(Le Mars) — A Le Mars Community High School teacher has been nominated for the Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award. Mrs. Jeanne Rust was awarded the Senior Division (grades 9-12) Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award for the state of Iowa, which now qualifies her for the national honor. The National Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award is awarded to one junior division and one senior division teacher who has shown outstanding creativity, commitment, and inspiration in developing student interest in history education.
Rust explains it was one of her students who submitted the initial nomination for the state honor.
Each of the 56 affiliates of National History Day awards one teacher in each division (middle school and high school) $500 and nominates that teacher for the National Patricia Behring Teacher of the Year Award. Jeanne Rust is the senior division winner from Iowa and is now nominated for the national award. Rust says the honor has a connection with the National History Day competition, and the projects submitted by students. She talks about the award and who is is named for.
The winners of the national award receives $10,000 in honor of their outstanding efforts to encourage and support history education. The two national winners will be announced at an awards ceremony on June 16th. Rust says she plans to attend the ceremonies, and joining her are two of her students who have qualified as a finalist in the National History Day competition.
(Le Mars) – The City of Le Mars is declaring an amnesty from the Landfill Disposal cost for Spring Clean up Days. Spring clean up days begins today, May 2nd through Saturday May 7th from 8am to 4pm, and from 8am to noon on Saturday at the Plymouth County Landfill. Only Le Mars residential properties can participate. Assistant City Administrator Jason Vacera tells us more.
Vacera then went on to talk about the Appliance/Tire drop off on May 11th
Vacera also talked about the PC Sweep going on May 21st at the City Hall Parking lot
(Remsen) — It appears as if all the work of replacing the electrical wires within the Remsen downtown area should be completed within the hour. After the wires are in, the downtown circuit will have to be switched from the temporary service to the new wires. At that time, the customers served by that circuit may experience a short power outage. The hope is that the power will remain intact during the transition, but as a precaution, customers may want to power down sensitive electronics.
(Le Mars) — Staff from the Plymouth County Treasurer’s office will be visiting Plymouth County communities to help those who qualify for a state credit on their house taxes, mobile home taxes, or for rent reimbursements. To qualify, and receive a credit on your real estate taxes, Iowa residents who own their own homes must be at least 65 years of age or older as of December 31, 2015 or be totally disabled and 18 years or older, and have a total household income under $23,360 for 2015. If you own and live in a mobile home, you are eligible to claim a reduced tax rate if your 2015 combined household income was less than $22,360 and were 23 years of age or older as of December 31, 2015. The State of Iowa also offers a rent reimbursement program to assist elderly or disabled low income individuals. Sign up must be done by June 1st. Residents can bring their 2015 income tax returns, social security statement of earnings, and the amount of any other income that you received in 2015 to one of the following locations. Plymouth County Treasurer’s staff will be at the Hinton Community Building on Tuesday, May 3rd beginning at 9:00 a.m. and will be there until 10:00 a.m. Then from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. they will set up office at the Merrill Senior Center. The Plymouth County treasurer’s staff will be in Remsen on Tuesday, May 3rd between 11:30 to 12:30. The following day, Wednesday, May 4th the staff will be at the Kingsley City Hall from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 a.m. They will be in Akron at the Akron Library Community Room from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. and at the Westfield City Hall from 1:30 to 2:30. Eligible residents can stop at the Plymouth County Courthouse in Le Mars at the Treasurer’s office anytime from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and must do so before June 1st.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A center for abused children in Sioux City is raising $2 million for an expansion project.
The project will roughly triple the size of the Mercy Child Advocacy Center to 9,000 square feet.
The project will create a stand-alone facility and add two more interview rooms and another examination room.
Plus, it will make the facility more secure and give it a separate entrance. Currently families enter the center through the endoscopy unit at the hospital.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad and Democratic lawmakers are blaming each other for failing to pass legislation on water quality initiatives.
The Republican governor said Monday he’s disappointed the Democratic-controlled Senate didn’t approve a water quality funding bill passed in the Republican-majority House. The Legislature adjourned Friday.
Branstad, Republicans and Democrats proposed different bills amid a lawsuit by the Des Moines water utility that put a spotlight on farm runoff. Democrats criticized a GOP plan to use existing state dollars. Republicans shot down proposals by Democrats to raise the sales tax or use surplus money.
