(CHEROKEE)–A flood warning is in effect for the Little Sioux River in Cherokee County until six tonight.
A new record for the Little Sioux River at Cherokee was set Sunday.
The National Weather Service reports heavy rain from four to eight inches fell in most of Cherokee County Saturday evening and overnight. The stage on the Little Sioux reached 27.3 feet at six Sunday night.
This passed the record of 27.2 feet set on April 7, 1965. That record was from a snow melt flood. The last time heavy rainfall resulted in a record high flood stage was July 18, 1993 when the river reached 27 point 08 feet
The National Weather Service expects the runoff from the weekend’s excessive rainfall to cause flooding in Aurelia, Cherokee, Cleghorn, Larrabee, Marcus, Quimby and Washta.
Roads that remain flooded include Highway 59 south of Cherokee, the Highway 3 Bypass and Highway 977 east of Cherokee.
(LE MARS)–City of Le Mars streets are getting a fresh coat of paint for pavement markings. Slash marks and dots on the roadway surface are signs of painting plans that are proceeded by the street sweeper for a clean surface.
City administrator Scott Langel says an experiment with more expensive paint designed to last longer wasn’t a success.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/paint1062810.mp3{/audio}
According to Langel, the maintenance work by Public Works Department staff may be done oftener.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/paint2062810.mp3{/audio}
Langel says a long winter with a lot of salt and freeze-thaw cycles plays havoc with pavement markings.
(LE MARS)–Plans for a new Le Mars Community School District Preschool Program move forward with a hiring recommendation to the Board of Education tonight.
The school district plans to offer a regular education preschool program for four-year-olds at Clark Elementary School beginning September 2nd. The district will receive state funds for the program.
Applications are being accepted until July 16 with two half-day programs. Ten slots are available in the morning and 10 slots are available in the afternoon.
A recommendation to hire Ashley Swenson as the preschool teacher will be considered by the school board during a public meeting tonight at 7:30 at the Education Service Center.
The board considers membership in the Iowa Association of School Boards for the coming school year, adopting a textbook for math and the final draft of the Iowa Core curriculum Implementation plan.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
You are hereby notified that the Board of Education of the LeMars Community School District will meet on June 28, 2010, 7:30 p.m. in the Education Service Center, 940 Lincoln St. SW, LeMars, Iowa. Agenda is as follows:
1. Call to Order
2. Approval of Minutes (June 14, 2010 – Regular Meeting)
3. Consent Grouping (Claims and Accounts)
4. Reports and Information (Unscheduled Audience; Algebra I Textbook Adoption Report; Principal’s Annual Report; IASB District Meeting; Better Boardsmanship Update; IASB Fiscal Management Conference)
5. Action Items (Resignations; Contracts; Textbook Adoption; ICC Implementation Plan; WITCC Joint Computer Lab Agreement; Head Start Transportation Agreement; Flexible Benefits Adoption Agreement; 2010-11 IASB Membership)
6. Other Business
7. Unfinished Business
8. Adjournment
NEXT REGULAR MEETING JULY 19, 2010, 7:30 PM
LeMars Community School District
940 Lincoln St. SW
LeMars, Iowa 51031
(712) 546-4155
BY: Lisa Boehm, Secretary, Board of Education
(CLAY COUNTY)–An advisory recommending water boiling is in place for a small portion of Clay and Buena Vista Counties.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources issued the boil advisory for the Royal East section of the Iowa Lakes Regional Water (ILRW) system in southern Clay and northern Buena Vista Counties.
The advisory is due to a flood-related water main break.
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa (AP) The Dickinson County Sheriff’s office says rescuers have resumed a search for a Carroll man in West Lake Okoboji.
Authorities say 30-year-old Chad Lenz of Carroll apparently jumped into the water from a boat Sunday afternoon to retrieve a piece of clothing that blew into the lake. The department says Lenz wasn’t wearing a life jacket. His wife and two children were in the boat.
The search operations resumed at six this morning.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
(DES MOINES)–The Iowa Departments of Public Safety and Natural Resources are teaming up to address concerns with excessive partying at an Iowa Great Lakes beach.
Iowa DNR State Parks Bureau Chief Kevin Szcodronski says up to 5,000 young adults are expected at the Gull Point State Park beach over the July 4th weekend. This year, the DNR will have more park rangers combing the beach for underage drinkers and those that are drinking too much.
“Last year, we had a couple instances where we really had a hard time getting an ambulance down there and there was some alcohol poisoning and some people passed out,” Szcodronski said. “That’s not any good if we can’t provide them that assistance.” In recent years, the Gull Point State Park beach has become a popular party spot on the holiday weekend because towns around the Iowa Great Lakes have banned alcohol from the city park beaches. The Gull Point beach is only about the size of half a football field, but college age students by the thousands pack the area.
