Graduation Ceremonies To Be Held On Sunday
(Le Mars) — Graduation ceremonies are scheduled for both Gehlen Catholic and Le Mars Community on Sunday. Gehlen will begin its commencement at 12:30 p.m. from the Deb Campbell gym, while Le Mars Community will hold its graduation at 3:00 p.m from the new competition gymnasium. There will be 32
Gehlen Catholic seniors to receive their diplomas, while at Le Mars Community 156 seniors will walk across the stage and be congratulated.
Gehlen Catholic High School officials have announced their 2019 Valedictorian and Salutatorian. Katelyn Langel, the daughter of Mick and Tami Langel of Le Mars is this year’s Valedictorian for the Senior Class of 2019, while Jason Konz, the son of Tom and Ruth Konz of Granville is the chosen Salutatorian. Both seniors will speak during the commencement ceremony on
Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Meanwhile, at Le Mars Community High School only one senior is scheduled to speak during graduation. Keegan Pippett, the son of Chris Pippett and Jill Casson has been selected by his classmates to offer the commencement address. Joan Meis is this year’s Le Mars Community High School Valedictorian and Johanna Theeler is the Salutatorian. Both
ceremonies will be broadcast live on KLEM radio 1410 AM and 96.9 FM.
Museum To Hold Fundraiser To Obtain Race Car
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Historical Museum announced a new fund raising campaign during its annual meeting held Thursday evening. Museum board president Wayne Schlotfeldt informed the gathering the museum has been
approached to purchase a race car driven by Le Mars resident Emory Collins.
The car, known as “Bulldog Power,” is an Offenhauser number 7. Schlotfeldt talks about the former race car driver and the car.
Schlotfeldt says an anonymous donor has stepped forward offering the museum an initial contribution of $25,000 in order to purchase and obtain the old racing car.
Schlotfeldt discusses the purchase price for the racing car and the amount needed to showcase the Le Mars artifact.
Museum officials indicated more than 900 letters have been sent to Le Mars Community alumni and to museum supporters to generate support for the purchase of the race car.
Museum To Focus On Maintaining Facilities
(Le Mars) — During last evening’s annual meeting of the Plymouth County Historical Museum, board president Wayne Schlotfeldt announced to the museum members the current combined account balances total more than $167,000.
Schlotfeldt says the museum is clear of past debts, including the purchase of the log cabin that was acquired from the Plymouth County Fair Board.
The museum board president says the museum will in the immediate future focus on maintaining its building facilities.
Museum administrator Judy Bowman honored the many volunteers that have assisted at the museum. Special awards of recognition were presented to Steve Collins, Iris Hemmingson, and Wayne Marty, along with Mary Reynolds, Linda Mayrose, and Rich Ziettlow for their part in writing the book of Le Mars history for the Sesquicentennial.
Also honored was Donna Mamey with the Siouxland Community Action Agency.
50 Animals Removed From Storm Lake Home
(Storm Lake) — Three people are charged with animal neglect after more than 50 animals were removed from a house in Storm Lake on Wednesday. Joel Hermann reports:
West Des Moines Principal Injured During Student Fight
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a West Des Moines associate high school principal was injured while intervening in a student fight.
A letter sent to Valley High School students’ families says the fight broke out around 8:10 a.m. Thursday and was a continuation of a conflict earlier in the week. Administrators had met earlier with one of the students in an attempt to defuse the situation.
District spokeswoman Laine Mendenhall-Buck says no students were injured Thursday, but associate principal David Perrigo was taken to a hospital for examination. Mendenhall-Buck says it’s her understanding Perrigo was accidentally injured and not targeted by any of the four students involved.
The letter says three students involved in the fight were taken to the school office and their parents were contacted. The fourth student left school.
West Des Moines police are investigating.
Man Accused Of Murder Is Ruled Competent To Stand Trial
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Des Moines man accused of killing his cousin has been ruled mentally competent to stand trial.
The Des Moines Register reports that 30-year-old Sean Foster pleaded not guilty Monday to a charge of first-degree murder. Foster is accused of killing 50-year-old Albert Barron III in December. The two were roommates.
A court document says a judge previously ruled that Foster suffered from a mental disorder that prevented him from understanding the charges against him.
The trial is scheduled to begin July 15.
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Supreme Court Upholds Collective Bargaining Law
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a state law passed in 2017 by a Republican-run legislature that removed bargaining rights for many state employees.
In cases filed by the Iowa State Education Association and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, the court ruled 4-3 on Friday that the law withstands constitutional challenges.
Both decisions were written by Justice Thomas Waterman, an appointee of former Republican Gov. Terry Branstad who supported the new law. Waterman found the law rational and that it should remain in effect.
Waterman was joined by another Branstad appointee and two justices recently named to the court by Gov. Kim Reynolds.
They concluded the Legislature was rational in giving certain public safety employees the right to bargain over many more issues than those in unions in which fewer than one-third of members are public safety workers.
The unions challenged the law, saying it violated the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution.
The three dissenters say portions of the law are not rationally
explainable.
Fossil Of Pre-historic Mastodon Found In Iowa
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A teen searching for arrowheads in southern Iowa found something much bigger: the prehistoric jawbone of a mastodon.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that the 30-inch bone belonged to a juvenile mastodon, an elephant-like animal believed to have roamed Iowa some 34,000 years ago.
Officials with the University of Iowa Paleontology Repository, which now has possession of the bone found last week, say the mastodon might have stood around 7-feet tall.
The farmers who donated the jaw and related bones to the repository did so anonymously, saying they didn’t want to encourage people to trespass on their property looking for fossils.
There likely are more fossils on the land, as the owners found other mastodon remains there decades ago.
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