City To Close Central Avenue North Beginning Monday
(Le Mars) — Le Mars city officials have announced the Steve Harris Construction Company, the contractor hired to perform the overlay paving project on Central Avenue, is planning on closing phase 3 & 4 Monday morning May 14th. Those two phases start at Plymouth St. /Hwy 3 and go North
on Central Avenue all the way up to 3rd St. N.W./N.E. . The intersection of Central Ave. & 1st St. N.E./N.W. will be closed to thru traffic as will the intersection of Central Ave. and 2nd St. N.E./N.W. . The Intersection at 3rd St. N.E./N.W. will allow traffic to cross Central Ave. going East and West .
Please see attached file for picture of where Central Ave. will be closed.
Officials believe the street will be open to traffic within 20 days.
Tour of Homes Scheduled For Saturday
(Le Mars) — This Saturday, the Le Mars Historical Preservation Commission is teaming up with the Plymouth County Historical Museum to host the annual “Tour of Homes.” Iris Hemmingson serves on the Preservation Commission and says this year, there are four unique and distinctive homes to be offered on
the tour.
Hemmingson says those participating on the home tour may want to begin with the Dean and Kathy McCarty home. She says it is one of the newer homes that was constructed in 1950.
Hemmingson says the McCarty’s have retained the historical look to their home, even after renovation. The second home is that of Chris and Christy Collins.
The Le Mars Preservationist discusses some of the other features that highlight the Collins home.
Hemmingson says tourists will also notice inside the Collins home an array of colored glass artifacts.
Tourists will want to begin the tour at the Plymouth County Historical Museum. The tour will run from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Tickets are selling at $10.
During Friday’s news updates, Iris Hemmingson will talk about the other two homes featured on this year’s “Tour of Homes.”
Plymouth County Historical Museum To Hold Annual Meeting And Banquet
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Historical Museum will hold its annual meeting this evening at the old Central gymnasium. This marks the 35th year since the Plymouth County Historical Museum moved into the former school building, and tonight’s banquet will look back at that decision, and the work needed to occupy the school. Tonight’s banquet will begin at 6:00 p.m.
Reservations are needed by calling Judy Bowman at (712) 539-0223.
Floyd Valley Healthcare Auxiliary Presents Scholarships
(Le Mars) — Two $1,000.00 scholarships were awarded to area students by the Floyd Valley Auxiliary. The presentation by the Auxiliary Board was made at the National Hospital Week Chamber Coffee on May 9, 2018 in the Conference Center at Floyd Valley Healthcare. The 2018 Auxiliary scholarship winners are Courtney Brian and Cheridan Wenzel, both of Le Mars.
Courtney is currently a Certified Nursing Assistant at Park Place Estates Assisted Living. She plans to further her degree in nursing at Western Iowa Technical College in Sioux City, Iowa.
Cheridan is a senior at Akron Westfield. She will be pursuing a degree in Pharmacy at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota. Cheridan is the daughter of Erica and Allan Witt and Shane Wenzel.
The Auxiliary also donated $1,000 to the Floyd Valley Education Department to be used for hospital staff training, such as Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Neonatal Resuscitation Provider.
Floyd Valley Auxiliary awards scholarships each year to students in the Floyd Valley Healthcare service area who are pursuing a health related career.
photo contributed.
Reynolds Top Aide Leaves For Apple
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A top aide to Gov. Kim Reynolds has been hired by Apple months after promoting a $208 million incentive package for the company’s planned Iowa data center as a good deal for taxpayers.
Tim Albrecht departed as Reynolds’ deputy chief of staff, to become a manager of strategic initiatives for Apple in March.
The governor’s office says Albrecht’s position is “unrelated” to the $1.3 billion complex Apple is building outside Des Moines, a deal the administration negotiated and defended when Albrecht was Reynolds’ adviser.
Albrecht was involved in planning the Aug. 24 press conference near Des Moines, where Reynolds and Apple CEO Tim Cook announced the project.
Reynolds’ press secretary Brenna Smith said Albrecht is working in Apple’s education department. Albrecht and Apple declined comment.
State Worker Beaten By Resident Of Eldora Boy’s Training School
ELDORA, Iowa (AP) – A state official says another state worker has been severely beaten by a resident of the Eldora Boys State Training School.
The Des Moines Register reports that the unidentified staff member had numerous teeth smashed out and suffered broken bones in his face.
Department of Human Services Director Jerry Foxhoven told his
department’s advisory board at a Des Moines meeting Wednesday that the assault occurred Saturday. The school is for boys whom courts have found to be delinquent because they committed crimes. Officials say that about six weeks ago four residents beat up another staff member during an escape
attempt.
In November the group Disability Rights Iowa sued Foxhoven and other administrators, saying school residents were unjustly locked in isolation rooms, strapped down in restraints and denied mental health care.
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Immigration Officials Raid Mount Pleasant Concrete Facility
MT. PLEASANT, Iowa (AP) – Federal immigration officials have raided a precast concrete manufacturing plant in southeastern Iowa.
A U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokesman says officials took 32 people at Midwest Precast Concrete in Mount Pleasant into custody Wednesday on suspicion of immigration violations.
The agency says those detained came from Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and Mexico.
The federal Justice Department said in a news release that special agents and deportation officers with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security executed a search warrant, along with help from local law enforcement, in the raid.
Midwest Precast president Jeff Moehle did not return a phone message left Wednesday by The Associated Press seeking comment.
Finance Authority Suspends Credit Cards For Employees
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa agency that promotes affordable housing has suspended the use of credit cards that were issued to employees outside the state’s normal program.
The move by the Iowa Finance Authority comes as the agency faces multiple investigations into allegations of sexual harassment and questionable financial practices by its former director, Dave Jamison.
Documents released under the open records law show that 21 employees of the agency had been issued Visa credit cards through Wells Fargo to cover travel, meeting and other expenses.
The agency’s board last week authorized an outside firm to review its budgeting and financial practices, including credit card spending. The state auditor is also investigating.
Interim director Carolann Jensen said Wednesday that she doesn’t know why the cards were issued outside the state’s purchasing card program, which uses U.S. Bank.
