Home News Thursday News, April 27th

Thursday News, April 27th

Vonnahme Awarded “Decades of Excellence Crystal Bell” 

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community School Foundation and Alumni Association honored the “Teacher of the Year” during a banquet and awards program held last evening. Retiring Middle School Social Studies teacher Mark Vonnahme was
presented with the prestigious “Crystal Bell” acknowledging his excellent career with education. Vonnahme told last night’s gathering that he always tried to strive for three things during his tenure of teaching. He says the first objective is to show up for work, and he credits his father for that objective.

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Vonnahme informed the gathering of his second objective in teaching.

The honored teacher plans to retire at the end of this school year, and he says there is never a teacher who chooses to teach because of the money. The “Teacher of the Year” said he has had many suggestions as to what he could do following retirement.

Vonnahme says teaching offers a great deal of satisfaction.

 

 

Northwestern College To Hold Graduation Ceremonies 

ORANGE CITY, Iowa—For the first time since 1996, Northwestern College will award graduate degrees during its annual commencement ceremony Saturday, May 13.
Forty-six students will receive Master of Education degrees, while another 267 students will receive bachelor’s degrees. Northwestern will also award an honorary doctorate to Simon Estes, an internationally renowned opera star.

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Dr. Rick Melmer, director of Leadership South Dakota, will speak during commencement, which is scheduled for 10 a.m. in the DeWitt Physical Fitness Center. The college’s baccalaureate service will begin at 7:30 p.m. Friday, May 12, in Christ Chapel. Julie Vermeer Elliott, vice president for student life,
will deliver the homily, “God’s Light: From Lullabies to Legacies.”

 

 

Radio Host Passes Away

(Sioux City) — Longtime KSCJ radio Open Line Host Randy Renshaw has passed away after a short illness.

Family members say Renshaw died of complications from cardiac arrest Tuesday at a Sioux City hospital.

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The 66 year old Renshaw was born in Storm Lake on November 18th, 1950.

He was the voice of KSCJ for over a quarter of a century, beginning in the mid 1980’s.

Renshaw left KSCJ briefly for California and St. Louis, returning to the station to cover news and host “Open Line” in 1992.

He retired in June of 2013.

 

 

Denison Hospital Faces Numerous Wrongful Death Lawsuits

DENISON, Iowa (AP) – A small western Iowa hospital is facing a spate of wrongful death lawsuits.
The Des Moines Register reports that two of the lawsuits against
Crawford County Memorial Hospital in Denison were filed within the last two weeks. Another was filed last year. The hospital gained attention last year when it unsuccessfully tried to keep a $500,000 wrongful-death settlement from being
made public.
One of the three pending lawsuits claims a surgeon ignored warnings that a morbidly obese man could not be safely sedated. Another says a teenage patient who swallowed prescription sedatives died after being sent home. The third says
a newborn died after a doctor failed to promptly address a dangerous intestinal growth.
A spokesman told the newspaper that the hospital doesn’t comment on pending lawsuits.

 

Fire Academy Administrator Pleads Guilty

NEVADA, Iowa (AP) – A former Iowa fire academy administrator has pleaded guilty to falsifying test scores that were used to improperly certify thousands of firefighters.
Former Fire Services Training Bureau certification manager John McPhee pleaded guilty Wednesday to felony misconduct in office. Judge James Malloy scheduled a sentencing hearing for May 24.
Prosecutors and the defense have agreed to recommend a sentence of two years’ probation, unspecified restitution and community service for McPhee, 49.
Malloy could opt for a different sentence for McPhee, who remains free on bond and faces a maximum of five years in prison.
McPhee, who began at the Ames-based academy in 1998, assigned passing scores to exams without checking or correcting them for years. More than 2,400 firefighters and emergency personnel were granted nationally-recognized certifications despite failing tests.