Emergency Crews Respond To Accident On Utility Pole
(Le Mars) — Emergency crews responded to an accident last evening (Tuesday) near the 12th Street southwest and Central Avenue South intersection. The accident occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m. Apparently, a pick-up truck had drove into a utility pole and breaking it in half. As a result of the accident, residents within the immediate area were without power for a few hours. Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper explains the scene.
Schipper says as a result of the accident, an alarm at the Le Mars Community School had sounded.
The Le Mars Fire Chief says the area of Central Avenue and 12th Street Southwest will remain closed during the morning commute.
Work crews hope to have the area cleared by mid-morning.
(photo contributed.)
Wayne Schipper Appointed To Serve On City Council
(Le Mars) — Le Mars city council has named retired Le Mars Fire and Rescue Chief, Wayne Schipper, as the replacement for the vacant city council position of Ward 3. Schipper currently serves on the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission. Schipper was the fire and rescue chief for 27 years, as well as the city emergency operations officer. During his time on the city council, Schipper will suspend his term as a commissioner on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Schipper was the only name submitted to the city council for consideration. The council felt confident about Schipper being named to the city council since he is familiar with city issues, and has worked with several city department heads in the past. Schipper says at this time, he has no interest in running for the council seat for the November election. The city council seat became vacant when former council member Ken Nelson had to resign his position due to moving to another city district. Schipper will begin his temporary term of office on September 1st when he will take the oath of office. Schipper is an active member of the Le Mars American Legion, Wasmer post #241, and is a past post commander.
Fire-Rescue And Ambulance Merger Means Quicker Response Times
(Le Mars) — The city council requested to hear a report from current Le Mars Fire and Rescue Chief, Dave Schipper about how well the merger is working between the fire and rescue department with the city’s ambulance services. Schipper informed the city council that the big difference is that response times have improved.
Schipper says now that the ambulance staff and the fire staff have merged and have cross training and have hired full-time personnel, response time for the fire trucks have also improved.
Chief Schipper says it has been more difficult to get people to respond to a call, and have to take time away from their employment, especially during the daytime hours.
The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Chief informed council members, in addition to a quicker response time, the time reported as to when the staff begins to offer aid to the patient is also a faster time.
City Council Approves Final Plat For Dogwood Third Addition And Lowers Mayor’s Salary
(Le Mars) — In other action taken by the city council, the council approved the re-write and upgrade of the city’s code of ordinances following a public hearing. The city council approved the final plat for the Dogwood Third Addition to be located on the south end of town. A public hearing on the matter has been scheduled for September 7th beginning at 12:00 noon. The council approved the third reading of revising the mayor’s salary. Beginning January 1st, the mayoral salary will go back to $12,000 per year. The current rate is $18,000 per year. On a 4-0 vote, the city council approved submitting a grant application through the Iowa DNR’s REAP program to go towards the proposed Plywood Recreational Trail. In order for the Iowa DNR to consider the grant application, the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors would need to sign off on the grant application. A year ago, the county governing board refused to sign the grant application.
Students Moving Back To Campus At Iowa State University
(Ames, IA) — Iowa State University Provost Jonathan Wickert says the fall semester in Ames will see things get back to more normal operations after changes were caused by the pandemic. Students have started moving back on campus. Wickert says instruction at I-S-U “will look a lot like it did in the fall of 2019.” Mostly in-person classes are planned, with some online instruction and hybrid classes offered. Hybrid classes involve some sort of one-way communication online, then some class time reserved for question-and-answer, problem-solving, and teamwork.
Federal Court Approves Settlement With 5 BLM Protesters
(Des Moines, IA) — A federal court has approved a settlement that was reached with five Black Lives Matter protesters who were banned from the Iowa State Capitol grounds. The state will pay each protester five thousand dollars and 45 thousand will be paid to their attorney. The American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa filed the suit last October. It accused the Iowa State Patrol of violating the protesters’ constitutional free speech rights with the ban. It had been issued after violence broke out between troopers, protesters, and Des Moines police in July 2020. The A-C-L-U says most of the charges filed then have been dropped.
UNI Faculty Union Files Workplace Safety Complaint With OSHA
(Cedar Falls, IA) — The University of Northern Iowa faculty union has filed a workplace safety complaint with O-S-H-A (OH shuh). Union vice president Chris Martin says the absence of mandates is creating an unsafe workplace on the Cedar Falls campus. Martin says voluntary mask-wearing doesn’t go far enough. U-N-I faculty and staff say they are most concerned about the risks for those with children under 12 and those with medical vulnerabilities. He says if nothing changes, the university could find itself addressing the first person to get seriously ill or die from COVID at a public university.
7-Year-Old Girl Killed In Go-Cart Accident
(Rockwell, IA) — The Cerro Gordo County Sheriff’s Office says a seven-year-old girl has died of injuries she suffered in a go-cart accident last weekend. Deputies were called to the home three miles southwest of Rockwell Sunday at about 8:30 p-m. They were told Bryclynn Blue Blackdeer had been driving the homemade go-cart when it collided with a boat trailer. Rockwell-Swaledale first responders and the Mason City Fire Department joined deputies. The victim died before she could be rushed to a hospital.
New Iowa Redistricting Maps Could Be Released in Mid-September
(Des Moines, IA) — The agency in charge of redrawing boundaries for Iowa’s congressional and legislative districts plans to present legislators with a first set of proposed maps by September 16th. Dave Roederer is a Republican member of the Temporary Redistricting Advisory Commission, which must hold at least three public hearings, then present a written report to lawmakers before the House and Senate may vote on the proposed maps. Roederer said despite the four-month delay in getting the 2020 Census data used to reconfigure districts, he doesn’t want to rush the process. The legislature will miss the September 1st deadline for approving a plan for redrawing the lines for House and Senate districts. After that date, the Iowa Supreme Court has the authority over the process. Legislators are interpreting a written statement the court issued in April as a signal the justices will let legislators proceed past that deadline. The Temporary Redistricting Commission plans to meet again next Monday to discuss dates,
Davenport Police Officer Seriously Injured in Dog Attack
(Davenport, IA) — An eastern Iowa police officer is recovering from a dog attack early this (Tuesday) morning. Davenport police say the officer was called to a northside apartment complex to investigate a noise complaint. The officer got to the second floor landing and heard loud music coming from an open apartment door. As the officer approached, a large dog ran through the open door and attacked the officer. The attack continued down the hall, down the stairs and outside where the officer fired at least one shot. The officer suffered serious non-life-threatening injuries. The dog was also injured and survived.
