Plymouth County Board Of Supervisors Begin Fiscal Budget Requests
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will convene for its weekly meeting today at the County Courthouse Boardroom beginning at 9:30 a.m. The county governing board will review and possibly approve a change order for the Plymouth County District Courtroom renovation project. Plymouth County Historical Museum Administrator Judy Bowman will appear before the county board of supervisors to request funding for the next fiscal year budget. Chris Dodd with Evertek will appear before the county board to discuss funding request for wireless service in Plymouth County. County Engineer, Tom Rohe will also appear before the board to offer an update on construction projects.
Le Mars City Council To Approve Contractors For Phase 2 Construction Project On Police Headquarters
(Le Mars) — Le Mars city council will review the submitted bids for the Phase 2 construction project for the Le Mars Police Department during today’s city council meeting. The council received several different bids on various portions of the entire project, and will likely accept the lowest bids. Bids were received and opened on November 30th. The council will also consider approving Wiltgen Brothers as the Construction Manager overseeing the entire project. The project is estimated to cost a little more than $1,033,000 dollars. The city council will consider approving a three-year golf course management contract with JBDS L.L.C. to manage Willow Creek Golf Course. The city council will consider a proposal from Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte in a more efficient way to collect delinquent parking ticket fines. Vande Vegte is suggesting the city work with the county treasurer’s office who will collect the delinquent parking fines prior to the renewal of a motor vehicle registration. The Le Mars city council is expected to approve the Airport Improvement Program, which is required by the Federal Aviation Administration that identifies any proposed improvements to the airport for the next five years. Following the most recent Census report, cities are required to review their wards and precinct boundaries to comply with current laws. The city’s ward boundaries will remain unchanged. However, because of the population increase, the precinct boundaries need to be redefined. Precinct populations must not exceed 3,500 people, therefore Le Mars will need a fourth precinct. City officials are working with the Plymouth County Auditor’s office to determine the new boundaries.
Applications Now Being Accepted For Hotel-Motel Tax Grants
(Le Mars) — Applications for Le Mars Convention and Visitors Bureau Hotel-Motel tax grants are now available. Applications can be submitted online at lemarsiowa.com or at the Le Mars City Hall during regular business hours of 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Applications are due no later than noon on Thursday, December 30th, 2021 for consideration. Applications received after the deadline will not be considered for funding. All applications must be typewritten. Le Mars non-profit and not-for-profit organizations qualify for CVB Hotel-Motel sales tax fund. Projects cannot begin prior to July 1, 2022 , and must be completed by June 30th of 2023. Multiple projects must be submitted on separate applications. Organizations receiving CVB Hotel-Motel sales tax funds cannot request additional funding toward the same project from the Le Mars City Council. The Le Mars Convention and Visitors Bureau Tourism Committee annually reviews and recommends award amounts to the Le Mars City Council for final approval. Organizations will not be notified of awards until March after city budgets have been approved. For additional information, contact Jessica Brownmiller, CVB Manager at (712) 548-4971 or email jbrownmiller@lemarsiowa.com.
Wet Nose Animal Rescue To Hold Open House At New Shelter
(Le Mars) — Homeless dogs and cats of Plymouth County will have a better chance, thanks to a new animal shelter. Wet-Nose Rescue will host an open house at the new shelter from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. this Saturday, Dec. 11.
Wet-Nose Rescue voted unanimously on Nov. 1 to rent a building on the south edge of Le Mars for a county-wide animal shelter.
At the open house, children will have a chance to bring their dog or cat and sit with Santa for a photo. Santa’s friend, Snowflake, also will be on hand. Parents are urged to bring their cameras to capture the moment.
Free food and fun will fill the afternoon for all ages. The Wet-Nose Gift Shop will make its debut.
Tours of the shelter are planned.
The organization will begin renting the building this month, December, but the shelter will not open to homeless cats and dogs until sometime after state requirements are met. The shelter is to serve homeless animals throughout the county.
A large grassy area on the south side of the shelter will allow for an exercise area for dogs. The building, located at 1327 Hawkeye Ave. SW, south of the former Hobby Haven, is a former airport hangar.
Wet-Nose Rescue, Plymouth County Shelter and Adoption, started on July 15, 2019. Since then, the group attended outreach events all around the county to increase awareness of homeless animals and to raise funds for their care.
Wet-Nose president Angel Anderson said of the action to acquire a shelter space, “Our goal to have a shelter in Plymouth County to support our own county animals in need is coming together. This has been an amazing blessing to work on and watch grow over the last year. With the Dec. 1 acquisition date, the excitement just grew to grand proportions as the community learned of the news.”
She also noted the following features in the new shelter: a welcome room, dog and cat rooms to house pets for adoption, facilities for bathing and care of the animals, on-site storage and laundry facilities, meeting rooms, and a gift shop with proceeds to help support the shelter.
