(LE MARS)-Hundreds of boxes bear fruit for the ministries of a Siouxland group.
Roxanne Rahn is the City Life director for the Siouxland Youth For Christ teen center in Le Mars. From September through April, Rahn says services include a tutoring program. A mentoring program is an example of a year round effort.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/august2010/peach1081310.MP3{/audio}
Youth in sixth through 12th grade, ages 11-19 are invited to “The Asylum” for open hours, too.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/august2010/peach2081310.MP3{/audio}
Jim Rahn is the area coordinator for Siouxland Youth for Christ in Plymouth County. Rahn hopes 1,000 lugs of Colorado freestone, clingfree peaches will be sold this month to support the ministry.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/august2010/peach3081310.MP3{/audio}
Hours for those who ordered peaches or just want to stop by to pick some up are until eight today (Friday). “The Asylum is on the east side of City of Le Mars offices. The phone number is 546-8883. Another shipment for those who’ve ordered and those who’d still like peaches, but later in the month, is expected about August 24th.
Fall Clean Up Days are next month
(LE MARS)–Le Mars residents will have five days next month for the city’s Fall Clean Up which features a landfill amnesty.
The Clean Up days are September 9th and 10th and September 16-18th. A household may take up to one-thousand pounds of throwaway materials to the rural Le Mars Plymouth County Solid Waste Agency. The landfill fee will be paid by the city.
Items included are furniture, construction and demolition materials such as wooden fence posts and scrap lumber, and metal such as bed frames, bikes and mowers. White goods such as applicances may be taken, but the customer must pay a $10 per item demanufacturing charge.
Weekday landfill hours are from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. with Saturday hours from 8 a.m. to noon.
September 9, 10, 16, 17 & 18
2010 FALL CLEAN UP
The City is declaring an amnesty from the Landfill Disposal Cost, therefore, up to 1,000 pounds per household of “throw away” material delivered to the Landfill will be paid by the City of Le Mars and not billed to the household. The City will not be picking up the items at curb side; therefore, do not place items in front of your house at the curb side. Only residential properties can participate, not commercial or industrial. Each Residential Household must make their own arrangements for hauling waste to the Plymouth County Landfill during this Amnesty period. They can do the hauling themselves or use friends, neighbors or any hauling firm of their choosing.
ITEMS INCLUDED IN THIS AMNESTY
1.FURNITURE
This includes couches, chairs, mattresses, carpet, padding, garden hose, televisions, humidifiers, computers and monitors.
2.C AND D
This includes wooden items such as fence post, scrap lumber etc. Also items normal to construction or demolition such as windows, doors, sinks, toilets, storms and screens. (No concrete)
3.METAL
This includes bikes, mowers, metal post, wire, swings, gutter, bed springs, bed frames etc.
(This does not include white goods)
4. WHITE GOODS: (CUSTOMER MUST PAY A $10.00 PER ITEM DEMANUFACTURING CHARGE AT TIME OF DROP OFF)
This includes air conditioners, microwaves, washers, dryers, refrigerators, freezers, fluorescent lights, hot water heaters, furnaces, dishwashers, dehumidifiers, ranges, ovens, trash compactors and other cooling units.
ITEMS NOT INCLUDED IN THIS AMNESTY
1. NORMAL HOUSEHOLD GARBAGE AND YARD WASTE:
This includes cardboard, paper, books magazines and other recyclable products.
You are reminded that these items can be put in blue bags and picked up by Van’s Sanitation on their normal routes during recycling week. Yard waste, trees and branches may be hauled to the City disposal site at Riverview Park, Hwy. 3 West on Saturdays from 10:00 A.M. to 2:00 P.M.
2. TIRES:
These must be individually hauled to the Landfill site at the residential household’s expense.
3. HAZARDOUS WASTE:
This includes but is not limited to paints and thinners, pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, batteries, fertilizer, fuels and oils. Please call the Plymouth County Landfill (546-6071) to make an appointment (dates to be announced).
Items not included in this Amnesty can be delivered to the Landfill any time during the year during their regular business hours and will be billed to the residential household.
Plymouth County Landfill Hours:
Monday – Friday 8:00 – 4:00 PM 1st and 3rd Saturday 8:00 – 12:00 Noon
City has one (1) contracted residential hauler, which is Van’s Sanitation 712-548-4644.
City has four (4) licensed commercial haulers which are:
Orange City Sanitation712-737-2645
Waste Management712-252-1929
Gill Hauling, Inc.402-632-9273
Van’s Sanitation712-548-4644
Hull Schools will test Sheriff’s Office School Resource Officer
(HULL)–When students at two Sioux County schools start classes this fall, they’ll see a new face.
The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office is testing a School Resource Officer (SRO). Sheriff Dan Altena says the idea followed a training seminar on “Rural Domestic Preparedness, with a focus on school safety. Altena and chief deputy Jason Bergsma attended the FEMA training.
The sheriff met with local schools, sheriff’s office and government officials to brainstorm a possible Sioux County project. The group like the idea, but the downside was funding for a new officer.