“Tradition has shown us the last few years, there will be overdrinking, there will rowdiness and there will be some people, unfortunately, who will need some help from a medical standpoint,” Szcodronski said. In addition to the increased beach patrol, the DNR will add officers on the lakes looking for drunk boaters and state troopers will be conducting stops on the roads leading out of the Iowa Great Lakes. Szcodronski insists the additional enforcement is all about safety.
“So far we haven’t had any fatalities, drownings or whatnot…we had a few people passing out…but we need to prevent that,” Szcodronski said. “Unfortunately, some people need help to make the right decisions and that’s what we’re going to do.” The two agencies will hold a press conference at Gull Point at 10:30 this morning to provide more details on the holiday project. The DNR initially asked for an emergency ban on alcohol at the northwest Iowa beach, but the Natural Resources Commission rejected the idea. DNR officials have proposed an alcohol ban for the beach starting next year on the Fourth of July weekend. (News report from RADIO IOWA)
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Meteorologists with the National Weather Service in Des Moines say several rivers in Iowa are flooding or reaching flood stages.
Meteorologist Jeff Johnson said Sunday that “too many rounds of heavy rainfall” have led to the flooding. The weather service has issued flood warnings for several counties across Iowa, including central and northeastern Iowa.
The weather service has reported major flooding on the Des Moines River near Fort Dodge and Stratford and on the Boone River near Webster City. Moderate flooding has been reported on the Cedar, Iowa and Raccoon rivers.
Johnson says the forecast does call for dry weather for the next several days.
INDIANOLA, Iowa (AP) Police in central Iowa say a 16-year-old boy has been shot to death in Indianola.
Indianola police on Sunday identified the teen as James David Doyle and said he was a student at Indianola High School. Police say they responded to an emergency call early Sunday reporting a gunshot victim when they discovered the shot teen.
Warren County medical examiner T.J. Utterback pronounced the teen dead at the scene. Police say they have charged a juvenile with first-degree murder in the shooting death. They say the juvenile is in custody.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation assisted Indianola police. Authorities say the shooting death remains under investigation.
Listen to the newscast
{audio}images/stories/mp3/am062810.mp3{/audio}
VENTURA, Iowa (AP) Police in north-central Iowa say a 16-year-old boy has been badly hurt after becoming trapped under a large pontoon boat.
Police in Clear Lake says the boy was hurt Saturday when the boat was landed in Ventura. They say rescuers from the Ventura Fire Department had to use special equipment to save the boy.
Authorities did not immediately identity the injured boy but he is listed in critical condition at Mercy Medical Center North Iowa.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) Parking rates could be going up in Waterloo.
The Waterloo City Council is set to consider parking rate at its meeting on Monday.
Under proposed changes, parking ramp rates would more than double, increasing from 35 cents for the first hour and 20 cents for each additional hour to $1 for the first hour and 50 cents for each additional hour.
The city also is to consider a $2 special event fee for ramp parking.
Parking meter rates would increase from 20 cents to 50 cents an hour for two and four-hour meters. Waterloo’s 10-hour parking meters would cost 25 cents an hour instead of 10 cents.
Meter rates were last increased in Waterloo during the 1990s and ramp rates in 1985.
City Clerk Suzy Schares says the increases are needed for maintenance and “quality and adequate” parking.
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) A fundraising group has put together enough money for a new exhibit at the Union Pacific Railroad Museum in Council Bluffs.
Museum executive director Beth Lindquist says the Friends of the Union Pacific Railroad Museum raised more than $50,000 for the “America Travels by Rail” exhibit. They exceeded the goal of $40,000. The exhibit is to be on display on the south side of the top floor of the museum.
Lindquist says the Chicago company Proto Productions is making the exhibit walls and panels. She says installation should begin July 7 and a grand opening is planned for August.
HUMBOLDT, Iowa (AP) An Iowa city will try to grill the world’s largest pork burger during its Fourth of July celebration.
Organizers of the event in Humboldt say they’re aiming for the pork burger to weigh 240 pounds, be 40 inches in diameter and 10 inches thick. A special 42-inch bun will be baked, and a special grill will be used to cook the burger.
The burger will take about 12 hours to fully cook. Grilling is set to begin July 3.
When it’s done, the burger will be cut up and shared with those at the Independence Day celebration.
The Downtown Humboldt Enrichment Group is organizing the event and hopes the burger is worthy of the Guinness Book of World Records.
Harold Trask of the Iowa Pork Producers Association says “we hope this one does the job.”
(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.
