(LE MARS)–Fire and smoke heavily damaged a home on the west side of Le Mars last night.
Le Mars Fire-Rescue responded to the report of a fire in a trailer house at Seven Cherry in Armel Acres about 7:45.
Firefighters saw heavy smoke coming from the home occupied by Brandy Nicks, her husband and two children. The family was out of their home when firefighters arrived.
According to Fire-Rescue chief David Schipper’s written information, firefighters went into the home to put out a fire in the kitchen area which extended through the ceiling into the roof.
The most likely cause of the fire was a grease fire with a pan on the stove in the kitchen that had been left unattended . The fire was determined to be accidental.
The trailer house had heavy smoke damage with heavy fire damage in the kitchen. Utilities were disconnected and, at this time, it cannot be lived in.
Le Mars Fire-Rescue was assisted by Ambulance and Police Departments, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s office, MidAmerican Energy and the Siouxland Chapter of the American Red Cross.
Firefighters were out on the call for about two hours and no one was injured.
(LE MARS)–Whether Transitional Kindergarten is offered for the next school year is a decision to be made during a meeting of the Le Mars Community Board of Education tonight (Monday).
The Board of Education will receive information from principals and teachers and is asked to determine the feasibility of offering a transitional kindergarten program.
The board will be asked to approve the budget estimate and receive comments on the proposed spending and revenue plan April 13th at 7:30 in the evening.
A resolution for the sale of the Camp Quest outdoor science area is before the board. If approved, the school district would have Brock Auctioneering for a May 7th public auction of the unused school property.
The Board of Education meeting begins at 7:30 tonight at the Education Service Center
AGENDA: TO THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
LE MARS COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT
MARCH 28, 2011
EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER
940 LINCOLN ST SW
7:30 P.M.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Agenda Page 1-3
Approval of Minutes
March 14, 2011 Page 4-5
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AGENDA REGULAR MEETING OF THE BOARD OF EDUCATION EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER 940 LINCOLN ST SW MARCH 28, 2011 7:30 PM I. CALL TO ORDER II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Regular Meeting – March 14, 2011 (page 4-5) III. CONSENT GROUPING
A. Claims and Accounts (see enclosed) IV. REPORTS AND INFORMATION A. Reports
1. Unscheduled Audience
A 10-minute module of time is available for audience participation.
2. Skills Iowa Report
Mr. Webner and members of the middle school teaching staff will report to the Board of Education regarding the implementation of the Skills Iowa web based assessment and tutorial system. B. Information
1. Annual Foundation Banquet
The annual Le Mars Community School District Foundation Banquet to recognize excellence in the school district will be held on April 12, 2011 beginning at 6:30 pm in the lower level of the Convention Center.
2. First Regular Board Meeting in April
The Board of Education has waived board policy and established April 13, 2011 as the first regular board meeting of the month of April as opposed to April 11, 2011.
3. IASB ABLE II Meeting
The Iowa Association of School Boards will be hosting an ABLE II meeting titled “Leading for Change Through Improved Communication” in Spencer on April 14, 2011. Board members interested in attending should notify Dr. Wendt.
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V. ACTION ITEMS
A. Personnel
1. Resignations
a. Steve Mohning has resigned his assistant high school track coaching position effective at the conclusion of the 2011 track season.
2. Contracts
a. Kurt Van Kley – Asst. Girls Tennis Coach – $2,152.22
b. Andrew Kleeman – Asst. 7th Grade Boys’ Basketball – $1,844.70
B. Other Items
1. Transitional Kindergarten Programming
The elementary principals and two of the kindergarten teachers will present information to the Board of Education regarding transitional kindergarten programming. The Board of Education will determine the feasibility of offering a transitional kindergarten program for the 2011-12 school year.
2. 2011-2012 Budget Estimate
Dr. Wendt will file the 2011-12 Budget Estimate with the Board of
Education. (See enclosure.) RECOMMEND: Approve the Budget Estimate for publication on March 30, 2011, with the hearing/certification set for April 13, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.
3. Camp Quest Auction
The Board of Education will consider a resolution calling for the sale of the Camp Quest property by auction utilizing the services of Brock Auctioneering Inc. The date of the auction will be set as May 7, 2011. (Resolution enclosed.)
4. Continuing Disclosure Agreement
The Board of Education will consider entering into an agreement with Piper Jaffrey to act as the dissemination agent for the district to provide certain secondary market disclosure information required during the term of the sales tax revenue bond issued to finance the Phase II project. (Agreement enclosed.)
5. 700 Series Board Policy Review
The Board of Education will conduct a review of the 700 series “Auxiliary Service” section of the board policy manual. Dr. Wendt will present recommended revisions, additions, or deletions for consideration to the Board of Education.
6. Superintendent Goals
As prescribed in the Goal Setting portion of the Superintendent Evaluation process, the Board and Superintendent will discuss progress on the goals developed. (Goal setting document enclosed.)
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VI. OTHER BUSINESS VII. UNFINISHED BUSINESS VIII. ADJOURNMENT Negotiation Strategy Session The Board of Education will conduct a negotiation strategy session immediately following the regular meeting. The strategy session is exempt from the Iowa Open Meetings Law.
