Icy Roads To Blame For Early Morning Two-Vehicle Accident
(Le Mars) — Icy, slick road conditions are being blamed for a two-vehicle accident that happened this morning at about 7:45 a.m. on Highway 3 about halfway between Oyens and Le Mars. The accident happened just east of Nobel Avenue. Two people were transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare in Le Mars by
the Le Mars Ambulance for what was believed to be minor injuries. Plymouth County Sheriff’s deputies say preliminary investigation points to a patch of ice on the roadway which caused the one vehicle to lose control and hit the second vehicle. Sheriff’s deputies say road conditions are again deteriorating
rather rapidly with the morning snow flurries and freezing temperatures. One sheriff’s deputy indicated a stretch of Highway 3 nearly a mile long between Remsen and Le Mars was “nothing but ice covered.” Following the accident, the
Iowa Department of Transportation was seen scattering salt and sand on Highway 3 with particular focus to the area of the scene of the accident. Both the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department and the Oyens Fire Department responded to the scene to offer assistance. Also attending were the Le Mars Ambulance Service,
Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office, and the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Plymouth County Board Of Supervisors Approve County Budget
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved the county budget for the fiscal year 2018-2019. The county budget needs to be submitted and certified to state officials prior to the March 15th deadline.
Don Kass serves as the chairman of the county governing board. He says Plymouth County’s budget of slightly more than $22 million dollars represents nearly a five percent increase from last year’s budget.
Kass says the county supervisors believed an additional deputy on staff was needed for adequate patrol of Plymouth County. Plymouth County Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo had approached the supervisors in December when the budget was being formulated requesting an additional deputy.
Kass says since Plymouth County has witnessed some economic growth, tax levies were actually able to go down. He says Plymouth County has one of the lowest
tax levy rates within the state.
The county supervisor chairman wanted to emphasize the taxes collected from residents within one of the communities, does not necessarily go for road and highway maintenance.
The new fiscal year will begin on July 1st of 2018.
City Council Approves Airport Runway Extension
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars City Council approved a plan and set a hearing date that calls for the expansion of the airport’s runway. The project will involve the extension of the runway more than 450 feet, allowing the airport’s runway to be more than 5,000 feet in length. Airport manager, Earl Draayer says the
addition will allow larger jets to utilize the Le Mars airport.
Draayer says Le Mars has an envious position with its transportation system, having two major four-lane highways that serve the community, a rail service, along with an airport. However, Draayer says it is important the community
upgrade the airport to remain viable. He says often times companies perfer traveling by jet.
The Le Mars Airport manager says the extension of the longer runway will also help bring in more aircraft during the summer months.
Draayer says he has witnessed a change over the years with the type of aircraft that utilizes the Le Mars Municipal Airport.
The extension of the runway comes at a cost of approximately one million dollars, with the city of Le Mars picking up ten percent of the construction costs, on half of the project, while the city will stand the entire costs for the other half.
City Council Hears Annual Reports From Ambulance, Library, and Convention and Visitors Bureau
(Le Mars) — During its Tuesday meeting, the Le Mars City Council heard annual reports delivered by the Le Mars Ambulance Services, the Le Mars Public Library, and the Le Mars Convention and Visitors Bureau. Bill Rosacker, the Director of the Le Mars Ambulance Services informed the city council that the
ambulance service saw a five-point-four percent increase in the number of calls in 2017, totaling 1048 times the local ambulance responded to an emergency.
Rosacker says 67 percent of the patients were transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare, while 19 percent were taken to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City, and 12 percent were carried to Unity Health-St. Lukes Regional Health Center in Sioux City. The remainder of the calls, according to Rosacker, were transports
to area nursing facilities, other hospitals, and funeral homes.
Sioux County Authorities Arrest Orange City Woman For Assault
(Orange City) — The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office has arrested a 22 year old Orange City woman on charges of assault. On Sunday, the Sioux County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a disturbance that occurred at a Maurice
residence. 22-year old Ashley Opheim was taken into custody after investigation deputies discovered that Opheim assaulter another person inside the residence. The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Orange City Police Department and the Sioux Center Police Department.
