(LE MARS)–A groundbreaking ceremony for a new addition and renovation of the Good Samaritan Society-Le Mars Brentwood Center is planned next month.
The project has been awarded to general contractor Wiltgen Brothers Construction of Le Mars. Work began last week and is expected to be finished in 2011.
The goal of the addition and renovation is to offer a “neighborhood-like” look and feel of the current Brentwood Center.
The project will make it possible to offer 24 more private resident rooms. The “neighborhood concept” will transition the building layout to offer separate dining and living room space in each hallway or “neighborhood,” along with different community spaces such as chapel, community room, library, and beauty-barber shop.
According to written information released by Good Samaritan, the idea for a more home-like living has been in the planning stages for many years to transform the Brentwood Center into what is called “a Christian Community of Care.”
The first phase will include building on an addition of two new wings on the east and west sides of the building. The next phase is renovation of hallways to construct the neighborhood feel as well as update decor for a consistent look in the entire building. The final phase will include a new chapel and community-activities areas.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) The president of a northwest Iowa ready-mix concrete company has pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy to fix prices and rig bids.
The U.S. Department of Justice says Kent Stewart entered the plea Monday in federal court in Sioux City. Justice Department information indicates Stewart was president of Great Lakes Concrete.
According to a one-count felony charge filed earlier this month, Stewart conspired to fix prices and rig bids for ready-mix concrete sold to various companies in Iowa from approximately January 2008 to August of last year.
Stewart reportedly discussed project bids for sales, submitted rigged bids at collusive and noncompetitive prices and accepted payment at collusive and noncompetitive prices.
Stewart was charged with violating the Sherman Antitrust Act, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $1 million per count.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(LE MARS)– A development agreement between John Deere sales and service business ICON Ag and Plymouth County is one of many agenda items today for the regular meeting of the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors. The agenda item is listed for discussion and possible action.
Also on the agenda, contract approval with Plymouth County and Jackson Recovery; consideration of a possible escrow agreement for General Obligation (G.O.) Local Option Sales Tax refunding bonds; and discussion of the courthouse window replacement contracts with H & H Construction and Lamperts.
The board is also expected to declare surplus property items for public sale. The Board of Supervisors meets Tuesday morning at 9:30 in the lower level of the Courthouse. (News report by Dave Ruden)
Plymouth County Board of Supervisors meeting agenda Tuesday, May 25, 2010
9:30 AMJim Henrich, Plymouth County Board Chairman
1.Call meeting to order
2.Approve this agenda (Action)
3.Approval of prior Board meeting minutes (Action)
4.Approval of claims and payroll (Signatures)
5. Committee Reports (Discussion)
6. Old Business
A. Review and approve contract with Plymouth County and Jackson Recovery Center
(Discussion and possible Action)
B. Discuss a development agreement between ICON and Plymouth County (Discussion
and possible Action)
C. Discuss the courthouse window replacement contracts and H & H Construction and
Lamperts (Discussion)
7. New Business
A. Board to consider approval of escrow agreement for General Obligation Local Option
Sales Tax refunding bonds (Action)
B. Board to approve resolution authorizing debt service levy (Action)
C. Board to approve resolution a loan agreement for debt service (Action)
D. Board to approve delinquent tax abatement (Action)
E. Board to declare items surplus property for sale (Action)
F. Open and review mail/correspondence (Discussion)
G. Open public forum (Informational)
10:15 AMAndrea Westergard, Plymouth County Economic Development Director and Sherry McGill, ISU
Extension Director – Economic Development Update (Discussion)
10:45 AMTom Rohe, Plymouth County Engineer
(Action Items)
1.Tile Permits-Lundell Construction.- Sec 5/8 Lincoln Twp on C-60, Sec 6 Preston Twp on County Line.
Questions/Discussion of the Secondary Road Department
(Informational Items)
Update on construction projects
12:00 PMPlains Area Mental Health Luncheon
(LE MARS)–Voters in Plymouth County will have a Saturday
option to register to vote or cast an absentee ballot.
According to auditor Stacey Feldman, the auditor’s office at the courthouse in Le Mars will be open Saturday from 8 a-m until 5 p-m.
The additional day of service is being offered to register voters and for absentee ballots for the June 8th primary election.
Voters are asked to use the north lower level entrance at the courthouse.
Anyone with questions may contact the auditor’s office.
(ORANGE CITY)–A horticulture educator is beginning her work in northwest Iowa.
Iowa State University Extension is offering the horticulture educator position through Melissa O’Rourke of rural Rock Valley .
O’Rourke will serve Lyon, Sioux and O’Brien Counties. One of her roles will be to facilitate Master Gardener classes in the three counties. She’ll also provide leadership for volunteer and continuing education opportunities for those who have completed Master Gardener training.
Regional extension education director Cheryl Heronemus says O’Rourke has been an avid Master Gardener in Sioux County. She’ll answer consumer questions about gardens and landscapes as well as work with service and garden clubs for program requests.
(Pocahontas)–The University of Iowa’s Institute of Public Affairs is leading a pilot project to help a handful of small communities in the state boost their local economies by working more closely with nonprofit organizations. Institute director Jeff Schott says the cities chosen for the project include Pocahontas.
“The ultimate goal is working with them to develop long-range economic development or economic recovery strategies specifically for their communities,” Schott said. The training and technical assistance will be provided at no cost to the local governments and nonprofits. Only cities with populations under five-thousand (5,000) were allowed to apply. Schott says small town governments in Iowa are facing dwindling resources, so working more closely with nonprofits makes sense.