A scaled-back School Resource officer will be tested at Boyden-Hull and Western Christian in Hull this coming school year.
Altena says the project was NOT developed because of current problems in either schools. Deputy Waylon Pollema has been appointed the School Resource Officer (SRO).
Recycling container relocated due to Courthouse Annex construction
(Le Mars)–A South Sioux City contractor begins construction on a Plymouth County Courthouse Annex building Monday.
Due to the building project, the recycling collection container for rural Plymouth County residents has been relocated. Items that can be recycled may now be left at the container which was moved to the Plymouth County Emergency Management office area at 127 Third Street Northeast. The container is on the north side of the county property which was previously a Secondary Road Department location.
The container was relocated after a discussion by the Plymouth County supervisors and county department heads and staff this week.
EPA gives norwest Iowa feedlots notices to get permits
(Kansas City)–The federal Environmental Protection Agency has taken action against eight beef feedlot operations in northwest Iowa for violations of the Clean Water Act. E-P-A Regional Administrator, Karl Brooks, says the action is a notice to change their ways.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/august2010/ddkbrooks1.mp3{/audio}
(as he says) Brooks says they are making sure that the feedlots that discharge water that contains pollutants know they need a permit, and need to follow that permit. He says the water in northwest Iowa needs protection, because a lot of it is “very good quality.” Brooks says the have until the end of October of 2011 to get the permit and end unauthorized discharges.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/august2010/ddkbrooks2.mp3{/audio}
(as he says) he says the permit is negotiated with the E-P-A or D-N-R that sets out ways the operator can manage the runoff so it does not pollute the waterways. “In a sense it’s like an operators manual,” Brooks says. Brook was asked what would happen if the feedlots don’t comply.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/august2010/ddkbrooks3.mp3{/audio}
(as he says) “I don’t even anticipate that happening, these are all responsible producers, they’re good stewards, in most of these cases they learned that they are required to have permits as a result of our inspection. Brooks says all but two of the producers discharged runoff into water ways that have been identified by the state as being impaired by pollutants from animal feedlots.
The producers are: Todd Bartman, doing business as Bartman Farms, of Rock Valley; Randy Kats, doing business as Randy Kats Feedlot, of Rock Valley; Tracy Onken, doing business as Tracy Onken Feedlot, of Carroll; SFI, Inc., of Nemaha, Iowa; Vernon Van Beek and Jason Dorhaut, doing business as Lone Tree Feedlot, of Inwood; Terry Van Wyhe, doing business as Van Wyhe Feedlot, of Ireton; Nathan Vohs, doing business as Nathan Vohs Feedlot, of Washta; Keith Zylstra, doing business as Zylstra Feedlot, of Ashton. (News report by Radio Iowa)
No one hurt when train clips truck near Leshara
LESHARA, Neb. (AP) No one was injured when a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train clipped a flatbed truck at a railroad crossing in eastern Nebraska.
BNSF spokesman Andy Williams says the locomotive struck the back end of the eastbound truck on state Highway 64 at 11:05 Thursday morning near Leshara, in Saunders County.
Williams says the locomotive was pulling 94 empty grain cars from Lincoln to Sioux City, Iowa. No cars derailed.
Williams says there are railroad crossbucks but no cross arms at site of the collision.
DOT: Flood update
AMES, Iowa – Aug. 13, 2010 – 6:30 a.m. update – Flooding continues to affect numerous roads throughout the state, according to Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) officials. See the complete listing below.
Status of I-80 near Colfax
The flooding situation in this area is dynamic, and requires ongoing engineering evaluation, onsite monitoring and issuance of updated predictions. While a possibility still exists that flood waters could overtop Interstate 80 in Jasper County where the South Skunk River and Indian Creek converge near Colfax (between mile markers 155 and 159), an updated National Weather Service forecast lessens that chance. Overnight, the flood waters have receded farther away from the highway’s paved shoulders.
The Iowa DOT will be continuing to closely monitor the situation over the next few days. Any additional heavy rain upstream could be a factor. A National Weather Service flood warning remains in effect until Tuesday morning for this area.
Iowa DOT facilities in Ames
The Iowa DOT’s facilities in Ames, which were previously closed due to city water main breaks, are open today. All employees assigned to these facilities should report to work as scheduled, unless on leave. The Ames driver’s license station is open today during its normal business hours.
Roadways reopened since last update
Ÿ None
Roadways currently closed or restricted
Due to the dynamic nature of flash flooding, motorists should remain alert throughout the day in all areas under watches or warnings. For weather and other emergency information, stay tuned to NOAA weather radio or your local radio and TV stations. If you encounter a flooded area, turn around – don’t drown.
Ÿ U.S. 61 and U.S. 136 in Lee County – The road is closed near Keokuk. Traffic normally going across the Des Moines River Bridge near Keokuk is being directed to the Des Moines River Bridge at St. Francisville.
