County Supervisors Approve Bids For Culvert And Bridge Repair Work
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors approved the bids from four different contractors for five culvert and bridge repair projects scheduled for this year. Three of the projects will be done by Plymouth County-based contractors. Peterson Contracting of Renbeck, Graves Construction of Spencer, L.A. Carlson of Merrill and Kooiker (Quaker) Incorporated of Le Mars were each awarded construction project bids that totalled $418,191.
City Renews Contract With Van’s Sanitation
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars City Council has renewed the sanitation waste contract with Van’s Sanitation for another five years. Van’s has been collecting the city’s waste for the past 20 years. Van’s Sanitation requested from the city an increase in the fees charged for waste collection, as well as an economic development forgivable loan.
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The city council approved both the rate increase, as well as the forgivable loan for the waste collection service.
Council member Rex Knapp was complimentary of the service provided by Van’s Sanitation.
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City To Collect Electronic Devices On May 16th
(Le Mars) — Speaking about waste disposal, the city has announced the spring clean up days. Friday, May 16th at the city hall parking lot between the hours of 2:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. the city will collect recycletronics. Le Mars residents can bring your old electronics, including cellphones…telephones…computers…CPUs…stereos…toasters…laptops… VCRs…alarm clocks…remote control units…MP3 players…disk drives…can openers…camcorders…floppy drives…speakers…cameras…modems…CD players…fax machines…game systems…and more. Items that will not be accepted include appliances such as refrigerators, washers, dryers, freezers, humidifiers, household trash, and non-electronic equipment. The city has declared the week of June 2-7 as an amnesty time when Le Mars residents can dispose of items at the landfill at no charge.
Museum to Celebrate 50th Anniversary
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Historical Museum will celebrate its 50 years of existence when it hosts the annual meeting and banquet Thursday evening. “Our Golden Year” is the theme for the museum’s annual meeting as several past presidents of the museum and other volunteers will share memories of different decades. A slide show of images from the past 50 years will wrap up the program. closing the evening will be the recognition of volunteers. The annual meeting will be held at the “Old Central Gymnasium” and will begin with a catered meal at 6:00 p.m. Following the program, attendees are invited and encouraged to visit all five floors of the museum, including the new “sports theme” room next to the study hall.
185th Air Refueling Wing Names New Commander
(Sioux City) — The 185th Air Refueling Wing Air National Guard, based at the Sioux City airport has a new commander. Colonel Lawrence Christensen has been named as the next commander. Colonel Christensen replaces retiring Colonel Brian Miller, who had served 34 years of service and seven years as the Wing Commander. Colonel Christensen is a native of Sioux City, and a 1983 Heelan High School graduate. He has been serving as Operations Group Commander of the 185th Air Refueling Wing. Colonel Christensen was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant from 185th Air Refueling Wing. He graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from Iowa State University in 1987. Colonel Christensen is a Command Pilot with more than 500 hours in the A-7 and 1,100 flying hours in the F-16 fighter jets. He is currently an instructor pilot with over 1,100 hours in the KC-135 used for refueling purposes. The 185th will hold a formal change of command ceremonies scheduled for June 7th.
Appeals Board Delays Approval Of Settlement
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The State Appeal Board is delaying the approval of a proposed $100,000 settlement with a former Glenwood Resource Center employee who claimed she faced retaliation.
The board tabled the state’s settlement Monday with Cecilia Carman, who alleged officials violated the Iowa Civil Rights Act when they failed to rehire her.
Board members said they wanted more details before approving the payments for lost wages, emotional distress and legal fees for Carman.
The board’s executive secretary, Joe Barry, said Tuesday that members wanted more information about the details, including whether actions have been taken to prevent similar problems in the future. He says it is expected to be considered at the board’s June 2 meeting, if not earlier.
The settlement came as the case was scheduled for trial last month.
Human Chain Used To Move Books To New Library
STANTON, Iowa (AP) – A human chain of more than 400 people in western Iowa has helped move books from an old library to a new one.
People in the small community of Stanton lined the streets Tuesday to pass the books from the old library in the downtown area to a new community building.
People moved about 3,000 books in about an hour and a half. About another 3,000 books were moved prior to Tuesday’s event because they were either too big or too delicate for the human chain. Another 2,000 books will be transported a different way.
The new library is expected to open this month.
Legislature Approves Spending Bill During Last Hours Of General Session
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A bill passed just before 4 a.m. Thursday as one of the final actions of the year for the Iowa House is packed with nearly $80 million worth of government spending, including money to repair a former governor’s grave, to preserve Civil War muster rolls, and to host the Midwest United States-Japan Conference in Des Moines in September.
The bill, which also passed the Senate, pays off about $60 million in state debt, a move held up by legislative leaders as a proud accomplishment this year. However that debt payoff was linked in a single bill to several spending measures debated only in the final hours of the legislative session.
Gov. Terry Branstad says he’s concerned about the one-time spending and will look at it carefully before signing it.
