School Board To Hold Special Meeting
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Board of Education will hold a special meeting scheduled for Monday, February 2nd. The meeting will begin at 5:00 p.m. at the Education Administration Center. The school board will present their initial bargaining position offer to the Le Mars Teacher Association.
Iowa School Enrollment On The Increase
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Enrollment in Iowa’s public schools is on the rise for the fourth year in a row.
The Iowa Department of Education released a report Friday that shows the overall number of students enrolled for the 2014-15 school year again increased from the year before. The pattern follows 17 years of declining enrollment.
The state education department says student enrollment will likely follow the same pattern the next few years, but that the rate of growth is slowing and will eventually plateau.
According to the report, nearly 82 percent of Iowa’s largest districts posted enrollment gains, which contributed significantly to statewide growth.
Despite the increase, a majority of the state’s school districts saw declining enrollment, with the smallest districts facing the largest losses.
Parts Of The Midwest Suffering From Drought Conditions
LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) – Parts of Iowa, Missouri and other Midwest states are teetering close to drought status.
The National Drought Mitigation Center on Thursday classified a large swath of southern Iowa, areas along the northern Missouri border and the region east toward Illinois and Wisconsin as abnormally dry. This is one level below its moderate drought category.
The label comes just a week after the center categorized the area as normal.
The Omaha World-Herald reports much of the Plains, including Minnesota, the Dakotas and southern Nebraska, were already near drought or in drought, and most of the region remains unchanged from last week.
Much of the country has experienced a warmer and drier winter than normal.
The drought center is located at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.
Snowmobile Accident Claims Iowa Life
MCMILLAN TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) – Police say a 31-year-old Iowa man has died following a snowmobile crash in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Michigan State Police say in a statement that the crash happened late Thursday along Trail No. 8 in Ontonagon County’s McMillan Township.
Police say Brandon Laubenthal of Bancroft went off the trail and struck a tree. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.
Trial Set For Marshalltown Shooting
MARSHALLTOWN, Iowa (AP) – An April trial has been scheduled for a 31-year-old man accused of shooting a woman earlier this month at a motel in Marshalltown.
Online court records say Jean Martinez-Velazquez, of Marshalltown, has pleaded not guilty to attempted murder and several other charges. The Marshalltown Times-Republican says his trial is set to begin April 7.
Police say officers who responded to the Flamingo Motel on Jan. 4 found the woman suffering from a chest wound. Martinez-Velazquez also was in the room, and he was soon arrested.
Trucking Company Moves To Iowa
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) – An Illinois-based trucking company has plans to take its corporate headquarters to the Iowa side of the Mississippi River.
Hirschbach Motor Lines, based in East Dubuque, Illinois, announced its plans Thursday to relocate to Dubuque, Iowa, pending incentives from state officials. The project will cost about $9 million.
The Des Moines Register reports that Hirschbach is seeking $650,000 in tax credits and refunds from the Iowa Economic Development Authority. The company’s request is expected before the authority in February.
If the incentives are approved, the company plans to open its new headquarters by mid-2016.
Hirschbach said it plans to move 99 employees to Dubuque and keep 35 jobs in East Dubuque, where the company will invest $4 million in a training facility.
Coralville Motel Ordered To Close
CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) – The owner of a Coralville motel that’s been under the threat of closure by the city has agreed to shut down the operation.
J&M Motor Lodge owner Mike Moreno says he’ll voluntarily close the 18-room motel and an adjacent apartment building by July 1. His decision comes after he dropped an appeal against the city in November.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports the city had issued an order in 2013 threatening closure if the model didn’t change its business model. The city said the motel was operating as an apartment building without a valid permit, because many of its occupants have lived there for years.
Moreno says he held on as long as he could, but he knew the property would eventually have to be put up for sale.
