Le Mars Fire Department Host Water Fight
(Le Mars) — Nine different fire departments with 128 participants competed in the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department’s water fight held Sunday afternoon. There were 15 mens leader line teams with Storm Lake one taking top honors. The leader line involves three individuals with the first fire fighter attaching the hose to a water source and turning on the water, the second helps carry the hose and assists with keeping the hose straight, and the third fire fighter has to go through an obstacle course and shoot the water at a football. The other water fight had 29 mens teams and six women’s teams. Teams of two people would grab a hose and aim the water at a barrell that was on a cable above their heads. The object was to push the barrell, with the water, past your opponets. Hull Fire Department won the men’s water fights, with Storm Lake women taking top honors in the women’s category. Le Mars women won second and third place in the water fights. Fire Chief Dave Schipper says the competition is fun, but it also helps with sharpening the fire fighter’s skills.
Fire Department Responds To Alarm At The Abbey
(Le Mars) — Speaking about the Le Mars Fire Department, they responded to an alarm at The Abbey this morning at about 5:30 a.m. Fire officials arrived only to learn the alarm was malfunctioning. There was no fire.
Two Teenage Girls Injured After ATV Accident
(Le Mars) — Two teenage girls were transported to Floyd Valley hospital on Thursday evening after the ATV they were riding entered a ditch and struck a field drive way, causing the ATV to overturn. Both girls were 13 years of age. According to a report by the Plymouth County Sheriff’s office, the driver of the ATV, from rural Remsen, was traveling too fast and lost control of the ATV when it overturned pinning the driver underneath. The passenger, from Le Mars, was thrown off the all terrain vehicle. The accident happened at about 6:45 p.m. Thursday, August 14th near the intersection of 230th street and Otter Avenue.
Conservatives Want To Get Rid Of Common Core Education Standards
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa conservatives are continuing to fight the Common Core education standards, but it isn’t clear that the program will go away at the state level any time soon.
The Common Core is a set of english and math standards that spell out what students should know and when. The standards have been attacked by conservatives, who say the federal government is overreaching into classrooms.
Iowa Governor Terry Branstad has not said he wants to eradicate Common Core here, though last year he signed an executive order clarifying that the state would continue to maintain control over education standards and testing. And earlier this month Branstad removed Iowa from an organization created to develop an assessment system for the Common Core standards.
Polaris To Expand To Accomodate Motorcycle Sales
New Taxi Rules Proposed For Iowa City
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa City officials are considering imposing new taxi cab rules after a driver was charged with several assaults last winter.
Iowa City Police Chief Sam Hargadine recommended the new rules, which could include city-issued IDs, 24-hour dispatch centers and other changes to the way cab companies operate.
Company officials say they’ll oppose some of the measures, including one that would require them to hire drivers as employees instead of keeping them as independent contractors.
Hargadine says his officers spent 200 hours tracking taxi drivers from different companies because the assault victim couldn’t identify the driver and company owners couldn’t tell police who was on the road at a given time.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Sales of Indian motorcycles are strong enough to support more jobs at the Iowa plant that makes them.
Polaris Industries expects to hire 300 more people at its Spirit Lake, Iowa plant that already employs more than 700.
The Minneapolis-based company is hiring because it is expanding its Indian line of motorcycles to include the lighter, less-expensive Scout.
Polaris’ Steve Menneto says the company is confident there will be strong demand for the revived Scout model.
Sales of Indian motorcycles have been strong for Polaris, but the brand remains well behind industry leader Harley-Davidson.
