Le Mars Hit By Monday Afternoon Thunderstorm
(Le Mars) — Le Mars felt the brunt of the thunder storm that passed through the area yesterday afternoon between 3:00 and 3:30 p.m. As mentioned earlier, here at KLEM offices, we had received eight tenths of an inch of rain during the thunderstorm that rolled through the area. The storm also caused a tree to fall.
City officials were busy removing a tree that had fallen at at 4th Street and 2nd Avenue northwest.
photo contributed.
Le Mars Officially Has New Police Chief
(Le Mars) — The city of Le Mars officially has a new police chief. Mayor Dick Kirchoff on Monday afternoon administered the oath of office for the new Le Mars Police Chief, Kevin Vande Vegte. The swearing of oath ceremonies took place at the city council chambers, and was witnessed by several area law enforcement
officials from the Le Mars Police Department, Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office and other state and federal agencies. After Mayor Kirchoff administered the oath of office, Vande Vegte’s father then pinned on the new badge for the in-coming
police chief . Vande Vegte’s family was on hand to watch the ceremonies.
Several city officials were also on hand to witness the swearing in of the new police chief. Following the official oath, the new police chief addressed the gathering.
County Supervisors To Convene For Weekly Meeting
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will convene today for their weekly meeting at the County Courthouse Board Room. Although the county supervisors have a short agenda, they will hear from Richard Olson who is seeking
approval of Blue Stem Addition in Perry Township. The supervisors will also hear a construction update submitted by county engineer, Tom Rohe.
Iowa State Fair Sets New Attendance Record
(Des Moines) — The Iowa State Fair finished its eleven-day run on Sunday, and officials are reporting the state fair set a new attendance record with 1,130,071 people that had passed through the gates. The previous attendance record was set
in 2015 when the state fair had attracted 1,117,398. Dave Hoffman of Merrill serves as the vice president of the Iowa State Fair Board. He says “there is something for everyone at the Iowa State Fair.” Hoffman admits the weather was
nearly perfect for the fair, but he believes there are many reasons why people enjoy visiting the Iowa State Fair.
Hoffman says another reason for the increase in attendance is due to the action by the state legislature to back up the start date of schools. Hoffman says in recent years there have been a number of new structures and new additions to the
state fair, and next year, state fair attendees will notice some improvements to the the grandstand area.
Hoffman says the “Blue Ribbon Foundation” has allowed the state fair to make the necessary improvements, which in turn, has helped attract people.
Hoffman says the Iowa State Fair holds the largest art show in Iowa, the largest food judging show in the nation, and ranks as one of the nation’s largest livestock exhibition show.
School Board Director Elections Scheduled For September 12th
(Le Mars) — Election of school board directors for area community public schools is scheduled for Tuesday September 12th. Polls will be open from 12:00 noon until 8:00 p.m. In addition to voting for local school board directors, many
ballots will also feature the Western Iowa Tech Community College district director election. Voters must be 18 years of age, and be registered to vote to be eligible to vote at the polls, or the EDR – Election Day Registration process can be used at the polls to register prior to voting. Unofficial election
results will be made available on the Plymouth County website at
www.co.plymouth.ia.us after the polls close at 8:00 p.m. once they are tallied and canvassed by the precinct election officials.
Voting Locations:
Precinct #1 Akron-Westfield School District – Akron Library
Precinct #3 Le Mars Community School District for city of Struble, and Elgin, America, Marion, Fredonia Townships – Courthouse Annex
Precinct #4 Le Mars Community School District for Brunsville and Craig and Grant, Preston, Washington, Johnson Townships – Brunsville Legion Club.
Precinct #5 Remsen-Union School District – Remen Library.
Precinct #7 Le Mars Community School District for Merrill, and Liberty, Plymouth, Stanton, and Lincoln Townships – Kissinger Community Center in Merrill.
Precinct #9 Hinton Community School District – Hinton Community Center.
Precinct #10 Kingsley-Pierson School District – Kingsley Community Center in Kingsley.
Precinct #11 Le Mars Community School District for city of Le Mars – Le Mars Convention Center.
Iowa Department of Transportation Unveils Winning License Plate
AMES, Iowa (AP) – Officials have announced the winner of online balloting for new license plates that will grace Iowa vehicles in the years to come.
The Iowa Transportation Department said Monday that the design dubbed “City and County Reboot” received more than 113,000 votes. The design’s top blue border contains city and country images and the bottom green border is intended to evoke growth, nature and wellness.
Finishing second was an option called “Flying Our Colors,” which was based on the state flag. The rural theme of “The Great Wide Open” finished last.
Sharp social media criticism greeted the three options. Their designer said in response that she was artistically hamstrung by law enforcement considerations.
The state plans to begin issuing the new plates next year.
Students Need To Be Vaccinated Before Entering School
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Officials fear hundreds of Iowa students will be barred from classes on the first day of school because the students lack the newly required meningitis vaccination.
The Des Moines Register reports that districts have been notifying families for months, and some even set up vaccination clinics to meet rules passed by lawmakers in 2016.
Polk County health officials say nearly 1,000 students still lacked the vaccination as of Monday afternoon.
The rules say students entering seventh grade and born after Sept. 15, 2004, will need proof of one vaccination. Students entering 12th grade and born after Sept. 15, 1999, will need proof of two doses of the vaccine, or one dose if the
shot came after the student turned 16.
Exemptions can be made for medical or religious reasons.
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Sioux City Council Settles Lawsuit Over Sinkhole
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – The City Council has agreed to settle a lawsuit filed by a woman over sinkholes that formed on her Sioux City property.
The Sioux City council voted unanimously Monday for a
$195,000 settlement of Joyce Downing’s lawsuit. Downing sued the city in 2014, saying it had neglected to fix the sinkholes.
She says the first sewer-related sinkhole formed in 2010. Another formed in 2013 and a third in 2014. She says at least three more have formed since in alignment with the storm sewer. She moved out of her house in 2012, fearing her
home would fall victim to a sinkhole.
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Another Democrat Seeks To Run For Congress
WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) – Another Democrat has entered the race to oppose U.S. Rep. Steve King in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District. Paul Dahl, of Webster City, announced his candidacy Saturday and said his campaign platform focuses on seven areas: agriculture, campaign finance reform, education, environment, government spending, health care and Social Security. The 52-year-old Dahl drives a bus for the Mid-Iowa Development Association Council of Governments in Hamilton. He joins Spencer councilwoman Leann Jacobsen and former baseball player J.D. Scholten in seeking the Democratic
nomination. In 2013 Dahl unsuccessfully sought the Democratic gubernatorial nomination. The 4th District covers northwest and north-central Iowa.
