Community Wellness Center To Undergo Renovation Project
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars city council has approved the renovation and remodeling project involving the Community Wellness Center, or otherwise referred to as the YMCA. The total project is being estimated at $1.75 million to $2 million dollars. Todd Lancaster serves as the executive director for the Community Wellness Center and explains what the construction project will cover.
Close to 6,000 square feet will be added to the facility. Lancaster explains the project is to be funded from three different sources.
People will notice the new facade once construction begins. One thing new to the Community Wellness Center is there will be windows, which currently the facility does not have.
Lancaster says the building will have an addition to the current facilities.
During discussion of the renovation project, Councilman Clark Goodchild inquired about the leaking roof. Goodchild commented, saying he know the renovation project does not cover the cost for a new roof, but Goodchild asked if it should? Lancaster talks about the roof situation.
A public hearing has been set for December 17th, the next city council meeting, for comments regarding the renovation project involving the Community Wellness Center.
City Hires New Finance Director
(Le Mars) — There is a new face at city hall. Jacob Widman has been hired as the new city finance director. Widman joins the city after being employed a year and a half with the Great West Casuality Insurance Company. Widman talks about his background.
Widman explains his duties and responsibilities as they relate to the city’s business.
The new city finance director explains what attracted him to work for the city of Le Mars.
Grassley Says US-Mexico-Canada Trade Agreement Needs To Be Passed This Week
(Washington) — Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican, is calling on House Democrats to “be reasonable” and “act quickly” to ratify the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement before the week is out.
It’s been more than a year since the leaders of the three nations signed the agreement, but it still needs Congressional approval. Grassley says a compromise is close.
Grassley says the scope of the trade deal is far-reaching, and for example would pump a 30-billion dollar investment into the auto industry, while also bringing a significant boost to farmers.
Grassley met with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi four months ago and he says she was very much in favor of ratifying the U-S-M-C-A. Some critics say the Democrat-led House is dragging its feet on the agreement in order to keep the Trump Administration from claiming it as a victory.
Grassley says passage of the trade deal would be much larger than any one political party, saying it needs to be delivered for the benefit of the American people.
Sioux City Man Pleads Guilty To Human Trafficking
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City man has pleaded guilty in what authorities have called a human trafficking case in which a teenage Guatemalan girl was raped. The Sioux City Journal reports that 38-year-old Cristobal Francisco-Nicolas pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to a smuggling count and unlawful possession of identification documents. Prosecutors say Francisco-Nicolas helped pay smuggling costs for the girl and her father to get from Guatemala to Sioux City.
University Of Iowa To Lease Out Utilities
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The University of Iowa is advancing a plan to lease its utilities system to a for-profit company for 50 years in exchange for a large upfront payment that would be used for strategic goals. University President Bruce Harreld outlined the plan during a meeting with the Iowa Board of Regents, which is expected to consider approving the plan next week. It would turn over the operation of plants that provide power, steam and water to campus to a newly-formed company involving two energy firms.
Des Moines Police Identify Shooting Victim
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines police have identified a man who died after being found shot inside a car. Police on Tuesday identified the man as 29-year-old Karlos Laverne Goldman Jr., of Des Moines. Officers found Goldman after responding to a report of a man who didn’t appear to be breathing inside a car in the Sherman Hill area, just west of downtown. Officers and medics began CPR and Goldman was taken to a hospital, where he died a short time later. Police say it’s considered a suspicious death.
Eastern Iowa Man Killed From Skid Loader Accident
WHEATLAND, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have identified an eastern Iowa man killed in a skid loader accident. The Clinton County Sheriff’s Office on Tuesday said 75-year-old Owen H. Boedeker, of Wheatland, died in the accident Monday morning at a business in the small community. Wheatland emergency responders were called to the business and found a boom attached to the skid loader had hit and killed Boedeker. Wheatland is about 25 miles northwest of Davenport.
Woman Dies From Hit-An-Run Accident
CENTER POINT, Iowa (AP) – Police say an eastern Iowa woman has died and a man injured when a sport utility vehicle hit them in a bar parking lot and sped away. The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports that the incident happened around 1:30 a.m. Sunday in the parking lot of Bully’s North in Center Point, about 20 miles north of Cedar Rapids. The Linn County Sheriff’s Office says 50-year-old Kimberley Swore, of Center Point, died at the scene. Another pedestrian suffered minor injuries in the hit-and-run.
