Home News KLEM News Update November 4, 2010

KLEM News Update November 4, 2010

(LE MARS)–A seasonal trend to smaller building projects is reflected in the latest report on construction in Le Mars.

Code Enforcement Officer Jason Vacura issued 14 permits for 75-thousand dollars in building activity in October.

Vacura’s report lists a house addition, four accessory buildings, five signs and three fences.

The city collected about 11-hundred dollars in fees from issuing the building permits.

Since the first of the year, 10 new houses were under construction in Le Mars for two-point-six-million dollars in value.

The highest value of building construction continues to be commercial construction and remodeling at more than seven million dollars.

Permits for the year total about 10-point-three million dollars in value.

Holidays bring changes in Treasurer’s schedule for drivers

(LE MARS)–Plymouth County Driver’s License service days will change during two of the weeks this month.

Treasurer Linda Dobson says county offices at the Courthouse are closed for Veteran’s Day Thursday, November 11th and Thanksgiving on Thursday November 25th.

To serve drivers on those weeks with a Thursday holiday, Dobson says there will be two days of service, but on Tuesdays and Wednesdays instead of Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Drivers will be served on Tuesday, November 9th and Wednesday, November 10th as well as Tuesday, November 23rd and Wednesday, November 24th.

Only the day of the week will change. The hours on the Tuesdays and Wednesdays will remain at 8:30 a-m to 4:30 p-m.

Meth convictions send Sloan man to prison

(SIOUX CITY)–A Sloan man will serve a federal prison sentence for drug convictions.

According to the U-S Attorney’s office, 26-year-old Derek Earl Byers of Sloan pleaded guilty to conspiring to make and distribute methamphetamine and possessing pseudoephedrine with intent to make meth.

He also pleaded guilty to traveling in interstate commerce between Iowa and Nebraska to facilitate the manufacture and distribution of controlled substances. He was charged with crimes from January to July of last year.

During a plea hearing in federal court in Sioux City, Byers testified he traveled from Monona County to South Sioux City to buy pseudoephedrine.

A federal judge sentenced Byers to serve 60 months in prison. Byers is being held for the U-S Marshal’s Service until he’s taken to a federal prison.

Muskateers pink look is a fundraising success

(SIOUX CITY)–Hockey players and fan who saw “Pink in the Rink” at the Tyson Events Center in October helped raise more than 43-thousand dollars.

Nearly 38-hundred Siouxlanders attended the third annual “Pink in the Rink” breast cancer awareness event last month.

Funds from the Sioux City Musketeers event included the auction of Musketeers pink game jerseys, t-shirts, towels and pink ducks.

The proceeds are used for breast cancer awareness and education at St. Luke’s Imaging and Breast Screening Center and the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Siouxland affiliate.

Lange concedes to Braley in Iowa’s 1st District

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) Republican challenger Ben Lange has conceded to Democratic Rep. Bruce Braley after a very close race for Iowa’s 1st Congressional District.

Unofficial results from Tuesday’s election show Braley winning his third term in the U.S. House by just 3,955 votes.

Lange’s campaign early Wednesday delayed conceding, saying it wanted to review the vote tallies.

Campaign spokesman Cody Brown says Lange called Braley at midmorning to congratulate him.

Lange says in a statement that he hopes his campaign has “brought to light new solutions to confront our greatest challenges.”

Braley spokeswoman Caitlin Legacki (leh-GAK’-ee) says the conversation was “warm and friendly” and they wished each other the best moving forward.

Iowa City votes to keep 21-only ordinance

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Voters have upheld Iowa City’s 21-and-older bar law.

Voters on Tuesday retained the City Council-approved ordinance that bans those younger than 21 from being in a bar after 10 p.m. The age limit had been 19.

The Iowa City Press-Citizen says the unofficial vote is 52 percent to 48 percent.

Opponents of the law, including many college students and bar owners, sought to repeal it.

Mayor Matt Hayek, who supported the ordinance, says Iowa City doesn’t want to be known as an “alcohol mecca.”

Small plane makes emergency landing in NE Iowa

FREDERICKSBURG, Iowa (AP) Authorities say no one was hurt when a small plane made an emergency landing on U.S. Highway 18 near Fredericksburg in northeast Iowa.

KWWL-TV reports that the Chickasaw County sheriff’s office says David Wiesen, of Cottonwood, Minn., was flying a single-engine plane on Tuesday when he radioed in mechanical problems about 1 p.m.

Wiesen landed the plane on the highway about 4 miles west of Fredericksburg.

Authorities say Wiesen and his passenger were not injured and there was no damage to the plane or to anyone or anything on the ground.

A flatbed truck took the plane, a 2005 RV6A, to the Charles City airport.

Police ID man who died in Iowa City

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Authorities have released the name of a man who died after he was found under a bridge in Iowa City.

The Gazette in Cedar Rapids says police have identified the man as 49-year-old Mark Brown.

Police say a passer-by found him bleeding and unresponsive on a bike trial under the Highway 6 bridge on Monday. He died at a hospital.

Investigators say Brown wasn’t riding a bicycle, and his death is not considered suspicious.

Police say Brown was homeless and was last known to stay in Iowa City.

Police ID woman who died in Waterloo fire

WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) Authorities have released the name of a woman who died in a house fire in Waterloo.

KWWL-TV says police have identified her as 32-year-old Stacie Lyn Timmer, of Waterloo.

Firefighters found Timmer’s body Monday afternoon after a passer-by reported flames coming from the house.

Police Capt. Tim Pillack says an autopsy shows she died of severe burns and smoke inhalation.

Pillack says the cause of the fire remains under investigation, but no foul play is suspected.

Muscatine police chief retiring

MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) Muscatine Police Chief Gary Coderoni is retiring after 20 years.

The Muscatine Journal says Coderoni, who became police chief in 1990, announced his retirement on Tuesday.

In a letter to city leaders, he says he plans to move to Richmond, Va., where he’s considering teaching opportunities at two colleges.

Coderoni has taught law enforcement and communications classes at Muscatine Community College.

City Administrator Gregg Mandsager he’ll meet with the mayor and human resources officials on hiring a new police chief.

Alliant Energy to close Dubuque Generating Station

DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) Alliant Energy plans to close its Dubuque Generating Station by 2015.

The Telegraph Herald in Dubuque says the company announced the closure on Tuesday as part of a plan that was filed with the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission. The plan provides a blueprint for meeting the electrical needs of customers. It also includes details on a process to retire older, smaller and less-efficient equipment.

Alliant spokesman Scott Drzycimski says the plant has about 35 employees.

He says the Dubuque Generating Station is about 100 years, and its shutdown will not affect the supply of electricity to consumers.

Alliant Energy is based in Madison, Wis., and provides electric and natural gas to customers in Iowa, Wisconsin and Minnesota.

(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)