A year to remember: Top stories of 2008

There were several goodbyes in 2008. Clockwise from top left: Samuel Toliver's family left memorial flowers on the door to the Le Mars apartment where he was stabbed by Jody O'Keefe in January -- Toliver died from the injuries. Two members of the Legion Riders stand vigilant at the funeral for Crpl. Chad Groepper of Kingsley. Groepper was killed in an attack in Iraq while serving with the U.S. Army. The St. Joseph School, which stood in Le Mars for more than 100 years, was demolished to make way for a new Catholic church. [Click to enlarge]

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. The stabbing took place in an upstairs apartment at 21 First Ave. N.E. in downtown Le Mars, across the street from the Fareway grocery store. According to the police, both men worked for separate contractors at the Plymouth Energy ethanol plant construction site north of Merrill. A third man, Robert Young, was held by the police as a witness in the event. O'Keefe was sentenced in September. Toliver formerly hailed from Joplin, Mo.

9. St. Joseph's school demolished

A Le Mars school more than a century old became history this year. The 1905 St. Joseph's School building was demolished to make way for a new Catholic church. Alumni watched, sharing memories of the Catholic sisters that taught at the school and the wood and iron double desks students used. The school, which was St. Joseph's until 1953 and then shifted to Gehlen Catholic School until 1997, saw more than 2,000 students go through its doors. It was built beginning in 1901 for a total cost of $23,000. Now, planned in the school's place, is a new $8 million worship center to replace that 120-year-old St. Joseph Church. The parish is still fundraising for the construction of the new building.

8. Merrill ethanol plant nears completion

A 50-million gallon ethanol plant, a project announced more than two years ago, looms on the brink of completion just north of Merrill on K-42. Originally headed for a November completion, the plant continues to see testing in December. At capacity, the plant will daily produce about 150,000 gallons of ethanol and 500 tons of dried distillers grains for cattle feed. Fundraising for the $98 million project included a $32 million pledge from Irish company Fleming Holdings USA. Most of the rest of the money was raised locally, from about 300 investors total. The earliest earthwork began in the fall of 2006, and by August 2007, concrete was poured. Construction continued through 2008, with about 200 workers on site. Once online, the plant will operate 24 hours a day seven days a year. The plans for two other ethanol plants for Plymouth County, one in Hinton and one south of Akron, were abandoned, at least for the time being.

7. Wells' Dairy slims down

Plymouth County's largest employer started 2008 with some major changes. After selling the Le Mars milk plant to Dean Foods in December 2007, Wells' Dairy Inc. officials sold the Omaha yogurt plant to Mexican dairy company Grupo LALA in January 2008. Wells' Dairy had purchased the Omaha plant from Safeway in 1982. This was part of Wells' Dairy's strategy to move away from the fresh dairy business and focus on ice cream and frozen novelties. Then in early February, Wells' Dairy cut around 20 corporate and sales jobs. Later that month, company officials asked the approximately 1,500 hourly employees to open the contract for renegotiation -- then asked for $5 million in cuts from those employees' benefits. The employees voted down the cuts. In October, the employees voted again and approved a new two-year contract that included a one-time 2.5 percent pay raise. Company officials cited sustainability and long-term success as reasons for the changes.

6. Kingsley soldier killed in Iraq

A 21-year-old Plymouth County man gave his life in service of the country. Cprl. Chad Groepper, of Kingsley, was killed Feb. 17 in an attack near Baghdad, Iraq. The 2005 Kingsley-Pierson graduate was serving with a U.S. Army sniper unit. Groepper is survived by his wife Stephanie and their daughter Clarissa Renee. The soldier was welcomed home for the last time with Kinglsey's streets lined with people and a giant American flag hung from two hook-and-ladder fire trucks. At the funeral, held in the Kingsley school gym Feb. 27, about 900 people gathered to say goodbye and pay their respects. Groepper received a posthumous military promotion from his commanding officers in Iraq -- from specialist to corporal. Chad enlisted in the Army after graduating from Kingsley-Pierson High School in 2005. Groepper's sister Denae Erickson gave Chad his final military command at the funeral.

"Although it is not my place to say this," she said, "'Stand down, young soldier. Your mission is complete.'"

Other stories of 2008:

*Dick Kirchoff sworn in as Le Mars' mayor in January

*28 bison arrive at Broken Kettle Grasslands in western Plymouth County in October.

*Reusable cloth grocery bags become a hit.

*Wells' Dairy donated a building for the Le Mars Area Dialysis center at 1 First St. S.W. in June.

*The Challenger, a 1943 Union Pacific steam locomotive, chugged through Le Mars in October.

*A public bus route was created for Le Mars through collaboration between the City of Le Mars and Siouxland Regional Transport System. The service will begin once signs can be posted at the planned 26 stops.

*Dave Mulder announces he will not run for a second term for the Iowa Senate in March.

*After years of planning, Remsen's new medical clinic is complete and opened to patients Dec. 18.