Phase 3 of Business Highway 75 Now Open To Traffic
(Le Mars) — City officials have announced Phase 3 of the Business Highway 75 overlay paving project is now once again open to traffic. Phase 3 extends from the 12th Street southwest intersection near the Hy Vee supermarket heading south
to 18th Street southwest.
City To Hold Open House For Municipal Park Shelter House
(Le Mars) — Le Mars city officials will hold an open house today at the Municipal Park shelter house. The open house is scheduled between 12:00 and 1:30 p.m. The shelter house recently was involved with an extensive renovation project as part of the Community Betterment 2 Program. City officials have been
working on the Municipal Park, adding additional camping spaces, and renovating the shower facilities.
Museum To Hold Annual Meeting And Banquet
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Historical Museum will hold its annual meeting and banquet this evening at the “Old Central” Gymnasium. The banquet will begin at 6:00 p.m. with the meeting to follow. Charise Yanney of Sioux City will be the
featured speaker for tonight’s program. Yanney is a contributing columnist for the Sioux City Journal, and serves on several state wide commissions.
Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor Honored By Tourism Association
(Le Mars) — In honor of National Travel and Tourism Week, the Iowa Tourism Office recognized the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor recently for contributing to the state’s $8.06 billion tourism industry.
National Travel and Tourism Week (May 7-13), now in its 34th year, unites communities across the country to celebrate what travel means to employment, economic growth and personal well-being.
Shawna Lode, manager of the Iowa Tourism Office, says “We value and appreciate our partners for the work they do year-round to enhance the state’s economy through tourism. We’re taking this special week to recognize communities,
events, attractions, restaurants and lodging facilities in all 99 counties and thank them for those efforts.”
Gary Susemihl, senior manager, Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor. said “We appreciate the Iowa Tourism Office taking the time to stop by the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor Tuesday evening, to recognize the importance of tourism to Iowa and Plymouth County during National Travel and Tourism Week.” He says, “We’re already experiencing quite a few tourists at the Parlor and expect even more during the upcoming ice cream season. We invite the community to bring family and friends to the Parlor anytime for a sweet treat!”
Travel is an integral part of the state’s economy because people who visit Iowa annually generate more than $450 million in state tax revenue that pays for programs that benefit residents. The industry also supports the jobs of more than 67,000 Iowans – jobs that can never be outsourced to another location.
There are 150 jobs supported by travel and tourism in Plymouth County, and Travel and tourism generates $180,000 in local tax revenue for Plymouth County.
Floyd Valley Auxiliary Awards Scholarships
(Le Mars) — During Wednesday morning’s Chamber Coffee held at the Floyd Valley Healthcare, the Floyd Valley Auxiliary announced the names of their scholarship recipients. Two $1,000.00 scholarships were awarded to area students by the
Floyd Valley Auxiliary. The 2017 Auxiliary scholarship winners are Brooke Harpenau of Le Mars and Hannah Loutsch of Remsen.
Brooke Harpenau, daughter of Brian and Tonya Harpenau, is a senior at Gehlen Catholic School. Brooke plans to pursue a Biology / Pre-Med degree at the University of Iowa.
Hannah Loutsch, a senior at Remsen St. Mary’s, will be pursuing a Dental Hygeine degree at Kirkwood Community College. Hannah is the daughter of Gary and Kathy Loutsch.
The Auxiliary also donated $1,000 to the Floyd Valley Education
Department to be used for hospital staff training, such as Advanced Cardiac Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support and Neonatal Resuscitation Provider.
Floyd Valley Auxiliary awards scholarships each year to students in the Floyd Valley Healthcare service area who are pursuing a health related career. For more information on the scholarship, please go to FloydValley.org and click on Auxiliary.
Marlyn Renken Named School District’s “Employee of the Month”
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community School District honored one of its bus drivers as the “Employee of the Month”. A small award ceremony presentation was made Wednesday morning at the school district’s bus barn. This month’s recipient is Marlyn Renken. Marlyn has been driving a school bus for Le Mars Community for the past 22 years. Four people jointly submitted a nomination for Renken.
Neal Anthony, a substitute bus driver says Marlyn Renken is a dedicated employee, a true Bulldog, and a great ambassador to represent our district. He takes excellent care of his bus by keeping it very clean and organized. He enjoys his daily route and the interaction with the students. They know and respect him, and he genuinely cares for each and every student. He feels honored to drive the varsity boys’ teams to away games. The coaches know the can count on Marlyn to get them back and forth safely, and to help with anything else they need or ask for. He is always proud to show his Bulldog spirit. I feel he is deserving to be the employee of the month for the Le Mars Community School District. Trent Eckstaine submitted another nomination saying, Marlyn is always willing to help
the players while we are on the road, from giving a player money if he is short, to setting up our meals after the game, and even the occasional “This is the right thing to do” speech. I know it is a relief for me to get on the bus and not have to worry as Marlyn will have everything taken care of for me. Our congratulations go to Marlyn Renken for being named as the school district’s
“Employee of the Month.”
Escape Inmate Accused Of Killing Deputy Now Being Held At Woodbury County Jail
(Sioux City) — The suspect accused of the murder of a Pottawattamie County Sheriff’s Deputy is now in the Woodbury County Jail. Major Tony Wingert says Woodbury County Deputies transported Wesley Correa-Carmenaty from Council Bluffs to Sioux City Wednesday:
They arrived with Correa-Carmenaty at 11:15 this morning under tight security.
Correa-Carmenaty will be held in the Woodbury County Jail until further notice.
Major Wingert’s not saying if the suspect will be held in a special cell away from the general jail population or if other accommodations are made:
Correa-Carmenatay allegedly fatally shot Deputy Mark Burbridge and wounded Deputy Pat Morgan in a jailbreak attempt earlier this month.
Lubben Pleased With USDA’s Changes In School Meals
(Le Mars) — This school year is just about over, but for those who cook the lunches every day for the kids, they’re already looking forward to some changes that’ll be in place next year. The president of the School Nutrition Association of Iowa, Judy Lubben of Le Mars, says the new U-S Agriculture Secretary made some changes the industry requested.
Lubben says one of the biggest issues has been the requirement for the type of bread they could serve.
Another change involves an old favorite — chocolate milk.
She says another item that the students probably won’t notice is postponing the rule requiring them to lower the amount of sodium in the food. The new standards
were championed by former First Lady Michelle Obama in an effort to make school lunches healthier. Lubben pushed for the changes implemented by the new administration, and says they still want to provide healthy lunches, but she says they want to make changes in a way that the students accept. She cites the
whole grain bread issue as an example.
Lubben says the association has heard from a lot of districts about kids throwing away food. She says that problem is not always because the kids don’t like the food.
Lubben says the federal changes in the program give them more flexibility to adapt to what works best for the students. She hopes to be able to tell the U- S-D-A that the changes have worked.
The School Nutrition Association of Iowa will hold its annual conference in June and members will talk about the changes as they look ahead to the 2017-2018 school year.
