Supervisors To Hear From Van’s Sanitation
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County supervisors are scheduled to meet at the Courthouse Board Room this morning. The supervisors will hear from Neal Adler, the executive director with the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce and LBIC, along with Scott Vandersluis of Van’s Sanitation. The board will review Van’s Sanitation minimum assessment agreement and tax rebate for approval. The county governing board will also hear from Craig Bauerly as he seeks an extension for PK Farms. The supervisors will also hear from Fritz Dirkson as he seeks an approval for an addition in Remsen township.
Le Mars Police To Celebrate “National Night Out”
(Le Mars) — Tuesday, August 6 is designated as National Night Out and Le Mars will join cities across the nation to acknowledge the 30th anniversary of night of crime awareness. National Night Out is designed to heighten crime and drug prevention awareness generate support for and participation in, local anticrime efforts, strengthen neighborhood spirit and police community partnerships, and send a message to criminals letting them know neighborhoods are organized and fighting back. From 7:00 to 10:00 p.m. residents in neighborhoods throughout Le Mars and across the nation are asked to lock their doors, turn on outside lights and spend the evening outside with neighbors and police. Many neighborhoods throughout Le Mars will be hosting a variety of special events such as block parties, cookouts, and visits from the police. The Le Mars Police department is the local sponsor for the event. If you have questions, or would like to host a block party for National Night Out, you can contact the police department.
Merrill Water To Be Shut Off
(Merrill) — Merrill city officials are reminding Merrill residents that the city’s water will be shut off today, Tuesday, July 30th. It is not known how long the water will be off, but city officials say they will try to resolve the problem as quickly as possible.
Bishop Nickless Upset With Congressman King Over Immigration Remarks
(Sioux City) — Bishop Walker Nickless of the Sioux City Diocese is upset with recent comments attributed to Republican Congressman Steve King. In a statement issued on Monday, Bishop Nickless says he is disappointed by Representative King’s remarks, which speak of migrants in a way that undermines their human dignity and the respect owed them as children of God. Bishop Nickless also says “While Catholics may disagree on the specific approach to reforming the immigration system, they should agree that the immigration debate should be conducted in a civil and humane manner.” Bishop Nickless urges Congress to address the immigration issue on its merits. He says he supports common sense reform that provides a reasonable path to citizenship for the undocumented and promotes family unity.
Quilt Auction Benefits Life Skills Training Center
(Le Mars) — A quilt auction held at the Plymouth County Fair will benefit the Life Skills Training Center. 78 quilts were sold on Saturday afternoon, including 13 silent auction items raising nearly $20 thousand dollars. Becky Scheitler serves as the public relations coordinator with Life Skills and says the total of $19,886 was nearly $500 more than last year’s auction. Scheitler says she sees some familiar faces from year to year.
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Scheilter explains how the money will best be utilized and benefit the clients of Life Skills.
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The Life Skills official says the annual auction has been around for 17 years.
Lea Reid of Sioux City placed the highest bid of $650 for a modernistic quilt done in warm batiks made by Ginney Freyermuth of Le Mars. Speaking about Life Skills Training Center, the winner of the Cow Chip Bingo was Cody Laughton of Le Mars. Scheitler says he stopped by on Monday morning to pick up his $1000 check.
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Scheitler says all 910 squares were sold out before the event…and what was the winning square?
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Sioux City Woman Gives Birth To Quintuplets
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A Sioux City woman has given birth to quintuplets at an Omaha hospital.
Bianca Garcia had a Caesarean section Thursday, and on Monday the four girls and one boy were under close watch in the neonatal intensive care unit at Methodist Women’s Hospital.
Jose Garcia says he feels good but his wife is tired.
She was on bed rest for more than 10 weeks before the babies were born at 28 weeks, or about three months premature. A team of 35 doctors and nurses delivered the babies.
The babies were about 2 pounds each. They’re named Marah, Christobal, Arleth, Jimena and Rosalyn.
The couple has two sons, ages 9 and 7.
Doctor Brady Kerr says the babies “primarily need to grow.”
