(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Police were involved in a motorcycle chase Friday evening.
An officer attempted to stop a motorcycle in the 1800 block of 6th Avenue southwest
at about 11:13 p.m. The driver of the motorcycle failed to stop and attempted to
elude the officer. The driver, 37 year old Joshua Foreman of rural Le Mars was
finally taken into custody after the pursuit ended in Alton. Foreman was
transported to the Plymouth County jail for eluding and failing to obey a stop sign. The Le Mars Police Department was assisted by the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office.
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Secondary Roads Department have closed two roads
due to bridge and culvert repair work. Otter Avenue between county road C-30 to
180th Street is closed beginning today and is expected to remain closed until July
19th due to the replacement of a wooden bridge with a steel I-beam. In addition,
Quartz Avenue between 110th Street and 100th Street is closed and will remain closed
until next Tuesday for a replacement of a wooden bridge with a concrete box culvert.
(Le Mars) — Le Mars Community Board of Education will convene this evening. One
item on the agenda will be to accept the resignation of a long-time Le Mars
Community Elementary principal. Floyd Athey has submitted his resignation to go
into effect at the conclusion of the contract year. Athey is the principal for both
the Clark and Franklin elementary schools. The school board will also be dealing
with several other announced resignations. The Board of Education will also hold a
public hearing regarding the proposed amendment to the 2015-16 school budget and
consider adoption of the budget amendment following the hearing. The school board
will be discussing insurance issues. First, the Iowa Association of School Boards’
Jester Insurance Services and EMC Insurance Companies will share the results of the
safety group insurance meeting held earlier in the month. Rob Bixenman will present
renewal information for the 2016-2017 school year to the Le Mars Community Board of
Education. The school board will also consider lease agreements with Northwest AEA
and with Buena Vista University. The school board will also consider the bids that
have been submitted by various financial institutions regarding the refinancing of
the 2011 Sales tax revenue bond issued to fund the Phase 2 construction project and
consider a resolution to accept the bid received from Primebank.
(Le Mars) — Sunday was graduation day for both Gehlen Catholic and Le Mars
Community. Gehlen Catholic had 39 seniors receive their diplomas. Le Mars
Community presented diplomas to 147 students.
Megan Kellen is this year’s Valedictorian for Gehlen Catholic. She discussed with
her fellow classmates the various experiences that they all enjoyed together,
reminding them that they know they are a Gehlen Jay when…
Kellen continues her address of “You Know you’re a Gehlen Jay…”
Kellen mentioned additional ways people know that they are a Gehlen Jay.
Caitlyn Niehus was one of the student speakers at the Le Mars Community graduation
ceremonies. She explained how each of her classes were helping her prepare for life
after high school.
Niehus says she attended calculus for her math class. There, she learned how
important it is to show each step to your conclusion. Martin says like math, in
life, you need to take it one step at a time. Niehus says her sixth hour Spanish
classes taught her to be tolerant of other cultures.
Class president Madison Martin took the opportunity to thank those people
responsible for securing her with a quality education.
SPIRIT LAKE, Iowa (AP) – A Spirit Lake pedestrian was seriously injured after she
was struck by a pickup truck and dragged for over 600 feet.
39-year-old Kathryn Kline was walking across U.S. Highway 71 in Spirit Lake with a green light Thursday afternoon when she was struck by a pickup driven by 87-year-old Earl Millikan, of Lake Park.
A police report says Millikan didn’t realize he struck the woman and continued
driving north with Kline pinned underneath the pickup for about 635 feet.
Kline was taken to a Spirit Lake hospital with serious injuries. Hospital
officials did not immediately return a message seeking her condition Monday
afternoon.
Millikan was cited with failure to yield to a pedestrian in a crosswalk under a
green arrow.
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FARMINGTON, Iowa (AP) – A Farmington high school that’s closing its doors has
given college scholarships to each of its students.
Harmony High School’s graduating class of 21 students each received a $2,900 scholarship in an envelope at the graduation ceremony Sunday. Students are allowed to use the scholarship at any school of their choice.
