Le Mars Business Receives State’s Challenge Grant
(DES MOINES,) — The Iowa Economic Development Authority (IEDA) has awarded $950,000 in Main Street Iowa Challenge Grants to 13 communities around the state, one of which is located in Le Mars. The grants will benefit local improvement projects, including upper story renovations, movie theater restoration and expansions, restaurant start-ups and improvements, critical building stabilization and façade restoration and upgrades. The announcements were made during a ceremony held at the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden. The Le Mars recipient is One Office Solution. One Office Solution received a $75,000 grant from the Iowa Economic Development
Authority. Matching funds were applied to the project from the city of Le Mars making the amount to $340,000. The total for the project is estimated at $415,000. One Office Solutions is wanting to convert the upper level of their building into four apartments. Mary Reynolds is the Le Mars Main Street coordinator and explains the procedure for One Office Solution to receive the grant.
Reynolds says the team had some assistance from a designer from Des Moines to help with the proposal.
Reynolds says several people were consulted to help One Office Solutions convert the upper level of their building into apartments without interrupting business for One Office Solutions.
Pictured from left to right: Debbi Durham, Iowa Economic Development Authority Executive Director; Steve and Heidi McNally of One Office Solutions; Rich Ziettlow, Vice President of the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce; and Michael Wagler, Director of the Iowa Main Street Organization
IEDA Director Debi Durham says, “The Main Street Iowa Challenge grants have proven to be catalysts for the revitalization of Iowa’s historic main streets. These projects demonstrate the ongoing commitment the people of our
state have to keeping our downtowns vibrant, which helps attract new visitors, residents and businesses.”
The grants are administered through IEDA’s Iowa Downtown Resource Center and Main Street Iowa programs. The funding will be distributed in the form of matching grants to the selected Main Street programs. The estimated total project cost of these 13 projects is over $8.7 million.
Michael Wagler, state coordinator for the Main Street Iowa program says, “Each project must provide at least a dollar-for-dollar cash-match,” “In total, these projects will actually leverage more than nine times the state’s investment into bricks and mortar rehabilitation that will have a significant economic impact within each district.”
The Challenge Grant program is funded through an appropriation from the Iowa Legislature. Since the first appropriation in 2002, approximately $9.6 million in state and federal funds have leveraged more than $57 million in private investment. Over the life of the program, 165 projects in 53 Main Street Iowa commercial districts across the state have received funding.
In the past, Le Mars has been the recipient of the Challenge Grants for the facade renovation of the American Legion Hall, the Le Mars Beauty College, Claussen’s, and Central Avenue Event Center.
Fair Board Elects 2019 Officers
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County 4-H and Agricultural Society, better known as the Plymouth County Fair held its annual meeting last evening. The shareholders re-elected to the board nine directors including: John Ahlers, Bob Kabish, Loren Schempf, Candice Nash-Farrer, Chad Peters, Matt Reuter,
Gail Schoenrock, Brad Harvey, and Alise Allen. The board of directors elected officers for the 2019 year. They include: president Rich Benson, Vice President Loren Schempf, Treasurer Michael Bietelspacher, and Secretary Gail Schoenrock. Awards were presented to Stephanie Bass, the Hinton FFA instructor for the Fair Board’s “Rookie of the Year” and to Candice Nash-Farrer for the “Fair person of the Year.”
2019 Plymouth County Fair Board Officers include (from left to right) President Rich Benson, Vice President Loren Schempf, Secretary Gail Schoenrock, and Treasurer Mike Bietelspacher.
Plymouth County Fair Awards: (left) Candice Nash-Farrer “Fair Board Person of the Year” and (right) Stephanie Bass, Hinton FFA Instructor, “Rookie of the Year.”
Beef Producers Need To Complete Quality Assurance Certification
(Orange City) — Cattle producers are reminded they need to complete a Beef Quality Assurance certification program prior to the start of the new calendar year. Beth Doran, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Beef Program Specialist says having beef producers complete a certification is a way for the beef industry to give assurances to the consumer.
Doran says many packers are requiring beef producers to complete the beef quality program, or they will refuse to purchase the cattle from those producers.
The Iowa State University Beef Specialist says it is important that cattle producers attend the seminar and become certified, in order to maintain market access. She explains what producers need to do to become certified in the Beef Quality Assurance program.
