Plymouth County Board Of Supervisors Will Not Meet Today
(Le Mars) –– Due to a lack of agenda items, there will not be a Plymouth County Board of Supervisors meeting scheduled for today.
City Council To Hold Several Public Hearings During Today’s Meeting
(Le Mars) — Le Mars city council will hold a series of public hearings during today’s council meeting. The city council will listen to public comments regarding parking ordinances, a billboard request, Central Avenue South overlay project, and a budget amendment to the 2020-2021 fiscal year budget.
As for action items, the council decide upon street closures for RAGBRAI, as well as Wise I brewing company is requesting a street to be closed. The city council is expected to award a contract for the construction of the municipal airport’s runway. The council will also award a contract for the Cleveland
Park parking lot improvement project. The council is expected to approve an ordinance that will combine the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department with the Le Mars Ambulance Services to become one entity.
Le Mars Community High School Prepares For Senior Awards Night And Commencement
(Le Mars) — As we approach the end of the school year, area schools are making plans for Senior Recognition and Awards Night, Commencement graduation, and even the last day of school. Le Mars Community High School will hold its Senior Recognition and Scholarship Awards program scheduled for Wednesday evening. Dr. Mark Iverson, the high school principal tells what will occur on senior award’s night.
Iverson says the goal for the Le Mars Community School Foundation has the goal to award every senior student who wishes to pursue some higher level of education whether it is through a two-year vocational school, or a four-year college or university, the opportunity to be given some form of a scholarship.
As mentioned, Le Mars Community anticipates graduating 156 seniors. Iverson says the seniors have not yet submitted their exit questionnaire, so we don’t know the exact number of seniors who will pursue a higher education, but Iverson says in past years, more than 80 percent of the graduating class did
pursue a higher level of education or military service, and he expects the class of 2021 will be similar.
Iverson says Le Mars Community traditionally has had a few seniors look to the military, especially the National Guard.
The high school principal says of the students wanting to go on to a vocational technical community college, or a four-year college or university will most likely remain in the Midwest.
Le Mars Community graduation ceremonies are scheduled for Sunday at 3:00 p.m. However, what is not yet known is whether the commencement will be outdoors at the new stadium, or indoors at the new competition gym.
Iverson says the last day of school is scheduled for Thursday, May 27th. He says many students will be taking their semester finals on Wednesday and Thursday.
Sibley Residents Allowed To Return To Their Homes
(Sibley) — Union Pacific officials are reporting crews finished clearing the derailed cars early Tuesday morning. The fire is smoldering and expected to be extinguished soon.
The focus now is site remediation and repairing the track and bridge.
The city’s voluntary evacuation order was lifted Monday evening. Old Highway 60 remains closed to allow crews and heavy equipment access to the site. It will reopen when site cleanup is finished.
Union Pacific officials want to thank local first responders and the community for their patience and collaboration.
The cause of the derailment remains under investigation.
Jury Selection Starts In Trial For Man Accused Of Killing Mollie Tibbetts
(Montezuma, IA) — Jury selection has started in the trial for the man accused of attacking and killing former University of Iowa student Mollie Tibbetts. Prosecutors say Christhian Bahena admitted he abducted the 20-year-old while she was jogging. Bahena says he blacked out and killed her.
He emerged as a suspect when his car was recorded on a neighbor’s surveillance video. Tibbetts’ body was found in rural Poweshiek County in August 2018.
The trial has changed venues twice due to extensive publicity. Jury selection should be completed today (Tuesday) and the trial is expected to last two weeks.
No Serious Injuries Reported In Madison County School Bus Rollover
(Winterset, IA) — The Madison County Sheriff’s Office reports no serious injuries from a school bus rollover accident Monday morning. Winterset Community School District Superintendent Justin Gross says soft ground due to recent rain was a factor. Ten elementary students and the driver were on the
bus at about 7:30 a-m when it went into the ditch near the Hanson Prairie Preserve. Emergency responders took everyone on the bus to a hospital so they could be checked out, then the students were released to their parents. Gross says speed isn’t believed to have been a factor in the accident.
Man Accused Of Killing Iowa State Trooper Pleads Not Guilty
(Grundy Center, IA) — The man accused of killing an Iowa State Trooper has entered a plea of not guilty. Sergeant Jim Smith was fatally wounded during an April standoff in Grundy Center. Michael Lang is charged with first-degree murder, attempted murder, and assault on a peace officer. Paperwork filed in Lang’s case includes a demand for a speedy trial. As the standoff was coming to an end Lang was shot once in the head and twice in the chest, but he survived. He is being held in the Black Hawk County Jail.
Tax Changes Approved in House Committee, Still Short of Some Senate Goals
(Des Moines, IA) –An Iowa House committee approved a bill containing a series of tax changes, though it does not include all the changes Senate Republicans wanted. In early April Senate Republicans voted to use state tax dollars, rather than local property taxes, to finance the state’s mental health system.
House Republicans have so far resisted and the proposal is not included in the tax bill that cleared the House Appropriations Committee today. House Speaker Pat Grassley says there are technical questions to figure out before the state takes over another social program.
