Chamber of Commerce To Host Mystery Dinner Theater Tonight
(Le Mars) — Come one…come all…to the greatest show on earth. Its the Four Brothers Big Top Circus. The Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce is holding its annual fundraiser Mystery Dinner Theater scheduled for tonight, and the Le Mars Convention Center has been converted to be the big top tent
with a circus as the theme. Chuckles the clown has been murdered, but which of the circus characters is responsible? Is it the lion tamer, the jugglers, the bearded lady, the fortune teller, or even the man shot out of a cannon?
Perhaps it is the ring master emcee? 18 community business people are cast in the circus-themed play. Mary Reynolds with the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Main Street organization explains the thrills and chills
associated with this year’s mystery dinner theater.
Reynolds says the cast of the play features many well-known local business people.
The Le Mars Chamber official says many local people and businesses will be targeted as the punch-line for jokes scattered through out the mystery theater play. Reynolds says the food and the snacks for this evening’s event all relate to the circus.
Reynolds says social hour for tonight’s event will begin at 6:00 p.m.
Tonight’s event at the Le Mars Convention Center is sold out.
Knights of Columbus Raises More Than $54,000 During Phone-a-thon
(Le Mars) — With donations still coming in, the Knights of Columbus annual phone-a-thon looks as though they were able to meet their financial fund raising goal. Justin Freking served as the chairman for this year’s phone- a-thon event, and reports to KLEM’s Dave Ruden about this year’s progress.
The money raised will go to help Life Skills Training Center, with ten percent slated to go the Iowa Special Olympics organization. Donations are still being accepted at local banks.
Toro To Expand Its Ankeny Facility
ANKENY, Iowa (AP) – An outdoor equipment maker plans to start work this fall on expanding its distribution center in a Des Moines suburb.
The Des Moines Register reports that the Toro Co. says the $11
million expansion at its Ankeny distribution center will let it increase the amount of equipment the facility can handle.
The Ankeny City Council on Tuesday agreed to provide Toro with more than $1 million in financial assistance. The project will create at least three new jobs at the facility.
Toro expects to complete construction next year.
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Family Dairy Farm Under Scrutiny After Tibbetts Murder
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Mexican man charged with killing an Iowa college student was known for years on the dairy farm where he worked by another name: John Budd.
Yarrabee Farms is facing scrutiny over whether its managers had any idea that Cristhian Bahena Rivera was in the country illegally before the slaying of Mollie Tibbetts.
The name under which Rivera worked for the last four years was
confirmed by three people with knowledge of his employment history who spoke on condition of remaining anonymous.
The company declined to confirm or deny the alias. An immigration lawyer advising the farms says companies cannot discriminate against workers based on how their names sound.
Farm officials say Rivera presented an out-of-state photo
identification and a Social Security number when he was hired in 2014.
Des Moines Man Suing City For Violation Of First Amendment Rights
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Three Des Moines police officers and the city have been sued in federal court for violating the constitutional rights of a man who says he was filming from the sidewalk cars parked illegally at the police station.
The lawsuit was filed Wednesday by Daniel Robbins, who is identified as a Des Moines independent photojournalist.
He claims three officers violated his First Amendment right to be
free from retaliation and false arrest. He accuses the city of failing to properly train officers.
Robbins says the officers accused him of suspicious behavior, patted him down and took his cell phone and camera to search them. He was not charged and was eventually let go.
Robbins’ attorney Gary Dickey says citizens have a constitutional
right to film the police from public sidewalks as long as they don’t interfere with official acts.
A police department spokesman says officers investigated when a civilian female city employee reported Robbins as suspicious when it appeared he was videotaping her getting into her car.
