Le Mars FFA Alums Speak About Their Memories
(Le Mars) — We continue to feature alums from the Le Mars F-F-A Chapter as the local youth agriculture organization celebrates its 75th anniversary on Saturday. Both Jim Barker and John Schneider were members of the Le Mars F-F-A between 1970 and 1974, and they worked together, as well as competed against each other, often times for the same positions. Both were active members in the Le Mars F-F-A. Jim Barker recalls some of his memories.
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John Schneider says the education he and Barker received from advisor and instructor John Ricks prepared him for Iowa State University.
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John Ricks was the advisor and instructor of the vocational agricultural program for 25 years for the Le Mars F-F-A program, and both Schneider and Barker offer high praise for Ricks.
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Schneider recalls when he and Barker competed and won the Clay County Fair FFA demonstration contest, three years running.
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The Le Mars F-F-A organization will celebrate its 75 years with an open house and banquet scheduled for Saturday at the Carey gymnasium at the Le Mars High School beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Wells Enterprises To Have Controlled Grass Burn Near Corporate Offices
(Le Mars) — Wells Enterprises, Inc. will be conducting a controlled burn of prairie grasses on the terraces on the south and southwest sides of the Wells Corporate Center building beginning at 6:00am on Sunday, April 10, 2016 weather permitting. The Le Mars Fire-Rescue Department along with the Akron Fire-Rescue Department will be present and in charge of the controlled burn. The burn should take approximately four hours and will be a good training opportunity for both fire departments.
Court Says Defendants With Drug Charges Are To Be Told They Will Lose Driving Privileges
UNDATED (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court says defendants facing drug charges must be told that they’ll lose their driving privileges for six months if they plead guilty.
The court ruled Friday that defendants also have a right to know the amount of mandatory surcharges they’ll be required to pay on top of their fines.
Those declarations came in an appeal filed by Kevin Fisher, who pleaded guilty to possessing a small amount of marijuana in Iowa City in 2013.
As part of a plea agreement, he agreed to plead guilty, spend two days in jail and pay a $315 fine.
He wasn’t told that his plea would also result in the automatic suspension of his drivers’ license for 180 days, or that he’d have to pay an additional $245 in surcharges.
Supervisor Found Guilty Of Theft
ALLISON, Iowa (AP) – A plea agreement says prosecutors are seeking probation for a former Butler County supervisor who’s pleaded guilty to theft.
Mark Reiher is scheduled to be sentenced April 20. Last month he pleaded guilty to one count of theft. Under a plea agreement, Reiher will pay nearly $1,900 in restitution and two theft counts will be dismissed.
Reiher was defeated for re-election in 2014. While on the county board, he also had seats on boards for the North Iowa Juvenile Detention Center and the Butler County Solid Waste Commission and attended meetings for Rural Iowa Waste Management in Eldora.
Authorities allege Reiher collected mileage for meetings he didn’t attend and twice billed the county and the detention center board for the same meetings.
