(Le Mars) — Today is the last day of school for both Le Mars Community and Gehlen
Catholic. It is also the last day for Le Mars Community School District’s
Transportation Director Gary Herman. After 42 years working with the school
district, Herman is retiring. Herman says he was responsible for the daily
maintenance of the entire transportation fleet owned by the school district.
Herman talks about the number of buses, vans, suburbans, pick-up trucks, and other
vehicles that consist of the Le Mars Community School District.
The transportation director says the district has a good mechanic that stays on top
of the maintenance issues relating to the fleet of buses. He says in the earlier
days, the school buses were all gasoline powered, however, today each of the school
buses are ran on diesel fuel. As for maintence memories, Herman recalls a time
when one school bus had suffered two flat tires at the same time.
He says the Le Mars Community School District consist of more than 150 square
miles, making it one of the largest transportation school districts within the
state.
After working with the buses and serving as the transportation director for 42
years, is there anything Herman will miss about his job?
And is there anything about the job that Herman will not miss?
Herman offers this advice to his successor.
(Le Mars) — Color Me Sweet Run and Walk is scheduled for Saturday morning. This marks the second annual event being sponsored by the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce
and the Le Mars YMCA. Ally Freking is overseeing the event. She says the number
of participants registered is slightly lower than last year, but interested
participants can still sign up for the event which will be held at the recreational
trails around the Le Mars Municipal Park and the Willow Creek Golf Course.
Last year, nearly 800 people had signed up for the inaugural “Color Me Sweet” run
and walk. This year, so far, Freking says about 500 participants have shown an
interest in the event. Freking says the event will be held rain or shine, and she
offers an explanation as to what people can expect from the event.
Freking encourages participants to wear white for the “Color Me Sweet” walk and
run.
The YMCA event coordinator says the colors for the “Color Me Sweet” walk and run
consists of powered corn starch with food coloring. Participants will be blasted
with the colored corn starch at 17 different stations. Freking says participants do
have the option to go through the coloring stations and the water wall, or if they
choose, they can go around the various stations. The event will begin at 10:00
with the runners starting first, followed by the walkers. Saturday’s weather is
calling for partly sunny skies with a chance of afternoon showers, but Freking says
the event will be held rain or shine.
If you haven’t yet registered for the event, you can go online at
www.lemarsymca.org, or contact the Le Mars YMCA.
(Le Mars) — The City of Le Mars is working with the Siouxland Interstate
Metropolitan Planning Council (SIMPCO) on updating their comprehensive plan to help
guide future City policy and decision-making towards the community’s vision.
Comprehensive Plans examine every aspect of City governance with an eye towards
long-term and sustainable improvements. The planning process also requires a lot of
involvement from citizens of Le Mars to ensure that the goals developed in the plan
reflect the desires of the community.
The Comprehensive Plan’s second Public Meeting will be held on June 7, 2016 at 5:15
P.M. in the Le Mars Willow Creek Golf Course Banquet Hall. This meeting will focus
on identifying issues related to existing and future homes and neighborhoods and
will lead to the creation of goals guiding development over the next twenty years.
Everyone with an interest in Le Mars is encouraged to attend and share their ideas.
Community members or volunteers who are interested in participating may direct
questions to SIMPCO at 712-224-8904. Contractors, developers, real estate agents,
and financial lenders are especially encouraged to attend the June 7th meeting.
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee will be
sponsoring the Farmers’ Market. The hours will be Saturday 8:00 a.m.-noon and
Wednesday 3:00-6:00 p.m. downtown at the Olson Cultural Event Center, located at
1st Avenue NE. The Market will begin Wednesday, July 6th and continue through
October as long as produce is available.
There is no pre-registration or reserved space for vendors. The Agriculture
Committee invites all vendors and customers to join them each Saturday morning and
Wednesday afternoon through the growing season.
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Sheriff’s Deputies have arrested a 25 year old Sioux
City man for eluding, OWI 2nd offense, carrying concealed weapons and traffic
violations. At approximately 3:15 am, Wednesday morning, the Plymouth County
Sheriff’s Office was called to the area of C-80 and Grouse Avenue for a report of
shots fired. Upon arrival, a vehicle with no tail lights and a headlight out was
observed in the area on Grouse Avenue. The deputy attempted to stop the vehicle and
the driver, Johnathan Wingert, failed to yield to the marked patrol vehicle.