An anonymous donor stepped forward just hours before the Wet-Nose vote Nov. 1 and offered a $25,000 gift, to be matched by the end of the year.
Jim and Roxie Anderson of Le Mars also stepped up prior to the vote by committing $5,000 immediately to the shelter. They were named “Wet-Nose Friends of the Year” in July 2021 when they also hosted the second annual “Wet-Nose Garden Party.”
All donations will be used to get the shelter up and running according to state licensing standards. Funds also will be used for monthly rental expenses and for the care of animals.
Anyone wishing to make a gift of any size should send the contribution to: Wet-Nose Rescue, PO Box 454, Le Mars, IA 51031 or bring the donation to the open house.
Officers of the Wet-Nose Board, in addition to Anderson, are: vice president, Jason Roskilly; secretary, Lola Fitch; and treasurer, Mary Valentine. Other board
members are Joan Thomas, David Westergard, and Rachel Westergard. Jen Pratt is a nominee for the board. All are from the Le Mars area, but new board members are wanted from all parts of the county.
Wet-Nose volunteer Judy Bowman of Le Mars said the group was growing impatient with the long wait to find a shelter space. Then when the perfect location appeared, the group was excited that owner Kyle Klein would renovate the building and turn it into a climate-controlled safe area for cats and dogs.
Bowman said, “To have everything reach a settlement on All Saints’ Day Nov. 1, 2021, seemed so appropriate because our group has had many beloved pets and supportive people go on before us after showing their love for the rescue cause. It seemed the perfect day to take the leap of faith.”
Anyone wishing to volunteer with Wet-Nose Rescue may call Anderson at 540-5919 or Fitch at 539-0094. Eventually, volunteers will be needed to staff the shelter.
Le Mars Community Theater – Postal Playhouse To Hold Auditions
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Community Theater-Postal Playhouse will hold auditions for its next production, entitled: “God of Carnage.” Auditions are scheduled for Sunday, December 12th at 2:00 p.m. and Monday, December 13th at 7:00 p.m. Both audition times will be held at the Le Mars Postal Playhouse. Tentative performance dates are for early February. Rehearsals will begin on Tuesday, January 4, 2022. The play calls for two men and two women. “God of Carnage” is a Tony Award winner for best play in 2009. It takes place in the evening in the lives of two couples who meet to discuss a playground incident. Aland and Annette’s son hit Michael and Veronica’s son in the face with a stick, resulting in two broken teeth. The four of them agree to discuss the incident in a civil manner, but, as the night wears on and drinks are consumed, the polite veneer breaks down. The couples initially spar against each other, but the men gang up on the women and the spouses switch sides as the fighting continues.
Flags Lowered To Honor Bob Dole
(Des Moines, IA) — Governor Kim Reynolds has ordered all flags in Iowa to fly at half staff until sunset on Thursday, December 9th in honor and remembrance of former Senator Bob Dole. Dole was a World War Two veteran who was in Congress for 35 years in both the U-S. Senate and House of Representatives. Dole ran for president three times and won Iowa’s 1988 and 1996 Republican Caucuses. He died at the age of 98.
Chicago Man Sentenced To Prison In Connection With Fatal Overdose
(Chicago, IL) — A Chicago man who sold heroin to a Cedar Falls woman who overdosed has been sentenced to four decades in prison. The woman died in 2018 of acute heroin intoxication. Police used the woman’s Facebook Messenger account to ask Eric DeAngelo Griggs for more heroin and when he showed up, Griggs was arrested. Griggs was living in Waterloo at the time of his arrest. A jury convicted him in April of the distribution of heroin resulting in death. Griggs is 40 years old and has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. There is no parole in the federal system.
Regents Schools Questioned About Donor Funds
(Des Moines, IA) — A few Republicans from the Iowa House are questioning why record private fundraising at the University of Iowa and Iowa State University hasn’t translated into a tuition freeze. Representative Gary Mohr (More, a Republican from Bettendorf asked the question during an online forum focused on a variety of issues at the universities. Iowa State University president Wendy Wintersteen says tuition would be higher without that record fundraising, since the majority of what’s donated is spent on student scholarships and degree programs as well as research. University of Iowa president Barbara Wilson says 98 percent of donations are restricted, meaning the donor has directed exactly how the money can be spent.
Don’t Let Holiday Light Displays Be A Driving Distraction
(Undated) — Triple-A-Iowa spokeswoman, Meredith Mitts, says if you’ll be making the rounds to check out Christmas light displays, remember to follow the rules of the road. She says don’t stop on the street to take selfies — and be aware there may be a little bit more traffic to view the show. Mitts says remain focused on driving on the road and if you want to enjoy the lights, make sure you find a place where you can safely pull over to view them. She says you can get into an accident if you get distracted by the lights and aren’t paying attention to the traffic and pedestrians who might be in the area.