Additionally, juniors and sophomores who didn’t graduate will receive more than
$2,400 to attend Indian Hills Community College or Southeastern Community College
when they complete high school.
Superintendent Kerry Phillips says the scholarships were made possible by two
alumni who donated money to the Harmony School District after they died.
Next year, Harmony High School students will attend Van Buren High School in
Keosauqua.
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CARLISLE, Iowa (AP) – The world’s first surviving sextuplets have graduated from
their Iowa high school.
Alexis, Brandon, Joel, Kelsey, Kenny, Natalie and Nathan McCaughey all
crossed the stage Sunday as part of Carlisle High School’s class of 2016.
The septuplets were born Nov. 19, 1997, ranging in weight from 2 pounds, 5
ounces to 3 pounds, 4 ounces. Their mother had taken a fertility drug.
KCCI-TV in Des Moines reports that the sextuplets are going on separate
paths following high school, including the military and college. The station says
two of the seven plan to attend Hannibal-LaGrange University in Missouri, where
their parents say they were promised a free education.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Landowners have filed two lawsuits in northwest Iowa in an
attempt to block construction of a $3.8 billion oil pipeline.
The Des Moines Register reports the landowners are trying to keep the
pipeline company from being able to use eminent domain powers to secure access to
their land for the project.
Houston-based Dakota Access LLC wants to build the pipeline from northwest
North Dakota to a storage facility in south-central Illinois.
Construction has begun in North Dakota, South Dakota and Illinois, but the
Iowa Utilities Board has not authorized work to begin. And the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers hasn’t yet issued permits for the project.
Dakota Access officials have said the company will work with regulators to
move forward with construction of the pipeline in Iowa.
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NORTHWOOD, Iowa (AP) – A former mayor of Northwood charged with fraud has changed his plea to guilty. Online court records say 52-year-old Randy Severson entered the written plea on Thursday, a week after pleading not guilty to a charge of ongoing criminal conduct and six counts of fraudulent practice. The court records don’t say when he’ll be sentenced or provide any details about a possible deal with prosecutors.
His trial was scheduled to begin July 6. His attorney had notified the court of
Severson’s intention to assert diminished mental responsibility.
Severson’s accused of using the names of family members, customers and
acquaintances without their knowledge to make phony invoices that were submitted to
Northwood State Bank to create lines of credit between 2011 and 2014. That’s when he
was president of Northwood Lumber.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – City leaders want to convert an empty auto shop in a Des
Moines suburb into a hub for bicyclists. A study conducted for Windsor Heights recommended the hub be fashioned out of a former Sears Auto Center that sits near the Walnut Creek and Clive Greenbelt bike trails. The study recommends the hub include a cafe; restrooms with lockers; a changing room; a bike repair station; and a lawn or event space with a covered pavilion or stage. Costs could range from $200,000 to $1.7 million, depending on whether the city leases the space or buys it. Costs also would depend on the businesses that choose to open in the hub.
Mayor Diana Willits says she hopes construction can begin next year.
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CLINTON, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a 27-year-old woman has died in an apparent
fall at Eagle Point Park in Clinton.
Clinton firefighters were dispatched after a call around 11:40 a.m. Sunday. The
woman had fallen about 50 feet and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities identified her as Meghan Peters, who lived in Clinton.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Blank Park Zoo in Des Moines is expecting a new and rare
addition in the fall – an eastern black rhinoceros.
The Des Moines Register reports that Ayana and Kiano, the south side park’s
eastern black rhinos, are expecting a baby in late October or early November.
Experts say Ayana’s pregnancy is the first confirmed among the eastern black
rhino zoo population in almost two years, marking a major turning point in the
species’ decades-long decline.
Listed as critically endangered by the World Wildlife Fund, Des Moines’
rhinos are two of just 46 eastern black rhinos currently housed in North American
zoos, according to leading zoological nonprofit organization Association of Zoos &
Aquariums. Only six of those 46 rhinos are breeding females.
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