Iowa Department of Transportation Trying To Clear Ice and Snow From Highways
(Ames) — Once again, the Iowa Department of Transportation is reporting that all roads and highways within northwest Iowa are ice and snow covered. Snow plows are out, and in many cases applying sand, salt, or a liquid brine solution to the roads. Many are trying their best to scrape the ice off the roadways.
Iowa DOT officials advise motorists to slow down for the conditions, and to allow yourself extra time for your morning commute and destination.
View from IDOT snow plow truck on Highway 75, north of Le Mars at approximately 7:35 a.m.
County Supervisors To Discuss Drainage On Highway 75 Near Hinton
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors have a short agenda for today’s meeting scheduled at the Plymouth County Courthouse. The supervisors will discuss the proposals of the Iowa Department of Transportation to replace drainage structures in Drainage District along Highway 75, south of Hinton.
City Council To Approve Fiscal Year Budget
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars City Council will convene Tuesday afternoon at the city council chambers for its bi-monthly meeting. A public hearing is scheduled at 12:00 noon regarding the Le Mars Municipal campground improvements and
expansion. The council will act on the funding recommendations presented by the Le Mars Convention and Visitors Bureau advisory board for the usage of the hotel-motel tax. The city council will also discuss the Surface Transportation
Block Grant application for joint funding between the federal, state, and local governments for the re-surfacing of 12th Street South extending from 2nd Avenue to 7th Avenue east. Surface Transportation Block Grants have traditionally had an 80 percent to 20 percent split, with the federal government financing 80
percent of the construction expenses, and the local government financing the remaining 20 percent. The city council is also expected to act on the proposed city budget with an expected revenue of $21,975,000, with total expenditures at
$21,551,000 with a tax levy rate of $12.50.
Good Samaritan Society of Le Mars To Hold “Spring Fling”
(Le Mars) — We are about a month away from the official start of spring, but the Good Samaritan Society of Le Mars is scheduled to hold its “Spring Fling” this Thursday, February 22nd. Darci Athens, the Development Manager with Good
Samaritan Society of Le Mars says the Spring Fling is a fund raiser for the retirement community.
As Athens mentioned, the Good Samaritan Society turns 60 years old this year, and Athens says they hope to raise $600,000 for the endowment fund.
Past donations, according to Athens, have gone to help beautify the grounds surrounding the retirement center.
This year’s “Spring Fling” will take on a Classic Rock Music theme featuring a local man who now is nationally known as a Rock Music Announcer.
Joining Webb as the co-emcee will be Teresa Petty of American Bank.
Athens says the evening will feature a fashion style show, a silent auction, plus a whole lot of more fun. The event will take place at the Le Mars Convention Center and tickets are selling at $50 a piece.
Boyden Man Sentenced To Two Years In Prison Indecent Contact With Child
(Orange City) — A Boyden man has been sentenced to prison for two years for indecent contact with a child. 36 year old Rigoberto Gonzales Constantino was sentenced last Friday at Sioux County District Court. The case arose nearly a
year ago when Gonzales-Constantino was walking with an eleven year old female, lifted up her coat, and grabbed her buttocks with both hands. The eleven year old girl told Gonzalez-Constantino to stop, then ran away screaming to report
the incident. The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office arrested Gonzalez-Constantino who pled not guilty and the case proceeded to a jury trial, where he was convicted on January 30th. Gonzales-Constantino did not appear in court for his
sentencing, and an outstanding warrant has been issued for his capture. Once Gonzalea-Constantino serves his two years in prison, Sioux County Attorney’s Office will work with U-S Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to begin
deportation proceedings.
Sioux City Man Sentenced To 40 Years In Prison
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City man accused of attacking two people during the commission of several crimes was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
36-year-old Eric Bishop was sentenced Monday
for first-degree burglary and willful injury. As part of a plea deal last month, prosecutors dropped 10 other felony charges against Bishop.
Bishop must serve a minimum of three years in prison before he’s eligible for parole.
Bishop pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman after a break-in at a home Aug. 2 and to stabbing a man with a sword during an Aug. 5 altercation at a different Sioux City home.
Bishop also was charged with burglarizing South Sioux City’s Animal Control site in August, stealing a truck and leading police on a chase before crashing the vehicle.
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Le Mars Community Theater To Present “Odd Couple – Female Version” at Postal Playhouse
Capitol Dome Building Bricks For Sale
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The state is planning to sell pieces of its landmarks: the state Capitol’s golden dome.
The Des Moines Register reports that the Capitol Planning Commission is pricing the bricks used in the dome’s original construction at $100 each. The money will go toward renovating monuments around the Capitol complex.
About 1,100 bricks will be available, starting March 1. They’ll be sold with a medallion and a certificate of authenticity. Buyers can find the bricks online and at the tour desk on the ground floor of the Capitol.The state began the dome’s $10 million renovation last spring. It’s scheduled to be finished this fall.
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Reynolds Says Iowa Gun Laws Are “Reasonable and Responsible”
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – When asked whether she supports further restrictions to Iowa’s gun laws, Gov. Kim Reynolds said the federal government needs to take responsibility in discussing gun legislation.
Reynolds told reporters Monday “the federal government has to play a role” in deciding possible firearm restrictions. She says that includes examining background check requirements.
She declined to comment more specifically on Iowa’s gun laws, calling them reasonable and responsible.
Reynolds announced a suspicious activity reporting campaign at the state Capitol press conference following last week’s school shooting in Florida. Iowa public safety agencies will partner with the federal government to promote the campaign.
Reynolds says preventing mass shootings cannot be only about guns and should happen in “a holistic manner,” including reporting suspicious activity and improving mental health care.
Muslim Students Want Holidays
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Some Iowa City elementary students are urging the school district to recognize Muslim holidays, and board members say they’re willing to consider the request.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen reports several students proposed the idea at a school board meeting last week. They suggested the district schedule days off for the Muslim holidays of Eid Al-Fitr and Eid Al-Adha.
Fifth-grader Reem Kirja says she wants other students to know both holidays are times for families to get together, similar to Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Board member Ruthina Malone says the board can explore the feasibility of accommodating major holidays celebrated by Jewish and Muslim students.
The board has time to decide, as neither Eid Al-Fitr nor Eid Al-Adha fall on a school day until the 2020-2021 school year.
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Iowa City Students Protest Gun Shootings
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Dozens of high school students have left their Iowa City classrooms to send a message: School shootings must stop.
Students from at least three schools – City High, West High and South East Junior High – walked Monday to a gathering spot in downtown Iowa City. By 11:45 a.m., an estimated 200 students were chanting in front of the Old Capitol building. Some carried signs decrying gun violence.
A student read the names of the 17 victims of last week’s Parkland, Florida, shooting. The other students repeated the names in unison.
District spokeswoman Kristin Pedersen said in a statement the district applauded the students’ social action and honors their free speech rights. She says students were encouraged to notify their parents if they planned to participate in the walk.
Des Moines Catholic Bishop Retires
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Roman Catholic bishop of the Des Moines Diocese has turned 75 and submitted his required resignation to Pope Francis.
Bishop Richard Pates, who took the post in 2008, announced his intended retirement in the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Mirror. He says “the past 10 years in the Des Moines Diocese have flown by.”
It’s unclear when the Vatican will announce Pates’ successor. The
diocese serves people in 23 counties in Iowa’s southwestern quadrant.
