Supervisors To Accept Construction Bids
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will convene at 9:30 a.m. at the County Courthouse Boardroom. The county governing board will discuss and take action on a letter of support request from Kingsley-Pierson school. The supervisors will act on permit requests as submitted by county engineer, Tom Rohe. The supervisors are expected to approve contracts for construction projects including a bridge repair project, and a paving project for 150th Street. The supervisors will also open bids for three culvert construction projects.
North West Rural Electric Cooperative To Hold Annual Meeting
(Le Mars) — North West Rural Electric Cooperative will hold its annual meeting this evening at the Le Mars Community High School and Middle School.
The power utility cooperative serves Sioux, O’Brien, Ida, and Plymouth counties. Executive Director Lyle Korver talks about the itinerary for tonight’s meeting.
Korver says 2018 proved to be a good year for the power cooperative and its members.
The Le Mars Toy Store Attracts Visitors From 16 States And Canada During Open House
(Le Mars) — Move over Brown’s Century Theater. Step aside Plymouth County Veteran’s Park. Plymouth County Historical Museum, you will need to go to the back of the line. When it comes to Le Mars tourism, you obviously think of the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor, but many may not look at The Le Mars Toy
Store as a tourist destination. However, the Le Mars Toy Store located in the basement of the building located on Plymouth Street and 1st Avenue Southwest recently held its annual open house attracting people from more than 16 different states and Canada.
That’s Albert Schultz, the owner of The Le Mars Toy Store. All total, the Le Mars Toy Store attracted more than 2000 people between Thursday through Saturday. Schultz says collectors of farm equipment model toys are always on the look out for some unique and unusual pieces. He says fortunately, the Le Mars Toy Store, has over the years, built up a good reputation within
toy collectors.
The Le Mars Toy Store caters to everyone’s favorite brand, model, color, and even size of farm equipment toys. Schultz says the common connection is that people know what they like, and they know what they are looking for. Schultz says he is nearly 70 years old, and he has been collecting and selling model farm toy equipment nearly all his life. Schultz says for many of his
customers, they have become loyal friends over the years. He says there has also been great interest in the pedal tractors. Schultz often donates pedal tractors and other collectible toy models to local fire departments, and charity organizations to be used as a raffle item fund raiser.
Schultz credits his team of employees for helping make the farm toy business a success, not just in monetary terms, but for building lasting loyal friends.
Governor Reynolds Signs HF 487 Into Law
(Le Mars) — Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds has signed into law, House File 487, which is an act related to the installations of certain wireless telecommunications infrastructure in the state, and including effective date provisions. This bill was the first bill to be introduced in the state House chamber by House Representative Dr. Tom Jeneary of Le Mars. Jeneary
witnessed the governor signing the bill inside her offices.
The bill allows the construction of cell towers so that emergency first responders will be able to communicate with one another.
Clovis Feels Vindicated After Mueller’s Investigation
(Sioux City) — Special counsel Robert Mueller (muller) did not find evidence that President Donald Trump’s campaign “conspired or coordinated” with Russia to influence the 2016 presidential election.
That from Attorney General William Barr on Sunday.
The report brought a claim of vindication from Trump.
Former Trump campaign aide Sam Clovis of Hinton says he and
administration officials have been saying there was no collusion with Russia since Mueller’s investigation began:
Clovis had been called to testify before a grand jury over a year ago regarding possible campaign ties between the Trump campaign and Russia:
The report reached no conclusion on whether Trump obstructed justice but said key elements were not there.
Clovis says Democrats are seizing on that part of the four page
summary of the report:
Democrats pointed out that Mueller found evidence for and against obstruction and demand to see his full report.
Farmers Need To Visit FSA Office For Flood Relief Assistance
(Des Moines) — Farmers with flood damage to their farms will want to report to their local U-S-D-A’s Farm Service Agency office in order to qualify for some flood relief funds. Curt Goettsch (Gotsh) serves as the Iowa FSA’s Chief Ag Specialist for Conservation and Compliance. He says there is an
established plan from the U-S Department of Agriculture that will offer financial assistance to farmers with flood damage.
Goettsch says the Emergency Conservation Program is broken down into different categories depending upon what type of property damage has occurred from the floods.
The USDA official says EC-2 would help with shaping and grading of ground where waters may have cut a gully or ravine. EC-3 is a cost-share program used to help repair fencing, and finally, farmers can also apply for federal funding for damaged conservation measures, such as terraces, and/or sediment
control basins through the EC-4 program. Goettsch estimates the total damage from this year’s spring flood may actually surpass the damage estimate from 2011.
No deadline has yet been set as to when farmers need to report flood damage, but Goettsch says farmers should visit with their local FSA office as soon as possible. Goettsch suggests farmers bring along photographs, or other documentation showing the extent of damage caused by the floods.
ACLU To Appeal Ruling Regarding Officer Shooting Incident
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa says it will appeal a ruling that could limit the public’s access to information about officer-involved shootings and other investigations.
The ACLU announced Monday that it is appealing a ruling by the Iowa Public Information Board, which gave its blessing to police departments who withhold videos, 911 calls and other records from the public.
The board ruled in February that all records gathered and analyzed as part of a criminal investigation can be considered part of a “peace officers’ investigative report” and therefore exempt from open records requests.
According to the transparency board, police and prosecutors can
withhold body camera videos and other records even after an investigation has concluded. The board says authorities are only required to release the basic facts and circumstances of an incident.
The ruling found that the Burlington Police Department and Iowa
Division of Criminal Investigation acted lawfully when denying access to records detailing an officer’s accidental shooting of a mother in 2015.