“They may have some experience working together, but there may be new ways they can collaborate to try and achieve common goals,” Schott said. Preliminary work in each of the communities will begin this summer, but more intense training sessions are planned in September. Schott is hoping results from the pilot projects will eventually help other nonprofit organizations and local governments in Iowa.
“We want to try and put together some best practices so there would be information and materials we can provide both local governments and nonprofits as to how to improve collaboration and work together to meet the goals of the community,” Schott said. The program is funded by a 250-thousand dollar ($250,000) federal grant. (News report by Radio Iowa)
(LE MARS)–Plymouth County jurors do not need to report for jury duty Tuesday, May 25th. This concludes the May jurors service. The clerk of court thanks the jurors for their service
YANKTON, S.D. (AP) South Dakota officials say they’re on alert for the tree-killing emerald ash borer.
Earlier this month, the destructive insect was found in an ash tree in northeastern Iowa.
Game Fish and Parks spokesman Shane Bertsch says it’s only a matter of time before the insect reaches South Dakota.
Extension forester John Ball says it’s too early to begin control measures. He says the pesticides used for controlling the insect are expensive and can hurt trees and increase the populations of other insects.
(COPYRIGHT 2010 BY ASSOCIATED PRESS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED)
(ORANGE CITY)–Two people are accused of identity theft in separate investigations by the Sioux County sheriff’s office.
19-year-old Enrique Chilel-Sebastian of Hull was arrested Thursday on charges of forgery, identity theft, failing to have a driver’s license and insurance.
According to written information released by the sheriff’s office, the arrest of Chilel-Sebastian was the result of a traffic stop two miles west of Boyden.
Also Thursday, 43-year-old Jose Sebastian-Bartolon of Worthington, Minnesota was charged with felony forgery and identity theft.
Sebatian-Bartolon was involved in a traffic accident near Sioux Center on May 12th.
The sheriff’s office information states Sebastian-Bartolon was using a name and social security number that were not his to get a job at Center Fresh Egg in SIoux Center.
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) A jury has found 19-year-old Jerel Wright of Dubuque guilty of voluntary manslaughter in the fatal stabbing of 24-year-old Jemaris West.
In its verdict Monday, the jury also found Wright guilty of attempted murder in an attack on 24-year-old Derrick Tyle.
Both victims in the street brawl attack last Labor Day were from Dubuque.
Wright’s older brother, 20-year-old Joseph Wright of Chicago, was sentenced to seven years in prison in December. Joseph Wright had pleaded guilty to assault while participating in a felony and assault while displaying a dangerous weapon.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) A former plant supervisor at the Agriprocessors kosher slaughterhouse in Postville has testified that when child labor inspectors toured the facility, he hid two workers he suspected of being underage.
Testifying Monday in the trial of former plant manager Sholom Rubashkin, supervisor Brian Griffith said he was ordered to hide the workers by his superior. Griffith was the last prosecution witness of the day, and prosecutors said they expected to call their last witnesses Tuesday.
Earlier Monday, former plant worker Gerardo Solovi Perez said he injured his hand on a conveyor belt when he was only 17.
Rubashkin faces 83 state counts of child labor violations.
Meanwhile Monday, a federal judge in Cedar Rapids delayed Rubashkin’s sentencing on federal charges until June 22. Rubashkin was convicted of fraud involving loans Agriprocessors received.
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) Nine people charged with illegally accessing President Barack Obama’s student loan records while employed for a Department of Education contractor in Iowa have pleaded not guilty in federal court.
The former employees of Vangent Inc. are accused of gaining access to a computer at the contractor’s office in Coralville, and accessing Obama’s records while he was either a candidate for president, president-elect or president.
They pleaded not guilty Monday in U.S. District Court in Davenport to charges of exceeding authorized computer access. Trial was scheduled for July 6.
All were released after entering their pleas.
The charge is punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of up to $100,000. CONCRETE PLEA
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) Police in Cedar Rapids say they have arrested a kidnapping suspect as he was discharged from the hospital where he had been under treatment for a week.
Officers say 54-year-old Keith Van Elson was arrested Monday as he was being released from St. Luke’s Hospital. Van Elson has been charged with kidnapping in the knifepoint abduction of 19-year-old Kwik Shop clerk Amanda Daniel early on the morning of May 17.
About seven hours after the abduction, officers went to Elson’s apartment about six blocks away and found blood on the door. Inside, they found Elson with a stab wound to the chest and Daniel in the bathroom.
Police said Daniel suffered cuts and bruises.
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Police in West Des Moines say they are hunting for thieves who reportedly took more than $60,000 worth of watches from a jewelry store at the West Valley Mall.
Police say at least three people went on a theft spree at Joseph’s Jewelers, taking some of the most expensive watches the shop had to offer.
West Des Moines Police Lt. Jeff Miller says one person distracted a clerk while two others cut the caulking on a jewelry case and grabbed three Rolex watches.
Police say one of the watches was worth $35,000, another was worth $16,000 and the third was priced at $10,000.
URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) Police say metal band Slipknot bassist Paul Gray has been found dead in an Iowa hotel room.
Police say a hotel employee found the 38-year-old Gray dead Monday in a room at the Town Plaza Hotel in Urbandale, a suburb of Des Moines. Foul play isn’t suspected. An autopsy is planned for Tuesday.
A person who answered the phone at the band’s record company, Roadrunner Records, declined comment. Most of the band’s members grew up in the Des Moines area.
Slipknot’s self-titled debut in 1999 sold more than a million copies.
Known for its grotesque masks, the band won a Grammy in 2006 for best metal performance for the song “Before I Forget.” Concert industry trade publication Pollstar ranked Slipknot 18th in its Top 20 Concert Tours list in 2009.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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