School Board Approves Salary Increase For Board Secretary Position
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Board of Education approved a salary increase
for Board Secretary Lisa Boehm. The action was approved during the regular
monthly meeting held Monday evening. Boehm has been the secretary for the Le
Mars Community School Board for 14 years. The school board approved a $1000 per
year increase making her new salary at $5,000. The last time the school board
had increased the secretary’s salary was in 2013 when at that time the
secretary’s salary was increased $500 from $3,500 to $4,000. The school board
also approved a policy change relating to the start time for school board
meetings. A few months ago, School Board director Chris Collins suggested making
a change to the start time. The board of education decided to move the meeting
times from 7:30 p.m. to a new time of 7:00 p.m.
City To Begin Flushing Southeast Portion Of Town Beginning Today
(Le Mars) — The City of Le Mars Water department will be flushing the Southeast
part of town beginning today and continuing through Friday from 8:00 AM to 3 PM each day. The city water department wants to remind you if you notice discolored water do not use your hot water tap until the cold water hard water is clear. You can check at a hard water faucet or the outside hose bib. When that water is clear the water coming into the home or business is clear. It may take a little more to clean out the lines inside.
Plymouth County Supervisors Will Not Meet This Week
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will not have a meeting
today. County auditor Stacey Feldman reports there were not enough agenda items
to justify a meeting. The county governing board is expected to resume their
weekly meetings next Tuesday, November 1st.
Chamber’s “Holiday Dollars” Go On Sale Saturday, November 5th
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce, along with many retail stores
and restaurants will once again offer “Holiday Dollars” for purchases to be made
in Le Mars. The “Holiday Dollars” will be sold Saturday morning, November 5th
beginning at 9:00 a.m.from the Chamber of Commerce offices. This year, $30,000
will be available for shoppers. There are only two categories being offered this
year. Gone are the holiday dollars for grocery shopping at Hy-Vee, Fareway, and
Wal-mart. However, the two remaining categories are for restaurants and retail.
All Holiday Dollars will be sold at a 20 percent discount, meaning shoppers can
purchase $100 worth of Holiday Dollars for $80. Shoppers will be limited to $200
maxium per category. Mary Reynolds with the Le Mars Main Street organization and
Chamber of Commerce encourages people to purchase the holiday dollars and to shop
locally. The participating businesses include in the restaurant catergoy: 4
Brothers, Archies Waeside, Habitue Coffeehouse and Bakery, La Fiesta Charra, P’s
Pizza House, Pizza Ranch, Subway, and Taco John’s. Retail and service businesses
include: Bomgaars, Claussens, Cork-It, Emily’s Home Furnishings, Hardware Hank,
Hotopp’s Jewelry and Gifts, Joba’s, Premier Communications, Rust’s Western Shop,
Sunshine Foods, and The Education Station – Toy Depot.
Schipper Honored At Iowa Fire Chiefs Association Annual Meeting
(Le Mars) — The Iowa Fire Chiefs Association presented their highest honor, the
Roger Mooty Award, to Le Mars Fire Chief, Dave Schipper. Schipper received the
award during the association’s annual meeting held over the weekend at Okoboji.
The Roger W Mooty Award is given in recognition of an individaul who has made
exceptional contributions to the advancement of the fire service, and who
exemplifies the same ideals as the award’s namesake. Mooty, a former fire chief
of the Grundy Center Fire Department and past recipient of the Governor’s Award,
was dedicated to the fire service for over 30 years and was a strong advocate of
fire fighter training. What made the award even more special for Dave Schipper
is his father, Wayne Schipper, a past fire chief of the Le Mars Fire Department
and a Lifetime Honorary past board member, and past president of the Iowa Fire
Chiefs Association, as well as a 1997 recipient of the Roger Mooty award, was the
individual that announced the criteria and presented the fire chief’s honor to
his son, Dave. The Roger W. Mooty award is a state-wide award given to only one
individual each year. Dave Schipper has been the fire chief for the Le Mars Fire
and Rescue Department for the past six years, but has over 25 years experience in
fire services. Prior to being named the Le Mars Fire Chief, Dave Schipper was a
State Fire Marshal. The award recognized Schipper’s work training other fire
fighters, law enforcement officials, emergency medical technicians and
paramedics, and local, county, and state transportation officials. In addition,
it recognizes the hundreds of students that Schipper teaches about fire safety
each October.
