(LE MARS)–Many Siouxland schools are delaying the start of Monday classes due to icy road conditions. As of 9 a.m. some schools had halted classes for a second Monday in a row.
For a complete listing: www.snowcaponline.com/siouxland.php
(LE MARS)–The city of Le Mars and a Le Mars industry may partner on a project to provide a new location for a city department and help the industry expand.
The proposed new Public Works location is on the south side of 18th Street South and Sixth Avenue West. The land for the building and city facilities, 10 acres, is to be donated to the city by Wells’ Dairy. The site is near the dairy’s South Ice Cream Plant.
Details of the proposal are in the agenda for the City Council meeting Tuesday.
The city would vacate First Street Southeast east and west between Second Avenue Southeast and Lincoln Street Southeast. The city also will re-route the power utilities along First Street Southeast to accommodate Wells’ North Ice Cream Plant expansion. A number of other requests are part of the land donation.
The city would keep the existing Public Facilities location on First Street Northeast, including 100 feet recently purchased which was known as the former Stover property. The former D-O-T facility on business Highway 75 north would be sold.
According to the agenda, the reason for the relocation to southwest le Mars is several conflicts and shortcomings of the present location.
The council is being asked to set a time for public comment on the proposal. City staff is to develop additional cost estimates and sort out additional details about the proposals within the next month.
Public Works Location and Wells’ Dairy’s Expansion Item No. D-2
Information: Council previously contracted with Mc Clure Engineering to study and evaluate the potential to expand Public Works at its present location. That study is accomplished and results will be presented at the meeting. Due to several conflicts and shortcomings of the present location, Staff and Public Works Committee investigated other locations to place a new facility. Today, Staff and Public Works Committee are proposing a concept that appears to be the best overall solution, as follows:
1) City acquire ten (10) acres from Wells’ Dairy in the southwest quadrant of 18th Street S. and 6th Avenue W. (see attached map).
2) In exchange for Wells’ donation of the land the City would agree to the requests made in their October 1, 2010 letter (attached). Mr. David Smetter and Mr. David Lyons both of Wells’ Dairy will be present at the meeting to discuss the proposal and the expansion of the North Ice Cream Plant (see attached map).
3) The current Public Works facility would be retained by the City for several reasons: a. Police Impound b. Seasonal Storage c. Relocate all indoor storage from former DOT facility on North Business 75 d. Deed restrictions imposed by EPA e. Goose Creek Box Culvert bisects the site f. Storm Sewer along railroad property line
4) The recently acquired 100’ wide parcel north of the railroad tracks (former Stover property) and cleared of all old concrete would be marketed for sale (exception of Goose Creek drainage ditch).
5) The former DOT facility located on North Business 75 would be partially cleared and marketed for sale (exception of recreation trail, west ingress easement and east 20 foot alley).
Staff Recommendation: Staff and Committee are recommending, only, that Council consider the proposal for public hearing on February 15, 2011. Within the next month Staff would develop additional cost estimates and sort out additional details regarding each of the five (5) proposals.
Financial Impact: To be determined.
COUNCIL ACTION REQUESTED Motion adopting Resolution No. ______ establishing February 15, 2011 at 12:00 P.M. as the date and time for Public Hearing regarding the proposals presented, including vacations of various streets to Wells’ Dairy. (Roll Call)
Source: City of Le Mars www.lemarsiowa.com
Board will respond to Le Mars teachers’ proposal
(LE MARS)–The first proposal for a new contract with the Le Mars Community Education Association will be presented this afternoon.
The Le Mars Community Board of Education initial proposal is in response to the Education Association’s first offer two weeks ago.
The presentation is at a meeting open to the public at the Education Service Center on Lincoln Street. The presentation is at five this afternoon.
Show choirs showcased at NISO silver anniversary concert Saturday
(SIOUX CENTER)– The Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra will be presenting their Winter Pops Concert as part of their 25th Anniversary season this coming Saturday, January 22nd. The special guests for the concert are the show choirs from Le Mars, MOC-Floyd Valley and Sheldon High Schools. Timothy McGarvey will be the guest conductor.
NISO Music Director Bradley Miedema tells us what the audience will see and hear when they go to the concert, starting with the high school show choirs.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/January2011/NISO Winter Concert.mp3{/audio}
He says the finale will bring the meaning of the words surround-sound to life.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/January2011/NISO Winter Concert 2.mp3{/audio}
NISO is comprised of musicians from northwest Iowa and southeast South Dakota. The orchestra’s membership includes adults of all ages as well as music students. There are over 35 students from area high schools and the Dordt College Music Department.
The NISO Winter Pops Concert is Saturday, January 22nd at 7:30pm in the BJ Haan auditorium on the campus of Dordt College in Sioux Center. (Angela Drake, KLEM News)
Runoff is up on the Missouri
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) Snowfall so far this winter points to another year of above-normal runoff into the Missouri River system.
The Army Corps of Engineers expects runoff in 2011 will be 12 percent above normal. Runoff in 2010 was the third highest in 113 years of record-keeping.
The corps says the mountain snowpack that feeds the Missouri River system is 16 percent above normal. The snowpack on the plains also is above normal over most of the upper basin.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
ACLU supports Agriprocessors official’s appeal
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a brief supporting former Agriprocessors official Sholom Rubashkin’s request to have his fraud conviction overturned.
