Ice Cream Days Parade May Be Moved Due To Construction On Central Avenue
(Le Mars) — Plans for an overlay paving project scheduled for Central Avenue may interrupt the annual Ice Cream Days. During the recent city council meeting, a public hearing was held regarding the overlay paving project. The council approved the project which will accept bids on March 20th and the contract to be awarded on April 3rd. Pat Bickitt with Schlofeldt Engineering
informed the city council the Iowa Department of Transportation has set the project’s last start date to be May 1st.
Assistant city administrator Jason Vacera was asking if the Central Avenue overlay paving project would be completed in time for Ice Cream Days, and in particular, for the Saturday parade.
Councilman Clark Goodchild posed the question if it would be best to propose a new parade route for this year’s Ice Cream Days?
Le Mars Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Neil Adler told the city council members to allow the Ice Cream Days committee study the plans, and let them come up with a suitable alternative route.
Le Mars annual Ice Cream Days are scheduled for June 13th through June 16th.
City To Close 1st St. S.E. On Sunday
(Le Mars) — City officials have announced Well’s North Ice Cream plant will be shutting down 1st St. S.E. between 1st Ave. S.E. and 2nd Ave. S.E. starting on Jan. 21st around 6:00 p.m. and will reopen it on Monday Jan. 22nd around 6:00
p.m. weather permitting.
City Water Department Issues Annual Report
(Le Mars) — Many of the Le Mars city departments are reporting their annual and quarterly reports. The city water department submitted its annual report to the city council during Tuesday’s meeting. In the report, Rich Sudtelgte says the city pumped a total of 1.035 billion with a (b) gallons of water during 2017.
The daily average was at 2,727,917 gallons, which is up 20,084 gallons from the 2016 average. Perhaps, not all that surprising the month of July had the highest amount of water usage at 127,634,000. Sudtelgte says the percentage of non-accountable water usage was at 2.8 percent.
Le Mars Woman Given Probation For Check Forgery
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Le Mars woman accused of passing counterfeit cash at a Sioux City casino has been given two years of probation.
Court records say 28-year-old Jackelen Hartsock, of Le Mars, pleaded guilty Tuesday to forgery after prosecutors dropped a theft charge as part of a plea agreement. She also was given a five-year suspended prison term.
Police say Hartsock, 29-year-old Brittany Derby and 27-year-old Kurt Jones made several cash transactions Aug. 5 at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Police say the bills were later found to be counterfeit. The records say Jones has pleaded not guilty to forgery and is scheduled to begin trial Tuesday. A Feb. 28 hearing is scheduled regarding a plea deal pending for the 29-year-old Derby.
Rock Valley Man Arrested For Sexual Contact With Minor
(Orange City) — Sioux County authorities have arrested a Rock Valley man for unwanted and inappropriate sexual contact with a minor. The arrest of 71 year old Lloyd Schlumbohm happened on Wednesday morning. The arrest stemmed from an investigation into a report of inappropriate sexual contact between Schlumbohm and a minor victim that occurred at a residence east of Rock Valley several times over the past 11 years. Schlumbohm was charged with three counts of sexual assault and one count of indecent exposure.
Former Sibley Football Coach Convicted On Sex Crime In Nebraska
SIBLEY, Iowa (AP) – A 39-year-old former football coach and teacher accused of sexually assaulting a child in northwest Iowa has been convicted of a similar crime in Nebraska.
Court records say Kyle Ewinger was found guilty Tuesday of sexual assault in Omaha. Prosecutors say that in 2012 and 2013, he assaulted the 9-year-old son of a woman he was dating. Ewinger’s sentencing is scheduled for March 28.
Iowa records say the Sibley-Ocheyedan coach was fired after the district superintendent found Ewinger sleeping in his classroom next to a 10-year-old in October 2015.
Ewinger has pleaded not guilty to sexual assault. His trial in Osceola County is set to begin April 10.
Northwestern College to Host Annual Alumni Scholarship Auction
(ORANGE CITY) -—The Northwestern College Alumni Association will host its 35th annual Scholarship Auction on Saturday, Feb. 10.
The silent auction, which includes a “buy it now” option, will begin at 9 a.m. in the gym of the Rowenhorst Student Center, with the audible auction following at 11 a.m.
Orange City’s American Legion chapter will serve a breakfast of Chris Cakes pancakes and scrambled eggs from 7:30 to 11 a.m., also in the Rowenhorst Student Center gym. Breakfast tickets, which can be purchased at the event, are $7.50
for adults, and children ages 5 and under eat free.
Some of the items up for bid include a Fire HD 10-inch tablet; tickets to see “Les Miserables” in Des Moines; a PGA guest experience with Jordan Spieth’s caddie, 2000 Northwestern College graduate Michael Greller; a Northwestern athletics T-shirt quilt; a week at Legacy Golf Resort in Phoenix; Southwest
Airlines tickets; a DeWalt drill kit; and a Red Raider football game-day experience. Several pieces of jewelry, gift cards, small appliances and fitness memberships are also available.
Proceeds from the auction support student scholarships at Northwestern. More than 400 people attended last year’s auction, raising $35,000 to benefit 138 Northwestern students this school year.
Iowa Communications Network Executive Is Fired
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The executive director of Iowa’s state-run broadband network and two subordinates have been fired after state auditors discovered a range of misspending and cronyism during his tenure.
A report by State Auditor Mary Mosiman released Thursday says that Iowa Communications Network executive director Ric Lumbard improperly awarded jobs and contracts to individuals associated with a nonprofit Christian ministry he also leads.
The report says that Lumbard and two associates he hired, Jessica Jensen and T.J. Boulet, were fired earlier this month ahead of the audit’s release. A criminal investigation is ongoing.
Mosiman’s report says Lumbard repeatedly circumvented rules requiring competitive bidding on government contracts, created unnecessary jobs, hired unqualified individuals and awarded Jensen excessive pay increases. A company associated with Lumbard sold more than $2,000 in state-owned equipment on eBay.
Facebook To Introduce Program To Assist Small Businesses
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Facebook is rolling out a 30-city program it promised last year to help small businesses grow and workers gain the digital computer skills needed to find a job.
The company is announcing the first five cities to get a visit from a crew of professionals as part of its Facebook Community Boost program.
Each team will train job seekers on digital and social media skills.
Business owners will be offered ways to expand their digital footprint and find new customers. People learning to get online can receive training on digital literacy and online safety.
The Des Moines event is set for June 4-8. Other cities scheduled for March, April and May are St. Louis; Houston; Albuquerque, New Mexico; and Greenville, South Carolina.