Wayne Schipper, (right) a past Le Mars Fire Chief presented the Roger Mooty Award to his son, current Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper.
Crop Report Shows Farmers Are Still Behind Schedule With Harvest
(Sioux Center) — Farmers took full advantage of the weekend’s nice weather to
continue with this season’s harvest. In the latest U-S-D-A weekly crop report,
Fifty-two percent of the corn crop for grain has been harvested, 4 days behind
the five-year average. Moisture content of all corn being harvested was at 17
percent, down 1 percentage point from the previous week. Corn condition rated 83
percent good to excellent. Southeast Iowa is the only area of the State with
over two-thirds of the corn for grain crop harvested. Seventy-seven percent of
the soybean crop has been harvested, more than one week behind last year, and 6
days behind normal. Farmers in southwest and south central Iowa still have over
one-half of their soybean crop to harvest.
Although many grain officials are saying the moisture levels on soybeans are
still a bit high, and some grain storage country elevators have had to reject the
delivery of soybeans. Many farmers switched from harvesting soybeans, and instead
began harvesting their corn. Calvin Diehl is the grain manager with the Farmers
Cooperative Society in Sioux Center. He estimates nearly 70 percent of the
region’s soybeans have been harvested, but he admits the last 30 percent may be
awhile before farmers can finish with the soybean harvest.
Diehl says despite the higher moisture content, soybean yields have been running
nearly five to ten percent better this year than last year.
Diehl comments that the quality of soybeans have been excellent, with better test
weights. The grain manager says farmers have witnessed a small price rally with
soybeans during the last few weeks, and he contributes the rally to conditions in
Brazil.
As noted earlier, many farmers switched from harvesting soybeans to starting on
their corn. Diehl believes the corn harvest is perhaps 15 to 20 percent
completed, and he believes the corn harvest may prove to be better than last
year.
Diehl says many farmers still have corn stored from last year, and are waiting
for higher prices before they market the golden commodity. Several local grain
elevators are having to store this year’s corn in outside storage facilities.
Field Of Dreams To Allow Tourists To Visit House Featured In Movie
DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) – The owners of the Field of Dreams movie site near
Dyersville say that for the first time they will allow tours of the house that
overlooks the famous baseball field.
The Dubuque Telegraph Herald reports (https://bit.ly/2ehChJq ) the group Go
the Distance Baseball announced Monday it would open the lower level of the
house, which was used as a backdrop for much of the 1989 movie starring Kevin
Costner. Until now, the house has been closed to the public.
Although there is no cost to tour the baseball diamond or walk to the corn-
fringed outfield, it will cost $20 for adults and $12 for those younger than 18
to see the house.
Denise Stillman, president and CEO of Go the Distance Baseball, says about
100,000 people visit the site annually.
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Judge Refuses To Dismiss Lawsuit Regarding Hiring Of University of Iowa President
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A judge has declined to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a
retired University of Iowa administrator over private meetings that Board of
Regents members held with the man they later hired as the UI’s president.
District Court Judge Robert Blink ruled Monday the lawsuit filed in June by
former administrator Gerhild Krapf should proceed, though he noted he wasn’t
evaluating the merits of her claim.
The regents sought to dismiss the lawsuit, which argued four regents and
board President Bruce Rastetter violated the Iowa Open Meetings Act by holding
private meetings with Bruce Harreld before his selection as university president.
The board responded there was no violation because a majority of the nine-
member board didn’t meet together with Harreld.
A regents spokesman says the board has no comment.
