Wagner Selected To Chair Mainstreet Business Improvement Committee
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Main Street program is pleased to announce that Lisa Wagner of Property Pros LLC will serve as the Chair for the Main Street Business Improvement Committee. Wagner is broker/owner of Property Pros.
The Main Street Business Improvement committee works to retain, strengthen and recruit businesses, develop financial incentives for business development and building rehabilitation, stimulate the adaptive use of underutilized space and collect, interpret and use data from marketing studies.
Committee members are: Kevin Eekhoff, Matt Ahlers, Paul Jacobson, Jim Gergeni (Jerguney), John Koley, John Schneider, Jan Wagner, Alysa Van Rooyan, Misty Szczech (zeck), Shane Sitzmann, Scott Eastman and Mary Reynolds.
Chamber of Commerce Annual Banquet is Saturday
(Le Mars) — Speaking about the Le Mars Chamber, the Chamber will hold its annual banquet Saturday evening at the Le Mars Convention Center. Social hour will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the dinner to start at 7:00 p.m. Both Le Mars Community High School and Gehlen Catholic will provide some musical entertainment for the evening. During the evening’s festivities, the Chamber will acknowledge both the employees of the month as well as the boss of the quarter for 2012. Highlighting the night will be the announcement of the “Citizen of the Year” and the “Business of the Year”. Iris Hemmingson was previously honored as the “Volunteer of the Year”.
Salvation Army Exceeds Goal
(Sioux City) — The Salvation Army of Siouxland set a new record for its annual Red Kettle Campaign topping $200,000 for the first time ever. The campaign’s total donations were over $219-thousand dollars received by the end of the campaign on January 21st. That topped the goal of $185,500 by 18%. The Salvation Army has been serving Siouxland since 1888.
Marshalltown Man Pleads No Contest To Robbing So. Sioux City Bank
DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) – A 28-year-old Iowa man is scheduled to be sentenced in March for a bank robbery in northeast Nebraska.
Robert Thomas of Marshalltown, Iowa, pleaded no contest on Tuesday to a charge of attempted robbery. Prosecutors lowered the original robbery charge in exchange for his plea.
Police say Thomas robbed a Bank of the West branch in South Sioux City on July 23rd, getting away that day with nearly $6,200.
Governor and Legislature Have Differences of Opinion On Surplus Funds
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Republican lawmakers and Gov. Terry Branstad have very different ideas on how to use state budget surplus dollars.
Branstad has proposed spending much of Iowa’s nearly $1 billion surplus on property tax cuts and education reforms over the next five years. But Republican leaders in the Legislature announced
Thursday they would back proposals to credit extra money back to taxpayers. The state first would ensure that reserve funds were filled.
Senate Republican leader Bill Dix proposed a credit of $750 per family
The proposal could pass the House, held by Republicans, but might face problems in the Senate, controlled by Democrats.
Asked about the Republicans’ proposal, Branstad spokesman Tim Albrecht noted that property tax cuts were the governor’s priority. Albrecht says Branstad would review any tax proposal lawmakers
approve.
Republicans To Introduce Photo ID Voting Bill
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State Senate Republicans will introduce legislation requiring that Iowans present photo identification in order to vote.
Senate Minority Leader Bill Dix of Shell Rock says Thursday that the law would protect the integrity of the voting system.
Existing Iowa law doesn’t require voters to show photo identification. Although Democrats say Iowa has little history of voter fraud, Republicans argue the risk remains and identification
should be required.
The bill is modeled after similar legislation introduced by Secretary of State Matt Schultz.
A Senate aide says filing the Senate bill demonstrates Republican support for the idea.
Democrats have opposed Schultz’s proposal. They argue Republicans are motivated by a desire to discourage voting by groups who typically favor Democrats, such as immigrants,
low-income people and the elderly.
Flu Outbreak Affecting Blood Donations
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – Officials say a bad flu season and other factors are to blame for a drop in blood donations that has left supplies at dangerously low levels.
Nicole Hanger, of LifeServe Blood Center, says donations started to drop about four weeks ago when a big winter storm hit. Then more people came down with the flu and donations remained low.
The blood center likes to have a three- to five-day supply, but that’s now down to a one- or two-day supply.
LifeServe provides blood to hospitals in Iowa, Nebraska and South Dakota.
The center is calling donors and sending out emails to spur donations.
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