Wingert led the deputy on a 3.5 mile pursuit at speeds in excess of 25 mph over the
posted speed limit. The vehicle was traveling westbound on C-80 to K-22 and then
north to Granite Avenue. While attempting to navigate a turn at high speeds onto
Granite Avenue, the vehicle entered the ditch. The vehicle then drove through a
farm yard before exiting the property back onto Granite Avenue. The vehicle
continued northbound on Granite Avenue before losing control again. The vehicle
entered the east ditch at Granite Avenue and 308th Street. The vehicle struck two
road signs and became stuck. The accident caused approximately $5,000 damage to the
defendant’s truck and the road signs. The defendant was taken into custody without
further incident. The defendant was jailed at the Plymouth County Jail and bond was
set at $5,000.
The defendant, Johnathan Wingert, was charged with Eluding (Class D Felony), OWI
2nd offense (aggravated misdemeanor), carrying concealed weapons (aggravated
misdemeanor), fail to maintain control, and 2 counts of fail to stop at a stop sign
(simple misdemeanors).
(Sioux City) — One person was hospitalized and two others are is in custody
following an early morning stabbing in Sioux City.
Sioux City Police say the incident happened just after 4am at 1920 Sherman
Avenue.
Investigators say the adult male victim was stabbed numerous times with a
knife during a physical altercation..
The victim sustained non-life threatening injuries and was taken to Mercy
Medical for treatment.
Police arrested 18 year old Trevor Peterson of Sioux City and charged him with
attempted murder.
A 16 year old juvenile male suspect, Michael Stewart, was arrested and charged
with willful injury, a Class C felony.
The victim’s name has not been released and the investigation is continuing.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa State Patrol is moving to terminate the
employment of a ranking officer who had been one of its rising stars.
A document obtained under the open records law by The Associated Press shows
Sgt. Michael Haugen was informed May 3 that he was being fired “due to misconduct.”
The patrol’s parent agency, the Iowa Department of Public Safety, has not
provided any further details. A related criminal investigation has been opened.
Haugen has the right to appeal and would continue to be paid until the
termination becomes final.
The 31-year-old had been a trooper for a decade at the patrol’s Mason City
post, which serves eight counties in northern Iowa. Last year he was promoted to
sergeant, a rank that only a few dozen patrol officers hold.
MOULTON, Iowa (AP) – A state audit shows over $22,000 was improperly used from a volunteer emergency medical service in the southern Iowa city of Moulton.
Iowa Auditor Mary Mosiman released an audit Thursday that was requested after officials with Moulton EMS found unauthorized cash withdrawals from their bank account tied to the nonprofit’s former treasurer Kim Horn.
The report says Horn withdrew cash, wrote checks to herself and cashed checks that totaled about $20,900.
The audit, which reviewed the group’s funds between November 2007 and October 2015, also found that $1,261 that should have been deposited to the group’s bank account for CPR classes and from a fundraising event were missing.
Horn was suspended in October after EMS officials became concerned.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Utilities Board is preparing an order that would
allow a Texas oil pipeline company to begin construction in Iowa in areas for which
it has landowner approval and permits.
Dallas-based Dakota Access LLC, which is building a 1,150-mile pipeline
from North Dakota into Illinois, had asked the Iowa board for permission to begin
work in areas outside the jurisdiction of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
The Corps hasn’t issued permits for about 60 Iowa river crossings, wetlands
or federal land where historical or environmental issues could arise. One in
northwest Iowa is under review for a possible Native American burial site.
The board directed its attorney to draft an order allowing construction to
begin and will review it for final approval early next week.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A lawsuit accuses five members of the Board of Regents of
meeting illegally with Bruce Harreld last summer before hiring him as University of
Iowa president.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday by a retired university administrator alleges
the regents violated the Iowa Open Meetings Act. It asks a judge to void Harreld’s
hiring, to award damages and to enter an injunction punishing regents with civil
contempt for future violations.
The board says there was no violation because a majority of nine regents
didn’t meet Harreld at once.
Harreld met with four regents on July 30 at Summit Agricultural Group in
Ames, the business owned by Board President Bruce Rastetter.
Rastetter has said he didn’t attend the meetings. Harreld has said he
requested the meetings to learn more about the job.
AMES, Iowa (AP) – Scientists at Iowa State University are stepping up their
mosquito surveillance program this summer to see if the species that carries the
Zika virus is showing up in Iowa.
Brendan Dunphy, a research associate in Iowa State’s Medical Entomology
Laboratory, says the two types of mosquitoes that carry and transmit Zika are found
mostly in tropical or sub-tropical climates and are rare here.
The laboratory has cataloged mosquito populations for 45 years. This summer
crews will increase their use of traps designed to lure the species that have the
potential to transmit Zika.
Cases of Zika in the United States were introduced from travel abroad. The
virus is so far unable to establish local mosquito-borne transmission in the U.S.
In Iowa the more immediate risk is West Nile virus.
