Home News Tuesday News, May 29th

Tuesday News, May 29th

School Board To Amend School Budget

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Board of Education will convene this evening at 7:00 p.m. at the Education Service Center. The school board will begin its meeting by holding a public hearing to amend the 2017-2018 school budget and consider adoption of the budget amendment following the hearing.
Representatives of the Le Mars Community High School Student Council are scheduled to appear before the school board to inform the board of their activities from the 2017-2018 school year. Rob Bixenman is scheduled to report to the school board regarding insurance renewal information for the
2018-2019 school year. The board of education will also discuss the employee recognition coffee scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. at the high school cafeteria. The coffee is to formally thank and recognize those faculty and staff members who will be leaving the district. The school board will begin the process of identifying legislative priorities for the 2018
legislative session. The school board will also discuss the lease agreement with the Northwest Area Education Agency, as well as, the lease agreement for Buena Vista University. The school board will also decide upon a five-year beverage contract with either Pepsi Cola of Siouxland, or with Chesterman’s
the distributor of Coca-Cola products.

 

 

Secondary Roads Department To Close Road For Bridge Repair

(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Secondary Roads Department has announced they will close 260th street between Key Avenue and Lake Avenue, beginning today.
The stretch of road will remain closed until June 14th. Work crews are replacing a wooden bridge with a pre-cast concrete box culvert.

 

 

County Supervisors To Have Week Off

(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will not hold a meeting this week.  They will convene again, next Tuesday.

 

 

Pet Oxygen Masks To Be Presented To Fire Departments 

(Le Mars) –– The Plymouth County Fire Department Association will be presented with pet oxygen masks during a presentation ceremony scheduled for this evening. Each of the county fire departments will receive at least one pet oxygen mask. 7th grader Brooklyn Bockelmann started a fundraising
campaign called “Operation O2 Fur Pets” to raise money to purchase pet oxygen masks for the local fire departments. Bockelmann began the campaign on April 17th and was quickly able to raise more than $1,000 for the pet masks.

 

 

Morningside College Students To Release Political Poll

(Sioux City) — Morningside College in Sioux City is preparing to release its first statewide political opinion poll this week. Valerie Hennings, the director of the Bud Day Center for Civic Engagement, says students help conduct the poll.
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[dd524mornpoll1] :16 :important issues”
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Hennings is also a political science professor and says the students followed the action in the legislature this year to see the types of issues being worked on.
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[dd524mornpoll2] :12 :policy areas”
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Hennings says they wanted to do something that went beyond the typical political poll.
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[dd524mornpoll3] :16 :the goal”
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The poll was conducted during the first two weeks of May and the results will be released Wednesday.

 

 

Deadly Holiday Weekend For Drownings

FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say they’ll resume a search Tuesday for a man missing since his kayak overturned on the Des Moines River in Fort Dodge.
Fort Dodge Fire Chief Steve Hergenreter says the man and his wife were kayaking below the hydroelectric dam when both kayaks flipped about 3:30 p.m. Monday. She swam to shore, but her husband was swept away by the river.
He was last seen about 100 yards (91 meters) from the dam.
Their names haven’t been released.
Hergenreter says volunteers won’t be needed for Tuesday’s search of the water and shoreline.

 

 

Omaha Boy Drowns At Lake Manawa

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a 15-year-old Nebraska boy has died in a western Iowa lake.
Council Bluffs Assistant Fire Chief Derrick Williams says witnesses saw the Omaha boy disappear beneath the water shortly before 1 p.m. Monday at Lake Manawa.
The boy had gone to Lake Manawa State Park in Council Bluffs with two siblings.
Williams says three lifeguards were staffing the lake and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources had a boat patrolling the lake at the time.
The body was found shortly after 3 p.m.
Williams says the boy was last seen on an inner tube near the ropes that mark the end of the swimming area. The boy’s body was found near the shore in the swimming area in water that was 3- to 4-feet deep.

 

 

Boy Drowns At Northeast Iowa Park

IONIA, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a 17-year-old has died while swimming in a northeast Iowa park.
The Chickesaw County sheriff’s office says Samuel Hake, of Nashua, died on Saturday at Chickesaw Park. Hake was an 11th grader at Nashua- Plainfield High School.
Authorities have given few details on how Hake died, and are still
investigating his death.
School officials say they plan to provide counseling services for
students.

 

 

Two People Died During Motorcycle-Car Accident

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – Two people have died in an eastern Iowa crash involving a car and a motorcycle.
Authorities say officers responded to the crash in Waterloo around 5:40 p.m. Saturday. The driver of the motorcycle and a passenger in the car died at the scene.
The car’s driver was taken to the hospital with serious injuries.
Authorities have not released the names of those who were involved in the crash. The crash is still under investigation.

 

 

Evidence Shows Wrong Man May Have Been Imprisoned

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A witness has come forward with new sworn testimony that suggests the wrong man may have been in prison for 31 years in the slaying of a western Iowa girl.
The testimony comes in the case of Daniel Harris, who maintains his innocence in the 1986 stabbing and beating death of 16-year-old Kristina Nelson in Council Bluffs. Harris’ lawyers say they are convinced he’s the victim of a miscarriage of justice and are seeking new proceedings they say will prove he was framed.
The new testimony comes from Ricky Lee Smith, who was at an underage drinking party with Nelson’s boyfriend the night of the homicide. He says in an affidavit that Nelson’s boyfriend and his friend left the party to pick Nelson up and returned “covered in blood” hours later.

 

 

State Representative Retires To Become Pilot

MARION, Iowa (AP) – A Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives has resigned to take a flying job.
Rep. Ken Rizer, of Marion, will be piloting jet aircraft out of Des
Moines for a private air travel company. He’s a retired Air Force officer.
Rizer was first elected in 2014 and re-elected in 2016. He’s not seeking re-election this year.
A special election won’t be required to replace Rizer in the 68th House District, because the Legislature has ended its annual session. Two Democrats are seeking the seat in the June 5 primary, Molly Donahue and Scott Foens.
Randy Ray is the sole Republican running.