(LE MARS)–The wrecking ball is slated to swing against a building near the Le Mars Convention Center next year.
The Le Mars City Council Tuesday approved a staff recommendation which set a new schedule to demolish three unused buildings on the former Westmar University campus. The school closed 13 years ago.
Council member Ken Nelson saw a parking possibility for the Convention Center if the Centennial Dormitory is demolished. Mayor Dick Kirchoff reported interest in only one of the three unused buildings –Centennial Dormitory, KIME Science Center and Charles Mock Library.Council member Delana Ihrke asked City Administrator Scott Langel about timing of a “Last Time” notice to prospective buyers and the public about plans to demolish if a building is not sold. .
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Preparation for demolition includes removing personal property like the two dozen air conditioners the city put in when construction workers rented the former dorm. The precast, pre-stressed concrete dorm was built in the late 1960s. An asbestos report would also be needed. The timeline adopted by the Council is demolition of Centennial in 2012, Kime Science in 2014 and Charles Mock Library in 2016.
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Randy Kroese of CPA Firm Kroese and Kroese, was honored Wednesday at the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce 17th Annual Agri-Business Luncheon. Micah Lang, agriculture committee vice president, left, says that Kroese, right, deserves this honor because of his knowledge of the ag industry.
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Kroese moved to LeMars in 1986 when he and his brother took over their father’s accounting practice. In addition to being a Certified Public Accountant he has his Certified Ag Consultant License and specializes in farm tax, helping numerous family farms, farm corporations and farm entities. He was also instrumental in the start up of Plymouth Dairy in 2000.
Randy accepted the award with little to say, which, to those who know him, clearly shows how honored he felt.
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Kristen Ahlers was also recognized at the meeting with the Iowa Network Services (INS) Superior Student Award. She was nominated by Julie Beitelspacher, and selected to be the winner from 100 applicants. Beitelspacher told Agri-Business Luncheon attendees why she nominated Ahlers.
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(News report by Angela Drake of KLEM News/Photos by Dave Ruden, KLEM Operations Director)
(LE MARS) A Marcus woman was injured when Le Mars Police report her vehicle was rear-ended at an intersection Tuesday afternoon.
According to the report, 42-year-old Kay Conley of Marcus was driving a sport utility vehicle east on 12th Street Southeast and had stopped at the intersection with Fourth Avenue Southeast. As she was waiting to make a left turn, Police report another eastbound sport utility vehicle driven by 23-year-old Kendra Klein of rural Remsen struck the rear of Conley’s vehicle. Klein told police she had not observed that Conley had stopped and had looked down for a moment.
Le Mars Ambulance took Conley to Floyd Valley Hospital for non-incapacitating injuries.
The accident occurred around six o’clock Tuesday evening.
(ESTHERVILLE)–A firm building a new regional John Deere location in Le Mars is a Midwest award winner.
Christensen Construction and Design Company of Estherville received the Midwest Region Butler Builder of the Year award.
The honor is given for outstanding sales and service.The Butler Manufacturing Midwest Region in 13 states includes more than 320 builders from Colorado to Ohio.
The Estherville company is building the new ICON Ag Solutions facility on Key Avenue in Le Mars. The project on Le Mars southwest side is slated for completion this summer.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Remains of flesh and bone found in Des Moines caused some stir Wednesday, though officials later said they weren’t human.
A passer-by spotted what appeared to be a human hand or foot in a ditch near the Des Moines airport and called police.
Officers then notified the Polk County medical examiner’s office, which determined the remains weren’t human.
The Des Moines Register reports that Polk County medical examiner Dr. Gregory Schmunk believes the remains, which were skinned, could have been from a bear.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A lawsuit has been scheduled against a former Dallas County Jail official accused of sexually abusing an incarcerated woman.
The woman is suing 60-year-old Kevin Hines and Dallas County for violations of equal protection and due process rights and for inflicting cruel and unusual punishment.
The woman alleges that Hines assaulted her three times on Dec. 6, 2008, when she was an inmate.
Hines, who resigned from the sheriff’s department nearly two years ago, has pleaded not guilty of third-degree sexual abuse and sexual misconduct with an offender.
A plea hearing is scheduled for April 1.
The Des Moines Register reports that a civil trial is scheduled to begin May 7, 2012.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Regulators have revoked a southern Iowa high school coach’s license for life after he declined to contest unspecified allegations involving an inappropriate relationship with a student.
The Iowa Board of Educational Examiners on Wednesday said the license of Klint D. Sinclair, who coached baseball at Wayne Community School in Corydon, has been permanently revoked with no possibility of reinstatement. But the board refused to release details about the allegations against him.
