County Supervisors To Appoint Greg Jeneary To County Conservation Board
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors have a short agenda for today’s meeting to be held at the County Courthouse Board Room. One item of interest is the county governing board is expected to approve a memorandum of understanding with Premier Communications. The county supervisors is expected to appoint Greg Jeneary to the county conservation board. County Engineer, Tom Rohe will appear before the county board and will submit a construction permit from the Southern Sioux Rural Water Association for work to be performed on Kesterel Avenue at Grant township. Rohe will also discuss a right-of-way project for a culvert construction project.
Absentee Ballots Available Beginning On Wednesday
(Le Mars) — Absentee ballots for the November 2, 2021 combined City/School Election are available beginning October 13th in the Auditor’s Office at the Plymouth County Courthouse during regular business hours of 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday. Absentee ballots may be cast in person at the Auditor’s office until Monday, November 1st until 5 pm.
Absentee ballots may be mailed to voters from October 13th to October 18th per Iowa law and must be requested in writing. Forms are available at the Plymouth County Auditor’s Office or at www.co.plymouth.ia.us by clicking on the blue City/School Election tab or can be obtained from the Iowa Secretary of State website. Completed absentee ballot request forms can be dropped off or mailed to the Auditor’s office at 215 4th Ave. SE, Le Mars, IA 51031 and a ballot will be mailed to you.
REMINDER: Voter ID is now Iowa State Law. Voters are required to complete the absentee ballot request form, with either an Iowa Driver’s License number, a Non-operator ID number or a 4-digit voter PIN number if the voter does not have an ID.
Voters requesting an absentee ballot to be mailed to them must have the request form to the Auditor’s office no later than 5 pm on Monday, October 18th, as that is the last day absentee ballots can be mailed out to voters. The Auditor’s office provides the postage for all absentee ballots returned by mail. In order for a ballot to be counted, ballots must be received in the Auditors office by 8 pm, Tuesday, November 2nd, 2021 (Election Day.) Ballots received after 8 pm on election day, regardless of postmark are unable to be counted under current Iowa law. Do not return a voted absentee ballot at the polling location, they need to be mailed or returned in person at the Auditor’s office.
If a voter is not registered to vote and wishes to vote an absentee ballot in the Auditor’s office on Monday, October 18th through Monday, November 1st the voter will be required to complete the EDR (Election Day Registration) process at the Auditor’s Office prior to casting the absentee ballot. The EDR voter registration process requires valid photo identification, and one form of proof of Plymouth County residency. Examples of proof of residency can be a valid Iowa driver’s license with a current Plymouth County address, a utility bill, cell phone bill, residential lease, bank statement, paycheck, government check, government issued document, vehicle registration, or a tax assessment.
Also, as required now by Iowa Law on Election Day, all voting precinct locations will be open from 7:00 am until 8:00 pm and voters will be required to vote at the same voting locations as they do for the Presidential or Mid – Term General Election in November each year. If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Plymouth County Auditor’s Office at 712-546-6100. Stacey Feldman is the Auditor and Commissioner of Election and Cheri Nitzschke is the Election Deputy.
Governor Reynolds Comments On Southern Border Crisis
(Le Mars) — Early last week, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds joined eight of her Republican colleagues at the Texas border to see for herself the large mass of immigrants, mainly from Haiti, wanting to get into the United States. On Friday, while Governor Reynolds was in Le Mars, KLEM news asked the governor about her own account of what see saw at the Rio Grande River between Mexico and the United States. Reynolds says the crisis at the border is “real and its serious.”
Governor Reynolds says she and her fellow republican governors came up with a list of ten suggestions for the Biden Administration to follow to help reduce the crisis at the southern border.
Governor Reynolds was asked in her opinion whether President Biden doesn’t have a plan, or if he refuses to acknowledge there is a problem. Reynolds says the president needs to go to the border and look for himself the build-up of immigrants crossing the border and entering the United States illegally.
Reynolds says along with the illegal immigrants is the smuggling of large quantities of dangerous drugs that are coming to the United States.
