County Supervisors To Get An Update On Courtroom Renovation Project
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will convene at the County Courthouse Boardroom for their weekly meeting, beginning at 9:30 a.m. The county supervisors will hear from Attorney, Glen Metcalf as he is seeking an approval of an extension to file Wenzel Second Addition. Jordan Metzger with
the Stone Group Architecture firm will offer a brief update and overview of the Courtroom renovation. The supervisors will discuss the county handbook revisions, and they will hear from County Engineer Tom Rohe.
Le Mars City Council To Discuss Plywood Recreational Trail
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars city council will need to go through 115 pages that make up their agenda for today’s city council meeting. Among the highlights will be a public hearing on the proposed Plywood Recreational Trail Phase 1-A which will go from the southern edge of Le Mars to the northern edge of
Merrill. Construction is expected to cost more than a one and a half million dollars. Opening of bids has been slated for July 1st with the city council to award the bid during its July 6th meeting. Construction on the first phase of the Plywood Recreational Trail is scheduled for August 16th. In terms of action items, the city council will hold the third and final reading of the proposed new parking ordinances that forbid residents from having campers and Recreational Vehicles, along with trailers to be parked on city streets for a long duration. It also prevents construction trailers and dumpsters from being placed on city streets for a long duration. The council will also decide whether to block some alleys near Wise I brewing company and Baacker’s Sports Bar during RAGBRAI. Previously, the city council voted down the request from Wise I to close the alley next to their establishment. Wise I is submitting a revised request.
No Additional Updates On Man Struck By Vehicle And Killing Him On Highway 75
(Le Mars) — No further updates have been released from the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office regarding the man who was struck and killed on Highway 75 early Monday morning. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office received a 9-1-1 call at about 3:08 Monday morning (June 14th) from a motorist that was
traveling on Highway 75 advising that they had hit something in the roadway. The location was approximately at the 29000 block of Highway 75, or between Hinton and Merrill. A short time later, a second 9-1-1 call was received at the County Communications Center indicating a person was laying in the roadway and had been struck at that approximate location. Plymouth County Sheriff’s deputies, and the Hinton Fire and Ambulance responded to the scene and located a deceased male. The victim was transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare.
Names are not being released at this time pending notification of next of kin.
The accident is still under investigation by the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office. Assisting at the scene was the Hinton Fire and Ambulance, Le Mars Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Secondary Road Department To Close Intersection
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Secondary Road Department has announced the intersection of county road L-22 and C-16 will be closed today in order to place some asphalt in the south radius areas of the intersection.
Road Crews Having To Deal With Highway Repairs Due To Excessive Heat
(Le Mars) — The recent heat wave with temperatures soaring to the 90’s has created problems for road crews. Several instances of highway pavement breaking and buckling have been reported. County engineer Tom Rohe says county road crews have had to make repairs at four different locations.
Rohe says Iowa D-O-T officials have also been busy making repairs due to the excessive hot temperatures.
The Plymouth County engineer advises motorists to try to avoid running over the pavement that has buckled, and instead, if possible, go around the area by driving on the shoulder. Rohe says if motorists see a pavement that has buckled, they should report to the Plymouth County Secondary Roads Department
immediately, so repairs can be made as quickly as possible. Rohe says crews will patch the area, and then wait for cooler temperatures to conduct a more permanent repair with new concrete.
Adler To Retire From Chamber Of Commerce And LBIC Executive
(Le Mars) — The man who has served as the executive for the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce and the Le Mars Business Initiative Corporation for the past 27 years is stepping down. Neil Adler has announced he will be retiring following this year’s Ice Cream Days on June 19th. Adler is quick to share the credit for any achievements the chamber of commerce encountered during his tenure as its executive.
The chamber of commerce is holding a special chamber coffee in Adler’s honor this morning (Tuesday) at the Central Avenue Events Center beginning at 9:30 a.m.
Crops Showing Signs Of Stress Due To Dry Conditions
(Le Mars) — Despite some recent rains, that produced only a couple of tenths of an inch of precipitation, most of northwest Iowa remains far below the normal moisture levels. Joel DeJong is the crops specialist with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach for northwest Iowa. DeJong says crops are showing signs of stress, and that we are as much as fifteen inches short of normal moisture levels.
DeJong says corn is being negatively affected by the hot temperatures and low moisture. He says across many fields you can see the corn rolling its leaves.
The Iowa State University Extension Crops Specialist says if the current weather pattern continues, farmers may see a drastic yield loss.
DeJong says what little rainfall that has occurred has been just enough to establish the corn plant’s root system.
DeJong says the next thirty days will be critical to the corn development as the corn begins to pollinate. He says soybeans are also showing some signs of stress, but soybeans have a way to delay the need for moisture until later in the year.
