Home News Tuesday News, October 9th

Tuesday News, October 9th

Firefighters Respond To McCormack Distributing For Alarm

(Le Mars) — Le Mars firefighters were at McCormack Distributing Company early this (Tuesday) morning for a fire alarm that sounded just before 6:00 a.m. When firefighters entered the building, apparently, light smoke was detected. Firefighters were able to determine a motor on a machine was the cause for producing light smoke and triggering the alarm.

 

 

Forklift Accident Happens At Nor-Am

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Police Department and the Le Mars Ambulance Services responded to an industrial accident Monday afternoon at the Nor-Am cold storage facility located on the west side of town. Apparently, a worker had been run over by a forklift machine. Authorities have yet to release the name of the victim, or the extent of the injuries. The accident happened at about 2:40 p.m.

 

 

Le Mars Community Board of Education Approves Purchase Of Two New School Buses

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Board of Education approved the purchase of two new school buses during last evening’s school board meeting. The first bus is a 60 passenger, Blue Bird bus and will be delivered by School Bus Sales of Waterloo, Iowa at a cost of $80,464. The bus will operate on gasoline, which will be the first for the Le Mars Community. Previously, all the school buses in the Le Mars Community School District fleet operated on diesel fuel. The second bus is a Thomas 78 passenger bus from the Thomas Bus Sales of Des Moines. The price tag for the second bus is $97,412. It, too, will be a gasoline-powered bus. Both buses will come equipped with both interior and exterior cameras, and with storage capacity beneath the bus. During last evening’s school board meeting, the board approved four resignations. The school board also approved the annual report from the 2017-2018 school year. The annual report will be distributed to the public within the next few weeks.

 

 

Optimist Club Hosts Drug Awareness Assembly For Elementary Students

(Le Mars) — Elementary students from 4th, 5th, and 6th grades from Le Mars Community and Gehlen Catholic attended an assembly program, Monday afternoon, hosted by the Le Mars Optimist Club. The students witnessed an emotional, and powerful message delivered as a skit portrayed by members of the Le Mars Community High School Drama Club as to what consequences can occur when people take drugs. In this instance, the high school students were having a party without adult supervision, when one student tells the others that he decided to partake of some pain reliever pills that originally were prescribed to his mother. The teenage boy overdoses on the prescribed medication and is transported to the hospital where he is in a coma, and then dies as a result of swallowing the medication that wasn’t prescribed to him. Le Mars Assistant Police Chief Jay King participated in the skit, as well as served as this year’s speaker. King was asked if he thought the young students understood the message that was being conveyed.

One prop that was used to help better emphasize the point of the skit was a real coffin, indicating the high school student has died as a result of taking the pills. King says students learn best when you can demonstrate it to them.

The former D.A.R.E. officer says he wants the students to know that medication is drugs, and it can have deadly consequences if people use and abuse medication that wasn’t prescribed to them. Each of the students were wearing this year’s t-shirt, designed by 10 year old Brianna Bockelman, that portrays an emoji shaking his finger in the negative manner. The slogan on the t-shirt says: “Just Say No to Drugs and Alcohol.” The Le Mars police officer says its important to repeat the Just Say No To Drugs and Alcohol message to the students.

Bockelman says she thought of creating the emoji, shaking his finger, based on actions by her father.

Nearly 700 students attended today’s drug awareness assembly program and received a free t-shirt.

 

 

County Supervisors To Meet For Weekly Meeting

(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors are scheduled to meet for its weekly meeting at the County Courthouse Board Room this morning, beginning at 9:30 a.m. The county supervisors are expected to name Justin Kellen as a Plymouth township trustee, as well as renew the lease agreements with Pride Group. County recorder, Jolynn Goodchild will present the Recorder’s Quarterly report for approval, and County Engineer Tom Rohe will submit permits for Premier Communications, Southern Sioux Water Association, and Frontier Communications, as well as update the county leaders on the construction projects.

 

 

Plymouth County Extension Services To Offer “Annie’s Project”

(Le Mars) — A course designed especially to help farm women develop management and decision-making skills is being offered by the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach of Plymouth County. Known as “Annie’s Project” it is a six-week course each Monday evening beginning on November 12th. Gary Wright, the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Farm Management specialist for northwest Iowa says the program got started as a result of an Illinois woman who was faced with many financial decisions following the death of her husband.

Wright says the program will be taught by women for women, and he explains what will be covered during the six-week program.

The I-S-U Extension Farm Management Specialist says the program has attracted a wide age range of women wanting to know more about the financial side of farming.

Interested women wanting to participate in the “Annie’s Project” need to register with the Plymouth County Extension Services. The courses will be offered on November 12th…November 19th…November 26th…December 3rd…December 10th…and December 17th.

 

 

Trump Expected To Announce Year-round E-15 During Iowa Visit

WASHINGTON (AP) – The Trump administration is moving to allow year-round sales of gasoline with higher blends of ethanol, a boon for Iowa and other farm states that have pushed for greater sales of the corn-based fuel.
President Donald Trump is expected to announce he is lifting a federal ban on summer sales of high-ethanol blends during a trip to Iowa on Tuesday.
The long-expected announcement is something of a reward to Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley, who as Senate Judiciary Committee chairman led a contentious but successful fight to confirm Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. The veteran Republican lawmaker is the Senate’s leading ethanol proponent and has pushed for year-round sales of the high-ethanol blend.
A senior administration official confirmed the change Monday on condition of anonymity ahead of Trump’s announcement.

Iowa Secretary of Agriculture, Mike Naig says he is hopeful the announcement regarding year-round use of E-15 will happen.

Naig says the Environmental Protection Agency should not offer waivers to oil refineries against blending corn-based ethanol with gasoline.

 

 

 

Cities Revise Panhandling Ordinances

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Des Moines City Council has repealed the city’s panhandling ordinance.
The council’s action Monday comes a little more than a month after the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa urged Des Moines, Council Bluffs and Grimes to repeal their rules.
The Des Moines Register reports that the city ordinance required anyone wanting to solicit funds legally to obtain a license from the city. The license required a fee, and many of the people on Des Moines’ streets panhandled without one.
Officials say city staffers will be evaluating the safety of certain
panhandling hot spots. The city could ban panhandling in those locations if the city were to prove those areas were dangerous for panhandling. Examples include especially narrow street medians.