(Le Mars) — Over 50 years ago the Le Mars Beauty College was started, offering students the opportunity to get the necessary education and training to cut and style hair in the field of cosmetology. Now, today, the Le Mars Beauty College is forced to close its doors at the end of April. Owner and operator Todd Anderson says the COVID virus was a huge blow to the school by forcing it to close for a few weeks. He says in addition, the COVID virus made it difficult to visit high schools and attempt to recruit new students that may have an interest in pursuing a career in cosmetology. Anderson says there wasn’t enough interest to justify keeping the school open.
Anderson talks about how many students would be needed in order to continue operations of the five decades plus hair styling school.
Anderson talks about how the history of the long-standing business located on the southern end of downtown.
Many people may wonder what will become of the building after the Le Mars Beauty College closes its doors.
The Le Mars Beauty College owner says he reached out to other cosmetology schools to see if there would be any interest in taking over operations of the Le Mars school.
Anderson says at one time, there were six different instructors, and more recently the number was down to three instructors. He says fortunately, the other two instructors besides himself, have been able to find other employment opportunities. Anderson says he wants to thank all of his loyal customers, and says there are plenty of other good salons within Le Mars that should accommodate their hair styling needs. As for Anderson, he says he will now focus his attention on the Man Trap hair salon, which he also owns.
Supreme Court Issues Statement On Redistricting
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Supreme Court released a long and vague statement Thursday on how it may handle redrawing Iowa legislative districts this year. The U-S Census Bureau says data will arrive past a constitutional September deadline for the Legislature to redraw the districts. The issue then falls to the Supreme Court — and the court’s statement says it will use existing law to have the districts done by the end of December. The statement released by the court concluded by saying the written statement is not legally binding.
Legislature Creates Funding For Rape Kit Tracking System
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Legislature has voted to set up a system to fund the automated system that lets law enforcement and victims track the evidence kits used to prosecute rapists. The proposal would use a combination of criminal fines paid in Iowa courts and a percentage of what Iowa prison inmates earn by working at private-sector jobs. The Iowa Attorney General’s office is currently using a nearly 800-thousand dollar federal grant to fund the system — and that money runs out in 2023. A state audit in 2017 revealed Iowa law enforcement agencies had 42-hundred untested evidence kits for alleged sexual assaults. About 62 percent of those kits had been processed by 2020.
Iowa Democrats Call Reynolds Vaccine Passport Ban ‘Red Herring’
(Des Moines, IA) — Democrats in the Iowa legislature say it’s not necessary to enact a state ban on so-called vaccine passports, as Republican Governor Kim Reynolds is proposing. House Democratic Leader Todd Prichard of Charles City says there are pandemic-related issues that need attention, but not vaccine passports. Prichard said, “Congressional leaders, the Biden Administration said they’re not doing it, so I think this is just kind of a red herring discussion to take attention away from some of the problems that she’s having in her response.” The second-ranking Democrat in the Iowa House says the state would have been better off if Reynolds had put this kind of urgency behind the state’s Covid vaccine roll-out in December and January. Reynolds said she would enact an executive order to ban vaccine passports if the Republican-led House and Senate don’t have time to pass a bill to do so before the 2021 legislative session ends.
Suspect Arrested in Cedar Rapids Animal Abuse Investigation
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — Cedar Rapids police say a man is under arrest for the alleged abuse of a 12-week old golden retriever. Twenty-two-old Jayden Cliff is charged with animal abuse causing serious injury. Officers say Cliff is accused of throwing the puppy on the ground and kicking it with his foot. Investigators say Cliff abused the dog after he defecated on a bed and the floor. The puppy named Kimble suffered several injuries including broken legs and a front foot. Tips from the public helped lead to Cliff’s arrest.
National Weather Service Confirms EF-0 Tornado Hit Cedar Rapids
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — The National Weather Service is confirming that a small tornado hit Cedar Rapids during Wednesday night’s thunderstorms. Cedar Rapids firefighters responded after part of a roof blew off and struck a manufactured home at Summit View Village. A girl was struck by glass and suffered a minor laceration. At least two homes were damaged and others had damaged skirting, siding and gutters. National Weather Service officials determined today (Thursday) that an E-F-zero tornado briefly touched down. The twister had maximum wind speeds of 85 miles an hour.
Cerro Gordo Sheriff Signs On To Immigration Letter
(Mason City, IA) — Cerro Gordo County Sheriff Kevin Pals is one of ten Iowa sheriffs to sign a letter sent to President Joe Biden urging him to secure the southern border and stop the mass influx of illegal immigration. Pals says there are enough illegals with bad intentions coming in that they are placing a strain on local law enforcement agencies. He says one of the problems is identifying those who are arrested. Iowa Sheriffs in Shelby, Carroll, Greene, Lucas, Wayne, Iowa, Grundy, Cerro Gordo, Clayton, and Scott counties also signed the letter. Almost 275 sheriffs from 39 states signed the letter sent to the President.
Federal Appeals Court Upholds Life Sentence of Dubuque Man in Fatal Overdose
(St. Louis, MO) — The Eighth District U-S Court of Appeals is upholding the life sentence of an eastern Iowa man convicted of selling a fatal dose of heroin. The federal court upheld the jury verdict against 49-year-old Richard Parker of Dubuque. Evidence showed that Parker obtained several grams of heroin from Chicago in 2017 and brought it back to Dubuque. During a day of drinking and smoking crack, he gave a woman heroin and she stopped breathing. Attempts by E-M-T’s to save her life failed. Investigators found more heroin hidden in the home. Parker received two concurrent life sentences.
Suspect Arrested in Cedar Rapids Animal Abuse Investigation
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — Cedar Rapids police say a man is under arrest for the alleged abuse of a 12-week old golden retriever. Twenty-two-old Jayden Cliff is charged with animal abuse causing serious injury. Officers say Cliff is accused of throwing the puppy on the ground and kicking it with his foot. Investigators say Cliff abused the dog after he defecated on a bed and the floor. The puppy named Kimble suffered several injuries including broken legs and a front foot. Tips from the public helped lead to Cliff’s arrest.
Man Shot By Waterloo Police Officer Facing Charges
(Waterloo, IA) — The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has charged a Waterloo man who was shot by a police officer Wednesday — after the officer says the man pointed a gun at two sheriff’s deputies. Forty-four-year-old Marcelino Alvarez-Victoriano is charged with two counts of assault on a peace officer. Warrants were issued for Alvarez-Victorano’s arrest. He remains hospitalized in Iowa City and will be taken to the Black Hawk County Jail when he is released. The D-C-I says its investigation is still ongoing and the names of the deputies and officers involved will not be released at this time.
