Total Motors Distributes Coats To Kids
(Le Mars) — Over 90 coats were donated during the 2018 Coats for Kids drive hosted by Total Motors from December 1st-15th. Marketing Manager Mitch Christoffel stated, “This year we received more shoes, snow pants and other miscellaneous items than in the past, which was great to see.
This was something we were especially looking for more of, due to feedback from the teachers at the schools in the past.”
All the coats and winter items were kept in the Le Mars area and were distributed throughout the week of December 17th. Total Motors took their delivery van to local churches, schools and organizations who had specific families and kids in mind. Christoffel stated, “The coats went quick this
year, we actually had to make a few stops at the store to pick up more to ensure the kids had what they needed for Christmas.”
Total Motors would like to thank all those who donated coats for the coat drive along with Kathy Stone at Ideal Cleaners in Le Mars who contributed time and resources to help clean the gently used coats. Christoffel stated,
“It’s easy for us to remember to give during the holidays, but there is always something we as individuals can do to help others through the year.”
Total Motors encourages others to look for ways to help less fortunate people in our community.
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Over Uncounted Absentee Ballots In State House Race
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Democratic challenger to a northeast Iowa House seat who lost the election by nine votes saying the appropriate challenge should be taken up by the House under Iowa law.
Democrat Kayla Koether (KAY-tuhr) asked Judge Scott Beattie to order election officials to count 29 mailed absentee ballots that did not have postmarks but did have postal bar code markings that revealed they were mailed on time.
Incumbent Republican Michael Bergan leads Koether (KAY-tuhr) by nine votes in the northeast Iowa district and counting the absentee ballots could change the election outcome.
Beattie says in a Friday ruling that the appropriate election challenge under the Iowa Constitution and law to a legislative seat is to the lawmakers themselves and not the court.
That means Koether may proceed by notifying Bergan and Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate she’s contesting the election.
Then, the Iowa House, currently led by Republicans will act as a court to consider evidence and decide whether to count the ballots.
Iowa Ties Hawaii For The Lowest Unemployment Rate
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – New reports say Iowa and Hawaii tied for the nation’s lowest preliminary unemployment rate in November: 2.4 percent.
Iowa Workforce Development released the state figure Friday, saying it matched Iowa’s October number and was a half a point lower than the 2.9 percent of November 2017.
The national unemployment rate was unchanged at 3.7 percent in November.
The department says there were an estimated 40,600 unemployed Iowa residents in November, and 1,648,900 people held jobs.
Davenport Mayor Asks For Youth Assessment Center
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) – Davenport’s mayor says the Quad-Cities area needs a juvenile assessment center that offers offenders and their families easy access to the resources they need.
Mayor Frank Klipsch told the Quad-City Times that an initial assessment could be made at the center instead of a jail. He says incarceration oftentimes only teaches youth “to be better criminals.”
The announcement comes after a months-long plan to reduce youth violence and car thefts. The effort included a community-wide study from juvenile criminal justice experts, law enforcement leaders, social service providers and public officials.
Juvenile justice became a top issue this the summer after a spike in motor vehicle thefts and the high-profile shooting death of Jovantia Jones, a teenager whose killing remains unsolved. City and community leaders held a series of discussions that resulted in the mayor’s report.
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