Home News KLEM News AM Update May 21, 2010

KLEM News AM Update May 21, 2010

(LE MARS)– A one-thousand dollar scholarship given in honor of the former owners of KLEM radio was awarded last night during Le Mars Community High School’s 2010 Senior Awards Program.

The Paul and Patty Olson Memorial Scholarship was presented by KLEM Operations Director Dave Ruden.

Listen here

{audio}images/stories/mp3/scholarship052110.MP3{/audio}

The student who received the Olson’s scholarship, Kaitlen Lassen, is the daughter of Gaylen and Bonnie Lassen of rural Le Mars.

The Olson’s daughter, Kim Christianson of Marshall, Minnesota worked with the Foundation
Scholarship Committee to reinstate the scholarship award.

(ORANGE CITY)—It’s a list no one wants to be on.

Sioux County is 16th out of 99 counties in Iowa for traffic deaths.

The sheriff’s office and Iowa State Patrol Thursday announced an aggressive effort to put the brakes on the deadly travel trend.

Lt. Darin Fratzke of the Iowa State Patrol explains the goal is to have a positive impact on the traffic trends.

Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/partner052110.MP3{/audio}

Because safety belts were NOT used in crashes where five of the seven traffic deaths occurred last year, Fratzke sees that as one area of emphasis for law officers.

Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/target052110.MP3{/audio}

Sheriff’s office Chief deputy Jason Bergsma says the increased deaths and crashes are more than numbers.

Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/personal052110.MP3{/audio}

Bergsma says the growth of the county brings more traffic.

Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/growth052110.MP3{/audio}

Four traffic enforcement saturation efforts will be made between May 28th and September sixth. These saturations on Highway 75, 18, and 10 are planned just as traffic volume increases for vacation and holiday travel. In July, a drug and alcohol interdiction effort will be made at a location and time that is not being disclosed to travelers.

(LE MARS)–Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/museum052110.MP3{/audio}

Rudy Adler of Le Mars, one of two living charter members of the Plymouth County Historical Museum, convened the 46th annual meeting last night. The other charter member, Glada Koerselman, gave table grace.

2010 marks the 10th anniversary of the museum’s move to the former “Old Central” school.

Retired Chicago area college botany professor Bill Zales of rural Westfield is living in and working to preserve western Iowa’s prairie. Zales spoke at the annual meeting about preserving prairie. He compares the history preserved in the building of the museum to what Plymouth County could be for 20-thousand acres of prairie.

Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/prairie052110.MP3{/audio}

Zales lives on 300 acres of prairie which he has protected from future development or farming with a conservation easement. He says the Nature Conservancy is one resource for prairie preservationists. He’s also volunteering to help those interested in preserving the county’s prairie areas.

(SIOUX CITY)–Sioux City’s MARDI GRAS FESTIVALE is moving to a new downtown location.

The annual Krewe De Charlie Sioux Mardi Gras will be staged at the Orpheum Theatre July 1st.

The theme for the festivities is “Party like a Rock Star.” Thousands of Mardi Gras beads will be tossed to the crowd. The event features a Cajun buffet beginning at 5:30 p-m with food served under a large tent on Pierce Street. Doors to the Orpheum Theatre open at 6 p-m with the Gala Performance at 7:30 p-m. The parade is July 2nd.

Lavish costumes constructed for the Krewe de Charlie Sioux by Krewe members from Sioux City’s sister city, Lake Charles, Louisiana will be featured.

Food and reserved-seat show tickets will be available beginning Saturday through the Tyson Events Center box office and through Ticketmaster.

(UNDATED)–A Democratic candidate for Congress campaigns in northwest Iowa this weekend.

Matt Campbell takes what his campaign calls his “For A Strong America” tour to appearances in four northwest Iowa counties Sunday.

Campbell, a Manning native seeking the seat held by Congressman Steve King, a Republican, will be at the Rock Rapids Pizza Ranch at lunch time Sunday. He’ll canvass in Sibley from 1:30 to 2:30 Sunday Afternoon.

Campbell campaigns by canvassing in Primghar from 3-5 Sunday afternoon and in Cherokee from 6-8 Sunday night.

WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) A state criminalist says DNA from a teenager accused of killing his 3-year-old cousin was found on the cover of a couch where authorities say he molested the girl.

Michael Schmit from the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation testified Thursday during the trial of 15-year-old Edgar Concepcion Jr.

Concepcion is charged as an adult with first-degree murder, first-degree sexual abuse and other charges in the July 10 death of Krystel Banes. If convicted of murder, he could face life in prison without parole.

Earlier Thursday, jurors saw autopsy photos that showed bruises on Krystel’s face, neck, chest, abdomen and genital area.

Associate state medical examiner Dr. Jonathan Thompson testified that she died of asphyxiation and he ruled the death a homicide.

EAGLE GROVE, Iowa (AP) Officials with the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation confirm that they are assisting in a death investigation in Wright County.

Wright County authorities say a man was found dead Thursday morning on private property four miles northwest of Eagle Grove. They say a preliminary investigation indicates foul play may be involved.

Wright County Sheriff Paul Schultz says the body was discovered by farmers who were spraying crops.

Schultz says the dead man was from Wright County but has not identified him by name.

JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) The three candidates seeking the Republican nomination for governor tangled over taxes and spending in their final debate.

Businessman Bob Vander Plaats tried to put Terry Branstad, who served as governor for 16 years, on the defensive for much of Thursday’s debate. Vander Plaats noted Branstad approved increases in the sales and gasoline taxes.

Branstad responded that he actually reduced overall taxes.

After one heated exchange the third candidate, state Rep. Rod Roberts, challenged his opponents to refrain from arguing.

In one area of agreement, all candidates supported a requirement that a woman see a sonogram image of her fetus before getting an abortion.

The winner of the June 8 primary will face Democratic Gov. Chet Culver.

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) Progressive Tool Co., a 60-year fixture in Waterloo, is closing.

Company officials released a statement announcing that after a “review of various strategic business alternatives,” Progressive Tool will close the Waterloo location and wind down all associated operations no later than June 30.

Progressive president Carl Meyer, who is a son of the founder of the company, declined to comment further on the closing. In recent years Progressive employed 60.

According to the announcement, Meyer and several other Progressive Tool workers will be joining the Tooling, Dies Systems division of Doerfer Companies TDS Automation Inc. in Waverly, which currently employs about 120 people.

Doerfer has more than 500 employees in Iowa, Illinois, Tennessee and South Carolina plants.

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) A survey of rural bankers in 10 Midwest and Plains states shows signs of a rebounding economy.

The overall index for the Rural Mainstreet economic report released Thursday jumped to 54.3 in May from 44.2 the previous month. The May 2009 index was 36.2.

The index ranges between 0 and 100. A score below 50 suggests the economy will contract in the next few months; above 50 indicates the economy will expand.

Survey organizers say the index had been below 50 for 26 consecutive months.

Bankers from Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wyoming are surveyed.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

Submit your news release, confidential news tip or news idea by email klemnews@lemarscomm.net, by calling 712.546.4121 or 712.546.9672 fax.