Today Is Election Day For State Senate District 3 Seat
(Le Mars) — Today is election day for the State Senate District 3 seat between Democrat Todd Wendt of Le Mars, and Republican Jim Carlin of Sioux City. Polls will open at 7:00 a.m this morning, and they will remain open until 9:00 p.m.
this evening. Wendt is the former school superintendent for the Le Mars Community School District. Carlin is an attorney, and currently serves as an Iowa House member. The special election was established after State Senator Bill Anderson had resigned from his post to take on the job of Economic Development Director for Cherokee. State Senate District 3 involves most of
Plymouth County, and the northern section of Woodbury County, including portions of the Morningside neighborhood of Sioux City. The townships of Meadow, Remsen, Henry and Garfield are not a part of State Senate District 3. However, the towns of Remsen and Kingsley are part of the State Senate District 3, as are also,
Akron, Westfield, Struble, Seney, Brunsville, Merrill, Hinton, and Le Mars.
Polling locations for Plymouth County include: the Akron Public Library, Brunsville Legion Hall, Plymouth County Courthouse Annex basement, Hinton Community Center, Perry Township Hall, Kissenger Center at Merrill, Kingsley Community Center, Remsen Public Library, and the Lower Level of the Le Mars
Convention Center.
County Supervisors Will Not Hold Meeting Today
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will not hold a meeting today. However, the supervisors will gather on Thursday, December 14th at 2:30 p.m. to canvass the special election results of the State Senate District 3.
Primebank Helps With D.A.R.E. Program
(Le Mars) — Primebank has contributed funds to the Le Mars Police Department to be used to help cover the cost of training Le Mars Police Department new D.A.R.E. officers. Le Mars Police Officers John Vickery and Senior Officer Justin Daale will attend training in Plainfield, Illinois in early 2018. Jordan
Sitzmann of Primebank presented a check to Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte, and Officer Jay King and Officer John Vickery.
Rhonda Justice Honored As School District “Employee Of the Month”
(Le Mars) — A long-time Middle School science teacher, who initially had retired, but has since returned to the classroom to offer assistance as a valuable substitute, was honored Monday afternoon as the Le Mars Community School District’s “Employee of the Month.” Rhonda Justice retired from teaching after serving 30 years in the school education system, but has helped the school district as a substitute for the last seven years. Three faculty members had nominated Rhonda Justice for the “Employee of the Month” honors. Tami Dunn, 9th grade Science, Gabe Davis 6th grade science, and Ryan Zittritsch with 7th grade
Science says in their nomination of Rhonda Justice say she has been teaching 8th grade science since the first week of the 2017-2018 school year. In her role as a “substitute” teacher, Mrs. Justice went above and beyond the expectations in
order to help the students in her classes get the proper instruction and guidance needed. Mrs. Justice spent many hours of her own time during the evenings and on weekends to assure the 8th grade students at Le Mars Community Middle School were getting the content needed in order to progress properly.
Mrs. Justice has been a strong force in the 8th grade hallway, stepping up to the call when she was needed. She can be seen before and after school working with students to stay caught up when they miss a lesson. She also has made sure that students are being held accountable when they don’t complete work, or when work needs to be corrected, or re-done. Mrs. Justice cares about each of the students that are in her classes, and pushes them to strive for more. Mrs. Justice has well exceeded expectations of being a substitute teacher and shown
great leadership as an instructor, colleague, and mentor to the other teachers in the building. Our congratulations go to Rhonda Justice for being named the December School District Employee of the Month.
School Board Approves Plan To Proceed To Renovate Stadium, Track, and Turf
(Le Mars) — At last evening’s Le Mars Community Board of Education meeting, the school board voted to approve plans to start the process for a new renovated stadium, track and field, and football turf. Le Mars Community School District
Foundation member, Denny Bixenman appeared before the school board to offer an update on the project, since he last spoke with the school board last May when the project was initially proposed. Bixenman says the Design Committee has
reviewed several proposals and shared some ideas with the architect firm, Cannon, Moss and Brygger and Associates. Bixenman says the projected cost has come down slightly since initial construction estimates. The new estimate for
the project is listed at $4.85 million dollars, but that figure is before any contractors have placed bids on the project and conducted a cost analysis. Bixenman says a $2 million dollar donation for the project has been secured from an anonymous donor. The school foundation hopes ground can be broken in the spring of 2018, with the project completed by the start of the school year in 2020.
School board director, Patrick Murphy made the motion for the construction project, and he informed his fellow board members that “Quality public education attracts economic development,” and he also indicated that “quality facilities also attract people to your schools.” The school board approved the plan on a
7-0 vote.
Trombino Withdraws Name From Consideration For Trump Administration
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – President Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Highway Administration has withdrawn from consideration for the post, a surprising development given his widespread support and qualifications.
A U.S. Department of Transportation spokesperson said Monday that Paul Trombino III was stepping away from the federal appointment for family reasons.
Trombino told colleagues in an email Friday that he had decided to stay in Iowa to take care of his ailing father, whose condition has recently deteriorated.
Trump announced Trombino’s nomination in September, and he received bipartisan support. The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee endorsed Trombino in October, with members calling the 51-year-old a talented administrator who would help rebuild the nation’s highways. He had been awaiting
a vote from the full chamber to lead the agency.
State Falls Short Again On Revenue Expectations
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A key state official says mid-year reductions are possible next session because Iowa’s revenue growth for the current budget year remains below initial projections. Department of Management Director David Roederer said Monday the state’s roughly $7.2 billion budget could be reduced between about $45 million and $90 million when lawmakers return in 2018. Roederer’s comments came after a three-person panel known as the Revenue Estimating Conference presented its latest budget forecast. The panelists
indicated Iowa’s economy continues to grow but at a slower rate. Roederer says Gov. Kim Reynolds will have different options in
addressing the expected shortfall, including cuts to department budgets.
Previous sluggish growth led lawmakers to reduce agency budgets and borrow from
reserves. Reynolds is expected to present budget recommendations in January.