The ACLU filing cited by the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier says the federal judge who oversaw Rubashkin’s trial should have recused herself because she was involved in a 2008 immigration raid at Agriprocessors’ Postville plant. The ACLU doesn’t accuse Linda Reade of misconduct but says there was the potential for bias during the trial.
Rubashkin has been jailed since November 2009, when he was convicted of 86 financial fraud charges that stemmed from fake invoices he created to show a lender the plant had more money flowing in than it did. Prosecutors say the fraud cost the bank $26 million.
Rubashkin was sentenced to 27 years.
Some Iowa grocers now check all IDs for tobacco, booze
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) People buying cigarettes or beer at Hy-Vee stores in Ottumwa can expect to have their IDs check, no matter their age.
Since November, two grocery stores, a drugstore and a gas station have been testing a new company policy of checking everyone’s identification when they buy tobacco products or alcohol even those in their 70s.
The Ottumwa Courier says because the drugstore has had multiple offenses of selling to minors or not asking for identification, the company decided to use a more aggressive system.
Store Director Jason Bishop says in order for any sale of tobacco or alcohol products to go through, cashiers must scan a driver’s license or other ID. He says it protects customers’ right to buy, but also protects the store from selling to a minor.
Iowa hunter accidentally shoots self with handgun
KELLERTON, Iowa (AP) An Iowa hunter accidentally shot himself while examining his half brother’s handgun.
Radio station KJAN-AM reports that the state Department of Natural Resources identified the hunter as 23-year-old Cameron Collier of Kellerton. The department says Collier and his half brother were in a truck parked Saturday morning northwest of Kellerton when the shooting happened. The men were waiting as their dogs searched for coyotes.
State officials say Kellerton was looking at the handgun and shot himself in the forearm. He was taken to a Des Moines hospital with a non-life-threatening injury.
Man pleads guilty to fraud in student loan case
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) A 31-year-old man has pleaded guilty to mail fraud for his role in a scheme to fraudulently obtain federal student loan money.
Michael Cortez of Cedar Rapids entered the plea Friday in U.S. District Court. Prosecutors say he and others applied for federal college aid in other people’s names in 2006 and 2007 and arranged for a loan check to be directed to a post office box under their control.
Cortez remains free on bond, and a sentencing date hasn’t been set.
Another participant, 22-year-old Cory Bailey, was sentenced last month to three years in prison for recruiting fake students to sign up for classes at Kirkwood Community College. He has also been ordered to pay restitution of $133,000 to the U.S. Department of Education and $5,900 to the college.
Arrests in death of woman found in Iowa street
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) A second person has been arrested in the stabbing death of a woman found lying in Council Bluffs street.
KGAN-TV reports that 22-year-old Lisa Reeves faces a first-degree murder in the killing of Tammy Rocha. A passing motorist found the 39-year-old Rocha Friday evening with multiple stab wounds. She died at a hospital.
Records show Reeves and another suspect, 47-year-old Clarence Woolsoncroft, were being held Sunday in the Pottawattamie County jail. Woolsoncroft also faces a murder charge. No numbers were listed for Reeves or Woolsoncroft.
Police say Rocha was stabbed in the street but was able to walk a short distance before collapsing. Police say a weapon was found in her trail of blood but it’s unclear whether that was used to stab her.
Police ID man who died after being hit by car
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) Police have released the name of a man who died after being hit by a vehicle on a Waterloo street.
KGAN-TV reports that he’s 53-year-old Ricky Gramlich of Waterloo.
Police say Gramlich was hit about 8:30 p.m. Saturday and died at a hospital.
An investigation is under way, although police say drugs and alcohol weren’t involved in the crash.
No. 16 Iowa routs Indiana
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Jaime Printy scored 18 points and No. 16 Iowa beat Indiana 71-51 on Sunday.
Kachine Alexander had 14 points, 10 rebounds, seven steals and four assists for the Hawkeyes, who had a strong afternoon defensively, holding the Hoosiers to just 26 percent (14-for-55) shooting from the field.
The Hawkeyes (15-4, 3-3) opened up a quick 16-6 lead with four 3-pointers, including two from Printy, and Indiana (8-10, 2-4) never got closer than nine points the rest of the game.
Alisha Goodwin led Indiana with 14 points, including 11 in the final three minutes. Aulani Sinclair added 12 points off the bench. Jori Davis had 10 points.
The two teams combined to shoot 61 free throws, and Iowa hit 24-of-32. Iowa outrebounded Indiana 51 to 34.
Mbakwe, Sampson lead Minnesota past Iowa 69-59
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) Trevor Mbakwe had 16 points and 12 rebounds and Ralph Sampson III matched his career high with seven blocked shots to help Minnesota beat Iowa 69-59 on Sunday night.
Sampson scored 11 points with six rebounds and four assists for the Gophers (14-4, 3-3 Big Ten), who survived some lapses and avoided a costly defeat at home against one of the conference’s few struggling teams. Al Nolen had 13 points and eight rebounds, including two critical 3-pointers in the second half and a 7-for-8 performance at the free-throw line.
Melsahn Basabe led the Hawkeyes (7-10, 0-5) with 20 points and 13 rebounds, and Eric May added 16 points. Matt Gatens finished with 13 points, including a 3-pointer at the 2-minute mark that brought Iowa within 62-55, but the junior guard was 5 for 21 from the field 3 for 10 from behind the arc.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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