(LE MARS)–Volunteers leading an effort to collect items to send in holiday care packages for troops on active duty from the Le Mars area will collect the boxes October 8.
Fifteen businesses, schools and churches have collection boxes for specific items to be donated for the care packages.
One of the volunteers, Pat Warner says two items have been collected at lower amounts and could use additional donations from those who’d like to express their support for the soldiers . The items are cereal and instant soups being collected at Hy-Vee and hand and foot warmers which are collected at Bomgaars.
An estimated 80 boxes will need to be shipped to members of Troop C of the Iowa Army National Guard in Le Mars who were activated in August. Warner is also collecting names of others who are serving their country and could receive a care package.
The cost to ship each of the boxes weighing up to 70 pounds will be $12.50. Donations are still needed to cover the cost of the postage. An account, “Le Mars Troops Care Package Fund” is set up at Primebank to accept donations for the postage. It’s estimated the cost to ship the care packages will be roughly one-thousand dollars.
Footings to be set during early fall Courthouse Annex construction
(LE MARS)–A South Sioux City contractor will soon set footings for the Plymouth County Courthouse Annex building.
Some county officials, the project manager for the contractor, H-C-I of South Sioux City, and project architect Dale McKinney of M+ of SIoux City, met Tuesday to look at rubble unearthed during construction.
The material on the north side of the construction site near the Courthouse was first thought to be a cistern. However, auditor Stacey Feldman reports additional digging by the contractor indicated the material was a pile of brick, cement and rubble buried many years ago.
Feldman issued written information to update reporters that stated, “At this point, they are going to excavate most of that material and continue to move forward on setting footings and pouring concrete, with not a lot of extra concerns than if it was a cistern.”
The annex building is an office, storm shelter and storage building being built by the contractor with the low bid of 637-thousand dollars. After construction began, an 85-thousand dollars grant for the storm shelter was awarded through the state I-JOBS program.
Fall harvest bounty for gardeners includes tomatoes
(Plymouth County) Fall is here…and while farmers are harvesting grain from the field, area gardeners are bringing in some of the last vegetables from their gardens. Melissa O’Rourke, ISU Extension Educator, says that people are still harvesting cucumbers, squash, peppers and tomatoes. She added that now is the time to bring in your green tomatoes.
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After the first frost, or when your vegetables are done growing, fall sanitation should begin. O’Rourke says this is especially important this year.
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To sanitize your garden you should get rid of any plant matter including vines, leaves and old fruit. Post frost is also a great time to test and fertilize your soil.
If you have questions regarding your garden or yard contact your county’s ISU extension office. The number for Plymouth County is 712-546-7835. (News report by Angela Drake, KLEM News)
I-29 project has material slide near the Big Sioux
(SIOUX CITY) The expansion of Interstate 29 through Sioux City hit a bit of a speed bump this weekend with the sliding of material near the Big SIoux River.
Iowa Department of Transportation engineer Dean Herbst says they’re excavating along the Big Sioux to place a retaining wall for the new southbound lane of I-29 near Riverside.
Herbst says the rainy conditions have caused the river to rise above the retaining wall footing and washed away material.
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According to Herbst, this “minor delay” included roughly 100 feet of sliding in the total 800-foot project.
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An estimate about how much time and money was lost in this wash-out is not known.
Study: Mo. River projects won’t affect ‘dead zone’
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) Scientists say a plan by the Army Corps of Engineers to dump sediment into the Missouri River would not significantly expand a so-called “dead zone” in the Gulf of Mexico.
The National Academy of Sciences released the study Tuesday. It was requested two years ago by the Corps, which manages the Missouri River.
State officials in Missouri had objected to proposals for improving wildlife habitat along the river by carving out side channels and dumping sediment into the main channel.
Missouri officials have cited fears that nutrients in the sediment would worsen pollution in the river, which feeds into the Mississippi River and eventually the Gulf of Mexico. Such nutrients are blamed for a so-called “dead zone” in the Gulf.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Judge certifies class-action discrimination suit
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A lawsuit filed by several black plaintiffs against the state of Iowa claiming hiring discrimination has received class-action status.
Polk County District Court Judge Robert Blink approved the class-action status Tuesday. The case, initially filed in 2007, includes 32 plaintiffs who allege they were discriminated against because they are black. They all applied for jobs with the state or sought promotions in state jobs they already had.
