Le Mars Ambulance And Le Mars Fire and Rescue Submit Quarterly Report
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Ambulance along with the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department have submitted their quarterly reports. The data is between September 1st and November 30th. The ambulance service saw a drop of only two calls from this last quarter compared to a year ago. Le Mars Ambulance Service director, Bill Rosacker says they had responded to 201 calls. So far in 2015, the Le Mars Ambulance have responded to 869 calls compared to 838 calls for the same time period in 2014. Rosacker says the local ambulance service has witnessed an increase of four percent over last year. The quarterly report indicates expenses are running about $10,000 above projections due to training being expensed out in November and reimbursing monies for a student completing the paramedic certification. The report also shows vehicle maintenance is running ahead of budget due to needed repairs. Income is within budget and donations plus grants received are in excess of what was budgeted. There are 26 people who assist with the Le Mars Ambulance Service.
(Le Mars) — As for the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department, they responded to a total of 160 calls for the reporting quarter between September 1st and November 30th. Of those 160 calls, 50 were for fires, 19 rescues, and the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department offered mutual aid assistance 13 times. During the reporting quarter, both the Le Mars Ambulance and the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department received donations each of $15,000 from Wells Enterprises.
School District To Change Lighting To Be More Efficient
(Le Mars) — On Monday evening during the Le Mars Community Board of Education meeting, the school board approved a plan to upgrade its lighting to become more energy efficient. LED lights will be swapped out for the existing florescent lights in both the middle and the high school. School officials say MidAmerican energy is offering a rebate to the school district for the lighting upgrade.
Neunaber Ruling May Not Be Delivered Until January
(Le Mars) — It will likely be next year before a judge rules on the case of an Akron, Iowa man charged in the death of his mother. Judge Steven Andreasen has given attorney until December 31st to file additional briefs regarding the case of Jonathan Neunaber. A closed hearing to determine Neunaber’s mental competency was held last Friday. Any new briefs and exhibits filed related to the case hearing will be confidential and available only to the judge and the attorneys. Neunaber has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the death of his mother, 80 year old Esther Neunaber. Her body was found last July with the body of her husband Donald Neunaber. The coroner ruled she was beaten to death, and he had died of natural causes. Neunaber remains in custody in the Plymouth County jail.
Officials Lower The Expected Savings From Privatization Of Medicare
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa health officials have lowered the state’s projected savings for switching its $4.2 billion Medicaid program to private care.
The Iowa Department of Human Services provided documentation to a legislative committee on Wednesday that projected the department could save about $47 million in the first six months of 2016 with the move to privatization on Jan. 1. The department has previously pointed to a cost savings of roughly $51 million.
Department spokeswoman Amy Lorentzen McCoy says the figure used in the presentation to the Fiscal Committee is an estimate, and the department could still save as much as $51 million.
Senator Joe Bolkcom, an Iowa City Democrat, says the department hasn’t provided enough information about its savings projections. McCoy says the department has provided clear documentation.
State Museum Needs Repairs
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The head of the department that oversees Iowa’s flagship history museum says the building is in serious need of repairs and will require financial help from the Legislature.
Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs Director Mary Cownie told a group of lawmakers Wednesday it’s “an absolute embarrassment” that the State Historical Museum in downtown Des Moines has water leaks that require the facility’s atrium to be littered with buckets.
Cownie says the building also has maintenance issues with its heating and cooling system and drainage system. She noted that the building’s granite exterior is crumbling, occasionally falling as people walk by.
The department wants to renovate the building and estimates it will cost $65 million over several years. It is seeking $9 million for the project in the upcoming legislative session.
National Park Service Superintendent Reaches Plea Agreement
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A long-retired National Park Service superintendent has appeared in court to face a charge of stealing ancient Native American remains from a museum collection that he managed in Iowa.
Former Effigy Mounds National Monument superintendent Thomas Munson was released pending further proceedings after an arraignment hearing Wednesday afternoon. He declined comment as he left the federal courthouse in Cedar Rapids.
Prosecutors said that they have reached a plea agreement with the 76-year-old resident of Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin.
Under the agreement, Munson is expected to plead guilty to embezzlement of government property at a later date. Federal prosecutors said that they charged the case as a misdemeanor, which is reserved for thefts in which the value of items taken is under $1,000.
Details of the plea deal haven’t been released.
Iowa Department Of Education Releases Public Schools Report Card
(Des Moines) — The Iowa Department of Education has introduced a new on-line system to evaluate and rate each public school in the state. Department of Education director, Ryan Wise, talks about the Iowa School Report Card in an introduction on the website.
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The report card is based the performance of each school for a set of measures.
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Wise says the report card should be helpful across education.
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While the Iowa School Report Card provides a measurement of schools, Wise says it is not the only thing that should be used to judge the schools.
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The Iowa School Report Card is available on the Education Department’s website at: www.educateiowa.gov/schoolreportcard. The scores and ratings are based on data reported by school districts for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 school years. There are no consequences or rewards are tied to the school ratings.
