Branstad to Tour Plymouth County Energy
(Des Moines) — Governor Terry Branstad is scheduled to be in northwest Iowa on Monday. Branstad will start his day at the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce offices in Sioux City to hold his weekly news conference. He then will travel to Orange City for the ribbon cutting ceremony of the Prairie Winds Events Center scheduled for 11:00 a.m. Then at 1:00 p.m. the governor is scheduled to tour the Plymouth Energy ethanol facility at Merrill.
Le Mars School Board to Meet
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community School Board is scheduled to meet this evening. The board will hear reports from the district’s principals, as well as a report from Assistant Superintendent Steve Webner regarding the curriculm for the next school year involvingthe implementation of the Common Core. The school board is expected to approve several contracts.
Wendt Responds to Denial of Waiver for No Child Left Behind
(Le Mars) — The Iowa Department of Education was denied a waiver of the law, No Child Left Behind. Le Mars Community School District Superintendent, Dr. Todd Wendt says the intent of the law was admirable in the fact that a goal was established to not allow any child fall behind in the comprehension of education. However, the problem arises when you take into consideration the schools across the country have different levels of standards and are not equal in the assessment.
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The Le Mars school official says the Iowa plan was set up on a three-year plan. If a school was able to maintain the same level of proficiency for three-years, then that school would be considered proficient. He says the there were still some problems with the system.
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Wendt says Le Mars will have some classes, mainly some elementary grades, that will appear as being in the “watch list.”
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Feed Company Wants to Purchase Former Post Office Building
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Sioux City Postal distribution center that the U.S. Postal Service closed last fall won’t stay empty for long.
A local company that sells animal feed and nutrition products wholesale, Consumer Supply Distributing, wants to buy the building for future expansion.
The company, which employs about 70 people, plans to convert the postal building into its distribution center. Then Consumer Supply’s existing building could be used entirely for manufacturing.
On Monday, the City Council will consider offering the Consumer Supply tax breaks for buying the building if the North Sioux City, South Dakota-based company meets certain goals.
Man Severly Injured in Pickup Roll Over Accident
(Sioux City) — Sioux City Police is investigating an accident that occured Sunday on 19th and Summit Streets. According to the police report, upon arrival, a man was found in the cab of the truck unconscious. Preliminary investigations revealed there to be two other legally parked and unattended vehicles were also involved. It was discovered that the man driving the pickup truck south on Summit Street for unknown reasons, veered out of the lane of travel to the right side of the roadway and struck a parked car. The accident caused the parked car to be pushed into another parked car. The pickup truck clipped an utility pole. The pickup truck continued onto the driveway and up the concrete steps of 1817 Summit. The pickup truck then rolled to the left side and on its top, coming to rest with the hood of the cab collapsing onto the driver. Sioux City Police is investigating the contributing factors to the accident. At this time, alcohol and speed are not suspected to be factors.
Sioux County Inmate Steals Baby
(Orange City) — A Sioux County released inmate created a disturbance during visiting hours and for some tense moments on Saturday afternoon. Jamella Lancaster, age 35 of Sioux Falls, South Dakota was seen leaving the lobby area and allegedly took a 13 month old baby from it Grandmother by reaching inside a parked vehicle of one of the visitors. Lancaster then walked around the parking lot for several minutes, keeping the baby from its family while the baby’s grandmother and a Sioux County jailer were attempting to retrieve the baby. After several minutes, Lancaster relinqusished the baby to the baby’s family member and then attempted to hide in a ditch near Ironwood Avenue south of the Sheriff’s office. Lancaster was arrested and taken to the Orange City Area Hospital for a mental evaluation and was later transported to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls by the Orange City Ambulance. Upon Lancaster’s release from Sanford Hospital, the Sioux Falls Police Department arrested Lancaster on Sioux County Warrants of child stealing, a class C felony, and false reporting, a simple misdemeanor.
Branstad Allows Fewer Felons the Opportunity to Vote
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A review by The Associated Press shows Republican Governor Terry Branstad has made Iowa one of the most difficult states in the U.S. for felons to exercise their right to
vote.
When he took office last year, Branstad signed an order reversing a six-year policy started by Democrat Tom Vilsack in which felons automatically regained their voting rights once they
were discharged from state supervision. Felons now must go through a monthslong application process that critics call burdensome.
Records show less than a dozen felons have successfully navigated the process since it took effect 18 months ago. Branstad’s office has denied a handful of others because of incomplete paperwork or unpaid court costs.
Roughly 8,000 felons have finished prison sentences or been released from community supervision in that time.
Business Seminar Offered to Locals
(Sheldon) — As part of the Iowa Farm Bureau, the organization “Renew Rural Iowa” is doing what they can educate Iowa’s farming communities. There will be a free Business Success Seminar in Sheldon this coming Tuesday, June 26th.
Sandy Ehrig, Economic Development Administrator for the Iowa Farm Bureau, says that this seminar is meant for people currently in business, those who have a new idea or invention, or those wanting to educate themselves on what new business owners are learning today.
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The instructor is Curt Nelson, the president of the Entrepreneurial Development Center, a state business accelerator in Cedar Rapids. The seminar schedule includes ingredients in the “recipe” for building a successful business, and even though it’s geared a bit toward entrepreneurs, Ehrig says the information can be applied to many sectors.
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Oh, and just because it’s hosted by an entity with a “Rural” in the title, it definitely doesn’t mean just farm-type businesses should consider attending.
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The Rewew Rural Iowa’s Business Success Seminar is this Tuesday, June 26th beginning at 8am at Northwest Iowa Community College. To register or find out more about this free seminar visit www.renewruraliowa.com/seminars.
Iowan Must Pay Triple Damages of Check Forgery
KEOSAUQUA, Iowa (AP) – A southeast Iowa man convicted of forgingchecks totaling more than $20,000 has been ordered to pay the victim more than $60,500. The Ottumwa Courier reports that Jack Schafer, of Fairfield, pleaded guilty to forging checks on the account of James Millard, who was doing business as Millard Turtles. Schafer was given a deferred judgment and ordered to pay restitution of nearly $20,200. But Millard took Schafer to civil court on a claim for damages from identity theft. Under Iowa law, a person suffering loss as a result of identity theft can bring civil action and recover triple damages. Judge Michael Schilling ruled that the forgery of Millard’s name on his checks met the standard of his being a victim of identity theft.
Nursing Homes Assessed Fines
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Two Iowa nursing home companies have agreed to pay about $875,000 in penalties to the federal government. The Des Moines Register reports Bethany Lutheran Home will pay $675,000 for allegedly overbilling Medicare and Medicaid. HCM Management was sanctioned for allegedly employing two workers who had been barred from working in a federally funded facility.
Fire Officials and Housing Developers Disagree On Water Sprinklers
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Fire officials and developers are arguing over whether fire sprinklers should be required in Waukee and Johnston. The Des Moines Register reports fire officials contend the sprinklers are vital for residents’ safety. But the Home Builders Association of Greater Des Moines and developers say the systems aren’t needed and the costly requirement would be passed to buyers.
