Voters Can Now Request Absentee Ballots For November 3rd General Election
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Auditor’s Office is accepting absentee ballot request/application forms for the General Election that is being held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. These forms must contain an original signature; the Auditor cannot accept scanned, imaged, emailed or faxed forms. Forms may
be dropped off at the Plymouth County Auditor’s Office or mailed to 215 4th Ave. SE, Le Mars, IA 51031.
All registered voters in Iowa should receive a blank official absentee ballot request form in the mail from the State of Iowa by the beginning of September 2020. If voters choose to use this form to request an absentee ballot via the USPS mail, the forms need to be completed properly which includes the voter
providing their correct name, address, date of birth, driver’s license number (or a PIN number if a voter does not have a driver’s license), signature and date of the signature. It is imperative the absentee ballot request form be fully complete in order for the Auditor’s office to verify the information to
the voter’s registration records in the State of Iowa voter registration system which will avoid delays in processing the absentee ballot request application. The last day the Auditor can mail an absentee ballot to a voter for the General Election is Saturday, October 24th, 2020. Voters need to have
the absentee ballot request form to the Auditor on or before Saturday, October 24th, 2020 at 5 pm; or a ballot cannot be mailed to the voter after that deadline. Absentee ballots issued to a voter by mail need to be returned to the Auditor with a postmarked of Monday, November 2nd or prior in order to
count. Ballots can also be dropped off in-person to the Auditor’s Office only, up until 9 pm on election day.
Per the Code of Iowa, the first day a General Election ballot can be mailed from the Auditors’ office to those who request to vote via an absentee ballot, is Monday, October 5, 2020. In person absentee voting in the Courthouse/Auditor’s office will also begin on Monday, October 5, 2020 from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. The last day to vote an absentee ballot in person in the Plymouth County Auditor’s Office is Monday, November 2nd, 2020 at 5:00 pm.
All of the regular 13 voting locations will be open on Election Day in Plymouth County from 7:00 am to 9:00 pm. Voters can vote in their regular voting location on Election Day, but due to COVID-19, masks are recommended to be worn, but are not required. Social distancing will be required at the voting precinct locations.
County Board Of Supervisors Will Not Meet This Week
(Le Mars) — There will not be any Plymouth County Board of Supervisors meeting scheduled for this week.
Lt. Governor Gregg Visits Le Mars To View Apartment Complex Built Using State Tax Incentive Funds
(Le Mars) — Iowa’s Lt. Governor Adam Gregg made a brief stop in Le Mars on Friday afternoon. The Lt. Governor visited with Adam Brown regarding his apartment complex located on Horton Drive between Walmart and the Le Mars Municipal Airport. Brown had acquired a state incentive tax break when first constructing the apartment complex. Brown explains the purpose behind the
visit.
Brown says one of his tenants was kind enough to allow the Lt. Governor an opportunity to view one of the apartment units.
Brown explains how he was able to acquire the state-funded tax incentives that allowed him the financing to construct the apartment complex.
Brown says Lt. Governor Gregg was interested in knowing the economic impact the tax incentive program had on the immediate area.
The three apartment complexes hold 100 units, which Brown says are all full.
In addition to the apartment buildings near the airport, Brown also owns the Midtown Apartments, formerly the Abby long-term care facility, which has been converted to hold 26 units, and they too are full. Brown says he was impressed with meeting Lt. Governor Adam Gregg, saying he is a native of northwest Iowa, who is interested in seeing where the state’s money is going
back into the communities.
After 40 Years Of Being Closed, Sioux City’s Warrior Hotel To Again Open
(Sioux City) — Sioux City’s Warrior Hotel is open again for the first time in 40 years. The historic downtown building at 6th and Nebraska Streets hosted private events with guests staying at the newly refurbished hotel.
Developers Amrit Gill and his wife Amy had a specific goal in mind when they took on the challenge of remodeling the structure and the adjacent Davidson Building:
Amy Gill says the hotel’s look combines the old with the new:
When fully completed, the Warrior Hotel, including the
Davidson Building, will feature 148 guest rooms including 11 suites. The Davidson will also house 56 of the 148 hotel rooms on the second through fourth floors. Warrior Marketing Director Lila Plambeck says bowling is also back in the downtown with the hotels “War Eagle Lanes”
There’s also a lounge with games like darts, pool, and a Golden Tee for golfing enthusiasts. A spa, pool, and sauna will open later in the fall.
The Warrior will have a soft “reservations only” opening this Saturday, September 12th for both guest rooms and Woodbury’s American Steakhouse. The steakhouse will serve dinner only until further notice.
Iowa DNR Investigates Boating Accident That Injures 2
(Clayton County, IA) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is investigating a weekend boating accident that injured two people Saturday afternoon. Investigators think a passenger was ejected into the Mississippi River when the boat hit a large wake. That passenger and the boat operator
both suffered injuries. No names have been released, but both men are from Cassville, Wisconsin. D-N-R agents say they think the personal flotation device may have saved the life of the passenger thrown overboard because he was unconscious in the water.
Altoona Police Shoot Man To Death During Gunfire Exchange At Motel
(Altoona, IA) — Altoona Police report officers shot a 51-year-old Des Moines man to death during an exchange of gunfire at a motel Monday morning.
Officers were responding to a report of a suspicious person with a weapon a little after 8:30 a-m. They say Jeffrey Meyer had a gun in his hand when he was shot by Altoona Police Detective David Lowe and Polk County Deputy Jason Tart. Meyer died before he could be taken to a hospital. The incident was
caught on body cameras and dash cameras inside squad cars. The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is helping with the case.
One-Year-Old Council Bluffs Boy Burned In House Fire
(Iowa City, IA) — A one-year-old Council Bluffs boy is being treated at an Iowa City burn unit after being trapped inside a burning house last Friday.
Firefighters rescued Ezekiel Adkins and his three-year-old brother, Jameson.
The older boy was treated for smoke inhalation and minor burns, but his younger brother has burns covering 60 percent of his body. He’s being treated at the University of Iowa’s Children’s Hospital. The boy reportedly suffered lung damage and doctors are trying to restore the flow of blood to his legs.
Students March To Iowa Governor’s Mansion Protesting Suspension Of Sports
(Des Moines, IA) — Hundreds of students marched to the Iowa governor’s mansion Monday protesting the suspension of sports activities and the decision to start the school year online. The “Student March for Fairness”
was put together after the Iowa High School Activities Association announced last week that all in-person activities and sports would be suspended. The students from Des Moines Public Schools and the Ames Community School District say they want fairness and the ability to compete.
Secretary Of State Estimates 35-Thousand Felons Will Be Eligible To Vote
(Des Moines, IA) — Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate estimates around 35-thousand people who have served their time for felonies will be able to get their voting rights back under the governor’s executive order. Pate says the Department of Corrections has given his office a list of Iowans with felony
convictions who are covered and his office is cross-checking to make sure that they are still living here, are still alive. Pate says his office will give county auditors a current list of those who are now eligible before Election Day. He says they will also work with outreach groups to make sure they have the tools to communicate with the felons that they do now have the
right to vote.
