Audit Shows Plymouth County Has A “Healthy” Financial Position
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County has a healthy financial position according to an audit conducted by Williams and Company accountant, Justin Jacobsma.
Jacobsma appeared before the county governing board to review the latest audit from fiscal year 2018-2019.
Jacobsma was asked by Supervisor John Meis as to his recommendation for how many days should the county be able to continue with meeting expenses and having enough revenue, before needing to rely upon additional tax revenue income.
The Certified Public Accountant continued his praises of the county’s financial position.
Loutsch Will Not Seek Re-election For Supervisor Position
(Le Mars) — During Tuesday morning’s Plymouth County Board of Supervisor meeting, Supervisor Mark Loutsch announced that he would not be seeking re-election, and will leave his supervisor position at the end of his term.
Loutsch was first elected in 2008. He will have served 12 years as a county supervisor at the end of his term.
Huseman Announces He Will Retire From State Legislature
(DES MOINES) – State Representative Dan Huseman (R-Aurelia) announced that he will not seek reelection in 2020 and will retire from the Iowa House at the conclusion of his term. Huseman represents House District 3, which is comprised of Cherokee and O’Brien counties as well as portions of Plymouth
and Sioux counties. He was first elected in 1994 and is the longest-serving member of the House Republican caucus.
Huseman served as the longtime Chairman of the Transportation, Infrastructure and Capitals Appropriations Subcommittee from 2003-2007 and 2011-19. He also served as Chairman of the Ethics Committee (2001-2003) and Natural Resources Committee (1999-2001) during his time in the Legislature.
He currently serves as an Assistant Majority Leader in the Iowa House.
Huseman grew up on the family farm in Cherokee County and attended Aurelia community school. He graduated from Aurelia High School in 1970 and Buena Vista College in Storm Lake in 1974. He recently retired from working on the family farm growing corn and soybeans.
Huseman and his wife, Barbara, have three grown children and four grandchildren.
Evans To Seek Nomination For State House District 3
(Aurelia) — The former school superintendent for Alta-Aurelia school district has announced his intentions of running for state representative in District 3. Lynn Evans placed his name for nomination the same day, current House Representative Dan Huseman said he would retire at the end of his term.
Evans is running as a Republican. He served as the Alta-Aurelia
school superintendent from 2011 through 2019, and prior to that, he was the school superintendent for Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn Community School District.
Evans says his reason for seeking the state representative position is “We need candidates to serve in our local, state and federal governments that possess the ability and experience to work with people of differing opinions for the greater good without compromising their basic principles. We need
candidates that are focused on ensuring that future generations of Iowans are set up for success.
School Board Lobbies Legislature For Increased School Spending
(Des Moines) — Members of the Le Mars Community Board of Education, along with Le Mars Community School Superintendent, Dr. Steven Webner, were in Des Moines Tuesday visiting with state lawmakers in hopes of convincing
legislators to increase the school supplemental spending as part of the overall K-12 educational funding. During the last couple of years, the state legislature has passed measures that offered an increase for school funding, but at levels below what school districts say is needed. The Le Mars Community school board met with State Representative Dr. Tom Jeneary,
who represents District 2, which comprises of most of Plymouth County and the northern Woodbury County, and State Senator Randy Feenstra who represents Sioux County, O’Brien County, and portions of Plymouth County.
Pictured left to right: Dave Miller, State Representative Dr. Tom Jeneary, Todd Lancaster, Mackenzie Lang. Back row: Dr. Steve Webner, Jane Arnold, Kyle Plathe, and Scott Kommes.
Work Begins Now To Prepare For RAGBRAI’s Visit
(Le Mars) — Now that the euphoria regarding the announcement of Le Mars hosting the RAGBRAI bicycle ride has calmed down somewhat, it is time to start the long process of organizing the activities surrounding the visit of thousands of bicycle riders. Jessica Brownmiller serves as the Director for
the Le Mars Convention and Visitors Bureau. She says there are a lot of factors involving hosting RAGBRAI. Brownmiller says RAGBRAI officials have sent her information that assists communities with planning for the event.
Brownmiller says preparing and organizing for RAGBRAI’s visit will require the cooperation of civic organizations, churches, schools, public safety entities, and a lot of community volunteers. Brownmiller says the town still has the manual from the last visit in 2005, and officials will initially will refer to that list of considerations as they begin planning
for this year’s RAGBRAI event.
Warren Scheduled To Visit Le Mars
(Le Mars) — Democratic officials with the Elizabeth Warren campaign have announced the Massachusetts Senator and presidential candidate is planning to make a campaign stop in Le Mars. Details of the visit are still being organized, however, Warren has scheduled to appear at the “Ice Cream Capital
of the World” on Thursday afternoon at 5:45 p.m. The location of that visit has yet to be decided.
Senator Klobachar Hurries Back To Iowa To Campaign For President
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar has made a last-minute trip to Iowa following arguments in President Donald Trump’s impeachment trial in Washington. The Democratic presidential candidate turned up Tuesday at a bar in Council Bluffs, where she was met by a standing-room-only crowd of more than 100. She is among a handful of White
House hopefuls making a final push in the Midwestern state before Monday’s first-in-the-nation caucuses. Her eleventh-hour push comes as she is facing new questions about her time as a top Minnesota prosecutor in the mid-2000s.
Reynolds Taps Eastern Iowa Attorney For Supreme Court
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has named an eastern Iowa attorney who lives on a hobby farm to the Iowa Supreme Court, marking the first time the court has two women serving on the seven-member court. Dana Oxley, the only woman finalist on the list forwarded to the governor on Jan.
9, works at a Cedar Rapids law firm. Oxley, who is 52, is the second woman on the court joining Susan Christensen who was appointed by Reynolds in 2018. She is Reynolds’ third appointment to the court and fills a vacancy left by the unexpected death on Nov. 15 of Chief Justice Mark Cady.
Trial For Accused Killer Of Mollie Tibbetts To Be Delayed
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The trial for the man charged with killing University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts in 2018 has been delayed.
Cristhian Bahena Rivera had been scheduled to stand trial for first-degree murder on Feb. 4 in Sioux City. That plan became uncertain last week when Judge Joel Yates suspended the case so that the Iowa Supreme Court could decide whether to grant Rivera’s pretrial appeal of a key ruling. A court spokesman said Tuesday that the trial has been delayed and will not happen
in the month of February. A new trial date will be set after the Iowa Supreme Court decides how to handle Rivera’s appeal.
Waterloo Warming Center Evicted
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – A warming center being evicted for not meeting fire codes has found a new spot to serve the homeless in Waterloo. The Waterloo Warming Center announced Tuesday it will be moving to the former Hawkeye Community College Metro Center and open for service on Friday. The overnight
shelter opened Jan. 6 at Jubilee United Methodist Church Freedom Center to provide a safe haven from freezing temperatures. But organizers later were told it would have to close because inspectors found the space didn’t have a
sprinkler system – a requirement for any building serving residential needs.
