News

(Sentinel Photo by Beverly Van Buskirk) Plymouth County Fair Board members were busy Sunday working on fencing in the new parking area on the east side of the fairgrounds. Work on the grounds included laying tile to divert water from a ditch through the area and cleaning out trees from that ditch to smooth it out for parking. There is also a new gate entrance for the parking area, with the former park entrance now designated as a pit entrance for grandstand shows...

PLYMOUTH CO. — The Plymouth County Secondary Roads Department has announced the closure of a portion of County Road K-49 due to road construction. Beginning at 7:30 a.m., Tuesday, July 23 (today), an eight-mile stretch of K-49 will be closed from County Road C-38 south to County Road C-60, for an asphalt resurfacing project...

PLYMOUTH CO. — What is a 4-H member to do if they want to raise pigs but don’t have the facilities or area to do so? Look to Plymouth County ISU Extension and Outreach and the Plymouth County Pork Producers to take part in the Adopt-a-Pig program. “The Adopt-a-Pig program is a joint effort between the Plymouth County Pork Producers and the Plymouth County Extension to educate 4-H kids about modern swine production and give them a chance to show pigs at the fair,” Joe Rotta, Plymouth County Pork Producer member said.. ...

PLYMOUTH CO. — White stickers with red lettering are popping up on recycle totes across Plymouth County, with the words, “No plastic shopping bags, no plastic trash bags, no clothing/shoes and no glass.” The stickers were approved by the Plymouth County landfill board, and have been distributed throughout the county...

LE MARS — While the event may be after summer is officially over, don’t be too quick to pack away your swimwear, bicycles and running shoes, because the Le Mars YMCA is holding its 13th annual Sprint Triathlon on Saturday, Sept. 7. The event begins at 9 a.m. with a 300-yard swim in the Le Mars Outdoor Pool followed by a 15-mile bike ride on county Road C-30 and will conclude with a 5K run through residential Le Mars...

LE MARS — With only a month until the Gehlen Catholic renovation project is slated to be completed, Director of Maintenance Mark Schlesser was proud to report construction is currently on schedule. “We have an expected completion date of Aug. 10, right now,” Schlesser stated. That is six days ahead of the projected timeline...

DES MOINES — Agricultural education is a focus at the Iowa State Fair. From baby animals to food production and more, you will find plenty of exciting activities and events to explore more of Iowa’s diverse agriculture industry. Farm to Fair If you’ve ever wondered how your food makes it to the dinner table, you’re in luck. From noon-2 p.m., Friday, Aug. 16, you can join Iowa farmers at the Iowa State Fair’s dinner table in the air conditioned Pioneer Livestock Pavilion...

DES MOINES — The purpose of the Iowa Nonprofit Awards is to recognize the exceptional practices, achievements, and impact of nonprofit organizations and professionals, philanthropic organizations, national service and volunteer programs, and local collaborations for their efforts to address community challenges...

CHEROKEE — Five workshops will be held around Iowa in late July and early August to help swine producers prepare for a potential foreign animal disease like African Swine Fever in the United States. The local workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on the following date and location...

PRIMGHAR — Iowa State University Extension and Outreach will host 12 educational Farmland Leasing and Value Meetings for agricultural landowners and tenants throughout northwest Iowa. The meetings are intended for current and prospective tenants and landlords and are held across the state...

PLYMOUTH CO. — Nineteen young ladies, nominated by county 4-H and FFA chapters, are vying for the title of 2019 Plymouth County Fair Queen. The wait will be over when the queen, two princesses and Miss Congeniality, are crowned at a 7 p.m., ceremony, Wednesday, July 24, on the Pioneer Village stage. It will be preceded by the crowning of the Plymouth County Fair King and his court...

SIOUX CITY — A lawsuit filed Tuesday, July 16, in U.S. District Court in Sioux City by Christine Kluver of Le Mars, alledges long-term exposure to the herbicide Roundup led to the death of her husband. Arlen Kluver died in 2001 at the age of 46 from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma...

