Le Mars Community School Board To Meet This Evening
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Board of Education will meet this evening at the Education Service Center. The school board will hear reports from each of the district’s principals. School superintendent, Dr. Steven Webner will offer an update regarding open enrollment. Dr. Webner will also give an equipment maintenance insurance update. The school board is scheduled to discuss the upcoming Board and Administrator Retreat to be held on January 25th between 4:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. Due to COVID-19 virus concerns, the school board will not be holding an in-person “Day on the Hill.” Instead, the Iowa Association of School Boards will offer an advocacy webinar series, along with a virtual lobby days. As for action items, the school board will act on resignation requests from Mary Galvin as a food service position effective January 4th, and Matt Wentz has resigned his instructional aide position effective January 18th. Barb Hames has been offered a contract to work in food services. Curriculum Director Rachel Leavitt will present and ask for the school board’s consideration of the district’s modified supplemental aid request to the Department of Management for drop-out prevention programming. The school board will listen to public comment and will complete the second reading for the new policy code 106, Discrimination and Harassment Based On Sex Prohibited. Following the regular school board meeting, the board will conduct a negotiation strategy session. That meeting will be a closed session. The school board will hold a special board meeting scheduled for January 20th at 5:00 p.m. to submit the board’s initial bargaining proposal.
Christmas Acres Donates More Than $40,000 To Christian Needs Center
(Le Mars) — The family of Rob and Joyce Schietler from Christmas Acres made a donation to the Christian Needs Center this Monday morning. Christmas Acres is an elaborate display of Christmas lights located about six miles west of Le Mars. This year, according to Rob Schietler, a new record was set with the collection of donations left by visitors of the Christmas Acres exhibit.
Schietler says he was pleasantly surprised at the attendance and the amount of donations contributed. He says there were many large donations that were given this year, and he saw several $100 dollar bills left in the donation box.
Scheitler admits one reason for the record attendance and record setting donations is the weather cooperated.
This was the 24th year the Scheitler family have featured Christmas Acres light display, and Scheitler says more than $100,000 total has been collected for the Christian Needs Center in Le Mars. Scheitler says he wants to thank everyone that attended Christmas acres and submitted a donation.
Crash Ending Police Pursuit Involves Multiple Fatalities
(Urbandale, IA) — An early Monday morning crash that ended a police pursuit in Clive has left at least three people dead. Police were called shortly before 2:00 a-m by a woman who said she was watching somebody go through her parked car outside in Urbandale. When she went outside, the suspects drove away in another vehicle. The license plate was listed as stolen. Police say their pursuit reached speeds topping 100-miles-an hour.
The car went into nearby Clive and went out of control, flipped several times after hitting a railroad track. Five men were ejected from the care — three died before emergency medical personnel arrived and two others were taken to a hospital. Their names and medical conditions aren’t known.
Des Moines Man Sentenced To 25 Years For Firing Shots Into A Crowd
(Des Moines, IA) — A Des Moines man has been sentenced to 25 years in prison for firing shots into a crowd last April, hitting one man twice.
Forty-one-year-old Little Clark was sentenced Friday. Clark had entered a guilty plea in December to an assault charge and two weapons charges. In return, a murder charge was dropped. The victim who was wounded survived the shooting, but he required surgery for his injuries.
DNR Conservation Officer Dies Of COVID-19
(Sioux Falls, SD) — The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a conservation officer is believed to be the first peace officer in the state to die of COVID-19 complications. Officer Steve Reighard died Friday in a Sioux Falls, South Dakota hospital. He had been an officer with the D-N-R since 2005 and had served in Dickinson County for the last eight years. The Iowa Fish and Game Conservation Officers Association described him as a
“tremendously hard-working officer” whose dedication was evident.
Death Threat Results In Evacuation Of Iowa Democratic Party Headquarters
(Des Moines, IA) — A Friday death threat led the Iowa Democratic Party to evacuate its Des Moines headquarters. The lives of staff members were threatened in the message. Party leaders say the office was immediately closed and authorities were notified. They say since it followed closely the
events of last week at the U-S Capitol, the threat was taken seriously. U-S Senator Chuck Grassley, a Republican, called for unity after the threat was reported. He tweeted that “Threats like this & violence are UNACCEPTABLE.”
