Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday some of the group's plans for 2009...

Lost and found by phone (12/23/08)
With blowing snow and below-zero windchill, Ann Rush wasn't the only person to call into the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office about getting stuck in the ditch Saturday night. But the rural Sioux City woman's call was different. She didn't know where she was to tell rescuers where to find her...

Libraries need more money to provide additional services (12/18/08)
Plymouth County Library Association asked for an additional $5,000 from the county to shore up its 2009-10 budget. The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday heard from Sue Kroesche, Le Mars Public Library director that with the additional $5,000 the county library association's annual budget would be about $70,000...

Community Foundation awards more than $106,000 in grants (12/12/08)
More than $106,000 in Community Foundation grant money was awarded to 26 organizations and groups in Plymouth County at a breakfast meeting Thursday, Dec. 11. The grants were presented by members of the Community Foundation of Greater Plymouth County. The presentation was postponed from Dec. 9 due to weather and road conditions...

Dog tags might help get strays home, veterinarian says (11/20/08)
A peppy Jack Russell terrier squirms in Tammy Singer's arms at the Le Mars Veterinary Clinic. This dog, the veterinarian assistant said, was brought to the clinic -- which also serves as the city pound -- several weeks ago. It was found loose near Greenwood Avenue in Le Mars. Although it has a collar, the pup has no tags to tell who its owners might be...

Supervisors give stamp of a approval to Merrill urban renewal (11/19/08)
An urban renewal area around and in Merrill became a reality Tuesday. Following a public hearing, the Plymouth County Supervisors approved an urban renewal district to encompass the entire city of Merrill and around Plymouth Energy ethanol plant, Plymouth Oil, a food-grade oil plant and Midwest PMS, the liquid cattle feed mill...

Le Mars Insurance cuts 12 jobs (11/06/08)
Twelve layoffs were announced Wednesday at the Le Mars Insurance Company. "It was primarily driven by gains in efficiency due to a significant investment in technology," said Jeff Miller, Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Donegal Insurance Group in Marietta, Penn., the parent company of Le Mars Insurance...

Turning down the music could mean saving the hearing (11/06/08)
Next time you plug in your MP3 player and stick in your ear buds, think about this -- you could be damaging your hearing. It's not the ear buds or head phones that are the problem. It's the frequency and the volume, said Mike Sloniker, audiologist MSCCA (Master's of Science of Certified Clinically Competent in Audiology) at Siouxland Hearing Healthcare, in Sioux City...

The Browns plan for Le Mars concert (10/02/08)
The Browns will be singing in Le Mars this weekend. The musical family is performing in concert at their home church, Le Mars Bible Church, 6:00 pm. Sunday, Oct. 5. The Browns will perform old favorites and songs from their brand new compact disc release "A New Day."...

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