Monona County Auditor Arrested For Drugs
ONAWA, Iowa (AP) – The Monona County auditor has been released on a promise to appear in court after her arrest on charges of possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety says in a statement that 27-year old Brooke Kuhlmann scheduled a methamphetamine buy and pickup from an undercover Iowa State Patrol officer on Monday who had seized a dealer’s cell phone the day before.
After the drug purchase, Onawa police initiated a traffic stop and took Kuhlmann into custody for questioning.
She was arrested, charged and released.
Kuhlmann, a Democrat, is serving her second term as auditor.
A home telephone number could not immediately be located for her. The case had not yet been posted in online court records.
Storm Lake Boy Sets Mobile Home On Fire
STORM LAKE, Iowa (AP) – Police say a 12-year-old boy accidentally set his family’s mobile home on fire in northwest Iowa.
Storm Lake police announced Monday that the boy was playing with matches Friday in the bathroom while nearby adults slept.
A homeowner attempted to contain the blaze with a garden hose. Law enforcement officials also responded to the fire, which caused about $7,000 in damage.
The newspaper reports the child has been charged with misdemeanor reckless use of fire. Additional information has not been released.
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Council Bluffs Police Identify Man From Fiery Truck Accident
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – Council Bluffs police have identified a Jacksonville, Fla., man as the driver who died in a fiery truck crash on Interstate 29 in western Iowa.
The Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office identified 54-year-old Samil Meskic as the driver and lone occupant of the semitrailer on Sunday afternoon that flew off an overpass in Council Bluffs, just across the Missouri River from Omaha, Neb.
The examiner’s office says Meskic died from internal injuries, not the fire.
The crash and blaze shut down the section of I-29 while engineers determined whether the fire had damaged the bridge.
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Iowa Residents Show Support For Health Care Coverage Insurance Plan
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa residents are largely expressing support for a plan to expand low-income health care, although there are still questions about some of the details.
About 75 people attended a public hearing Monday in Des Moines on the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan.
Under the plan the state will accept federal dollars offered to states that expand Medicaid under President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul. That funding will be used to provide health coverage
for as many as 150,000 low-income residents by putting some on a new state-run program and to pay the premiums for others to get private insurance on the new health care exchanges.
Attendees questioned how proposed health incentives would be structured in the plan and why transportation for non-emergency appointments is not covered.
Construction To Begin On Cellulosic Ethanol Plant
GALVA, Iowa (AP) – Quad County Corn Processors has launched a construction project to build onto its existing ethanol plant a facility that can make additional ethanol from corn kernel fiber.
The $8.5 million project uses newly developed cellulosic ethanol science to convert additional parts of corn into ethanol at the company’s Galva plant. The project will add about 6 percent more
ethanol from the same amount of corn. The plant currently makes 35 million gallons of ethanol a year.
General Manager Delayne Johnson says the process also will add several jobs. It also improves the protein content of the animal feed byproduct the plant sells to livestock farmers by about 40
percent.
Construction is expected to be completed by next April.
Iowa has 41 ethanol refineries.
Iowa City Has Sewage Spill
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – At least 20,000 gallons of sewage flowed into an Iowa City stream after workers damaged a pumping station.
The Department of Natural Resources says the release happened Saturday evening at the Modern Manor Mobile Home Court while workers were cleaning a pumping station.
Between 20,000 and 30,000 gallons of sewage flowed into an unnamed tributary of Snyder Creek.
The DNR says it’s monitoring the situation.
Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Fair
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) – A judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by a former North Iowa Fairgrounds manager against the fair association.
The lawsuit by Wanda Kruse, of Rockwell, was dismissed with prejudice – meaning it cannot be filed again based on the same claims.
Kruse served as North Iowa Fairgrounds manager for two years until July 2010, when she was fired for having property at her home paid for with fair board money. She was fined $200 and ordered to pay court costs for misdemeanor theft in February 2011.
Kruse’s lawsuit alleged she was fired because she refused to pay fair board officers, which would have violated Iowa law.
She had been seeking damages for lost wages and benefits and emotional distress, among other things.
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