Waterloo State Lawmaker To Announce He Will Run For Governor
(Waterloo) — Democratic State Representative Ras Smith has announced he will seek the nomination to run for governor of Iowa in 2022. The 33-year old Democratic candidate will hold a kick-off event at the Riverloop Amphitheatre this evening (Tuesday) in Waterloo, Iowa. Smith is the first candidate to declare a campaign for governor. He was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2016, and is a founding member of the Legislative Black Caucus. Governor Kim Reynolds has not officially announced if she’ll seek re-election.
(courtesy of KWWL-TV)
Protesters Force Des Moines City Council To Recess First In-Person Meeting
(Des Moines, IA) — Protesters have forced the Des Moines City Council to recess its first in-person meeting in more than a year. Council members say they will resume their work Wednesday at 7:30 a-m, but it is possible they may have to return to virtual sessions. Protesters disrupted the meeting by gathering in front of council members while carrying signs calling for the defunding of the Des Moines Police Department. Des Moines Black Liberation Movement organizer Jaylen Cavil was angered by a consent agenda item authorizing a police officer to attend training in Florida. Cavil said the city should not be paying 10-thousand dollars for the officer to go to Orlando.
Democrats Elect New Iowa House Minority Leader
(Des Moines, IA) — Democrats have elected a new Iowa House Minority Leader. State Representative Jennifer Konfrst says she believes the Legislature “must do better for all Iowans.” Konfrst takes over for Representative Todd Prichard of Charles City who stepped down last month. Konfrst served as House Minority Whip during the 2021 Legislative session. She becomes the first woman to lead Iowa House Democrats. Republican House Speaker Pat Grassley released a statement congratulating her and saying he looks forward to working with her in her new role.
Nurses Who Gave Overdoses Of Coronavirus Vaccine To Inmates Have Been Fired
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Corrections says the two nurses who gave overdoses of the coronavirus vaccine to dozens of prison inmates have been fired. The accidental overdoses were administered in April at the Fort Madison prison. The nurses haven’t been identified. Seventy-seven inmates were given up to six times the proper dose, but no medical complications have been reported. The state employees’ union has blamed poor training. A spokesperson says the nurses were only given 90 minutes’ notice of the change to a new vaccine that required more preparation.
Man Convicted Of Assault For Attack During Disagreement Over Wearing Face Mask
(Des Moines, IA) — A man has been convicted of assault for an attack during a disagreement over wearing a face mask last November. Forty-two-year-old Shane Wayne Michael was found guilty of willful injury causing serious injury. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison last week. Michael told police the victim shoulder-checked him into a vehicle and jabbed his thumb into Michael’s stomach. Witnesses identified Michael as the aggressor in the fight. The victim suffered a swollen eye. He said Michael coughed in his face, spit on him, and said, “If I have it, you have it.”
Iowa Man And Son Charged In U-S Capitol Break-In
(St.Ansgar, IA) — A father and son who live in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota are now charged with being involved in the storming of the U-S Capitol in January. The Federal Bureau of Investigation in Omaha says they arrested Daryl Johnson of St. Ansgar on Friday after receiving a tip that Johnson and his son, Daniel Johnson of Austin, were both inside the Capitol during the riot. Daryl Johnson’s Facebook page allegedly had several references in comments to being present in the building at the time, with both Johnsons later being identified through video and photos. Both have been charged with: entering and remaining in a restricted building; disorderly and disruptive conduct in a restricted building; violent entry and disorderly conduct in a Capitol building; and parading, demonstrating, or picketing in a Capitol building.
Former Council Bluffs Man Sentenced To Prison On Insurance Fraud
(Council Bluffs, IA) — A former Council Bluffs man will spend up to two years in prison for filing a false insurance claim. The Iowa Insurance Division’s Fraud Bureau says an investigation found 54-year-old Billy Joe Sams, who now lives in Bellevue, Nebraska submitted a claim in 2020 to his insurer about a motorcycle accident and made up the information to get insurance benefits. Sams reached a plea agreement where he pleaded guilty to one count of third-degree theft and agreed to pay 17-thousand dollars in restitution.
I-S-U Economist Says Drop Of Federal Unemployment An Experiment
(Ames, IA) — An Iowa State University economist says the state’s move to end the extra 300 dollars a week in federal unemployment payments is an experiment of sorts. Economist Peter Orazem (or-AH-zehm) says it is a chance to see the extent to which those unemployment benefits actually matter in whether people are interested in accepting employment. Governor Kim Reynolds and other Republicans have argued the 300 dollar federal bonus — on top of the regular state unemployment benefits — has discouraged people from returning to work. Orazem says there was a relatively modest change in labor supply behavior when the federal benefits dropped from 600 to 300 dollars — but that was in the middle of the surge in pandemic cases around the United States.