Ÿ UPDATED – U.S. 65 in Polk County – The north- and southbound lanes are closed at the Skunk River crossing, which is approximately 5 miles north of Bondurant and between U.S. 6 and Polk County Road S-27. The southbound detour is: Iowa 117 south to Interstate 80, then west to U.S. 65. The northbound detour is the reverse: go east from the U.S. 65/I-80 interchange to Iowa 117 (exit 155), go north on Iowa 117 to U.S. 65.
Ÿ NEW – U.S. 169 in Dallas County – The road is closed between North Seventh Street and Mantucket Road in Adel. The detour is: Dallas County Road F-51 west to P-58; north to Iowa 44; then east to U.S. 169.
Ÿ Iowa 2 in Fremont County – The right, eastbound lane is closed between Interstate 29 and the Nebraska state line.
Ÿ Iowa 16 in Wapello County – The roadway is reduced to one lane of traffic between Ninth and Eighth streets in Eldon.
Ÿ Iowa 92 in Mahaska County – The roadway is now closed between Iowa 23 and Mahaska County Road V-13 (near Keomah Village). The location had previously been reduced to one lane.
Ÿ Iowa 92 in Mahaska County – The road is closed between Iowa 23 (Oskaloosa) and Mahaska County Road V-13 (Rose Hill). The detour follows U.S. 63 north from Oskaloosa to Mahaska County Road G-29, east on G-29 to V-13, then south on V-13 to Iowa 92.
Ÿ Iowa 98 in Van Buren County – The road is closed at the Des Moines River crossing between Douds and Leando.
Ÿ Iowa 117 in Jasper County – The roadway between Jasper County Road F-48 and Interstate 80 near Colfax is closed.
Ÿ Iowa 210 in Story County – The road is closed south of Cambridge at the South Skunk River crossing and at the Indian Creek crossing in Maxwell.
Temporary customer service phone line
Due to the high volume of public inquires about state road closings and detours, the Iowa DOT has established a temporary customer service phone line. Call 866-452-8510 between the hours of 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. daily, and a customer service operator will be available to take your call.
This is a temporary service and will remain available while flood-related conditions warrant. For road condition information outside these hours or after this event, call 511 (in Iowa) or 800-288-1047 (outside the state). This line should NOT be used to report an emergency situation – call 911.
A special flood closure map is available at: www.iowadot.gov.
For the latest images of the flooding, including I-80 near Colfax, visit: https://www.iowadot.gov/floods/2010floodgallery01.html
Cedar Rapids company re-using roofing shingles
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) A new Cedar Rapids company is giving roofing shingles a new life by recycling them into road material.
Clayton Ostrum, site manager for Roof 2 Road of Cedar Rapids, says shingles used to just go into the landfill. He calls it a waste.
Roof 2 Road is a national company that now has a site in Cedar Rapids. Ostrum says it charges a $25 fee to dump a ton of shingles and related material.
That’s cheaper than the $38 the Cedar Rapids Linn County Solid Waste Agency charges for taking a ton of shingles. The agency’s Stacie Johnson says she supports Roof 2 Road and encourages people to skip the landfill.
She says the less trash that goes into the landfill, the longer it will last. She says there’s no longer any reason to throw shingles into landfills.
Authorities seek answers in Iowa teen flood death
.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Sheriff’s officials in central Iowa are trying to learn more about how three vehicles carrying young people were swept away by floodwaters.
Ten survivors were pulled from swollen Mud Creek, but a 16-year-old girl died.
Polk County Sheriff’s Division Chief Doug Phillips says drinking apparently was involved, but it’s not known just who was drinking and how much.
Phillips says the group was at a party at one house and was going someplace else when their cars were washed off the road.
Officials say the 11 young men and women were between 16 and 21. Some of the girls mentioned going swimming when they stopped at a convenience store shortly before the accident.
One survivor’s mother says they were on familiar roads and “thought they were safe.”
Future of Catfish Bend Casino goes to voters
.
BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) Des Moines County voters will decide Nov. 2 whether Catfish Bend Casino will continue operating or throw in its cards.
Dave Walker, representing the Southeast Iowa Regional Riverboat Commission, has asked Des Moines County supervisors to place a gambling referendum on this fall’s election ballot.
State law requires counties that have riverboats or land-locked casinos to put continued gambling to a vote every eight years.
Walker says voters should be reminded of the economic benefits of the casino in Burlington. He says it adds $13 million to the tax base and employs more than 500 people.
Supervisors Jeff Heland and Dan Cahill say they support the casino’s continued operation.
Ex-Iowa cop pleads in drug, burglary charges
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A former Pleasant Hill police officer accused of stealing methamphetamine from an evidence room has pleaded guilty to drug and burglary charges.
Former Sgt. Daniel Herbert Edwards pleaded guilty Thursday to possession of a controlled substance, operating while intoxicated, and third-degree burglary.
The 42-year-old Edwards was charged after he crashed his cruiser on April 1. He was fired after toxicology tests showed methamphetamine in his system.
Sentencing is set for Sept. 29 in Polk County District Court.
(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.