LE MARS — A long-time city council member has announced he will not seek re-election. John Rexwinkel made the announcement at the July 16 council meeting during the time of discussion. “December will end my present term on the city council and I will not be seeking re-election for another term,” Rexwinkel said...

Kevin Ortmann of Remsen received a nice surprise on Wednesday night, July 10, just before the Tri-State Cruiser's Car Show. He was reunited with an old friend of his, the same 1978 Delta 88 Holiday Edition Vehicle he drove during high school. It was now back home...

LE MARS — Former Vice President Joe Biden, a 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful, made a visit to Floyd Valley Healthcare in Le Mars Tuesday. While there, he spoke at a healthcare roundtable with hospital officials in the conference area following a tour of the facility including the surgical procedure room, the MRI equipment and the geo-thermal system. Others attending were several hospital trustees and invited guests...

LE MARS — The Le Mars City Council approved a facility study of the city’s wastewater treatment plant with Bolton & Menk, Inc. The study is needed to make necessary changes to the wastewater treatment plant to comply with DNR requirements. The issuance of the city’s NPDES permit on Dec. 1, 2018, contained requirements and planning issues that the city is required to address. Some of these issues come with a time period in which they need to be addressed...

LE MARS — Everything is about to get peachy in Plymouth County thanks to the Siouxland Youth for Christ organization. The group’s annual peach fundraiser is underway and the first deadline of July 29 is rapidly approaching. Jim Rahn, Plymouth County area director, stated what began several years ago selling a small amount of boxes has now risen to around 1,000 boxes of the Colorado peaches in Plymouth County alone. The sale also is available in the communities of Hawarden and Sioux City...

PLYMOUTH CO. — The 2019 Plymouth County Fair is just a week away. With that comes the crowning of the fair royalty on Wednesday, July 24, the first day of the fair. This year there are 11 young men, representing 4-H clubs and FFA chapters, vying for the honor of 2019 Plymouth County Fair King...

LE MARS — Floyd Valley Healthcare is in the news again — this time recognizing its newest leader, CEO Dustin Wright. Wright, who has been with the hospital since December 2018, was recently named among 70 “Critical Access Hospital CEOs to Know.” “This is truly a great honor for Floyd Valley Healthcare,” Wright said. ...

(Photo Contributed) Le Mars Wal-Mart Store Manager Alex Szczech (middle), prepares to cut the ribbon on Friday, July 12, commemorating the store’s grand reopening celebration. Szczech is surrounded by fellow employees and members of the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce...

SIOUX CITY — The Sioux City Community Theatre has announced Season 72. The season will kick off Sept. 13-29 with the production, Young Frankenstein. Grandson of the infamous Victor Frankenstein, Frederick Frankenstein (pronounced “Fronk-en-steen”) inherits his family’s estate in Transylvania. With the help of a hunchbacked sidekick, Igor (pronounced “Eye-gore”), and a leggy lab assistant, Inga, Frederick finds himself in the mad scientist shoes of his ancestors...

DES MOINES — It was home to two manufacturing companies that played big roles in helping the United States and its allies win two world wars. Today, it is one of Iowa’s most treasured historic buildings. The Albertson and Company/Rocklin Manufacturing Company building in Sioux City has been added to the National Register of Historic Places. Its historic significance is tied to its association with the local manufacturing industry and the role it played during World War I and World War II...

LE MARS — Like the flood waters which rose and spilled over the dike at the John Britton Little League Complex — not once but twice in a matter of six months — so too did the Le Mars Little League rise in the aftermath to overcome the devastation left by the flood’s wake...

LE MARS — A Le Mars preschool will now be a community partner with the Le Mars Community School District starting in the 2019-20 school year. Little Rascals Preschool was approved for a Universal Preschool Partnership Agreement by the school board at its July 8 meeting...

SPENCER — With new themes and a new sponsor, now is a perfect time to begin sorting through all of the photos you have taken since the 2018 fair and enter them in one of the many photography competitions at the 2019 Clay County Fair. Photographers may enter up to 12 photographs with one entry per class. Divisions include color photographs or black and white photographs of people, places, landscape, things, plants, or animals/insects world...