Home News Tuesday News, May 26th

Tuesday News, May 26th

County Plans To Pave 150th Street Near Landfill

(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Secondary Road Department has announced it will be closing 150th Street from Highway 60 going east to Marble Avenue, and Marble Avenue will be closed from 150th Street going south to 160th Street.
Originally, the road closure was scheduled to begin today, Tuesday, May 26th.
However, county road officials say the road will close on Thursday, May 28th and will continue until Friday, July 10th. The purpose for the road closures is because the county plans to pave 150th Street from Highway 60 east to Marble Avenue past the county land fill. Access to the landfill will be routed from 160th Street onto Mesquite Avenue traveling north to the north
landfill entrance on 150th Street.

 

 

Memorial Day Accident

(Le Mars) — A collision occurred between two vehicles at the intersection of 2nd Avenue SW and Plymouth Street on Memorial Day, Monday at about 4:00 p.m.  The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department was called to assist with the clean-up of fluids and debris from the accident.  For a short time, traffic on Plymouth Street (Highway 3) was down to one-lane of alternating traffic while rescue crews worked the scene.  There were no injuries associated with the accident.  The Le Mars Police Department is investigating the accident.

 

 

School Board To Hold Special Meeting

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Board of Education will hold a special meeting scheduled for Wednesday, May 27th. The school board will hold a public hearing regarding the proposed amendment to the 2019-2020 school budget and consider adoption of the budget amendment following the hearing.
The school board will discuss the submitted resignations of Ann Harms as a middle school teacher associate. The school board will also discuss the resignation of Lauri McShane as a teacher associate at Franklin Elementary, and Emily Anderson is resigning her position as a teacher associate at the
high school. All three resignations are effectively immediately. The school board will also consider approving of the Education Service Center lease agreement between Le Mars Community Schools and Northwest Area Education Association.

 

 

Schools Need To Submit A “Return To Learn” Plan

(Des Moines) — Iowa school districts face a July 1st deadline for submitting “Return to Learn” plans to the state. Districts must describe how they’ll help students catch up and advance once school resumes in the fall. Algona Superintendent Joe Carter says districts must have a plan for classroom instruction, for distancing learning and for a hybrid of the two.

Carter’s district is collecting data about distance learning during the closing weeks of THIS school year.

Carter says they’ve determined 10 percent of students in the Algona district do not have reliable internet access.

Every district must get state approval of its plan for “continuous learning” in an emergency, like a COVID-19 outbreak, when students cannot gather in a school building. Attendance must be taken and grades handed out in that scenario, according to an Iowa Department of Education document. Schools this
past spring were allowed to conduct voluntary distance learning.
……..

 

 

Local National Guard Unit To Be Deployed On June 1st

(Johnston) — The Iowa National Guard will use a modified send-off ceremony for approximately 90 soldiers from Troop C, 1st Squadron “Red Horse,” 113th Cavalry Regiment from Le Mars. The send-off is scheduled for June 1, 2020.
Due to ongoing COVID-19 related public health concerns, the send-off ceremonies are not open to the public. The ceremonies will be livestreamed via social media, including on the KLEM Facebook page.

An abbreviated send-off parade will be held immediately following the ceremony for each departing unit. Family and friends are encouraged to line the departure route to send these Soldiers off to active duty. Attendees should follow all Department of Transportation and Iowa Department of Public
Health guidelines while attending these parades.

In Le Mars, that parade will begin from the Iowa National Guard armory building. It will cross Highway 3 and go onto Park Lane through the Le Mars Municipal Park until it reaches 4th Avenue Northeast. The send-off parade for the troops will then go southwest until 6th Street, turning west on 6th Street to Central Avenue. The National Guard parade will follow Central
Avenue, heading south, until 18th Street. At 18th Street, it will turn right, or west, and drive to Hawkeye Avenue or Business Highway 75 and make a left hand turn heading south until it reaches Highway 75.

 

 

Feenstra Discusses Issues Relating To Iowa’s 4th Congressional District

(Le Mars) — Republicans residing in Iowa’s 4th Congressional District will have the choice among five candidates when they cast their vote in the June 2nd primary election. Those seeking the position include incumbent candidate Steve King of Kiron, State Senator Randy Feenstra of Hull, Former State
Legislator and Woodbury County Supervisor Jeremy Taylor, Former Irwin Mayor Brett Richards, and Steve Reeder, an Arnolds Park businessman. KLEM radio wants to introduce each candidate and offer their views on the current issues, and why each candidate wants your vote. Today, we begin by hearing
from State Senator Randy Feenstra. We began our conversation by asking how has the campaign been interrupted by the COVID-19 virus.

