Supervisors Expected To Approve Disabled Veterans Tax Credits
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors are scheduled to convene at the County Courthouse board room this morning. The Supervisors are expected to approve disabled veterans homestead tax credits. Alan Fagan is scheduled to appear before the county board to ask for approval of a minor subdivision in Perry township. County engineer Tom Rohe is also scheduled to meet before the board. Rohe will submit two permit requests, as well as offer an update on the road construction projects in Plymouth County.
Le Mars City Council To Decide On Rail Line To Ethanol Transload Facility
(Le Mars) — Le Mars City Council is scheduled to meet at noon today. They will begin their meeting with a public hearing regarding the KNS addition rezoning request. The city council will hear an update from Jason Parker regarding the city management program. The council is expected to act upon a pickleball court request based on the recommendation of the city’s community service committee. Two weeks ago, a group of residents made the request to include the sport at some of the existing tennis courts. The council is expected to act upon a stop sign request for two stop signs at the intersection of Plymouth Steet and 7th avenue southeast. The Public Safety Committee made the suggestion that temporary or roll-out stop signs be utilized during the busy times of the day. An agreement could not be reached in the use of temporary or roll-out stop signs, therefore the request for permanent stop signs is being made. The city council will also consider a rail easement line to the new ethanol transload facility to be constructed on lot number 4 of the Industrial Park, of the third addition. Le Mars Business Initiative Corporation will own the ethanol transload facility, the city will own the rail line, Burlington Junction will operate on the railroad siding. Compensation for the said easement will be a $300,000 loan to Le Mars Public Storage for a term of five years.
Remsen Man Sentenced To Prison For Illegal Discharge From Lagoon
(Des Moines) — A Remsen man has been sentenced to prison for six weekends following a guilty plea to one count of knowingly discharging a pollutant into a waterway of the United States. 58 year old Michael Wolf pleaded guilty to the charge last December. The discharge resulted in a fish kill. At the plea and sentencing hearings, the United States presented evidence that on October 23 and 24, 2012, Wolf, while he was the maintenance manager at Sioux-Preme Packing, intentionally discharged biological materials and agricultural wastes from one of Sioux-Preme’s waste lagoons into a tributary of the West Branch of the Floyd River.
The discharge lasted more than 11 hours. It fouled over 11 miles of river, downstream from the lagoon, and killed over 190,000 fish of various species with a value of $20,282 and caused the State of Iowa to expend more than $5,000 in response costs. One witness to the fish kill described watching fish jumping out of the water and racing around to avoid the deadly plume. Wolf lied to members of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ Emergency Response team attempting to minimize the effects of the spill. The delay likely worsened the effects of the spill.
Blaise Coffee To Compete At National Soap Box Derby
(Le Mars) — A 13 year old Le Mars boy will be traveling to Cleveland, Ohio at the end of the week to compete in the National Soap Box Derby Finals. Blaise Coffee qualified after winning the regional competition in Omaha, Nebraska. Coffee says he has competed in soap box derbies for four years, and by his admission, he has fallen in love with the sport. Coffee says the secret to winning is to make certain you have a fast cart, and to remain low as to cut down on the wind resistance.
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Coffee says it could be considered a coincidence that he started racing soap box cars.
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Coffee explains the different categories of soap box derby racing that will happen at the national competition in Cleveland.
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A tip night has been set up for Wednesday evening at the J & J cafe to help Coffee with some of the expenses of traveling to Ohio for the nationals. During our 10:00 news update, we will hear additional comments from the 13 year old and his love for soap box derby racing.
Branstad Asking Iowa National Guard To Review Its Security Policies
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad is asking the Iowa National Guard to review security at its facilities in Iowa, in the wake of last week’s shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Branstad on Monday asked Iowa National Guard Maj. Gen Timothy Orr to assess the protection for those working at the Guard’s military facilities and recruitment sites.
The Republican governor also plans to ask the federal government to review the protections at all military facilities. He’ll make that request during a meeting this week in Washington for a group of governors who advise federal officials on security matters.
Last Thursday, Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez opened fire at a military recruiting office and a Navy-Marine operations center in Chattanooga, killing four Marines. A sailor wounded in the attack died Saturday.
Iowa Companies Fined For Environmental Violations
OSAGE, Iowa (AP) – The state Natural Resources Department has punished three companies in northern Iowa, saying they violated environmental laws.
The department ordered Smith Ag Inc. to pay nearly $5,600 for an October 2014 manure discharge into a Little Cedar River tributary.
The department also told Golden Grain Energy LLC to pay $10,000 for air-quality violations at its Mason City-based ethanol production facility. And the department ordered M.G. Waldbaum Co., of Minnetonka, Minnesota, to pay $8,000 for permit violations at its egg processing facility in Britt.
