Libray Board Chooses To Leave County Library Association
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Public Library Board of Trustees has decided not to participate in the county wide library association, which means the city public library will forfeit more than $24,000 that is contributed by the county as appropriated by the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors. The library board made that decision during a monthly meeting held Monday evening. Scott Langel, the Le Mars City Administrator explains why the library board took the action.
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Langel says the county’s portion of contribution to the local library did not meet today’s needs with many electronic devices and services.
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The city administrator says rural residents living outside the Le Mars city limits wanting to use the Le Mars public library would be requested to pay an additional fee for all library services, not just electronic devices such as the computer, e-books, and access to the internet. The contract in which the five community public libraries, Le Mars, Remsen, Kingsley, Merrill, and Akron was operating under, had been the same without many revisions since the 1970’s.
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Langel says the city library board decided to take matters into their own hands. He says the county’s share of contribution made up of only five percent of the library’s total budget.
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Floyd Valley Hospital To Honor Volunteers
(Le Mars) — Floyd Valley Hospital will recognize their many volunteers during a ceremonial luncheon. Due to the construction at the hospital, the event will be held at the Willow Creek Country Clubhouse. Nancy Augustine of the Floyd Valley Hospital auxiliary offers an explanation for today’s program.
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NIPCO Honored For Economic Development
(Le Mars) — The utility cooperative Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative, or NIPCO was recently recognized for economic development accomplishments and commitment to their local communities at NIPCO’s Annual Meeting in Sioux City on April 1, 2014. NIPCO, in partnership with its rural electric cooperatives and municipal electric systems are positively impacting the quality of life and the economy of Iowa. Northwest Iowa Power Cooperative has been instrumental in numerous development projects and initiatives in northwest Iowa for many years. In recognition of their leadership and support, the Cooperative was presented with an IADG Impact Award for policy development. NIPCO expanded their efforts by creating a new position with a concerted focus on economic development, staffing, marketing and cooperative relations.
The Iowa Area Development Group is the marketing and business development office for Iowa’s member-owned rural electric cooperatives, select municipal electric utilities and independent telecommunication companies.
Officials Monitor Grass Fire
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities are continuing to monitor a grass fire in northwest Iowa that broke out near a retirement home.
Officials at Holy Spirit Retirement Home in Sioux City say residents and staff are safe from the fire, which was reported Tuesday. Spokeswoman Leslie Heying says no one has been evacuated from the property, though some cars were moved.
Firefighters are still on the scene and working the fire, which has been contained to a nature preserve east of the retirement home. Additional information has not been released.
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Another Riot At Iowa State’s Veisha Celebration
AMES, Iowa (AP) – Ames police say 1 person has been seriously injured after a rowdy crowd disturbance near the Iowa State University campus in which people overturned cars and toppled light poles.
Police Cmdr. Geoff Huff says in a statement on the agency’s Facebook
page that the crowd massed late Tuesday in the Campustown area and threw beer cans at officers after overturning two cars. He says people also knocked down two light poles, striking the person who was badly hurt. Police say the person, who wasn’t immediately identified, was airlifted to a Des Moines hospital.
The disturbances came amid Iowa State’s annual Veishea celebration.
Police told The Associated Press that the crowd dispersed early Wednesday. They sought the public’s help identifying those involved.
Branstad Fires Iowa DAS Director
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The director of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services has been fired after a former employee’s attorney forwarded to lawmakers emails that clearly show the state paid money to the woman for secrecy.
Mike Carroll, who was appointed by Branstad in 2011, told lawmakers last week the testimony of former employees was untrue and no settlement agreements included money for silence. Branstad had stood behind Carroll.
Branstad called the new information deeply troubling and disappointing. In a statement Branstad says he fired Carroll because new facts “directly contradict what he told me and what he stated before the Government Oversight Committee.”
Drake’s Business College Gives Up Accreditation
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Drake University’s business school leaders have decided to give up accreditation for a year.
Officials at the Des Moines school intend to reapply in spring 2015 to the accrediting body, the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business.
Drake met 20 of 21 association standards in its last review, in 2011. It fell short in faculty research productivity but was given two years to meet the standard.
Business and public administration dean Charles Edwards says six or seven faculty members still must increase their productivity.
Edwards says Drake’s College of Business and Public Administration has 1,100 undergraduate students and 450 graduate students.
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Huckabee Visits Iowa
WAUKEE, Iowa (AP) – Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is headlining a conservative event in suburban Des Moines, after meeting privately with past campaign aides in the leadoff caucus state.
The 2008 Republican presidential caucus winner is among several GOP and social conservative speakers at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s spring event, held at a Waukee church.
Huckabee has said he is weighing another White House bid in 2016. He said: “I’m concerned there are some directions we have taken as a nation that make no sense to me.”
He has kept a public presence, with national television and radio shows.
Huckabee made headlines in January, at the Republican National Committee meeting, accusing Democrats of portraying some women as unable to “control their libido or reproductive system” and dependent on government-sponsored birth control.
