Plymouth County Secondary Roads Department To Close Roads For Repairs
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Secondary Roads Department will be closing Marble Avenue this morning (Thursday) beginning at Highway 3 and going north to 160th Street. The road is being closed in order for the railroad to perform repair work to the crossing. Repairs are expected to be finished by late Friday afternoon.
Tamarack Avenue To Close For Installation Of Box Culvert
(Le Mars) — County officials will also be closing Tamarack Avenue from county road C-44 going south to 260th Street. That stretch of roadway is being shut down in order for work crews to replace an old bridge with a box culvert. It is expected the work will be completed on Friday, November 13th.
City Work Crews To Make Repairs To 4th Street SW At Business Highway 75
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Street Department will be closing 4th Street S.W. on both sides of Business Highway 75 at that intersection starting on Thursday, October 15th around 9:30 a.m. City work crews will conduct some maintenance on the traffic control cabinet and should last about two hours. There will be no traffic lights at that intersection, so they will have it closed down for east and west bound traffic and only allowing north and south bound traffic to proceed through that intersection.
More Voters Are Turning To Absentee Ballots
(Le Mars) — Election day is just 19 days away, and whether it is for convenience sake, or due to the COVID-19 virus, there have been numerous requests for absentee ballots. Plymouth County Auditor Stacey Feldman says already, more than 5,200 absentee ballots have been requested in Plymouth County. Feldman says there are a few things to remember when wanting to request an absentee ballot.
Feldman says all absentee ballots need to be returned to the county auditor’s office by the conclusion of election day.
The Plymouth County auditor says when requesting an absentee ballot, it is important that all the information be completely filled, otherwise you will not receive an absentee ballot.
Feldman tells of the required information needed on the request form in order to receive an absentee ballot.
All 13 voting precincts within the county will be active during the general election, and the polls will be open on Election Day, November 3rd from 7:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.
Story Behind “Quilt of Honor” Presented To Senator Ernst
(Le Mars) — On Wednesday, we learned about the “Quilts of Valor” program, and how the local Wasmer Post #241 American Legion of Le Mars has been presenting decorative and patriotic colored quilts to living veterans. Last Saturday, a “Quilt of Valor” was presented to U-S Senator Joni Ernst. The Iowa Republican Senator was most appreciative of receiving the quilt saying it has great meaning.
The quilt that was created for Senator Ernst was created by a 15 year old 4-H member as part of a citizenship project. Ginny Freyermuth of Le Mars tells how her grand-daughter, Emma Brennen, decided to make the quilt for the U-S Senator.
With the assistance of State Representative Dr. Tom Jeneary and former state representative Ralph Klemme, they did some research and found out that Senator Ernst had not yet had a “Quilt of Valor” presented to her. Freyermuth says the quilt pattern for the Ernst quilt is one of her favorites, called “Standing strong.” In addition to presenting the quilt, Freyermuth’s granddaughter Emma, also presented a certificate to Senator Ernst that offers a brief commentary of the “Quilts of Valor” program.
As we heard earlier today, the American Legion intends to present eight additional quilts to area veterans during a program scheduled for Sunday, November 8th at the St. John’s Lutheran Church in Le Mars, beginning at 11:30 a.m. Those quilts are currently on display at many of the banks and financial institutions in Le Mars and Remsen.
Senator Ernst Questions Supreme Court Nominee Barrett About Judicial Philosophy
(Washington) — During the second day of questioning of the Supreme Court nominee, Amy Coney Barrett, several Democratic Senators have stated that Judge Barrett, is not a suitable replacement for the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg because her views are different and opposite of Ginsberg. Iowa Republican Senator Joni Ernst asked the judge for her comments on how a judge can and should be evaluated based on her own judicial philosophy.
The supreme court nominee continued to explain her answer saying there is room on the court for differing positions.
Barrett says two justices may begin with different philosophies, but at the end come together on a common ruling.
Ernst also praised Barrett for setting a good example for others to follow, and inquired about advice the judge would offer to the younger generation, and especially young women, who may want to pursue law as a career.
Trump Makes Campaign Stop In Des Moines
(Des Moines, IA) — President Donald Trump greeted what he called a “beautiful crowd” of thousands of cheering supporters at the Des Moines Airport for a campaign stop Wednesday. night. “There has never been a president that has done more for farmers and ranchers, for the Farm Belt, for Iowa,” Trump said. “There’s never been a president that’s even come close to what I have done and I will say that and I’ll say it loud and clear.” Trump touted federal disaster aid for farmers hit by 2019 flooding as well as the 28 billion dollars in trade disruption payments his administration has sent to farmers over the past two years. Polls show Democrat Joe Biden leading or tied with Trump in Iowa. Governor Kim Reynolds, who spoke about an hour before Air Force One landed, told the crowd momentum was on Trump’s side. “Don’t believe the polls. Don’t believe what the media is telling you,” Reynolds said.
Prosecutor Accused Of Threatening Woman With Deportation For Breaking Up With Him
(Des Moines, IA) — An Iowa prosecutor has pleaded not guilty to a charge of harassment. The Iowa Department of Criminal Investigation says 40-year-old Ryan McCord threatened a woman with deportation because she ended their engagement. McCord was an assistant Des Moines County attorney in Burlington at the time. The woman says he harassed her for months after their relationship ended. Investigators say he falsely told the woman, who is a doctor from Iran, that he had a pending domestic violence charge against her. He told her he would follow through if they didn’t get back together and a felony conviction could result in her being deported. The victim works at Great River Medical Center in Burlington.
Altoona Man Arrested For Threatening To Bring Shotgun To Iowa Workforce Development Office
(Altoona, IA) — A 29-year-old Altoona man has been taken into custody for threatening to bring a loaded shotgun to an Iowa Workforce Development office. Matthew Goodrich was arrested Monday and charged with two counts of harassment and making a threat of terrorism. He has a hearing set for October 23rd. Police were told he was upset about failing to receive his unemployment check. In addition to the gun threat, a worker in the state office says Goodrich said it should be blown up by a pipe bomb.
NCAA Basketball Coming Back To Des Moines
(Des Moines, IA) — March Madness is coming back to Des Moines as Wells Fargo Arena will host the first and second rounds of the men’s N-C-A-A Basketball Championships in 2023. Greg Edwards with the Des Moines Convention and Visitors Bureau got emotional as he talked about how the COVID-19 pandemic has devastated the travel industry, the event industry, and the sports industry in the past eight months. Edwards says they finally have something to cheer about. Wells Fargo Arena last hosted the first and second rounds in 2016 and 2019. It’s estimated the tournaments brought four-point-six million dollars in direct spending to Des Moines in those two years.
