Construction On Business Highway 75 Is Making Progress
(Le Mars) — Le Mars city officials are announcing that Business Highway 75 phase 2, according to the contractor, Harris Construction, is scheduled to open for traffic on Thursday, May 4th. Phase 2 is the stretch of highway from 12th Street southwest going north to the driveway of the Yamaha Golf. Phase 3 will open for traffic on Wednesday, May 10th. Phase 3 goes from 12th Street southwest heading south to 18th Street southwest. The construction company believes it will be closing phase 4 of the project sometime between May 4th and May 8th. Phase 4 goes from the Yamaha Golf heading north to where the Phase 1 construction project had ended, near the Family Table Restaurant. When Phase 4 is closed to traffic, it will also close the intersection at Business Highway 75 and 6th Avenue southwest and 6th Street southwest or the Dairy Queen
intersection. Blue Diamond Drive will also be closed to traffic. Detour signs will be posted.
Bibler Trial Is Delayed
LE MARS, Iowa (AP) – A trial has been delayed for a northwest Iowa man accused of stabbing to death his sister.
Thomas Bibler’s trial was scheduled to begin May 16, but after a pretrial conference Thursday in Plymouth County District Court, the judge ordered the delay. No new date was set.
The 34-year-old Bibler has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, willful injury and going armed with intent in connection with the June 11 stabbing death of 27-year-old Shannon Bogh, of Le Mars. He was arrested that day after a short standoff at his Le Mars apartment.
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Preparations Being Made For Remsen St. Mary’s Fundraising Ball
(Remsen) — Preparations are being made for the 26th annual Remsen St. Mary fundraising ball scheduled for Saturday evening at the Avalon Ballroom at Remsen. Connie Begnoche serves as a co-chair for the event. She says the theme for the annual event is “Don’t Stop Believing.” The evening will begin with a dinner being catered by The Homeplate of Granville.
Begnoche explains that a reverse auction allows more people to get involved with helping with the fundraising activities.
Begnoche says at what ever level is a submitted bid, that becomes the pledged contribution. The Remsen St. Mary’s ball co-chair says the proceeds from the reverse auction will help purchase a new boiler for the high school. She says the goal is to raise at least $60,000. Begnoche says the spring ball serves as one of the fund raising events for the Catholic school. Another auction is scheduled for the summer with the proceeds to offset the expenses of the school.
The Remsen St. Mary’s official says tickets for the evening are still available. She says a contribution of $125 will reserve two tickets for the dinner, program, and entertainment.
Doors to the ball will open at 5:15 p.m. with dinner to begin at 6:00 p.m. and the entertainment will be from 8:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.
Students Learn About Driving Using Computer Simulator
(Le Mars) — Law enforcement officials from the Iowa Highway Patrol and the Le Mars Police Department conducted a driving simulator session on Thursday for
students at the Le Mars Community High School. None of the participating students are old enough to have acquired a driver’s license, and only a handful have a learner’s permit. Trooper John Farley explains the purpose for the session.
Many students admitted the computer driving simulator was more difficult than they had imagined. Farley says the law enforcement officials hope the students
learn from the computer driving simulator, and that it is not a video game. He
says several students had some “simulated accidents” while using the driving simulator.
Farley says the computer driving simulator can be programmed for either urban, suburban, or rural driving conditions.
The Iowa Highway Patrol trooper says the computer can simulate any type of driving conditions.
Le Mars Police officer Dan Plueger says he shared with the students what are some of the rules and laws that pertain to driving.
Plueger had the students wear some special goggles that obscures the person’s vision and it makes it seem like you are intoxicated. He then had them go through the test used to identify intoxicated drivers.
Plueger also spoke to the students about the dangers with texting while driving, as well as other possible distractions.
Judge Rules Iowa Dept. Of Transportation Has Jurisdiction On Traffic Cameras
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A state judge has ruled that the Iowa Department of Transportation has the authority to order cities to remove automated traffic-enforcement cameras from highways and interstates.
The Des Moines Register reports (https://dmreg.co/2pndgks ) that the ruling Thursday is in response to a request for judicial review filed by Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and Muscatine in 2015. The cities made the request after the DOT ordered some speed cameras turned off because they did not make interstate
highways safer.
The three cities had argued that the DOT was infringing on cities’ ability to self-govern. But Judge Scott Rosenberg wrote that the DOT has the power to apply safety regulations on primary highways, and that the right doesn’t interfere with cities’ ability to enforce speed regulations.
A Des Moines official says the city will appeal.
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State Defends Itself On Collective Bargaining Lawsuits
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The state of Iowa has spent $55,000 so far defending itself against a lawsuit challenging a new collective bargaining law.
An invoice reviewed this week by a state council shows the Belin McCormick law firm in Des Moines charged the amount on behalf of four lawyers and a paralegal. They worked more than 175 hours between Feb. 20 and March 30 on a lawsuit filed by the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Iowa Council 61.
The outside counsel was hired after Attorney General Tom Miller announced he wouldn’t defend against the lawsuit to avoid an appearance of conflict of interest because public sector unions have previously supported him.
Documents show the state plans to use the same firm on a separate collective bargaining lawsuit filed by Iowa State Education Association.
Lawyers For “The Bachelor” Says He Acted Reasonably Following Fatal Accident
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Lawyers for former “The Bachelor” star Chris Soules say he “acted reasonably” after a rear-end crash by calling 911 and trying to resuscitate a farmer who later died.
Soules is charged with leaving the scene of a deadly accident after Monday night’s crash near his farm in northern Iowa that killed 66-year-old Kenneth Mosher.
Authorities say that Soules’ truck rear-ended Mosher’s tractor. Police audio shows that Soules called 911 to report the accident and sought help for Mosher before leaving the scene in another vehicle. He was arrested hours later at his home.
A statement issued Thursday through his spokesman says that his attorneys are “confident that once all the evidence is made public, it will show Soules acted reasonably and did everything in his power to aid Mr. Mosher.”
