Home News Tuesday News, April 4th

Tuesday News, April 4th

Library Prepares To Move To Eagles Club

(Le Mars) — Next Monday, April 10th, the Le Mars Public Library will close its doors and begin its renovation and remodeling project. A temporary library will be set up across the street inside the Eagles Club building. Shirley Taylor, Director of Library Services for the Le Mars Public Library says the city hopes to be able to move into the temporary library on April 17th.

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Taylor says some of the more historical and sensitive materials will be housed at city hall.

The Le Mars librarian says the summer reading program will continue, and she says the upper level of the Eagles Club will serve as a nice area for Children’s Section.

Taylor says all of the children’s books and resources will be transferred to the Eagles Club and will be available. However, Taylor says only about half of all the adult resources will be available to the public from the Eagles Club location.

 

More Delays On The Business Highway 75 Overlay Project

(Le Mars) — City officials are now saying it will be Wednesday when Business Highway 75 will be closed to traffic for preparations of the overlay paving project. Originally, the street was slated to be closed beginning today, but then delays have pushed back the starting date. Scott Kneip, Superintendent for the Le Mars Public Works Department, says the contractor notified city officials and explained the machine used to grind off the top layer of asphalt is broken and needing to be repaired. Once work begins on Business Highway 75, traffic will be detoured, since all four lanes of travel will be closed stretching between Highway 3 and continuing south until the Family Table Restaurant.

 

Supervisors To Meet Today

(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors are scheduled to meet this morning at the County Courthouse Board Room. County Treasurer, Shelly Sitzmann will appear before the supervisors to discuss assignment of county held tax
certificates held in Akron. Surveyor, Chad Ruhland will also appear before the county governing board to seek approval of the GC First Addition in Union Township. County Engineer Tom Rohe will submit four different permit requests for tile line crossing in Elgin, Washington, America, and Remsen townships.
Rohe will also discuss with the county board the final review and approval of the construction program budget.

 

City Council To Hold Hearings On Library Renovation Project

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars City Council will hold two separate hearings today regarding the renovation of the public library. The council will review the bid packages. Mike Donlin, the president of the Le Mars Area Betterment Foundation is scheduled to appear before the city council to offer an update on the latest
developments involving the Community Betterment 2 Project. During action items, the city council will discuss the cemetery ordinance, and review the Human Resource Services contract, and the council is scheduled to hold the third reading of the mayor’s proposed salary increase.

 

Fire Department Releases March Report

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department had a busy month of March, responding to a total of 38 calls. The fire department were called to 16 fires, five rescues, five investigations or accident clean-ups, ten times they had
requests for services, and the local fire and rescue department offered mutual aid twice, once to Merrill, and once for Oyens.

Le Mars fire logo

 

 

Northwestern College To Hold Groundbreaking For New Science Center

(ORANGE CITY) — Northwestern College will break ground for its new health and natural sciences center during a ceremony at noon on Friday, April 7. The public is invited to attend the event, which will be on the building’s site on the southwest corner of the campus green, just west of the Ramaker Center.

Northwestern College logo

The 61,000-square-foot facility will cost approximately $24.5 million and will house classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices for the departments of biology, chemistry and nursing. The eco-friendly facility will also include increased space for student and faculty research. Scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2018, the building will create a grand west entrance to the campus on Highway 10.

More than 300 of Northwestern’s 1,260 students are health or natural science majors pursuing degrees in biology, chemistry, nursing, biochemistry, ecological science, or genetics, molecular and cellular biology. Northwestern also offers pre-professional tracks in medicine, pharmacy, physical therapy and other allied health fields.

Enrollment in Northwestern’s science labs has grown by 58 percent in the last decade, while average class sizes in the sciences have increased by 41 percent. As a result, Northwestern’s science facilities have been stretched to the limit.

For more information about the campaign, and to donate, visit discover.nwciowa.edu.

 

Blue Cross-Blue Shield Welmark To Cease Selling Individual Health Insurance Policies

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A decision by Iowa’s dominant health insurance company to stop selling individual policies could leave thousands of residents scrambling to get new policies.
The Des Moines Register reports (https://dmreg.co/2o3ratJ ) Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield announced Monday it would stop selling the individual policies because of instability in the insurance market due to the Affordable Care Act and congressional Republicans’ failed effort to replace the law.
The decision means more than 21,000 Iowa residents who bought health insurance policies since Jan. 1, 2014, will need to find another provider.
The change won’t affect those who have Wellmark insurance through an employer or those who bought individual policies that took effect before Jan. 1, 2014.
The carriers Aetna and Medica also sell individual policies but haven’t committed to doing so for 2018.

 

Branstad To Meet With Congressional Members About Ambassador Appointment To China

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad says he’ll have private meetings with members of Congress this week to discuss his consideration as U.S. ambassador to China.
The Republican governor is scheduled to be in Washington between Monday and Thursday.
Branstad says he’ll meet with members of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and officials at the State Department. A spokesman for the governor says no formal hearings are scheduled.
President Donald Trump announced last year that he would nominate Branstad as ambassador to China.
Branstad says the process requires extensive paperwork, and he hasn’t given details about when the Senate will hold confirmation hearings and vote on his nomination.
If confirmed by the Senate, Branstad will resign as governor and is expected to be replaced by Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds.

 

Animal Rescue League Saves Abandon Horses

NEW VIRGINIA, Iowa (AP) – Officials have removed 14 neglected horses from two properties in south-central Iowa’s Warren County.
The Animal Rescue League says 10 malnourished horses were taken from a site in New Virginia and four severely neglected horses from a property in Indianola.
All 14 will be nursed back to health at the league’s Second Chance Ranch in Des Moines.
No arrests have been reported.