Supervisors To Discuss RAGBRAI and Right-Of-Way Projects
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors have a short agenda for their meeting scheduled for today at the county courthouse boardroom. The county supervisors will discuss a letter of support from the Le Mars City Council to the RAGBRAI committee, encouraging the annual bicycle ride across Iowa to consider having the route start at Le Mars and include Plymouth
County as part of the journey. The supervisors will also hear a report from County Engineer Tom Rohe discuss two proposed Right-of-Way projects. Rohe is also scheduled to offer an update on the current road construction projects within Plymouth County.
Arnold Joins Le Mars Community School Board
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Board of Education appointed a new director to fill the vacancy of retiring board member Chris Collins. Jane Arnold will now assume the role of school board director. Arnold has been the Vice President of Operations and Homecare at Unity Point Health of St.
Luke’s since 2015. She offers her reasons for wanting to serve on the Le Mars Community Board of Education.
School Board Secretary Lisa Boehm (left) administers the oath of office to Jane Arnold as a new director to the Le Mars Community Board of Education.
Arnold is a neighbor to Chris Collins, and says she would often visit with Collins about the duties of a school board member.
Arnold believes a strong school district is the basis of a stong community.
The Le Mars Community Board of Education had thirty days from when Collins submitted his resignation to fill the vacancy and appoint a new board member.
Western Iowa Tactical Shooters Association Donate To Police Department
(Le Mars) — Last week the Le Mars Eagles organization made a contribution to the Le Mars Police Department to acquire a new police dog through the K9 program. While submitting the donation of $250, the Eagles challenged all other civic organizations to match their contribution for the Le Mars Police
Department. This week, the Western Iowa Tactical Shooters Association accepted the challenge, and offered a donation to the Le Mars Police Department. Vice President of the Tactical Shooters Association, Chris Langel talks about the donation, and why the organization wanted to assist the Le Mars Police Department.
Members of the Western Iowa Tactical Shooters Association presented a check amounting $300 to the Le Mars Police Department. From left to right: Chris Langel, Kyle Ward, Le Mars Police Officer Jon Kaskie, Karl Stodden, and Dale Gearke.
The presentation of the check was made at the city’s shooting target range located north of the Riverview ball parks. Langel mentions the shooting target range serves as a common denominator for the organization and the city’s police department.
Langel says it didn’t take much convincing of his fellow members to consider donating funds for the Le Mars Police Department.
Langel is hopeful that other community civic organizations from Le Mars will also accept the challenge, and donate funds to the Le Mars Police Department for a new K9 police dog.
Farm Progress Show To Begin Today
(Boone) — Farmers will converge to central Iowa this week for what is termed as a “farmers shopping center.” The Farm Progress Show begins on Tuesday and continues through Thursday. The outdoor farm exhibition features the major
equipment manufacturing companies, seed companies, grain storage and handling companies, and crop protection products. Matt Jungmann is the show manager for the Farm Progress Show. He says there is a lot to see at this year’s show.
Despite the current low farm economy, Jungmann says farmers will still turn out for the show, and equipment dealers remain optimistic.
This year’s Farm Progress Show features nearly 600 exhibitors, with the tent city covering 85 acres, 150 acres for parking, and 365 acres devoted to the field demonstrations. Jungmann says the crops for this year’s field demonstrations are ready to be harvested.
The gates for the Farm Progress Show open at 8:00 a.m. each day with the show closing at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.
The Farm Progress Show is at its permanent Iowa site east of Boone at the junction of Highways 30 and 17. Next year, it will return to Illinois.
Northwest Iowa Corn Silage Clinic Scheduled For Today
(Sutherland) — Northwest Iowa feedlot and dairy producers depend on quality corn silage to build profitable rations. Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are hosting a Corn Silage Clinic scheduled for today at the Northwest Iowa Research Farm located near Sutherland. Today’s corn silage clinic will focus on agronomic practices that impact corn silage digestion.
Silage and kernel processing equipment, silage inoculants and additives, evaluating corn silage and earlage. The corn silage clinic will also look at quality corn silage, and pricing corn silage. Farmers will have the opportunity to walk-through the corn silage variety plots, and visit with seed company representatives. The silage clinic is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m.
Senator Ernst Announces She and Her Husband Are Divorcing
(Washington) — A spokesperson for Senator Joni Ernst announced Monday night that the senator and her husband “are in the process of divorcing.”
Joni and Gail Ernst were married in 1992. A spokesperson for the senator says the couple remains “committed to their children and family and ask for respect for their privacy during this difficult time.” Joni and Gail Ernst have one adult daughter who is attending West Point, the United States Military Academy. Gail Ernst, a Sioux City native and former Army Ranger, has two adult daughters from a previous marriage.
Ankeny Mother To Get Probation Following Death Of Daughter
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Ankeny mother whose baby died after becoming wedged between a mattress and a wall has been given two years of probation.
Court records say 33-year-old Michelle Atwell was fined $1,000 at her sentencing Monday in Des Moines and given a deferred judgment. A deferred judgment allows her conviction to be removed from court records if she completes her probation terms. Atwell had pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance for sale.
Police were called to the Ankeny home of Atwell and Matthew Cohara on Aug. 26, 2017, after the 7-month-old was found not breathing. Police say the baby became wedged and suffocated after Atwell left her on the bed for hours after feeding her. An autopsy found a cocaine byproduct in the baby’s system.
Cohara was given a similar sentence.
Civil Rights Groups Wants Iowa To Ban Racial Profiling
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Civil rights organizations in Iowa are appealing to the Iowa Legislature and Gov. Kim Reynolds to ban racial profiling after two young black men filed a lawsuit against Des Moines police for a traffic stop they say was unconstitutional.
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People says 30 states have laws prohibiting racial profiling, but Iowa doesn’t.
The group and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa say they plan to push next year a bill introduced this year in the Iowa Senate that would prohibit racial profiling. They’ve asked Gov. Kim Reynolds to create a racial profiling study committee, something a spokeswoman for Reynolds says is under consideration.
The police video of the July traffic stop of 23-year-old Montray
Little and 21- year-old Jared Clinton has been viewed millions of times online. It shows Little being handcuffed and his car searched for no apparent reason.
Their lawsuit alleges numerous civil rights violations.
Transamerica Agrees To Settlement With Investors
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Transamerica and several related entities have agreed to repay $97.6 million to investors who were misled as part of a settlement with regulators.
The Securities and Exchange Commission says investors were misled about the quantitative models that were used to manage their investments.
Transamerica didn’t admit any wrongdoing as part of the settlement.
The SEC said the investment models used contained numerous errors and didn’t function as promised. Investors had been promised proven models developed by Aegon USA Investment Management.
Investigators say Transamerica and Aegon stopped using the faulty models after the errors were found without telling investors.The settlement money will be paid to affected investors.
