County Supervisors To Elect Officers
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will begin the new year with the election of officers for 2018. The county governing board will then assign committee memberships, and appoint the official county newspaper per Iowa code. The Board of Supervisors will then re-appoint all current members to the Compensation Commission and a city landowner to replace Monte Hartman. The supervisors will fill vacancies for various county boards. It is expected the
county supervisors will re-appoint Brenda Miller to the Veteran Affairs Board for a three-year term, and they will re-appoint Lorraine Sacino Murphy to the County Board of Health for a three-year term. In addition, Dick Sievers is expected to be appointed to replace Wanda Delperdang to the Board of Health.
Lisa Harris will be re-appointed to the the County Conservation Board for a five year term. Dan Albert will be re-appointed to the Board of Adjustment for a five year term, and Gene Collins will be re-appointed to the Civil Service Board for a six year term.
Also, during today’s county supervisor meeting, Amanda Harper from SIMPCO will appear before the county board to request funds on the Owner Occupied Repair and Rehab Program. Surveyor, Dave Wilberding will meet with the board of
supervisors to seek approval of the Keffeler Addition, a minor subdivision in Meadow Township. County Engineer Tom Rohe will appear before the county board to get a signature of final voucher for a construction project. The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will also meet with ISG Architects to review the
courthouse remodeling project.
City Council To Discuss New Fees
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars City Council will meet for the first time this year at the city council chambers, beginning at 12:00 noon. As for action items, the council will discuss the Historic Preservation Commission Ordinance. They will discuss the 2018 Central Avenue overlay project, and discuss and approve the
list of fees, licenses, and charges.
Sioux City School Teacher Accused Of Stealing $3,000
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A former Sioux City schoolteacher has been accused of stealing nearly $3,000 from accounts she set up for East High Special Olympics and the Friendship Connection.
The Sioux City Journal reports that 48-year-old Melissa Dickerson is charged with theft.
Court documents say Dickerson was an East High School special education teacher in 2013 when she opened the accounts in violation of Sioux City Community School District policies.
Court documents say that, earlier this month, a bank official told
district officials that one of the accounts was overdrawn because of a MidAmerican Energy bill in Dickerson’s name. The documents say Dickerson later acknowledged transactions from August 2016 through June that were made for her
own personal use.
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IDOT Reports Fewer Traffic Fatalities In 2017
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State statistics on traffic-related deaths suggest Iowa roads were safer last year than in 2016.
Iowa Department of Transportation figures show that 329 people died in traffic-related incidents in 2017, as of Dec. 29. The 2016 figure: 398.
The drop in traffic deaths follows a jump in 2016 from 315 fatalities in 2015.
Iowa State Patrol Sgt. Nathan Ludwig told The Des Moines Register that a new state law that cracked down on texting while driving may have helped avert deadly collisions in 2017.
Ludwig also said the lack of snowfall last year – except for heavy snow and winds Thursday and Friday – may have helped lower the fatality figure.
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Midwest Business Conditions Show Improvement
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – An economist says a business conditions index for nine Midwest and Plains states rose over the past month, pointing to continuing improvement in regional economic conditions.
A report released Tuesday says the Mid-America Business Conditions Index climbed to 59.0 from 57.2 in November. The October figure was 58.8.
Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says profit growth, low interest rates and the recently passed tax package pushed business confidence last month to its highest level since January 2011.
The survey results are compiled into a collection of indexes ranging from zero to 100. Survey organizers say any score above 50 suggests growth in that factor. A score below that suggests decline.
The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota.
Des Moines Shelter Allowing Homeless To Stay Longer Due To Cold Temperatures
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Des Moines shelter is bending some of its rules to ensure that homeless people have a place to stay during the dangerous chill that’s descended over much of the Midwest.
Central Iowa Shelters & Services is letting people stay longer as the temperature remains zero (minus 18 Celsius) or below. The shelter usually enforces a time limit on stays. The shelter also is converting its computer lab into living space.
Some of the homeless say they don’t want to use shelter facilities for fear of losing their belongings. Des Moines Mayor Frank Cownie says, “It’s their lives. It’s their possessions, and they don’t want to lose that.”
Joppa, a group that assists Des Moines’ homeless, is providing tents and heaters to people who lose possessions while in the shelter.