The board in November found probable cause Sinclair violated a rule prohibiting coaches from “soliciting, encouraging, or consummating a romantic or otherwise inappropriate relationship with a student.”
Sinclair surrendered his license before the board released a public statement of charges against him. Assistant Attorney General Julie Bussanmas, said that means the details of the complaint will never become public.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) Cedar Rapids officers had already gotten out of their squad car, so they weren’t hurt when a train rammed into it.
The officers had been chasing a man in a sport utility vehicle for a licensing violation a little after 3 a.m. Wednesday when he turned his SUV onto railroad tracks. The officers followed in their squad car, but soon their supervisor called off the chase.
Police say that as the officer who was driving tried to get the cruiser off the tracks, it got stuck.
The officers got out to see what they could do and noticed the oncoming train.
The train engineer couldn’t stop the train in time. It rammed into the squad car and dragged it about 100 yards.
The SUV driver got away.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Top University of Iowa medical officials say no employee conversations were transmitted by a hidden baby monitor discovered in a medical clinic, but its placement was an “extremely unfortunate situation” that goes against the school’s values.
UI Vice President Jean Robillard (Jahn roh-bee-YARD) and Associate Vice President Jana Wessels told employees in a message Wednesday the monitor was promptly removed after its discovery.
Secretaries in the Department of Urology complained their privacy was violated when supervisors placed the monitor without their knowledge to check on whether they were talking too much. It was unclear how long the monitor was active.
A union official said the monitoring could have violated medical privacy laws if those listening overheard confidential patient information, but UI officials said they found no evidence of any violations.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) A prosecutor is defending his decision to make a federal case against a former technical college official arrested trying to meet an investigator posing as a 14-year-old girl.
U.S. Attorney Nick Klinefeldt says that preventing child exploitation is a top priority, and the case against Terry Campie showed how local, state and federal authorities can work together successfully.
Campie pleaded guilty Monday to attempting to entice a minor. The former dean of the ITT Tech campus in Cedar Rapids was arrested after he drove to Clinton to meet the girl after sexually explicit chats.
Campie faces a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison. His attorney argues that is excessive given he’d face less time if the case had been handled in state court and there was no girl involved.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A report by a public interest group gives Iowa a failing grade on the transparency of government spending.
The report by the Iowa Public Interest Research Group on Wednesday says the state lacks a web site that gives checkbook-level details of state spending programs.
Spokeswoman Sonia Ashe says Iowa hasn’t kept pace with other states, but there is a chance Iowa could improve this year. The Legislature is debating a bill that would create a searchable database of state programs.
Victor Elias of the Coalition for a Better Iowa says the bill could be better by including state spending on tax credits and exemptions in the database.
CROTON, Iowa (AP) Two Lee County residents were fatally injured when their cars collided on a rural road.
Authorities say the men were driving in opposite directions on a gravel road about four miles east of Croton (CROH’-tuhn) when their cars hit near the crest of a small hill. The collision occurred a little after 6 p.m. Monday.
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office identified the men as 31-year-old Nicholas Miller and 32-year-old Chad Edmondson.
The Daily Gate City of Keokuk says Miller died at the scene and Edmondson died while being taken to a hospital in Keokuk.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Some Iowa senators want to delay action on bills that would make it easier for energy companies to build new nuclear power plants in Iowa amid the nuclear crisis in Japan.
A letter signed by nine senators on Wednesday says they are “extremely concerned about proposed legislation that appears to be on the fast track to pave the way” for more nuclear plants in Iowa.
The senators list several concerns, including safety and financial liability, costs and the proposed technology.
Iowa has one nuclear power plant near Cedar Rapids. MidAmerican Energy is studying building another plant. The senators request more time to investigate the decision and not advance the bill the year.
A Senate subcommittee is set to debate the legislation on Thursday and hear from MidAmerican Energy.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Some anti-abortion activists are pressing Iowa lawmakers to approve new restrictions on late-term abortions, saying it’s the most likely to be approved by the Legislature this year.
The measure, which is in a House committee, would impose restrictions after the 20th week of pregnancy. Other anti-abortion activists want a measure that would virtually end all abortions in the state.
During a Statehouse news conference on Wednesday, Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition lobbyist Norman Pawlewski (pah-LOO’-skee) says he’s been trying to convince the other activists to accept the late-term restrictions but hasn’t had any success. He says he’s worried that the division among the ranks could mean nothing will happen.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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