County Supervisors Will Not Meet This Week
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will not be holding a meeting today due to a lack of agenda items. The county governing board is scheduled to reconvene at the county courthouse board room next Tuesday.
Orange City RAGBRAI Committee Unveils Theme and Logo
(Orange City) — Last evening, the Orange City RAGBRAI committee unveiled its theme and logo during a town meeting held at the town hall. Orange City has been selected to serve as the overnight host community for the start of the 45th
annual Register’s Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa. More than 20,000 bicycle riders and their support teams will converge on the dutch community, known primarily for its tulip festival. The chosen theme combines the town’s Dutch heritage with the thought of staying up all night to celebrate. 11-year old
Avery Kelch of Orange City submitted the winning theme of “Dutch Till Dawn.”
She says she started thinking about a theme the night of the Announcement party when Orange City was chosen as a host city.
Although the pre-teen did not create the official logo for Orange City RAGBRAI event, she never-the-less gives her stamp of approval.
The logo, was also unveiled during the community meeting, features a bicycle wheel with a rising sun, using the spokes of the wheel as sun rays, and a Dutch windmill that is silhouetted against the rising sun. In the foreground is a winding path with fields of green on both sides.
Mike Hofman is the Orange City Chamber of Commerce Executive Director and also serves as the Secretary for the Orange City RAGBRAI committee. He talks about
how the Sioux County community will prepare for the special bicycle event.
Hofman says Northwestern College is planning on opening their dormitories to serve as temporary housing for the thousands of bicyclists, but he urges Orange City residents to open their homes to the overnight guests.
The Orange City RAGBRAI committee is asking for people to donate their old discarded and unused bicycles to be used for decorations.
Hofman says the annual bicycle event will need to have hundreds of volunteers, and he is urging all Orange City residents to get involved. He talks about how to recruit the needed volunteers.
The Orange City RAGBRAI committee also announced the evening’s entertainment planned for the opening night of RAGBRAI. The Orange City Chamber executive
says both bands could be considered as headliners.
During the town hall meeting, the Orange City RAGBRAI committee hosted a whimsical style show featuring many people wearing the official Orange City RAGBRAI t-shirts, and encouraging the town’s people to purchase the shirt and
wear it around town.
Opportunities Unlimited To Distribute Bicycle Helmets To Gehlen 2nd Graders
(Le Mars) — Opportunities Unlimited (OU) will be presenting bicycle helmets to 2nd graders at Gehlen Catholic School in LeMars, May 1st, at 2:30 p.m.
Opportunities Unlimited will be giving away helmets to each 2nd grader who participated in the bike and helmet safety curriculum, “Gotta Brain…Getta Helmet” program. The helmet give away is in recognition of March as Brain Injury Awareness Month. The donation is meant to further highlight the importance of
protective equipment during recreational and athletic activities. It is OU’s goal to promote safety in the Siouxland area and encourage families and individuals to take preventative measures by:
• Wearing protective head gear when engaging in sports activities including bike riding, baseball, football, etc.
• Always wearing your seat belt
• Taking measures to prevent falls and minimize risks in the home
• Not driving while intoxicated or allowing others to do so
While Opportunities Unlimited strives for excellence in rehabilitative services for individuals who have sustained a Brain Injury (BI), they also promote education and prevention.
Audra Grosenheider Named Chamber “Employee of the Month”
(Le Mars) — The latest Chamber of Commerce “Employee of the Month” was formally recognized last week during a small ceremony. Audra Grosenheider of P’s Pizza House is the April Employee of the Month. A nomination was submitted by the
employee staff of P’s Pizza House. The nomination reads: “every successful big family has a strong, stubborn, hardworking matriarch had the helm. Audra Grosenheider shines brightest in the most chaotic situations, and sails through at a pace that is impossible to match. She bends, but never breaks, with the
constant pressure that comes with being in charge of an ever-evolving, sometimes dysfunctional, diverse, large family. Ask anyone who works here? P’s is a family and Audra is our matriarch. Our congratulations go to Audra Grosenheider,
the Chamber of Commerce April Employee of the Month.
Polaris To Close Milford Plant – 300 Workers To Be Unemployed
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Polaris Industries plans to close its plant in the northwest Iowa city of Milford, leaving up to 300 employees out of work.
Polaris spokeswoman Kelly Basgen says the company would stop production of all-terrain and utility vehicles at the Milford plant that had operated since 2013. Production would shift to plants in Alabama, Minnesota and California.
Basgen says some employees could move to other Polaris plants, leaving between 275 and 300 workers out of a job.
Ken Pucel, the company’s executive vice president of operations, says the plant was being closed in an effort to “streamline our plant infrastructure.”
Polaris is based in the Minneapolis suburb of Medina.
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Farmers Behind Normal Planting Schedules
(Des Moines) — Drier and warmer weather allowed Iowa farmers to get started with their fieldwork. But, according to the weekly crop condition report, issued by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, eight percent of the
state’s corn acreage has been planted, which is nine days behind last year’s planting rate, and three days behind the five-year average. Topsoil moisture levels were rated as zero percent as very short, one percent short, 79 percent adequate, and 20 percent surplus. Subsoil moisture levels were rated nearly the
same with one percent very short, three percent short, 77 percent adequate, and 19 percent surplus.
Des Moines Authorities Release Name Of Victim Found In River
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines authorities have released the name of a man whose body was recovered from the Des Moines River.
Police identified him as 52-year-old Robert Webb, who lived in Des Moines. His body was spotted around 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
Police say an autopsy revealed no evidence that a crime was involved in Webb’s death.
Despite Tight State Budget, Officials To Renovate State Office Building
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A plan to spend nearly a half-million dollars remodeling the interior of the newest state office building in Des Moines is moving forward despite budget cuts that are hitting an array of state programs and services.
The Iowa Utilities Board is planning to demolish and redo the customer service area in its award-winning, six-year-old building, adding a large conference room and a nicer reception area to greet visitors. Planning documents obtained by The Associated Press under the open records law call for new glass walls, doors, ceilings, woodwork, paint and even a 75-inch Samsung television
for presentations.
The two-story, $10 million building is considered among the nicest in the Capitol Complex, where many date to the 1970s or earlier.
A board spokesman says the project will improve its customer service.
Barta Testifies That Three Rounds Of Complaints Lead To Coach Dismissal
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – University of Iowa athletic director Gary Barta has testified that three rounds of complaints from parents and field hockey players prompted an investigation into the program that led to the firing of coach Tracey Griesbaum in 2014.
Griesbaum’s termination is a central piece of a lawsuit filed by former administrator Jane Meyer against the university and was a focus Monday in testimony in Meyer’s discrimination trial.
Meyer, who was Barta’s longtime top assistant, filed the suit after being moved to another department soon after the firing of Griesbaum, who was her partner. Meyer’s job was eliminated in 2016.
Meyer alleges she suffered workplace discrimination as a gay woman in a relationship with a coach, that the school retaliated against her and that she was paid less than a male counterpart.
