(LE MARS)–The future of Plymouth County Courthouse space opened up by the Annex addition is yet to be decided.
Plymouth County Supervisors hosted the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Ambassadors for an Annex ribbon cutting Thursday afternoon.
Supervisors chair Jim Henrich says Treasurer’s Office Driver’s License Service, the county Zoning Administrator, Sanitarian and state Juvenile Court Staff will relocate from the Courthouse to the Annex.
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According to Henrich, the county didn’t borrow money for the 675-thousand dollar building on the east side of the Courthouse block.
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Groundbreaking for the project was last August. Henrich says general contractor H-C-I of South Sioux City worked in difficult weather.
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KLEM News asked Henrich how the space left open in the with Courthouse with the Annex completion will be used.
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The architect for the project was Dale McKinney of M+ in Sioux City
Moving for the county offices relocating to the Annex begins Monday.
Governor urges evacuation for certain areas by midnight
PIERRE, S.D. (AP) South Dakota Gov. Dennis Daugaard is once again calling for the evacuation of homes in certain areas of Dakota Dunes.
The city of about 2,500 people in the southeastern part of the state is threatened by Missouri River flooding, following record rainfall across the northern Plains.
Daugaard wants all residents of the Country Club area of Dakota Dunes to be out of their homes before midnight Friday. He says homeowners might not be able to return for two months.
The evacuation is not mandatory, but Daugaard says transportation in the area might be impossible after the deadline passes.
Red Cross officials have opened a shelter in North Sioux City.
Mom of slain Iowa airman knew he faced big risks
Yankton residents cautioned
YANKTON, S.D. (AP) Some Yankton County residents are the latest to be cautioned to leave their homes in advance of Missouri River floodwaters.
The County Commission says people in Riverside Acres and Larson’s Landing should evacuate by Saturday night, though it isn’t mandatory. It was not immediately clear how many people might be affected.
Upstream from Yankton, about 3,000 people in low-lying areas of Pierre and Fort Pierre have left their homes. Downstream, the 2,500 residents of Dakota Dunes are evacuating.
The Missouri River is flooding in several states because of heavy rain and melting snow.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Mother: son knew the danger
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) The mother of a 28-year-old Iowa Air Force sergeant killed in Afghanistan says she knew his job disarming bombs was a dangerous one, so his death was not a total surprise.
Staff. Sgt. Joseph Hamski died May 26 when a bomb exploded.
In an interview Thursday with The Ottumwa Courier, Mary Winston says the news of her son’s death came as a horrible shock, at first.
Winston said her son downplayed the risks he faced, but she knew better, saying, “He did a very dangerous job.”
A funeral Mass for Hamski is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church in Ottumwa. Burial will be at Ottumwa Cemetery.
Documents outline alleged campaign donation scheme
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A Davenport attorney and the president of a group seeking a casino in Fort Dodge allegedly took money from Peninsula Gaming LLC and gave it to former Gov. Chet Culver’s campaign, agreeing it wouldn’t look good if the contribution came from the Dubuque-based casino company.
The Des Moines Register is reporting that details of the alleged scheme are outlined in newly filed court documents.
Davenport attorney Curtis Beason and president of Webster County Entertainment Steve Daniel are charged in the case. They are accused of taking a $25,000 payment from Peninsula Gaming and giving to Culver’s campaign. It is illegal in Iowa to make a campaign contribution in another person’s name.
Attorneys for Beason and Daniel say the men deny the allegations.
Sierra Club seeks to block planned highway project
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) The Sierra Club has filed a lawsuit seeking to block the construction of a major highway project in Cedar Rapids, saying it would damage the ecosystem of two nature preserves.
The Iowa chapter of the environmental group filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court this week. It argues the state’s environmental impact statement completed in 2008 for the planned extension of Highway 100 was inadequate.
The lawsuit says the highway would run through the Rock Island County Preserve, which would threaten rare and endangered butterflies, turtles and other species.
City leaders see the Highway 100 project as key to its future growth. The plan is estimated to cost more than $163 million and would create a quick link between the western and northeastern part of the city.
Plea hearing set in spraying of Sheffield officer
SHEFFIELD, Iowa (AP) A 49-year-old Sheffield man accused of using pepper spray on a police officer is expected to change his plea at a hearing later this month.
Court records say Robi Meyer had pleaded not guilty in April to a felony charge of assaulting a police officer. The change-of-plea hearing is scheduled for June 21.
Meyer is accused of spraying Officer Michael Halsne during a confrontation at a Sheffield home on March 20.
The Mason City Globe Gazette says Meyer also faces misdemeanor charges of obstruction of emergency communication, interference with official acts and disorderly conduct.
Clinton man’s house slides into sinkhole
CLINTON, Iowa (AP) A century-old home in Clinton has collapsed into a sinkhole.
WQAD in Moline, Ill., is reporting that Larry Stuart’s home was brought down by the sinkhole last Sunday. Stuart wasn’t home at the time but neighbors say they could hear the house creak, groan and pop as it slid into the hole.
The city’s building and neighborhood official says significant rainfall Sunday morning was probably the primary case. He also says it looks there the house’s foundation could have had problems. When it was built, the city didn’t have building codes.
The house is a total loss.
There was also concern for neighboring homes but for now those residents are staying put.
Stuart is staying with family.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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