Tickets On Sale For Gehlen Ball
(Le Mars) — Tickets are now on sale for the 2017 Gehlen Ball, “Generations of Excellence”. Tickets for the dinner, program, auction and dance can be purchased in advance or at the door the night of the Ball. A donation of $100 or more provides a complimentary ticket for two. This year’s Gehlen Ball is
scheduled for Saturday, April 22nd at the Le Mars Convention Center. Jeff and Jackie Arens and Mark and Karen Nuebel will serve as the chairs for the this year’s event. This year’s five collections for the silent auction include: The Gehlen and Spalding and Religious Collection, Spirit Collection, Wine and Dining Collection, Trips and Travel Collectin, and the Treat Yourself Collection.
Dinner will be served between 6:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. with the program to start at 8:20 p.m. In addition to the silent auction, the announcement of the 2017 Spirit of Peter and Catherine Gehlen will be presented.
Trial Scheduled For Union President Accused Of Theft
LE MARS, Iowa (AP) – A June trial has been scheduled for a former union president accused of embezzling from his union local in northwest Iowa
Court records say Curtis Lang pleaded not guilty Thursday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City. His trial is set to begin June 5.
The records say Lang stole more than $45,000 from United Dairy Workers of Le Mars while serving as president from 2012 to June 2015.
Police Apprehend Suspect Following Foot Chase
(Le Mars) — What started as an investigation for a complaint turned into a foot chase for both the Le Mars Police Department and Plymouth County Sheriff’s Deputies before a suspect was apprehended for possession of narcotics. The incident happened late Friday afternoon at about 5:37 p.m. when law enforcement
officers were called to 421 18th Street southwest. Upon investigation into the complaint, officers received information that 22 year old Jermey Klingbeil, a resident of the address, was in possession of a controlled substance and had left
the residence. Officers located Klingbeil at the intersection of 3rd Avenue and 12th Street southwest. A foot pursuit ensued and Klingbeil was apprehended in the 1100 block of 2nd Avenue southwest, near the football field. Klingbeil had in his possession approximately 160 grams of marijuana and marijuana wax. He
was arrested and transported to the Plymouth County Jail.
More Delays For Sioux City New Elementary School
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Parents and Sioux City residents are lamenting the latest delay in the opening of a new elementary school after several homes were demolished to make room for it.
The Sioux City Journal reports that plans to start classes at the new Bryant Elementary School in the fall of 2019 unraveled March 14 after the low bid for the project’s final phase came in nearly $3 million higher than estimated. The main reason for the high bids is likely rising concrete costs.
The school board decided to revisit the architectural plans to save costs rather than pay more money, which superintendent Paul Gausman says will push the school opening to August 2020.
Resident Erik Peterson says the dirt blowing from the construction site has created an annoyance for neighbors.
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Union Leaders Surprised At Legislature’s Actions
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa union leaders approached this legislative session with apprehension but say they never envisioned lawmakers would approve such
dramatic changes governing worker rights and pay.
GOP legislators, with support from Republican Gov. Terry Branstad, tightened the workers’ compensation system, severely limited the scope of collective bargaining rights for public employee unions and banned local minimum
wage increases. They also cut budgets amid a tax revenue shortfall.
Republicans say the changes ensure stability and will spur business activity. Others describe it as a war on workers.
The director of labor education research at Cornell University, Kate Bronfenbrenner, says the changes may push more workers onto Social Security disability and Medicaid.
Union leaders worry the multiple changes regarding worker rights will spark unintended consequences, calling this session a nightmare scenario for workers.
Des Moines Police Investigate Shootings
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Police are investigating a shooting that injured five people in Des Moines early Sunday.
Investigators found more than 40 shell casings and evidence of drug activity at the scene of the shooting near J&J Pizza. All five people injured in the shooting around 3 a.m. Sunday are expected to survive.
Two of the victims were found at the scene of the shooting. The other three had already been taken to hospitals by private vehicles.
All five victims are from Des Moines. Police identified them as 18-
year-old Samira Goldman, 27-year-old Barry Adair Jr., 21-year-old Reinaldo Villarreal III, 27-year-old Donnie Blanco and 25-year-old Ceron Williams.
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Iowa: A Good Place For Medical Doctors
(Des Moines) — A report issued this week claims Iowa is the best state in the country to be a doctor. Analysts with the personal-finance website WalletHub say they examined data that included average annual salaries of physicians and hospitals per capita. Scott McIntyre (mack-in-tire), spokesperson for the Iowa
Hospital Association, says he’s not surprised Iowa topped the list.
Iowa has 118 hospitals. The WalletHub report claims physicians in this state are paid the fourth highest average wage, when adjusted for the cost of living.
The report also notes Iowa has the sixth most hospitals per capita and the sixth highest insured population rate.
