Lunch And Learn Session Scheduled For Monday
(Le Mars) — The next Lunch and Learn session is scheduled for this coming Monday and it will feature Floyd Valley Hospital administrator, Mike Donlin. The monthly Lunch and Learn sessions are co-sponsored by the Iowa State University Extension and Outreach of Plymouth County and by the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce. The sessions are designed to offer area business and community leaders, as well as the general public, an insight to the progressive economic development that is happening in Le Mars. The Blue Bunny ice cream parlor, second floor, serves as the location for informative forums. The Lunch and Learn program will begin at 12:00 noon. The cost for the meal is $15. Reservations can be made either through the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce office at 546-8821, or the Plymouth County Extension Services at 546-7835.
Le Mars Community School Board To Review Remodeling Project
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Board of Education is scheduled to meet on Monday evening. The school board has pushed up the start time for the meeting to begin at 5:00 p.m. at the Education Service Center. The school board will hear a report from Middle School Principal Steve Shanks along with members of the 6th grade team as they inform the school board about program changes that have been implemented during the 2014-2015 school year. The agenda also includes a report from architect Rick Dean of the Cannon, Moss, and Brygger firm. Dean is expected to visit with the school board about the proposed concession stand and the middle school restroom remodeling projects. The school board will also act on three teacher resignations. The school board is expected to discuss the upcoming Legislative forum scheduled for next Saturday, February 28th beginning at 9:30 a.m. During that forum, the school board and other area school officials will confer with State Representative Chuck Soderberg and State Senator Bill Anderson.
Iowa Economic Development Authority To Award Grants
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Economic Development Authority has awarded more than $237 million to eight companies to support job creation and expansion projects across the state.
The board announced the grants Friday, which will aid projects in Dubuque, Burlington, Ankeny, Sioux City, Ottumwa and Clear Lake. The awards, which include direct financial assistance and tax breaks, are meant to create 717 jobs, retain nine others and maintain economic growth in Iowa.
Board director Debi Durham says the awards have been granted to companies that have a long history in Iowa as well as businesses new to the state.
Projects include establishing headquarters for Hirschbach Motor Lines, a trucking company moving to Dubuque, and offering tax benefits to a private physical therapy practice in Sioux City that intends to expand its services.
E-85 Ethanol Spills On To Des Moines River
ESTHERVILLE, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Department of Natural Resources officials say about 100 gallons of fuel has pooled on top of a frozen section of the Des Moines River.
DNR spokesman Kevin Baskins says E-85 fuel overflowed Friday as a tank at an Estherville service station was being filled. He says the fuel reached a nearby storm sewer and flowed to the West Fork of river in northern Iowa.
Officials say they began cleaning the spill atop the ice and placed a barrel at the end of the storm sewer pipe to collect any fuel that continues to flow through and keep it from reaching the river.
Baskins says the DNR doesn’t expect significant environmental impact from the spill.
Des Moines Pharmacist Sentenced To Prison For Conspiracy
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A former owner of a Des Moines pharmacy has been sentenced to prison for conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and tax evasion.
According to a press release from the Department of Justice, Mark Graziano was sentenced Friday by Chief Judge James E. Gritzner to two years in prison, and will have three years of supervision after he is released. Graziano must also pay almost $600,000 in restitution.
Graziano pleaded guilty to the charges in November 2014 after being accused of illegally selling 700,000 hydrocodone pills at Bauder Pharmacy.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation began looking into the pharmacy when an informant notified state regulators.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa prosecuted the case.
University Of Iowa Organizes Three-Year Majors For Bachelor’s Degrees
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The University of Iowa has announced the first majors eligible for a new three-year bachelor’s degree program aimed at faster graduation and cutting costs.
UI President Sally Mason on Thursday said students interested in studying communication, English, history, international studies, marketing and theatre arts can enroll in the program beginning this fall. She says other majors might be added in the future.
According to a news release, three-year degrees require the same number of credits as those completed in four years, meaning students must take more classes each semester to remain on track. Interested students will be eligible for summer session scholarships and alternatives when mandatory courses are unavailable.
Mason tells the Iowa City Press-Citizen the program is ideal for “highly motivated students” who are sure of their major.