Branstad’s own plan to use money from an education infrastructure fund wasn’t supported by Republicans. Senate Majority Leader Mike Gronstal said in a statement Monday the GOP plans would have diverted money from education funding.
State Representative Chuck Holz of Le Mars says he is most disappointed that his fellow lawmakers could not reach an agreement on a water quality bill.
Holz just completed his first year as a state legislator. He says he learned fairly quickly to rely on those people who are most familiar with the issue, and are an expert in the area.
The Le Mars republican says he learned the pace in the legislature is slower than he had realized, with some issues getting resolved while others remain embedded in controversy and difference of opinion.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Women who were breast-feeding at the Iowa Capitol as part of a campaign say they were asked to cover themselves despite a law that allows them to nurse in public.
The women were part of the Nationwide Nurse-In, an event designed to draw attention to each state’s breast-feeding laws. The Iowa group included eight adults and 10 children who were invited inside because of chilly outdoor temperatures, but asked not to breast-feed their children.
Iowa law allows women to breast-feed their own children in any public place where they are otherwise allowed.
Tami Wiencek of the Iowa Department of Administrative Services later issued a statement apologizing to the women.
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DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The number of drunken driving deaths on Iowa roads has been increasing over the past few years, but the number of driver’s license revocations is down.
There were 123 drunken driving deaths last year. That’s up from 110 the year before and 114 in 2012.
Last year, 13,938 driver’s licenses were revoked for drunken driving in the state. That number has been steadily declining. In 2014, 14,515 licenses were revoked and in 2012, 17,708 licenses were taken.
Officials with the state Transportation Department and law enforcement say the decline is a result of having fewer officers on the road because of budget cuts and fewer arrests. Also, more people may be getting rides home after drinking.
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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A lawsuit filed for more than a dozen people alleges a former Council Bluffs doctor shifted assets to his wife so he wouldn’t have to pay compensation to victims of his sex crimes.
Dennis Jones was sentenced to 10 years in prison after his 2014 convictions. Prosecutors say Jones had an estimated 1.2 million images of child pornography and 9,300 videos of child pornography in his possession – some of those being of his young patients. Several of the families involved sued in 2014.
A new lawsuit filed last week names Jones and his wife, Marianne, and says he’s transferred more than $1.4 million in real estate and other assets to her. Their attorney didn’t immediately return a call Monday from The Associated Press.
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MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) – A 24-year-old man has died in a Mason City house fire that was started by unattended food cooking on a stove.
Mason City Fire Department officials say Ackhasenh Cavan died as a result of the accidental Sunday morning blaze.
Firefighters found Cavan outside the house when they arrived. He was given medical aid before being taken to a Mason City hospital, where he was declared dead.
The fire damage was contained to the kitchen and living room, with some smoke damage throughout the rest of the house.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A 31-year-old pickup driver has been charged with vehicular homicide in the crash death of a woman in Polk County.
The accident occurred April 23 on westbound Interstate 80. The Iowa State Patrol says Michael Wright was driving the pickup when he changed lanes and hit a semitractor-trailer. The pickup hit a guardrail and went airborne, ejecting Wright and his passenger, 44-year-old Susannah Thompson.
She was pronounced dead at the scene. He was briefly hospitalized.
Wright’s also been charged with reckless driving, driving while barred as a habitual offender and third-offense operating under the influence. Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment on Wright’s behalf. He is from Ankeny.
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department has issued its April monthly report. During the month of April, the fire department responded to 12 fires, performed 6 rescues, conducted 7 investigations, 16 times were asked for request for services, and provided mutual aid to Merrill on two occasions, Oyens, and Orange City. Fire Chief Dave Schipper says a total of 273 people were trained in the correct manner of using fire extinguishers, including the city council and city hall administration staff.
(Remsen) — The power in Remsen has been switched to the temporary service and Remsen customers did not experience any power outage during the transition. Work now continues throughout the day to replace the wiring. Remsen residents and businesses may experience a power outage when service is switched from the temporary service to the new wire. Remsen Municipal Utility officials say the switch should occur late this afternoon or early evening.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Organizers say volunteers installed more than 600 smoke detectors in Sioux City homes during a fire safety blitz.
More than 100 volunteers teamed up to visit around 1,600 homes Saturday in an area that accounted for 7 percent of Sioux City’s fires in 2015 although occupying just 1 percent of the land inside city limits.
As one volunteer on each team installed a detector, other team members talked to residents about fire safety.
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