The attorney who filed the lawsuit, Thomas Newkirk, says the case seeks to deal with the varying degrees of discrimination seen in state government.
Deputy Iowa Attorney General Jeff Thompson says his office encouraged the certification of the case. He says it allows the case to move forward without delay.
Trial is set for September 2011.
Farmer killed in Iowa grain bin accident
OAKLAND, Iowa (AP) Authorities say a 69-year-old southwest Iowa farmer has died in a grain bin accident.
The Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Department says the man became trapped inside the bin Tuesday night. The accident happened just outside of Oakland.
Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Sgt. Chris Weber says emergency workers had to cut holes into the side of the silo to find the man.
Boy rescue from grain wagon in Iowa
DYERSVILLE, Iowa (AP) Dubuque County authorities have released the name of a child who was trapped in a grain wagon at his family’s farm near Dyersville.
The sheriff’s office on Tuesday identified the boy as 10-year-old John Kramer.
Officials say the sheriff’s office received an emergency call shortly before 7 p.m. Monday. When emergency crews arrived, family members had already pulled the boy out of the wagon.
Kramer was taken to an area hospital, then flown to University Hospitals in Iowa City. The hospital says no information was available on the child.
Charges filed in deadly Iowa vehicle crash
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Des Moines police say a 22-year-old Iowa woman has been charged with providing alcohol to a minor in connection with a deadly vehicle accident.
Police said Tuesday that Silvia Fouch of Johnston is charged with supplying alcohol to a minor resulting in death. Police say Fouch was arrested on the felony charge and taken to the Polk County jail on $50,000 bond. Police say Fouch provided alcohol to 20-year-old Jennifer Nichole Poli of Newton.
Poli died in a vehicle crash on July 16. Police say at the time of the crash Poli’s blood alcohol level was 0.19 percent, above the legal limit. A person who answered a phone listing for Fouch said it was the wrong number. A public defender assigned to Fouch did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Iowa bank robber sentenced to 20 years
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Federal authorities say they’ve sentenced a 51-year-old man to 20 years in prison for robbing two Des Moines banks and passing notes to bank workers that said “I am armed.”
The U.S. attorney’s office in Des Moines said Tuesday that Ray Edward Lee was sentenced on counts of bank robbery and violating supervised release. He was ordered to serve three years supervised release upon completion of his sentence. He must pay $200 to a crime victims fund and $3,335 in restitution.
Prosecutors say the sentence came after Lee pleaded guilty in June. He was accused of taking money from two U.S. Bank branches in Des Moines on Oct. 27 and 28 of last year.
Jewish man sues Postville for discrimination
POSTVILLE, Iowa (AP) A Postville man has filed state and federal lawsuits against the city claiming he has suffered discrimination because he is Jewish.
Gabay Menahem is a residential landlord in Postville. The Gazette newspaper in Cedar Rapids reports that he has filed the lawsuits against the city of Postville, the city clerk and two city council members. In the lawsuits, Menahem alleges the city denied him due process because he is Jewish and city officials made disparaging comments.
Postville Mayor Leigh Rekow says the city has no comment on the lawsuit.
Menahem is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and equitable relief. The lawsuits allege city actions related to water, snow and street services led to the failure of his company.
Iowa health efforts get $720,000 in federal money
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) HIV surveillance, tobacco prevention and infectious disease responses are among the Iowa projects that will receive about $720,000 in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Iowa Department of Public Health announced the funding Tuesday, saying it comes through the Affordable Care Act. Department director Tom Newton says the money will allow for the “development and expansion” of programming. The money will be divided among the three efforts.
The largest share of about $475,000 will go toward preventing infectious diseases. About $180,000 will be used to prevent and track HIV in Iowa. About $65,000 will be for programs aimed at curbing smoking in Iowa.
Webster City firm ready to make electric cars
WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) A Webster City company is close to beginning production of electric vehicles.
AMS Inc. owner Joe Fleming says the firm is about two weeks away from producing the autos and is putting final preparations in place. The Webster City Freeman Journal reports Tuesday that the company will start out assembling about 38 cars a week and increase that to about 100 cars a week in December.
The company is hiring workers and Fleming says they’re “anxious to get started.” In late July the company and Webster City announced that AMS had signed an agreement with EnVision Motor Company of Ames to produce the Electric Motor Cars brand. AMS workers will install the drive train and motor into car chassis made in Europe.
(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.
