News

AKRON — Voters in the Akron-Westfield School District went to the polls Tuesday to decide the fate of a general bond referendum to approve an addition and renovations to various areas of the school, at a total cost not to exceed $8.99 million. The ballot question read: “Shall the Board of Directors of the Akron-Westfield Community School District in the County of Plymouth, State of Iowa, be authorized to contract indebtedness and issue General Obligation Bonds in an amount not to exceed $8,990,000 to provide funds to build, furnish, and equip an addition to its existing educational facilities, to remodel, repair, equip, and improve its existing educational facilities, and to improve the site?”. ...

LE MARS — Ten contracts have been approved for Le Mars Community School District teachers to serve as mentors for new teachers in the school district. The mentors program is part of “Teacher Leadership & Compensation” in the district, according to Superintendent Dr. Steve Webner...

AKRON — The Great Akron Scarecrow Festival will return to the Akron City Park for its 21st annual event on Saturday, Sept. 18. “We’re just really excited to be back in the Akron City Park, to bring back all of our vendors as well as the kids activities and the food, and be back in a more normal setting and have that community feel, back in the park,” said LeAnne Philips, a member of the GFWC/Iowa Akron Friendship & Service Club, which hosts the event...

SIOUX CITY — The Catholic schools in the Diocese of Sioux City will not be instituting mask mandates at this time, due to the current legal proceedings in Iowa. Patty Lansink, superintendent of Catholic Schools for the Diocese of Sioux City, noted the diocesan attorney verified that the temporary restraining order lifting the ban on mask mandates did not apply to the 16 Catholic school systems in the diocese...

DES MOINES — The Legislative Services Agency delivered to the members of the General Assembly a proposed congressional and legislative redistricting plan Thursday, Sept. 16. The documents delivered to the members of the General Assembly include a bill embodying the plan as well as a statistical report providing information concerning the plan, including maps of the proposed congressional and state legislative districts...

(Sentinel Photo by Kim Fickett) Members of the Gehlen Catholic Schools community were joined by family, friends, and Le Mars community members to celebrate the school’s groundbreaking of its kitchen and cafeteria remodel and expansion project. The ceremony included a blessing over the worksite, an update on the project’s status, and Gehlen officials turning dirt. ...

LE MARS — The Town & Country Toy Club will host its annual Toy Show Saturday, Sept. 18, at the Plymouth County Fairgrounds in Le Mars. Show hours are 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Admission to the show is free. “We have a number of vendors coming and several new vendors who have not been at our show before,” Dennis Baldwin, club president, said...

LE MARS — Gehlen Catholic will welcome community members to their groundbreaking ceremony for their kitchen and cafeteria remodel and expansion project at 3 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 16. The ceremony will include a blessing over the worksite, an update on the project status and the traditional groundbreaking...

Brett Staab and Ellie Hilbrands were crowned the 2021 MMCRU homecoming king and queen on Monday night.

LE MARS — Le Mars Community School District Superintendent Dr. Steve Webner reported 18 students have open-enrolled into the district since the last school board meeting in August. Ten come from MMCRU, six from the Hinton Community School District and two from Akron-Westfield School District...

LE MARS — A Plymouth County farmer is the 157th recipient of The Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award. The award was presented to Bob and Lisa Puetz during a noon luncheon Thursday, Sept. 9, at the Le Mars KC Hall by Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig...

PLYMOUTH CO. — A decision Monday by Federal Court Judge Robert Pratt in Des Moines on Iowa’s mask mandate orders the state to immediately halt enforcement of the law passed by the Iowa Legislature in May that prevents school boards from ordering masks to be worn...

LE MARS — A rollout of new COVID vaccine requirements by President Joe Biden during a press conference on Thursday afternoon, has left local businesses, schools and entities putting together an implementation plan, while others are awaiting further directive from the authorities responsible before proceeding...

LE MARS — Dog owners will have a new place to take their pet for fun and exercise. The long-awaited Le Mars Dog Park opens its gates Monday, Sept. 13. The dog park is adjacent to the pond behind Wal-Mart and across from the Wings RC area by the Le Mars Municipal Airport. The road to the dog park is accessible from Holton Drive...

By Beverly Van Buskirk Lifestyles editor LE MARS — A new lease agreement with Avery Brothers LLC for billboards placed in the city limits was given the OK by the Le Mars City Council at its Sept. 7 meeting. This agreement will replace two existing 10-year agreements already in place. Avery Brothers, LLC requested the new agreement with additional wording on a recommendation from their lender...

Pictured are the the 2021 homecoming royalty candidates at MMCRU, front from left, Asya Miller, Kirsten Letsche, Mya Holmes, Ellie Reiter, and Ellie Hilbrands. Back row, Preston Astidias, Colin Pick, Carson Pick, Brett Staab, and Gunnar Grage.

Megan Meinen and Cael Moffatt were crowned the 2021 Homecoming Queen and King at Akron-Westfield on Thursday, Sept. 9.

LE MARS — The Le Mars Arts Center will open its new exhibit, “Passing Time,” Sept. 14, featuring the works of Gary Bowling and his wife, Linda. Bowling was the art instructor and chairman of the Art Department at Westmar College in Le Mars for nine years...

20 years ago. It seems cliché to say, but it truly does seem just like yesterday. Just like the bombing of Pearl Harbor, the assassination of JFK or the explosion of the space shuttle Challenger, everyone remembers exactly where they were the moment they heard the news of the terrorist attacks that struck our nation’s soil on 9/11/2001...

LE MARS — The Le Mars City Council considered a request from the Le Mars Area Family YMCA regarding a change in two of the three existing agreements with the city at its Sept. 7 meeting. The proposed change involved memberships offered by the YMCA. The change would eliminate the stand-alone membership to the Aquatic Center and make it part of the all-inclusive YMCA membership. The third agreement is for the outdoor pool, and was proposed the agreement would not change...

LE MARS — Jaywalk-a-thon will return to Gehlen Catholic on Friday, Oct. 1, at the Gehlen Catholic football field and track. One of the school’s largest fundraisers kicked off this week with all kindergarten through 12th grade students. It included the Jaybird visiting elementary classrooms and chanting in the gym with junior high and high school...

By Beverly Van Buskirk Lifestyles editor LE MARS — It was a tug to his heart while in high school that called Brian Hofman towards ministry. Hofman’s church ran a Saturday evening program, where it opened the church doors and let teenagers come in and have a place to hang out...

LE MARS — Two public hearings were conducted by the Le Mars City Council at its Sept. 7 meeting. The first hearing dealt with Financing - Hospital Loan Agreements. The council set the hearing to hear public comment regarding the refunding of Hospital Revenue Bonds, Series 2013A and Series 2013B and financing for hospital improvements...

LE MARS — A Le Mars World War II veteran took a flight of a lifetime on the morning of Sept. 1 in honor of his service to this country. Ninety-six year old William “Bill” Reuter, who makes his home at Accura Healthcare of Le Mars, was the recipient of a flight in a WWII vintage open cockpit airplane thanks to Dream Flights...

REMSEN — Middle school students at Remsen St. Mary’s School have a new class added to their curriculum this year. Computer science will now be taught in middle school. St. Mary’s Principal Kim Phillips indicated that’s just one focus on academics that’s being done to prepare for the 2021-22 school year...