Although the Quality Assurance Program is directed towards the feedlot operator, Doran suggests that the Cow-calf operator also attend the program.
Cattle producers are asked to register prior to November 14th. Doran says eight different sessions have been scheduled for northwest Iowa. They include two at Sioux Center with the first program scheduled for November 19th at the Dordt College new Ag Stewardship Center beginning at 10:00 a.m.
The second session is scheduled for November 20th to be held at the Ridge Event Center at Sioux Center and will begin at 4:00 p.m. Other locations will be at Sheldon on November 28th, Sac County Extension Office on December 4th, Spencer on December 5th, Le Mars on December 11th, Holstein on December
12th, and the Archer Coop Grain Elevator on December 18th.
Nevada Ethanol Plant Sold To German Company
NEVADA, Iowa (AP) – The DowDuPont cellulosic ethanol plant in central Iowa has been bought by a German biofuels company’s U.S. subsidiary.
Verbio North America Corp. and DowDuPont announced Thursday that the purchase includes the 30 million-gallon (114 million liter) plant in Nevada (nuh-VAYE’-duh) and a portion of its corn stover inventory. The price was not released.
The cellulosic ethanol plant, which opened in 2015, is considered
the next generation in renewable fuel production. It uses corncobs, husks and stalks to produce the biofuel. DowDuPont closed the plant last fall, announcing that it was for sale. DowDuPont said the operation no longer fit its strategic plan.
Verbio intends to install equipment for making natural gas made from corn stover and other cellulosic crop residue.
Verbio North America Corp. is based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and is a subsidiary of Verbio Vereinigte BioEnergie AG, which is based in Leipzig, Germany.
Sioux City Man Charged With Second Degree Murder
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A man has been formally charged with second-degree murder in the slaying of his roommate in Sioux City.
Thirty-eight-year-old Abdiqadar Sharif is accused of stabbing 40-year- old Guled Nur on Oct. 28. The new charge was contained in a court document prosecutors filed Wednesday in Woodbury County District Court. The initial charge by police was first-degree murder .
His attorneys didn’t immediately return messages left Friday by The Associated Press.
Prosecutors say Sharif stabbed and kicked Nur after an altercation broke out at their apartment.
Sharif is scheduled to be arraigned Nov. 16.
Questions Surround Whitaker’s Interim Attorney General Position
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – In 2007, Matt McCoy was a rising star in the Democratic Party, Iowa’s first openly gay senator and a leading champion for the party’s causes.
But then, his allies say, McCoy’s promising career was stalled by a politically motivated prosecution brought by a Republican U.S. attorney, Matthew G. Whitaker, who became the nation’s top law enforcement official after President Donald Trump named him acting attorney general Wednesday.
The case against McCoy fell apart in court amid allegations of
political bias and prosecutorial misconduct. A jury quickly acquitted McCoy of the charge, deciding that he had not attempted to extort money from a former business partner.
McCoy says he’s shocked by Whitaker’s elevation to lead the Justice Department. He says his case should serve as a warning that Whitaker will not hesitate to pursue Democrats and Trump’s desire to curtail special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
Des Moines Man Steals Concrete Cement Truck Hits Van And House
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Police in Des Moines say they have arrested a suspected driver of a cement truck who ran from the scene after plowing into a van and then a house, seriously injuring one person.
The Des Moines Register reports that the crash happened Thursday morning when the cement truck ran two stop lights and hit the van. The truck continued through a fence before crashing into the house, which was heavily damaged. Two people inside the home at the time were not injured.
Police Sgt. Paul Parizek says the cement truck driver took off
running from the crash.
The driver of the van was taken to a hospital with serious injuries not believed to be life-threatening.
Parizek says the man, whose name has not been released, “fought ferociously” with at least four officers after being spotted on a Des Moines street. He was soon subdued and taken to a hospital for evaluation.
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Governors Ask That Flags Be Lowered To Honor California Shooting Victims
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – The governors of Iowa and Nebraska have ordered flags lowered to half-staff at state buildings to honor the victims of the nightclub massacre in Thousand Oaks, California.
Authorities say a gunman and 12 other people died in the attack
Wednesday night.
Orders from Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts were issued Thursday in conjunction with President Donald Trump’s order to lower all U.S. flags to half-staff through sunset Saturday.
Individuals, businesses, schools, municipalities, counties and other government subdivisions are encouraged to fly the flags at half-staff for the same length of time.