American Rescue Plan Act: $200M Will Be Used For Improved Broadband
(Des Moines, IA) — Governor Kim Reynolds has announced that 200 million dollars in federal American Rescue Plan Act funding is now available for grants to improve broadband access for Iowans. The Office of the Chief Information Officer announced last month the latest 100 million dollars from the state-funded Empower Rural Iowa Broadband Grant Program. The O-C-I-O received 178 applications requesting a total of 300 million — so the state is adding 200 million in federal funds to it. This new grant program allows communications service providers, including telecommunication companies and local governments, to apply for up to 60 percent of their broadband project costs in eligible areas of the state.
IDPH Reports Downward Trend In COVID-19 Hospitalizations
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Public Health’s latest COVID-19 data released shows a downward trend in hospitalizations. There were 626 people in the hospital in the data reported Monday — which was down by five. Health Department data also shows around 75 percent of patients in Iowa hospitals are unvaccinated. While in Le Mars last week, Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds commented on the downward turn, and the court challenges of having a mask mandate.
Sports Betting Increases In Iowa, But Still Smaller Than Other Casino Revenue
(Des Moines, IA) — While the amount bet on sports in Iowa continues to go up — the administrator of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission says it is still small compared to other casino revenue. Administrator Brian Ohorilko (Oh-reel-koh) says they knew the sports gambling revenue was not going to be a huge increase for casinos. But he says there is a lot of interest in sports gambling and the legalization provides a secure way for Iowans to bet on sports.
Sioux City Police Looking For Suspects After Club Shooting
(Sioux City, IA) — Sioux City police are looking for suspects in a shooting Sunday that left four injured. The shooting happened around 3:30 a-m at a downtown after hours club. Police determined there was a dispute between two groups of people in the club that resulted in gunfire. A man was critically wounded in the chest. Three other victims showed up later at two local hospitals with gunshot wounds and were treated and released. Police have not released any names and say they are receiving limited cooperation from the victims.
Cedar Rapids Will Spend $10M Of Federal Pandemic Relief Money On Flood Control
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — The city of Cedar Rapids will spend 10 million dollars of its federal pandemic relief funds on its Flood Control System. Flood control program manager, Rob Davis, says the federal funds will help speed up construction on the west side of the river, providing more protection sooner. The sprawling network of levees and gates was created after the 2008 flood devastated the city. City officials say this will also add pressure to the dozen or so property owners who are in the way of the flood system and have not yet taken the city’s buyout. Construction on the system is expected to cost 750 million dollars.
Earlam Man Dies In Accident
(Earlham, IA) — A young man from Earlham was killed, another was injured, in a single-vehicle rollover accident in Dallas County this weekend. The Iowa State Patrol says a 1980 Chevy Corvette driven by 19-year-old Samuel Wayne Kasap entered westbound Interstate 80 from the DeSoto on-ramp at around 1:17 p-m Sunday and accelerated to a high rate of speed. The car went out of control about a one mile west of the DeSoto exit and rolled into the median. It struck the cable barrier before coming to rest in the eastbound lanes. Neither Kasap nor his passenger, 24-year-old Maximilian Vincent Kasap, were wearing a seat belt. Both men were ejected. Samuel Kasap died at the scene, and Max Kasap was injured and transported a Des Moines hospital.
Deere Contract Deadline Now Wednesday
(Waterloo, IA) — Wednesday is now the deadline to reach a new agreement after union workers for John Deere voted down a proposed contract Sunday. Deere has plants in Davenport, Des Moines, Dubuque, Ottumwa, and Waterloo. The unions say 90 percent of members voted against the six-year offer which was for more than 10-thousand workers. The Quad Cities-based Deere’s statement says the offer “would have made the best wages and most comprehensive benefits significantly better for our employees.”
Car Crash Causes Dubuque Customers To Lose Gas Service
(Dubuque, IA) — Crews with Black Hills Energy had to go door-to-door Monday to restore gas service to several customers after a car hit a meter in the area of Highway 20 in Dubuque. The company says about 140 gas meters had to be turned off. Technicians then made repairs and re-pressurized the system before going back and turning the service back on.
