City To Close Hillcrest Drive For Street Repairs
(Le Mars) — City officials plan to close Hillcrest Drive beginning on Tuesday, March 17th for street repairs. Public Works Superintendent, Scott Kneip, expects the street will be closed through March 24th, with it opening again on March 25th.
Le Mars Community School District Responds To Governor’s Request To Close Schools
(Le Mars) — On Sunday evening, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds, had announced as a way to help reduce the spread of the COVID-19, or coronavirus, made the recommendation for all Iowa schools to close for a period of four weeks.
Le Mars Community School District Superintendent, Dr. Steven Webner says starting today, the school buildings will remain closed.
Webner says the school provided the opportunity for faculty and staff to retrieve any personal items that may have been at the school.
At this point in time, school officials are going with the assumption that the lost school days will need to be made up, which means school may extend well into June.
The school superintendent says the purpose for the school closures is to help ward off the spread of the coronavirus.
Webner says students, parents and faculty members are directed to view the school’s website for additional information and updates.
Webner says everyone should plan on not attending school for at least the next four weeks.
Gehlen Catholic Establishes Rules While Closed For Four Weeks
(Le Mars) — Gehlen Catholic is also following the coronavirus protocol, and will be closed for the next four weeks. In addition to having the school closed, Gehlen officials have announced that all meetings, activities, and practices are suspended until further notice. This includes, but is not limited to: “The Friends of Gehlen Ball”, spring play, “Then Feed Just One” food packaging event, and the Junior-Senior prom. Gehlen officials will open
the doors to the school today (Tuesday, March 17th) between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. for any students who need to pick up items from their lockers or classrooms, or for any families who need assistance scanning documents for their TADS application. People are asked to enter and exit through Door A (the main front entrance). All other doors will be locked. After 2:00 p.m.
today, the Gehlen Catholic campus is to be considered closed. Nobody is allowed in the school or Wellness Center. Gehlen Catholic officials say they will do their best to keep everyone updated and informed on new developments as they receive them. Students in 7th through 12th grades should continue to
check their emails. Parents are urged to check Infinite Campus and the school’s website.
City Public Library And Community Wellness Center Ordered Closed
(Le Mars) — Le Mars city administrator Jason Vacura issued a statement regarding the spread of the COVID-19 or coronavirus. Vacura says the following rules will be implemented immediately. The Le Mars Public Library will be closed to the public for two weeks beginning at 5:00 p.m. Monday, March 16th. The library hopes to re-open to the public on March 31st. The library will remain staffed thoroughly clean the facilities, as well as
assist and answer inquiries by telephone. On-line services will still be available.
All events at the city’s rental facilities including the Willow Creek Golf Country Club, the Le Mars Convention Center, and the Municipal Park Shelter House will be limited to under 50 attendees. Scheduled events over the next two weeks exceeding this limit are being notified to reschedule or cancel their event.
The Community Wellness Center (YMCA) will be closed to the public for two weeks beginning at 4:00 p.m. Monday, March 16th with plans to re-open on March 31st.
Vacura says this is an ever changing situation and the city of Le Mars will continuously monitor the situation and make adjustments as needed. The public will be notified of changes to day-to-day operations as they arise.
Firefighters To Take Oath Of Office For Assistant Chief And Battalion Chief Positions
(Le Mars) — Firefighters Steve Schwartz and Charlie Mohning will be given the oath of office this morning at 11:30 a.m. The two firefighters will be sworn as the new Assistant Fire Chief and the new Battalion Chief. Schwartz will officially assume the duties of the Assistant Fire Chief position following former Assistant Fire Chief Mike Wise taking over the duties of the Director of the Le Mars Ambulance Services. Mohning will over see the duties
of the Battalion Chief following the promotion of Schwartz. The two will be given the oath of office by Le Mars Mayor Dick Kirchoff at Fire Station #1, located diagonally across from the Le Mars Public Library.
City Council To Hold Two Public Hearings
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars city council will hold two public hearings during today’s meeting. Those public hearings will focus on the proposed berm to be located behind the Le Mars Police Station in order to help prevent future flooding. The second hearing will be for public comment regarding the Fiscal
Year 2020-2021 annual budget. During the time designated for General Discussion, Amanda Harper with SIMPCO is expected to deliver a report. The city council is expected to take action on the proposed Cleveland Park playground equipment contract submitted by Leathers and Associates of Jupiter, Florida. The estimated cost is thought to be $598,000.
State Legislature Convenes One Last Time Before Suspending the Session For 30 Days
(Des Moines) — The Iowa legislature met yesterday in an attempt to pass bills making it necessary for the state government able to continue with appropriate funding through September. The legislature finished its work at 12:13 a.m. and also granted Governor Kim Reynolds with powers to best handle
the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, which included allocating $20 million dollars from the Emergency Fund.
Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Holding Steady
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s unemployment rate for January was 2.8%.
Iowa Workforce Development reported Monday that the rate was unchanged from the revised rate for December. The number of unemployed residents rose slightly in January to an estimated 49,500. The number of people with jobs also increased, to about 1.7 million. Iowa’s rate is tied for the 10th lowest in the nation. The U.S. unemployment rate for January was 3.6%.
Iowa State Patrol Troopers Kill Man Following Kidnapping And Stand-off
WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a man who’d taken a woman hostage was shot and killed after an Iowa State Patrol team entered a residence in central Iowa’s Webster City. The Iowa Public Safety Department says officers responded around 3:30 p.m. Monday after the woman called 911 to report that
the man had fired shots at her. Police negotiators talked to the man for hours, but he threatened to shoot the woman within a specified time period.
The department says that’s when the patrol team went into the home and shot the man. The names of the man and woman haven’t been released.
Fired Employee To Be Reinstated
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A worker at a center for disabled Iowans will be reinstated with years of back pay after a board ruled that he did not intentionally kick a resident in 2017 as alleged by its then-superintendent.
The order to overturn Aaron Cole’s firing is the latest setback for
management at the Glenwood Resource Center, which is facing investigations into allegations of substandard care and improper medical experimentation. It could also be an expensive one for taxpayers. Cole must be made whole under the Public Employment Relations Board ruling issued earlier this month. That means he’ll receive his roughly $60,000 annual salary and benefits for the past 2 1/2 years, minus any other earnings he received in the meantime.
Fatal Fire Victims Now Identified
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have released the names of a woman and her 5-year-old child who died in a Des Moines residential fire. They were identified Monday as Tharassa Page, 40 and her son, Red Eagle Thundercloud Page. Firefighters were sent around 10:45 a.m. Sunday to a duplex, where they found flames coming out of windows on its north side. Three other people inside the residence escaped to safety. No other injuries were reported. The fire cause is being investigated
