(AKRON)–Construction could start in May or June on what Akron’s Mayor calls one of the largest and best projects the community has seen for some time.
The new Akron Care Center will be built on farm land along Highway Three East, just across from the Akron Fire Station. Mayor Harold Higman Thursday said a committee working on a new center for Akron area senior citizens was frugal in finances and did extensive research.
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Higman thanked John and Mary Lucken who are donating a house to be sold for the project.
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Akron Care Center administrator Gail Olson says the current 45-bed, three-story facility must have a sprinkler system for fire protection by August of 2013. If that improvement is made, Olson explained more would be required.
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The new facility is designed with a neighborhood concept to be “home-like.”
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There are 55 people working at the city’s care center. Higman says Akron wants to retain those jobs with the new care center estimated to cost six-million dollars.
Care Center Committee member Marlys Johnson says the capital campaign will run for the next 10 months. Area farmers have donated grain for the project and some have agreed to do that with future crops. Land for the new center has also been donated. Johnson said the hope is that donors will give to a multi-year campaign with pledges for three to five years.
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The current care center in downtown Akron was built in 1951.
Budget work shows additional revenue
(LE MARS)–Everything’s still on the table–that’s the way the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors chairman sums up the first round of work on a new county budget.
Jim Henrich told KLEM News the tax levies in place now are the ones being used in the preliminary figures for revenue for a budget to begin in July. However, no budget decisions have been made and the budget would not be adopted until after a public hearing offering time for comments from the public.
Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo Tuesday submitted a budget that included two replacement vehicles for deputies. At this point, Henrich said it seems that might be possible.
“The Sheriff’s budget did change just a little because last year he didn’t get a car and we’re trying to replace those and so we think we’ve got it worked out to where he is going to be able to get two cars in the budget, ” Henrich said. “And another thing income for the sheriff’s department should be up quite a bit because it sounds like we’re going to have quite a few more federal prisoners so that really helps in that area.”
Patrol vehicles are being replaced every four years when mileage is at 140-150 thousand miles.
According to Henrich, Supervisors on Tuesday may meet with Sharon Nieman who is the county’s Central Point of Coordination for mental health-related services. The mental health budget is separate from the rural services and the general fund budgets.
Lipp honored for service
(LE MARS)–A 30-year employee of a Le Mars care center is the newest Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce “Employee of the Month.”
Linda Lipp of Good Samaritan Society -Le Mars received the Chamber award today.
Lipp is the Health Information Management Director for Good Samaritan.
She is described as very dependable, organized and someone who has much knowledge in the health information management field.
Her nomination also said she is always willing to help in any way she can and is the “go to” person when it comes to needing information about the residents. Due to her vast knowledge, she is very respected by co-workers and physicians.
Information about submitting nominations for the Chamber “Employee of the Month” is available by contacting the chamber office.
No injuries in train accident
(LE MARS)–An Akron man escaped injury when his pickup truck was struck by a train in Le Mars Monday afternoon.
According to a Le Mars Police report, 58-year-old Terryl Faulkner of Akron was driving west in the 1500 block of 18th Street Southwest. Faulkner told Le Mars Police he heard the train horn and thought it was for a railroad crossing on Lincoln Street so he continued.
When he saw the train engine coming at him on 18th Street he slowed, but couldn’t stop so he accelerated but was struck in the driver’s door. The pickup was pushed by the Canadian National train for about 200 feet.
Neither Faulkner or the train conductor, Travis Christy of Sioux City, were injured.
Collision in southwest Le Mars injures two
(LE MARS)–Two drivers had minor injuries after a two-car accident in southwest Le Mars Wednesday morning.
According to the Le Mars Police report, 18-year-old Cassandra Delarm of rural Le Mars was driving east on 24th Street, approaching the intersection with Key Avenue.
A car driven by 77-year-old John Wipperling of rural Le Mars pulled out into the intersection from Key Avenue, causing Delarm to broadside Wipperling’s car.
Delarm and Wipperling were taken to Floyd Valley Hospital to be treated for injuries that were NOT incapacitating.
Inwood man indicted for bank robbery
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) A federal indictment in Sioux Falls charges a northwest Iowa man with robbing a South Dakota bank.
The indictment replaces an earlier criminal complaint charging Jeremy Bullock of Inwood for a Jan. 4 holdup at First Midwest Bank in Centerville.
Bullock was arrested after a vehicle pursuit several hours after the robbery. An FBI affidavit said he used a BB handgun to threaten tellers and took $7,784.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Storm Lake man charged with burglary
(STORM LAKE)–A Storm Lake man is charged with burglary after a report of an attempted assault at Lakeside.
The Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Office Thursday released information about the arrest of 33-year-old Jose Luis Tapia of Storm Lake. Tapia is charged with felony burglary.
He’s accused of breaking into a Lakeside residence on January 7th and assaulting a 14-year-old female.
Tapia is being held in the Buena Vista County Jail on 50-thousand dollars bond.
The sheriff’s office was assisted by Storm Lake Police and the Buena Vista County Reserve Deputies.
Neb. boy, 4, accidentally shoots mom, sheriff says
EMERSON, Neb. (AP) Authorities say a 4-year-old boy was playing with a rifle he found in a gun case under a bed when he accidentally shot his mother at their northeast Nebraska home.
Dixon County Sheriff Dean Chase’s office says in a statement that the shooting happened about 9:30 a.m. Thursday in Emerson. The office says when the rifle fired, the bullet went through a wall and a recliner and hit the boy’s mother in her right side.
The 27-year-old woman was flown to Mercy Medical Center in nearby Sioux City where a nursing supervisor says she was in serious condition Thursday night.
Preschool emerging as first fight over budget cuts
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) State spending on preschool programs has moved from the campaign trail to the Legislature and has emerged as the first serious budget fight lawmakers will face.
Lawmakers of both parties say the initial debate over preschool funding will come next week.
The first measure lawmakers will debate would cut $500 million in state spending over the next three years, and Democrats warned it would cut $60 million from state spending on preschool next year.
Democrats say preschool is essential for early childhood development.
Republicans says the package of proposed cuts would begin moving in the House next week.
They say the message sent by voters in the last election was that spending must be cut and that nothing should be exempt, including education.
No sanctions for Iowa doctor over abortion pills
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) State regulators say they won’t sanction a Planned Parenthood doctor for remotely prescribing an abortion-inducing drug to patients in rural areas.
The Des Moines Register says Thursday that the Iowa Board of Medicine sent a letter this week to the national anti-abortion group Operation Rescue, saying it would not sanction a Planned Parenthood physician who used the system.
In the letter, Executive Director Mark Bowden says a decision was reached after a full review. Bowden declined to comment further, saying the board may not publicly talk about complaints unless they lead to formal charges.
Opponents argued the program endangered women because they meet with doctors via an Internet video connection, rather than in person.
Operation Rescue spokeswoman Cheryl Sullenger says she’s disappointed. A Planned Parenthood spokeswoman had no immediate comment.
Law Dean: Bar could have done more on retention vote
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) The new dean of the University of Iowa College of Law says leaders of the legal profession were surprised by the successful campaign to oust three Supreme Court justices who backed a ruling to legalize gay marriage.
Gail Agrawal says legal leaders “could have and should have” done more to educate the public about how such campaigns threaten judicial independence and can potentially weaken the fairness of the legal system.
Agrawal says she was personally caught off guard by the movement because she had just started her job as dean last July and didn’t vote in the election because she hadn’t registered yet in Iowa.
Agrawal says retention votes should not be a “referendum on a single position, whatever the position is.”
Trial set for Dubuque woman in daughter’s death
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) A Dubuque woman charged in the death of her 20-month-old daughter will go on trial this spring.
The Dubuque County District Court clerk’s office on Thursday says the first-degree murder trial of Tamelia Harris is scheduled for April 11.
Harris is charged in the July death of her daughter, Cecilia.
Harris has been in jail since July when police began looking for the child. She was initially arrested on a charge of child neglect. Police later found the remains of a small child in Harris’ backyard.
Harris was charged with murder in December.
Elderly man found dead outside Iowa school
BLUE GRASS, Iowa (AP) Police say a 90-year-old Blue Grass man reported missing has been found dead outside an elementary school in the eastern Iowa town.
Police Chief John Jensen says Robert Poppe (POP’-ee) was reported missing by his son Wednesday evening after he failed to return from a fundraiser at the school.
Jensen says Poppe’s body was found about 8:15 a.m. on Thursday behind the school near his parked car. Jensen says it’s unclear if Poppe became disoriented or if he suffered a medical problem. An autopsy is pending.
Blue Grass is about 12 miles west of Davenport. The National Weather Service says there’s about 2 inches of snow on the ground in the area, and the overnight temperature dipped below zero.
Sendoff for Iowa-based Army Reservists
DECORAH, Iowa (AP) A community sendoff is scheduled for about 160 U.S. Army Reserve soldiers from a Decorah-based unit being deployed to Afghanistan.
The ceremony for the soldiers of the 322nd Engineer Company is on Friday at Luther College in Decorah in northeast Iowa.
Officials say the company, which will be on its second deployment, will conduct general construction operations in southern Afghanistan.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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