NEXT REGULAR MEETING APRIL 13, 2011, 7:30 PM
(LE MARS)–The theme for the 2011 Friends of Gehlen Catholic Ball is “Thanking Community, Parishes and Donors.”
The co-chairs for the April 30th Friends of Gehlen Catholic Ball are Bob and Kathy Nilles and Lenny and Kelli Flack, all of Le Mars.
The co-chairs announced the theme for the 24th annual ball during the Major Donors Dinner Saturday.
In the past 23 years, the ball has raised more than two-and-a-half million dollars. The ball proceeds offset parental and parish investments annually by 10 percent.
A new feature for the meal next month is service by the students of Briar Cliff University instead of the buffet for the Tuscan dinner.
The Nilles and Flacks have announced the 2011 honorees are St. Mary’s Parish in Maurice and St. Joseph’s Parish in Neptune. Both joined the Gehlen Catholic Family in 1961. St. Mary’s closed in 1995 and Neptune will change later this year becoming part of the Le Mars Area Catholic Cluster.
Silent auction items range from a Black Hills retreat to rosaries blessed by Pope Benedict.
The Final Mix Show Band will perform in the lower level of the Le Mars Convention Center for the Ball. The upper level will again feature Patrick Shearon.
(AKRON) Akron Opera House president Doug Olsen says that theater is ready for their next show.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/March2011/Anything Goes 1.mp3{/audio}
The music and lyrics for “Anything Goes” are by Cole Porter. The production tells the story of Billy Crocker, a stowaway on board the S. S. American, who is searching for the heart of a woman named Hope, who is sailing to be married in England. In 1936, “Anything Goes” was made into a movie musical starring Ethel Merman and Bing Crosby.
The show opens this Friday April 1st and runs through Monday the 4th with curtain time at 7:30pm, except for Sunday which is a 2 o’clock matinee. Tickets are $16 for adults $10 for High School age students and younger. Reservations can be made by calling 712-568-2614. (News report by Angela Drake of KLEM)
Viborg church returns a year after fire
VIBORG, S.D. (AP) A new Spring Valley Lutheran Church is ready for services, one year after fire destroyed the previous structure.
The March 26, 2010, blaze happened the Friday before Palm Sunday, leaving the 240-member congregation without a place to worship during Holy Week and for months afterward.
Rev. Steve Unzicker tells the Yankton Press and Dakotan the church has a wedding scheduled for April 2 in the new building, and the church hopes to hold its first Sunday services the next day.
An electrical fire destroyed the old building, leaving only some records and a few small items.
The congregation carried insurance, but contributions helped cover other expenses.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Please check back for more local news later this morning.
SHELLSBURG, Iowa (AP) Benton County authorities say a pickup driver was fatally injured when his truck crashed off a road in east-central Iowa.
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office has not released the name of the driver. The accident occurred about 2:15 a.m. Sunday, about three miles north of Shellsburg.
The office says the truck left the roadway and hit a ditch embankment, ejecting the 26-year-old driver. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The driver was alone in the truck.
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) Marshall County authorities say a 50-year-old man and his 23-year-old daughter face several charges stemming from a marijuana-growing operation in Marshalltown.
A jailer said Sunday that Steven and Ciera Keith have bonded out of custody.
They both face three felony charges. Steven Keith also has been charged with a misdemeanor, and his daughter faces two misdemeanor charges.
Detective Doug Marshall said that 175 marijuana plants were found during a search at a Marshalltown address last week. Marshall says the operation was sizable and included a ventilation system and hydroponic gear for growing the plants.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Iowa City and the University of Iowa are looking to tap the city’s landfill to power laboratories and research centers.
The city, the university and MidAmerican Energy are partnering on a project to pipe methane gas from the landfill to the university’s Oakdale Campus.
The methane that’s created when garbage breaks down is being burned off into the atmosphere. University spokesman Ferman Milster says that’s just “heating air” and there are better ways to use the energy, and one is to produce heat and power.
Under the plan, MidAmerican will build a $3 million, 6-mile underground pipeline from the landfill to the Oakdale Campus.
There are more than 500 landfill gas projects nationwide. Iowa City would be the sixth one in Iowa.
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) A 22-year-old Cedar Falls man apologized as he pleaded guilty to robbing a local bank.
Authorities say Tyler Kimpton robbed the Wells Fargo Bank branch near Cedar Falls’ College Square Mall on Dec. 4. He was captured a few blocks away.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier says Kimpton said he was sorry as he made his plea last week. Kimpton faces a mandatory sentence of 10 years.
Kimpton was convicted of misdemeanor theft in 2007.
COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa (AP) Firefighters found a body inside a downtown Columbus Junction apartment building, raising the fire’s death toll to two.
A police news release says the body was found later Saturday afternoon as the building was searched. Firefighters discovered the first victim was trapped inside the building as they arrived to fight the blaze, which was reported a little before 2:45 p.m. That person was pronounced dead at the scene.
Two other people were injured. One was flown to an Iowa City hospital; the other person refused treatment.
Authorities have not release the victims’ names or information about what caused the blaze, which remains under investigation. The town’s police chief did not immediately return a call Sunday from The Associated Press.
Columbus Junction is southwest of Davenport in eastern Iowa’s Louisa County.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Submit your news release, photo, confidential news tip or news idea by email klemnews@lemarscomm or by calling 712.546.4121 or 712.546.9672 fax.
