Gehlen Catholic Celebrates “National Catholic Schools Week”
(Le Mars) — This week, January 28th through February 1st is National Catholic Schools Week. Lisa Niebuhr is the Development Director with Gehlen Catholic Schools of Le Mars. She says one size does not fit everyone when dealing with education.
Niebuhr reports that “National Catholic Schools Week” was established nearly 50 years ago, and it involves all catholic schools.
Niebuhr says Gehlen Catholic will acknowledge National Catholic Schools Week by having a different event for each day of the week.
Niebuhr says Premier Communications will lead a couple of seminars for the students and parents about cyber internet safety, scheduled for Wednesday.
The Gehlen Catholic Development Director says the local Catholic school will continue to acknowledge National Catholic Schools Week on Thursday and Friday by holding the annual family picnic on Thursday, and Friday will be the student appreciation blessing day with the announcement of the naming of the Gene and Betty Sitzmann Mission Honduras scholarship winner. Saturday
will wrap up the week with the unification. Also, scheduled for Saturday is the Spalding Catholic annual gala with this year’s theme: “The Game of Monopoly.” There are 16 Catholic schools within the Sioux City Diocese.
11 Different Languages Are Spoken At Le Mars Community School
(Le Mars) — Non-English speaking students is a growing trend for the Le Mars Community School District, as well as many other surrounding school districts. During last evening’s Le Mars Community Board of Education and Administration retreat, Le Mars Community School Curriculum Director, Rachel Leavitt informed the board members about a process that is attempting to teach English to the non-English speaking students. Leavitt says there are 11 different languages spoken at the Le Mars Community School District.
Leavitt says the languages spoken at Le Mars Community go way beyond Spanish. Many of which people may not have any familiarity.
The Le Mars Community Curriculum Director admits it is a challenge to help the students learn English, especially when there is not an interpreter available to help translate their language for the instructor. However, Leavitt explains what Le Mars Community is doing to help those non-English speaking students.
Leavitt says it is challenging for instructors to help students learn and know the difference of English words that sound alike but have different meaning, such as the color blue, and the wind blew.
Leavitt says it is usually a three to five year process before students learning English have a better grasp of the language and can feel comfortable speaking, reading, and writing English. Leavitt informed the school board there is a special assessment program to occur in February and March to see how well the students have learned English.
Universities Close Classes Due To The Cold Temperatures
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Dangerously low temperatures and wind chills have prompted several Iowa universities to call off classes.
The National Weather Service’s wind chill warning says wind chills as low as minus 50 degrees (negative 45.6 Celsius) could occur Wednesday in much of Iowa.
Officials for Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the
University of Northern Iowa say classes will be canceled starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Classes are scheduled to start again noon Thursday.
Drake University says classes will be canceled after 5 p.m. Tuesday and all day Wednesday.
Iowa State says basketball games at Hilton Coliseum on Tuesday and Wednesday would be played as scheduled. The Drake men’s basketball game against Illinois State also will be played Wednesday night.
Man Killed During Hunting Accident
ROSSIE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities are investigating the fatal shooting of a man by another hunter in northwest Iowa.
The Iowa Natural Resources Department said in a news release Monday that Clay County sheriff’s deputies, medics and conservation officers responded to a shooting report around 11:15 a.m. Sunday. The shooting occurred about 4 miles (7 kilometers) west of Rossi in Clay County.
The department says 47-year-old Kirk Struve was struck by a bullet believed fired by another member of his party while hunting coyotes.
The department says Struve was pronounced dead at a hospital. He lived in Granville.
An investigation is underway. The name of the other hunter has not been released.
Iowa House Votes To Not Count Disputed Ballots For House Seat
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Republican-led Iowa House has voted to reject 29 absentee mail ballots cast in a northeast Iowa House district handing a Republican who won by nine votes the seat in the first contested election to go before the Legislature in 27 years.
The ballots have been confirmed by a U.S. Postal Service scan of a postal barcode on the envelopes as having been mailed on time but Republicans insist those barcodes can’t be used to validate ballots.
Democrats asserted during Monday debate that all valid ballots
should be counted.
Republicans say the law requires mail ballots to be validated by
postmark or a barcode placed by county election officials.
Democrat Kayla Koether says she may take the challenge to the courts alleging voters have had legitimate votes taken away.
Council Bluffs Police Suspect Found Body Was Murdered
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Police say the death of a man whose body was found in a western Iowa apartment was a homicide.
Council Bluffs police identified the man in a news release Monday as Adam Angeroth. Police say an autopsy confirmed evidence of a crime, but the cause of his death isn’t being released yet.
Angeroth’s body was found Thursday in Council Bluffs by officers
sent to check on him. No arrests have been reported.
Council Bluffs City Council Approves Sports Complex
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – The Council Bluffs City Council has approved a resolution adopting the plan for an indoor turf facility for soccer and other sports.
The Daily Nonpareil reports that the council unanimously approved the Iowa West Sports Plex plan on Monday. The facility will be built just northwest of the Mid-America Center.
The Iowa West Foundation and other grant sources will provide funding for the $7 million project . The facility will be operated and managed by the Council Bluffs Soccer Club.
The fields will be used for a variety of sports, including youth
baseball, softball, soccer and flag football.
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