(LE MARS)–A detour begins in downtown Le Mars today (July 19).
Union Pacific Railroad will replace the crossing on Plymouth Street/Highway 3, just east of downtown Le Mars.
Traffic is being detoured onto First Street. City officials last week said parking is limited to one side of the street in some parts of the detour route to allow adequate turning for larger vehicles.
The crossing replacement is expected to be completed Friday (July 23).
‘Ridiculous’ values are summer tradition in Le Mars
(Le Mars) According to Merriam-Webster, the word “ridiculous” is Latin for laughable. For business owners in Le Mars, Ridiculous Days is a fun promotion, but it’s no laughing matter. John MacGregor, owner of The Education Station, says it’s a time when he gets to connect with patrons not only from Le Mars but from surrounding towns as well.,
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Terry Claussen, from Claussen’s on the Corner, says the promotion is good for business.
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Marie Friederichs of Happy Hang-ups, now part of Joba’s downtown, said that back in the 70’s she remembers the streets being packed and full of energy during Ridiculous Days. People would be up early shopping before it got hot out and stayed late into the day.
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Today, Ridiculous Days doesn’t have quite the same feel. MacGregor says changes to the promotion have are inevitable because of the way people shop and the fact that there’s less retail in the downtown business environment.
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No matter the changes, Ridiculous Days has a lot to offer. The event kicks off Wednesday (July 21st) with stores opening at varying times. There will be discounts and special pricing everywhere you look. Also beginning at 5:30pm on Wednesday there will be food for sale, a fFamers Mrket and live music by “C-2-C” and “Gratefully Saved” at the Olsen Cultural Event Center. Ridiculous Days continues through Saturday the 24th, with an Area Rummage Sale at the Olsen Center from 8am till noon.(News report by Angela Drake of KLEM News)
School Board gets update on facilities
(LE MARS)–Business officers will be appointed for the Le Mars Community Board of Education at 7:30 tonight (Monday, July 19, 2010).
During the annual meeting, the board is slated to appoint a secretary, treasurer, and legal counsel and name banks that will hold district funds.
Superintendent Dr. Todd Wendt will present an update on the 10-year facility management plan and make recommendations for the future.
Legislative priorities are to be discussed. A report will also be given on student achievement based on testing in the school year that ended in May.
The public meeting is at the Education Service Center.
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
You are hereby notified that the Board of Education of the LeMars Community School District will meet on July 19, 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. Annual Meeting (Appoint Secretary; Appoint Treasurer; Appoint Legal
Counsel; Resolution Naming Bank Depositories)
3. Approval of Minutes (June 28, 2010 – Regular Meeting)
4. Consent Grouping (Claims and Accounts; Superintendent’s Office Fund; Lunch Fund; Elementary, Middle School & High School Activity Accounts)
5. Reports and Information (Unscheduled Audience; IASB Fiscal Management Conference; 2009-10 Student Achievement Data; Facility Management Plan)
6. Action Items (Resignations; Contracts; IASB Legislative Priorities; Legislative Action Network Member; 500 Series Board Policy Review; Open Enrollment)
7. Other Business
8. Unfinished Business
9. Adjournment
NEXT REGULAR MEETING AUGUST 9, 2010, 7:30 PM
Le Mars Community School District
940 Lincoln St. SW
LeMars, Iowa 51031
(712) 546-4155
BY: Lisa Boehm, Secretary, Board of Education
Damaging winds strike Lakes region Saturday night
(SIOUX FALLS)–Cleanup continues in the Iowa Great Lakes after winds up to 100 miles an hour were reported Saturday night.
The National Weather Service storm survey of damage indicates the greatest amount of damage occurred along a line from Montgomery to Triboji and finally to West Okoboji.
Sustained winds of 50 to 60 miles an hour from 10:15 to 11:30 Saturday night included some gusts to 80 to 100 miles an hour. Residents told weather service staff the strong winds lasted up to 20 minutes.
The Weather Service reports most of the damage involved trees and boats, but a few farm out buildings and storage sheds were severely damaged or destroyed.
Numerous residents reported hearing the severe weather warnings for the Dickinson County area and said they went to shelter before the storm struck. Law Enforcement has not received any reports of anyone being injured or killed by the storm.
Draft of Trail Plan to be presented August 5 in Sioux City
(SIOUX CITY)–A draft of a plan for the Lewis and Clark Multiuse Trail will be presented in Sioux City next month.
The Iowa Department of Transportation and a consultant are hosting meetings in three communities the week of August third to present the report based on 20 public workshops last year.
The Lewis and Clark Multiuse Trail is one of five trails of statewide significance identified by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
The trail is to extend from the Missouri border north to the South Dakota border at Sioux City.
The public meeting to present the draft plan is at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Sioux City August 5th from 5:30-7:30.
Business forum resources presented August 11 in Sioux City
(DES MOINES)–A regional business resource forum is planned in northwest Iowa next month.
Federal and state agencies partnering to help businesses in Iowa create jobs will provide information.
The forum is at Western Iowa Tech Community College August 11th from 9:30-11:30 a.m.
Forum topics for the Sioux City meeting include business resources, access to capital and the opportunity for agriculture and local food networks in the state.
Among those encouraged to attend are lenders, community and economic development leaders. Registration may be completed through the Small Business Administration Iowa website www.sba.gov/ia/desmo and select the Spotlight section.
In anti-incumbent year, Grassley looks strong
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) If there’s an anti-incumbent mood in the nation, someone forgot to tell Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley.
First elected to public office 52 years ago and sent to Washington in 1976, the Republican remains a favorite for winning his sixth Senate term despite strong competition from Democrat Roxanne Conlin.
Republican incumbents elsewhere have struggled, but Grassley didn’t face opposition in the GOP primary and polls indicate he’s maintaining a lead over Conlin, a Des Moines lawyer.
Drake University political science professor Dennis Goldford says people who expected Grassley to be weakened by an anti-incumbent mood were forgetting that because Democrats are in charge in Washington, they’re the ones who will be the focus of voter anger.
Storms knock out power to thousands in Iowa, Ill.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) More than 14,000 MidAmerican Energy customers in Iowa and western Illinois are without power after a powerful band of storms swept across the area.
Winds gusting at up to 72 mph early Sunday downed power trees and power lines.
The city of Des Moines was hardest hit with more than 9,000 outages Sunday afternoon. West Des Moines and Urbandale had more than 1,000 customers affected.
Several hundred customers were also in the dark in the Quad Cities area of Illinois.
A MidAmerican Energy spokesman says all power could be restored by Monday.
Fire guts Hiawatha apartment building, no injuries
HIAWATHA, Iowa (AP) Fire has gutted a four-unit apartment building in Hiawatha, but all seven people inside escaped injury.
Crews were called to the two-floor building just after 3:30 a.m. Sunday.
Hiawatha Fire Chief Mike Nesslage says the fire was “pretty extensive” when crews arrived and that flames were shooting out of both the ground floor apartment and the roof.
The blaze burned through the building’s exterior and exposed the apartments’ contents.
Nesslage says the Red Cross will assist the people affected by the fire.
The cause of the blaze remains under investigation.
Man dies near Balltown after trailer hits car
BALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) Authorities say a man has died in eastern Iowa after a trailer apparently detached from a truck and hit his car.
The Dubuque County Sheriff’s Department says the crash happened Saturday afternoon, about a mile south of Balltown. A trailer separated from a northbound truck and hit the southbound car.
The car’s driver was taken to Mercy Medical Center in Dubuque, where he died. A passenger in the car and the truck driver were not injured.
The sheriff’s department didn’t release names of those involved until their relatives could be notified.
(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.