Feenstra says he is pleased with the many endorsements he has collected for his run for the northwest Iowa Congressional seat.

Although Feenstra is perhaps best known in his home county of Sioux County and other neighboring northwest Iowa counties. He still feels confident about his name recognition through out the 32-county district.

The Hull resident says his top priority is the protection of life, and he says he will forever fight against abortion.

The republican says he also has a fondness for Iowa agriculture, and wants to be able to be in a position to better assist farmers.

Feenstra says he is an advocate of gun rights and the 2nd Amendment, and he is in favor of lowering taxes. Feenstra points to his time as the State Senate’s chairman of the powerful Ways and Means Committee, and his authoring of the tax reform bill that passed the state legislature. Feenstra says his record shows he is a proven leader that can get the job done.

June 2nd is the primary election date.

 

 

Iowa Reports 344 New Cases Of Coronavirus

(Des Moines, IA) — The state reported 344 additional confirmed cases of coronavirus Monday. They bring Iowa’s total to 17-thousand-557 cases. There were seven more deaths reported — with the state death total as of Monday at
456. The state says 242 of the deaths were among residents in long-term care facilities. There were 377 people hospitalized with COCID-19 with 118 in the I-C-U. More than 93-hundred have recovered.

 

 

Nine Year Old Boy Dies After Being Hit While Riding Bicycle

(Russell, IA) — A nine-year-old boy has died of injuries he suffered when he was hit by a vehicle Saturday afternoon. The accident happened in Russell at about 4:00 p-m. The Iowa State Patrol says a 70-year-old man was driving in a residential area when he hit the victim on a bicycle. No names have
been released. The boy died before he could be taken to a hospital. Alcohol and excessive speed have been ruled out as factors in the fatal accident.

 

 

18 Year Old Dies Following Police Chase Ends In Fatal Accident

(Winterset, IA) — The Iowa State Patrol believes alcohol was a factor in a fatal accident in Madison County early Sunday. Investigators say 18-year-old Memphis Pickett of Winterset was killed when he crashed his pickup while trying to get away from a deputy. Pickett’s truck went out of control and hit a wire fence. Twenty-one-year-old passenger Quentin Siefkas was trapped
in the wreckage and had to be freed before he could be taken to a hospital for treatment.

 

 

Charges Against Man For Helping Runaway Escape

(Unionville, IA) — Unionville police say a 19-year-old man faces two felony charges for driving a runaway girl to Seymour, then picking up another runaway there. Jack Rogers is charged with first-degree endangering the welfare of a child and interference with custody. Investigators say Rogers and the 13-year-old girl had planned her getaway from a foster home. The girl was found by authorities last Wednesday as she walked along a street. She was returned to the foster home.

 

 

Documentary On Marion County Murder Case Airs On A&E Starting Tonight

(Undated) — The first part of a two-part documentary on a high-profile Marion County murder case will air tonight (Tuesday) on the A&E series “Accused: Guilty Or Innocent?” The documentary will follow the shooting death of Shirley Carter in her rural Marion County home June 19th, 2015. The case
went two years without any arrests and then Carter’s husband Bill Carter sued his son Jason in a civil trial. The jury found Jason Carter responsible for his mother’s death and he was ordered to pay 10 million dollars to her estate. First-degree murder charges were filed against Jason two days after the civil case verdict. He denied involvement in his mother’s death and was later found not guilty in the criminal trial. The first segment airs at 9:00
p-m.

 

 

Iowa DNR Studies Population Decline Of Wild Turkeys

(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is studying the population decline of wild turkeys. D-N-R wildlife research biologist Jim Coffey says they’re researching a disease known as L-D-P-V — which stands for Lymphoproliferative (lim PHO pro LIFFUR uh tiv) Disease. He says it is a relatively new disease to the wild turkey world and they are not sure what
the impact is or has been on wild turkeys. Coffey says hunters were asked to submit a lower leg bone from their birds to be tested. He says they want to know if the state has the disease and then where the disease is located so they can look at some historical bird surveys and population estimates to see if there is any kind of correlation.