Van Otterloo To Retire From Plymouth County Sheriff At End Of Term
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Sheriff, Mike Van Otterloo, has announced this will be his last term serving as the sheriff for Plymouth County. In a news release, Van Otterloo says he will not seek a ninth term. He has served as the Plymouth County Sheriff since 1990, when he succeeded Dave Stock who
retired with two years left on his term.
Sheriff Van Otterloo will complete 30 plus years in the office, being the longest sitting sheriff in Plymouth County history. He says “it will be tough to leave a career that has spanned so many years.”
Sheriff Van Otterloo began his law enforcement career in 1974 with the Le Mars Police Department, and completed 16 and a half years of service before deciding to run for office of sheriff.
“It will be a bitter sweet day on December 31st of 2020. I am trying not to think about it right now,” commented Van Otterloo. “The day will come soon enough. I will truly miss the people I have worked with and are currently working with.”
In the same release that Van Otterloo announced he will retire as the county sheriff, the long-time sheriff says he would like to run for a county supervisor position. Van Otterloo will be vying for the District 2 seat currently occupied by Supervisor Mark Loutsch. Loutsch had announced last week, he will not be running again as a county supervisor. Van Otterloo
says, “I am excited to hopefully have an opportunity to continue to serve the great Plymouth County, and to work with some of the same elected officials and county constituents. Having many years as a county leader, I believe I can offer those same leadership qualities to the board of supervisors.”
Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee Schedules Annual Ag Luncheon
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee have scheduled Tuesday, March 24, 2020 as the date for the 26th annual Agriculture Business Luncheon. The event will be held at the upper level of the Le Mars Convention Center, beginning at 9:30 a.m. with a Chamber Coffee sponsored by Plymouth County Farm Bureau organization.
“This year’s Ag Luncheon will be special,” according to Jordan Sitzmann, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce, and chairman of the Chamber Agriculture Committee. “The Chamber Ag Committee has extended an invitation to Iowa Agriculture Secretary, Mike Naig to be our noon luncheon key-note speaker.”
“With the recent trade deals that have been signed with our greatest export partners consisting of Japan, Mexico, Canada, and China, it appears as though Iowa agriculture will be the benefactor from those trade agreements. Secretary Naig will highlight those trade agreements, and explain how Iowa commodity and farm organizations helped paved the way for an increase in agricultural exports with various trade team delegations to those and other nations of interest,” said Sitzmann.
During the morning, Dr. Chris Rademacher, the state swine veterinarian from Iowa State University, has been invited to address the issues related to the African Swine Fever. “Fortunately, the dreaded swine disease that is wiping out thousands of herds in China has not hit the United States, said Sitzmann. “Dr. Rademacher will tell the gathering what U-S officials are doing to help prevent the disease from striking American pork production. He will share the lessons learned from when the U-S poultry industry suffered losses due to a disease, and Dr. Rademacher will tell local pork producers about the latest bio-security methods,” explained Sitzmann.
During the annual Ag Luncheon, the Chamber Agriculture Committee will award a scholarship to a Plymouth County FFA member, as well as the prestigious “Outstanding Service To Agriculture” award. “In addition to those awards, the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee has been informed by the Coalition to Support Iowa Farmers organization that a Plymouth County farmer will be presented the “Gary Wergin Good Farm Neighbor Award,” named after a Des Moines farm radio broadcaster,” said Sitzmann.
“We have been told the selected farmer will be recognized for his work with protecting the environment while incorporating it as part of his farming operation,” commented Sitzmann.
The annual Ag Luncheon will feature a noon meal that will be catered by M’s Catering.
Tickets for the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce Ag Luncheon are $15 a person and can be purchased from a Chamber Agriculture Committee member, or from the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce office.
Man Sent To Prison For Robbing Clinton Bank
CLINTON, Iowa (AP) – A man has been imprisoned for robbing a bank in eastern Iowa. The Clinton Herald reports that 57-year-old Raymond Reves was sentenced Thursday to five to 10 years. He’d pleaded guilty to robbery after prosecutors lowered the charge. He also was ordered to pay $700.83 in restitution to Clinton National Bank. Reves was arrested Nov. 7 after an officer spotted him about two blocks from the bank. Police say he matched the description of the robber. He later acknowledged robbing the bank and provided details about his plan for doing so.
Dubuque To Have Dock For Tour Boats
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – Dubuque officials are considering sharing the cost of building a $1.8 million dock that would let river cruise ships stop to let passengers explore the city. A 20-year agreement between the city and Viking Cruises calls for them to split the cost of constructing the dock on the
Mississippi River near Grand Harbor Resort and Waterpark. Once Viking launches its Mississippi River cruises, the company would have exclusive rights to the dock for its boats. But other vessels would be able to use the dock when Viking boats are not. The dock would be removed from the water and stored in the winter.
Survey Shows Midwest Economy Is Improving
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A survey report suggests the economy continues to grow in nine Midwest and Plains states. The Mid-America Business Conditions index jumped to 57.2 in January from 50.6 in December. The survey was conducted before much of the bad news was reported about the coronavirus outbreak that originated in China. Creighton University economist Ernie Goss oversees the survey, and he says the outbreak could harm the regional economy in the weeks ahead. The survey covers Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma and South Dakota. Survey organizers say any
index score above 50 suggests growth. A score below that suggests decline.
