City Establishes Fall Clean-up
(Le Mars) — City officials have announced the dates for the fall clean-up which are scheduled to begin on Saturday, September 7th and continue through Friday, September 13th. The city is declaring an amnesty from the Landfill Disposal Cost. Residents may “throw away” up to 1,000 pounds per household. Items included in the amnesty include: furniture, construction
and demolition items such as fence posts, scrap lumber, windows, doors, sinks, toilets, and screens. Metal items which include bikes, mowers, metal posts, wire, swings, gutters, bed springs, and bed frames. City administrator Jason Vacura says this year the clean-up week is a bit different.
Vacura says the landfill has added fees for the disposal of old television sets and computer monitors, as well as with white goods or appliances.
Vacura reminds residents the city clean-up program is for Le Mars residents only, and is not extended to businesses or industries. Residents are responsible for taking their disposable items to the Plymouth County Landfill.
Le Mars Girl Earns Top Honor Gold Award With Girl Scouts
(Le Mars) — A recent Le Mars Community graduate is scheduled to receive the top honor in Girl Scouts. KLEM’s Angela Drake tells us about a girl that set up a book club, and is now about to receive the Girl Scouts’ Gold Award.
Knights of Columbus Annual Phone-a-thon Scheduled For Wednesday
(Le Mars) — Wednesday will be the annual Knights of Columbus Phone-a-thon for the Life Skills Training Center. Shelly Thomson with Life Skills, says this year’s phone-a-thon marks the 39th year for the event.
Thomson says the annual phone-a-thon serves as the largest fund raiser for Life Skills Training Center.
Thomson says retired and former executive director of Life Skills, Don Nore, has been chosen as this year’s Honorary Knight to head up the phone-a-thon.
Thomson explains what goals have been set for this year’s county-wide phone-a-thon.
The Life Skills official says this year, the focus will be to assist the clients with obtaining employment outside of Life Skills.
Knights of Columbus members from Kingsley, Akron, Remsen, and here in Le Mars will coordinate the annual phone-a-thon. People wanting to donate can drop their contribution off at the Le Mars Knights of Columbus hall, or they can choose to make their donation at their local bank.
(photos from 2018 event)
Fire Claims Life At Indianola Apartment Complex
INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) – One person is dead after fire broke out an apartment complex in Indianola.
KCCI-TV reports that the fire was reported at 6:37 a.m. Sunday at Foxwood Apartments. The apartment belonged to a 64-year-old woman. An autopsy will be conducted to determine if she was the person killed in the blaze.
The cause of the fire has not been determined, but authorities say foul play is not suspected.
The American Red Cross says more than two dozen people were
displaced by the fire.
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Pearl Harbor Sailor Remains To Be Buried At Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa sailor killed in the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941 will finally be laid to rest in his home state.
The Des Moines Register reports that William James Shanahan Jr. of Cedar Rapids was killed in the Dec. 7, 1941, attack that pushed the U.S. into World War II, but his remains went unidentified for 78 years.
Shanahan’s sister, Mary Lou Shanahan Pierce, donated DNA almost 20 years ago. Finally, in May, that DNA sample found a match and William’s remains were positively identified.
A burial with full military honors is planned for Tuesday at the
family plot in Cedar Rapids. Gov. Kim Reynolds has ordered all flags in Iowa to fly half-staff from sunrise to sunset to honor Shanahan.
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Ames To Have Electric Buses As Part Of The Cy-Ride Fleet
AMES, Iowa (AP) – The city of Ames has been awarded a $1.66 million U.S. Department of Transportation grant to put more electric buses into the city’s public transportation fleet.
The city recently announced that CyRide will use the money to
replace several diesel buses that have exceeded their useful life. The public transportation entity will also buy battery chargers/dispensers and complete facility modifications to support the technology.
Interim Transit Director Barbara Neal says the grant is good news for Ames. She says supporting public transportation is “a great way to reduce your own carbon footprint, while moving to electric buses will help CyRide reduce its emissions.”
The Transportation Department’s Federal Transit Administration Low-or No-Emission Grant program has funded over $300 million in new buses, infrastructure and training since its establishment.
Des Moines Police Arrest The Suspect For The City’s 10th Homicide
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Des Moines man is charged with first-degree murder in what police say was the city’s 10th homicide of 2019.
Police responded to a call about a shooting Saturday afternoon and found the body of 45-year-old John Lee Belcher of Des Moines inside a home.
Charges were announced Sunday against 47-year-old Stanley Paul Wofford of Des Moines. It wasn’t immediately clear if Wofford had an attorney.
Witnesses told police they heard four to six gunshots.
Police have not disclosed a potential motive for the shooting.
Business-School Cooperation To Offer Students “On-hands” Experience
HOLLAND, Iowa (AP) – Businesses partnering with the state to provide real-world student learning opportunities are expected to boost career education for rural Iowa school districts.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that the state is using the recently unveiled Iowa Clearinghouse for Work-Based Learning to help students build job skills.
Iowa Department of Education Director Ryan Wise says it’s designed as a virtual workspace. Businesses, nonprofits and governmental organizations can post real-world tasks on a project board that students can then complete under the supervision of teachers. Teachers can also use it to connect students to job shadow, internship and apprenticeship opportunities.
Wise says the program will broaden access to learning that hasn’t been available for some students, especially those in rural areas.
