Bogen and Lehmann Crowned As Gehlen Catholic Homecoming Queen and King
(Le Mars) — Gehlen Catholic High School held its Homecoming King and Queen coronation Friday afternoon inside the Tim Dreckman Memorial Gymnasium. Let’s go back there and listen to the announcement of this year’s Gehlen Catholic Homecoming King and Queen.
This year’s King and Queen are Dylan Lehmann, the son of Dan and Mel Lehmann. The crown for this year’s queen was placed on the head of Emma Bogen, the daughter of Greg and Dawn Bogen.
During the coronation and pep rally the Jay Bird mascot was given an official name. Father Travis Crotty introduces the Jay Bird mascot.
American Bank Plans To Expand Facilities
(Le Mars) — Le Mars city council recently voted to approve vacating the alley near 5th Avenue Northwest or Business Highway 75, and 4th Avenue Northwest in the 200 block. The alley is behind the American Bank and Perspective Insurance buildings. With the exception of one house, American Bank owns the entire block. Bank officials had approached the city council requesting the alley be vacated which would allow American Bank to expand their facilities. Micah Lang serves as the president of American Bank of Le Mars and explains the expansion plans.
Lang says American Bank’s expansion will be approximately 7,000 square feet which will nearly double the size of the existing bank facilities. He says the bank wishes to expand due to additional space requirements.
The American Bank president says the timetable for the construction is to hopefully be able to begin on the project yet this fall.
Lang talks about customer parking and the ATM machine following the completion of the expansion project.
The bank official did not disclose the cost associated with the expansion of the bank’s facilities.
City Expands Saturday Hours For Grass, Twig, And Branch Site
(Le Mars) — City officials have decided to extend the Saturday hours of the city’s grass, twig, and branch deposit site. From now through November, the new hours will be from 9:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m. Previously, the Saturday hours were between 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. The city council approved extending the hours for Saturdays during its last city council meeting. The deposit site is located on the west side of town near the Riverview ball parks.
State Trooper Critically Injured in Northeast Iowa Crash
(Postville, IA) — The Iowa State Patrol says a state trooper is hospitalized in critical condition after a crash late Thursday night near Postville. Trooper Ted Benda was assisting the Clayton County Sheriff’s Office when he was involved in a single-vehicle crash on Highway 51. Officials say says Benda was airlifted to Gunderson Lutheran Hospital in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Governor Kim Reynolds issued a statement saying she and her husband extend heartfelt thoughts and prayers to State Trooper Benda as well as his family, friends and law enforcement partners.
Pleasant Valley High School’s Russell Named Iowa Teacher of Year
(Bettendorf, IA) — A teacher from the Quad Cities area is being named as Iowa’s Teacher of the Year. Sara Russell teaches social studies at Pleasant Valley High School and is in her 19th year of teaching. Iowa Department of Education Director Ann Lebo says Sara is a teacher leader, mentor to first-year teachers and an advocate of collaborative learning environments. Governor Reynolds said outstanding educators like Sara ensure our students are well prepared for careers and education beyond high school. Russell, her husband Ian, and their 13-year-old twin sons, Gavin and Aiden, live in Bettendorf.
Ex-Eldridge Officer Pleads Not Guilty to Sexual Abuse of Teenage Girl
(Davenport, IA) — Former Eldridge police officer Andrew Denoyer is pleading not guilty to three counts of third-degree sexual abuse. Twenty-four-year-old Denoyer entered his pleas Thursday in Scott County. The Iowa Department of Public Safety says he was arrested in late September for the alleged sexual abuse of a 14-year-old girl on May 1st. Denoyer had been with the Eldridge P-D since August 2020. He worked for the Davenport Police Department from 2018-2020. Denoyer is tentatively scheduled to stand trial in late January.
Victoria Station in Harlan Honored For Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin in Iowa
(Harlan, IA) — A southwest Iowa restaurant is this year’s winner for the Best Breaded Pork Tenderloin in the state by the Iowa Pork Producers Association. Richard Buman, co-owner of Victoria Station in Harlan, says they were completely blown away when they made the top five and to find out that we won, that’s incredible. Buman and his wife, Angela, purchased Victoria Station a year and a half ago. It’s a former railway depot where a restaurant has been in business since the late 1970s. Buman said the past 19 months have been challenging with COVID-19 but he’s staying positive during the pandemic. Victoria Station will receive 500 dollars, a plaque and a banner to display for the honor.
