Up-start Businesses Compete For Grant Money
(Le Mars) — Five upstart businesses made presentations Wednesday evening as part of the week-long Entrepalooza, sponsored in part by the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce and the Iowa West Coast Initiative. Last evening’s event entitled:
“Ice Cream Cocktails and Business Tales” was held at P’s Pizza House of Le Mars.
Most of the presenters had one thing in common, they are conducting business on-line through the internet, and don’t have an actual brick and mortar store.
Lloyd Lee is one of the business entrepreneurs and he talks about his idea of offering advertising opportunities on-line.
Lee says his business will target specific messages to specific audiences, and link them to specific stores of the customer’s choosing.
Besides Sioux City, Lee says he has now expanded his business to other Iowa communities, including Iowa City.
Taylor Grody is another forward-thinking individual that has created “Honeywave Media” focusing on on-line advertising.
Rachael Chapple hopes to be able to help homeowners with their interior decorating ideas using on-line business.
Chapple believes the turn-around time between seeing the options on-line and the completion of installation would be approximately two weeks.
Brittany and Bryce Book have started a company called “Humble Landings”
Bryce serves as the financial officer for the up-start stationary business. He says the company doesn’t need to rely on large volumes to make a profit. Rather they are able to rely on repeat customers.
Each of the presenters will compete in a contest this evening, to be held at Briar Cliff College as they share their business idea in front of a panel of judges in hopes of winning $5,000 in grant funds.
Entrepreneur Business Contestants from left to right are: Brittany Book, Lloyd Lee, Bryce Book, Rachael Chapple, and Taylor Grody.
Lansink Named As Diocese Superintendent
(Sioux City) — The Diocese of Sioux City announced today that Patty Lansink has been chosen for the position of superintendent of Catholic Schools. Lansink has served as interim superintendent since July when Dr. Dan Ryan took the job of
president at Dowling Catholic High School in West Des Moines, IA.
Lansink has been principal at St. Rose of Lima Catholic School in Denison, IA since 2011, and has also served as assistant superintendent of the Diocese of Sioux City since 2015. Lansink will search for a new principal to replace her at St. Rose of Lima school in the near future.
Lansink has over 20 years of experience in education with a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology from Iowa State University and completed her teaching endorsement in science education. She earned a Masters of Science in Education from Buena Vista University and went on to complete her administrative
endorsement through the Iowa Principal Leadership Academy. Lansink completed her Education Specialist degree at Wayne State College in December 2016.
The Diocese of Sioux City has 16 school systems located in Algona, Alton, Boone, Carroll, Danbury, Denison, Emmetsburg, Fort Dodge, Humboldt, Le Mars, Pocahontas, Remsen, Sheldon, Spencer, Sioux City and Storm Lake. More than 6000+
students receive a faith-based education each year.
No Classes For Le Mars Community On Tuesday
(Le Mars) — Le Mars Community School officials have announced since the Lady Bulldogs have qualified for the State Basketball Tournament in Des Moines on Tuesday, February 27th, there will be no school scheduled for Tuesday. In
addition, there will be no Middle School wrestling meet on Tuesday. The Le Mars Community High School choir and Middle School-High School Orchestra will both perform on Monday, February 26th at 7:00 p.m. Should the Boys Basketball team
win its game on Friday evening and qualify for the Sub-State on Monday evening at the Tyson Events Center, then the concert arrangements will be changed and communicated.
Le Mars Community Has Four Qualify For All Iowa Honor Dance Team
(Le Mars) — We informed you about two Gehlen Catholic girls that have qualified for the All Iowa Honor Dance Team. We now want to mention that four girls from Le Mars Community have also qualified to participate on the All Iowa Honor Dance
Team. The girls include seniors: Jayden Wiltgen, Katelyn Lewis, and Samii Murra and Junior, Haley Majeres. This is the second year for Wiltgen, Lewis and Majeres to qualify for the honor dance team, and it marks the first appearance for Murra. They will be dancing at the half time of the 3A Girls Basketball
Championship game on Saturday March 1. Over 600 dance team members auditioned for the 224 spots in this year’s performance.
Plans Call For New Animal Diagnostics Laboratory
(Le Mars) — Livestock producer organizations and veterinarians across the state are wanting the Board of Regents and the state legislature to allocate funds for a new Animal Diagnostics Lab to be located in Ames near the present-day Iowa State University College of Veterinarian Medicine. Dr. Chris Rademacher is the
state’s extension swine veterinarian. He says the current laboratory built in the mid-1970’s is outdated, and is no longer able to keep up with the submitted number of cases each year.
Rademacher says a new diagnostics laboratory is needed before the next big wave of an animal or poultry disease strikes the state.
The I-S-U swine veterinarian spoke at Le Mars during a regional pork conference.
He is crossing the state within the next few days encouraging livestock producers to notify their state lawmaker, and support the project. Rademacher says the estimated construction costs for a new diagnostics lab could go beyond $100 million.
Rademacher says Governor Reynolds is supportive of the idea. He says the case load of more than 80,000 has doubled within the last six years. The swine veterinarian says because of economic considerations for the state and the livestock industry, its important the people support the proposal.
Rademacher says officials hope to raise an initial $5 million dollars this year to begin the planning process.
Doctor Fined And Placed On Probation For Sexual Harassment Charges
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa doctor has been ordered to pay a $5,000 penalty and has been placed on three years’ probation in an agreement with the Iowa Board of Medicine to settle sexual misconduct charges filed against him.
Jeffrey Zoelle entered the agreement Feb. 15. The board ordered Zoelle to complete a board-approved sexual misconduct/sexual harassment evaluation, among other things.
The board has said Zoelle, who had practiced at clinics in Sioux City and Sergeant Bluff, made inappropriate sexual comments to a patient in 2015, and that from 2011 to January 2016, he rubbed female co-workers on the neck, shoulders and back, sent them inappropriate Facebook and text messages and tried to kiss one.
Zoelle is no longer employed at the clinics. A home phone number for him could not be found Thursday.
—
Legislators Try To Work On Medicaid Bill
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa lawmakers have faced pressure to improve the state’s privatized Medicaid program amid reports of problems, but that hasn’t translated into a lot of related legislation so far this session.
Just a handful of bills that would make selective changes to the health care program for the poor and disabled advanced beyond a legislative deadline last week. The proposals don’t address key issues surrounding reports of reduced services and delayed reimbursements to health care providers. It’s also unclear
if the bills have enough support in the GOP-controlled Legislature.
Separately, a state agency that oversees the private insurance companies that run Medicaid has offered few details about how it’s addressing problems.
The agency has highlighted upcoming private meetings that will include health care providers and the insurance companies.
Senate Ways and Means Committee Passes Tax Bill
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Republican-led Iowa Senate panel has given preliminary approval to a bill that would make sweeping changes to the state’s tax system.
Republicans in a five-member Senate subcommittee agreed Thursday morning to sign off on the legislation, which GOP lawmakers say would cut more than $1 billion annually in taxes. A tax writing committee is expected to approve the
bill in the afternoon, a little over 24 hours after it was first made public.
A key Senate Republican says the bill could have a full vote in the chamber next week.
The legislation would reduce corporate and individual income taxes and phase out some tax credits. There are multiple other provisions in the roughly 130-page bill.
GOP Gov. Kim Reynolds has introduced her own tax plan that she says would cut $1.7 billion in taxes over several years. Her plan doesn’t cut corporate tax rates.
