Home News Podcasts Tuesday Afternoon News, November 20th

Tuesday Afternoon News, November 20th

Ten Area Attorneys Apply For Associate Judge Position

(Sioux City) — The Plymouth/Sioux Magistrate Nominating Committee has received ten applications for the judgeship that will be created by the retirement of Associate Judge Robert J. Dull at the end of November. Those applying for the Associate Judge position include: Plymouth County Attorney,
Darin Raymond of Le Mars; Assistant County Attorney, Amy Oetken of Le Mars; attorney Robert Brock of Le Mars, and attorney Roseanne Plante of Hinton.
Other applicants include: Dan Vakulskas of Sioux City, Jared Weber of Orange City, Kristal Phillips of Holstein, Jenny Winterfeld of Sioux Center, David Dawson of Lawton, and Ben Meyer of Laurens, Iowa.
District associate judges hear serious and aggravated misdemeanor cases, small claims, hospitalization cases, as well as juvenile cases, and civil suits for judgement of up to $10,000. District associate judges stand for a retention election a year after their appointment and at the end of their six-year term. The position will be scheduled primarily in Plymouth and
Sioux Counties, though any judge may be assigned to any of the 16 counties in the Third Judicial District. The person selected to fill this position will also be scheduled to regularly share the after-hours work of the court.
District associate judges are appointed by the district judges of the judicial election district from a slate of three nominees screened and selected by the Plymouth/Sioux County Magistrate Nominating Commission.
Judicial Sub-District 3B consists of Crawford, Ida, Monona, Plymouth, Sioux, and Woodbury Counties.

 

 

Plans Are Underway For Le Mars Sesquicentennial Celebration

(Le Mars) — Plans are being made now for the upcoming Le Mars Sesquicentennial Celebration, scheduled for June of 2019 during the annual Le Mars Ice Cream Days. The community anniversary will feature many activities and events commemorating the 150 years of Le Mars. Linda Mayrose
serves as one of the four co-chairs for the event, and says the celebration will last for five days.

Mayrose says there is one contest for the Sesquicentennial celebration that is already underway.

Jessica Brownmiller is another co-chair for the Le Mars 150th celebration.
She says people may feel as though they have stepped back into history at the time Le Mars was first founded.

Since Le Mars was initially founded by English settlers, that meant that several games common to England were also played in Le Mars during the early years. Brownmiller says one such game was Cricket.

Brownmiller mentioned the game Polo. Rich Ziettlow is another Le Mars Sesquicentennial co-chair has done some research about the game of Polo as played in Le Mars.

Ziettlow says another activity being planned for the 150th celebration will be a cemetery tour.

In a future, we will visit with Mary Reynolds and learn more about the history of Le Mars and the plans being made for the upcoming Sesquicentennial Celebration.

 

 

Penne Honored As School District Employee Of The Month

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community School District honored its November employee of the month during a small presentation ceremony held Monday afternoon. The November employee of the month was nominated by two separate people. The honoree is Kim Penne.

Penne has been employed by the Le Mars Community School District for six years as the van driver for the Food Services. The first nomination was submitted by Eileen Harring, Mary Galvin, and Bonnie Ruether. They say: “We are nominating Kim because he is always a positive and very helpful employee. He is willing to do many things, even without being asked. Kim always has a smile for the school children, and he encourages them when he takes their food trays. He lifts heavy pans for us. Words cannot express how much we appreciate all that he does.” The second nomination was written by Le Mars Community Foods Services Director, Judy Lubben. Lubben says, “As the Food Service Director, I have had to ask Kim to do many tasks, and he has never once complained.
After Kim unloads the meals at Kluckhorn Elementary, he then puts on two different hats. The first is he becomes a server, and the second is as a custodian helper. After lunch, Kim comes back to the main kitchen and works in the freezer, pulling product for the next day. Once a week, Kim also goes to Nohava’s to collect totes for the “Back Pack” program. Kim delivers
all of them to the elementary schools. Kim is a person I can depend on, and is deeply committed his job.

Kim Penne, center, is surrounded by family members sharing their congratulations following his naming as the Le Mars Community School District “Employee of the Month.”

 

 

Consumers Will Find Bargains When Purchasing Their Holiday Turkey

(Le Mars) — Industry officials say consumers will find several bargains when purchasing this year’s Thanksgiving turkey.

That’s Gretta Irwin of the Iowa Turkey Federation. She says turkey growers are still feeling some hang-over effects from the 2015 Avian Bird Flu outbreak. Irwin says turkey producers have been able to replenish their flocks, however, some markets, especially some foreign markets still remain closed.

Iowa ranks 8th in the nation for turkey production, and 5th for turkey processing. Irwin says Iowa turkey products usually end up in fast-food deli chain stores, as opposed to the Thanksgiving dinner entree’.

Irwin says the consumption of turkey has remained stagnant for the last few years. She says the turkey industry is looking at ways to build additional consumption beyond the holidays.

Iowa raises approximately 12 million turkeys each year.

 

 

Farm Bureau Study Shows Cost of Thanksgiving Meal Is Even More Affordable This Year

(Des Moines) — The American Farm Bureau survey shows a whole Thanksgiving feast for ten people will be $48.90 which is less than five dollars per person.  This includes all the traditional “fixings” of turkey, bread stuffing, cranberries, and pumpkin pie.  Iowa Farm Bureau Federation Director of Research and Commodity Services Dave Miller says, “It’s a true testament to the American farmer that they can continue to provide safe food that is affordable for families to enjoy.”  Although turkey tends to be the star of the show, the survey also looked at the price of Thanksgiving meals that include ham, green beans, and russet potatoes.  With 96 percent of Iowans reporting in the Iowa Farm Bureau Food and Farm Index that their household eats pork weekly, more families may opt for a ham dinner, but it will come at a higher cost of approximately $6 per person.  New this year, the survey also looked at popular meal delivery services to see how prices compared to store bought groceries.  Although there may be some convenience in having food delivered to your door, it bumped prices up to $8 per person.  Miller says, “If grocery shoppers are looking for the best value for their Thanksgiving meal, a store-bought turkey is still the best way to go.”  The Farm Bureau Thanksgiving dinner survey was first conducted in 1968, and its menu has been unchanged for consistent comparison.  It is an informal gauge of price trends around the nation using volunteer shoppers in every region of the United States.

 

 

Governor Reynolds Hires New Legal Counsel

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds is replacing her legal counsel days after winning a four-year term in office.
Reynolds’ press secretary Brenna Smith confirmed late Monday that attorney Colin Smith has left the office as of Nov. 14.
Brenna Smith says that Windsor Heights attorney Michael Boal will replace Colin Smith beginning Nov. 28.
Boal, a 28-year-old Republican, lost a race for an open seat in the Iowa Legislature earlier this month to Democrat Jennifer Konfrst. He’s the son of House chief clerk Carmine Boal, a former state lawmaker.
Colin Smith had worked for Reynolds since she assumed the governorship in May 2017 and for her predecessor Terry Branstad.
Brenna Smith says the governor “appreciates his years of service to this office and the state.”

 

 

 

Priest Removed From Ministry

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A longtime Roman Catholic priest in Iowa has been removed from the ministry for a year after a girl complained that he improperly touched her.
The Diocese of Sioux City says the fourth-grader alleged that the Rev. Brian Danner of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Humboldt rubbed the top of her leg while taking her confession.
Diocese lawyer Michael Ellwanger says the girl’s parents were
“extremely upset” and complained. Church officials reported the incident to the county attorney and indefinitely revoked Danner’s ability to function as a priest.
Ellwanger says a diocese review found that Danner’s actions were inappropriate but didn’t constitute sexual abuse.
Authorities did not pursue a criminal investigation after a
representative for the girl’s parents indicated they were unsure whether they wanted to move forward.

 

 

Dogs Seized From Puppy Mill Being Moved To Animal Shelters

NORTHWOOD, Iowa (AP) – Officials say some of the nearly 170 dogs seized from a puppy mill in northern Iowa are being placed with shelters and rescue groups across the Midwest.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals announced Tuesday that dogs have been sent to Iowa shelters in Mason City and Waterloo; to the Wichita Animal Action League in Wichita, Kansas; and to the Nebraska Humane Society in Omaha, Nebraska.
The ASPCA says the other dogs will remain at an undisclosed shelter where experts can assess them in the investigation.
The dogs rescued Nov. 12 – all Samoyeds – were described as “fearful and undersocialized.” Officials say the dogs were kept in kennels that provided minimal protection from the elements and that they had no access to clean water.
Animal neglect charges are pending against the owner.