WELLS SALE
Le Mars’ largest employer, Wells Enterprises, today announced their firm has been acquired by an Italian company, Ferraro Group. The two made a joint announcement of the deal this morning at a gathering at the Le Mars Convention Center. Bus loads of company employees were brought in to hear the announcement, and ask questions about the move.
Mike Wells, CEO of Wells Enterprises, said he was first introduced to the Ferraro Group several years ago.
After meeting Ferrero’s CEO, Wells was convinced they could work together.
Wells wanted to make sure that a Ferrero-owned Wells Enterprises would maintain its commitment to Le Mars.
Wells leadership will stay in place under Ferrero ownership, and they will have 100% autonomy.
Under new ownership, Wells Enterprises will remain a stand-alone business with offices in Le Mars, and production facilities in Le Mars, Nevada and New York. Mike Wells, current CEO, will serve as an advisor during the transition to new ownership. Current Wells President Liam Killeen will become CEO, and the existing leadership team will remain in place.
Ferraro’s brands include Nutella, Kinder, Tic Tac, and Ferrero Rocher. They own 35 brands sold in over 170 countries, and employ over 38-thousand People. Wells is known for its ice cream brands – Blue Bunny, Halo Top, Blue Ribbon Classics, and the Bomb Pop. It employs 4-thousand people.
Wells and Ferraro are family-owned companies. Ferraro began as a pastry shop in 1946 in Italy. Wells was founded in 1913 as a dairy delivery business.
MORE BIRD FLU
The Iowa Department of Agriculture has received confirmation from the U-S-D-A on two new cases of avian influenza in commercial turkey flocks in Cherokee and Sac County. The Sac County site has some 40-thousand birds, while the Cherokee site has 100-thousand birds. These are the second and third cases of the bird flu this month after a case in a commercial turkey flock was reported in Buena Vista County on December 2nd. There have been 20 cases in commercial flocks of birds this year and six in backyard flocks.
REAL ID DELAYED
Federal officials are again pushing back the deadline for when travelers from Iowa and elsewhere need that little gold star on their I-D cards to board domestic flights. Jessica Mayle, regional spokeswoman for the U-S Transportation Security Administration, says the so-called Real I-D won’t be required now until 2025. Mayle says there’s a list of documents that are required during the process — including a passport, marriage certificate, bank statement and a Social Security card. Information from the Iowa D-O-T shows 64-percent of Iowans have already gotten their Real I-Ds. The program was designed in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, and was originally scheduled to go into practice in 2008, but has been repeatedly delayed.
SUPERVISORS
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors heard fiscal year 2023-24 budget requests Tuesday. The library directors representing all five Plymouth County Public Libraries appeared before the Supervisors. They represent the Akron, Kinsley, Lemars, Merrill and Remsen Public Libraries. They thanked the Board for their continued support. The directors reported more activity since covid abated. They are also assisting more patrons with online job referrals and applications. They requested 130-thousand dollars in the next county budget.
Jessica Rohrs, Chief Operations Officer at Family Crisis Center visited with the Supervisors. FCC offers assistance and advocacy for victims of domestic violence. They also operate shelters for victims of abuse. They also operate a statewide hotline for abuse victims. The Family Crisis Centers also provide housing and homeless services, and serve the victims of homicides and violent crimes via a state victim service call center. Rohrs requested 6-thousand dollars in the next county budget.
Judy Bowman, of the Plymouth County Historical Museum, reviewed the highlights of the Museum’s past year, and pointed ahead to their two biggest upcoming projects. One is an exhibit featuring the Emery Collins race car. The other is development of a Native American Room at the Museum. The Museum received a 55-hundred dollars grant for that work, but it wasn’t enough. They are now raising funds to help complete the exhibit. There is an April 1 completion deadline in order to be eligible to receive the grant. Bowman requested 20-thousand dollars in the next budget year to support their work.
CITY COUNCIL
The Le Mars City Council approved a switching services agreement with Burlington Junction Railway. This firm operates rail traffic on city track in the city industrial park. The amendment extends their services contract for 15 years, through 2038.
The city council approved the submittal of a list of airport improvements over the next five years. These improvements include drainage work, apron expansion, and runway edge lights, and would take place over the next five years. The estimated cost of these improvements are some 1.5 million dollars, with the Federal Aviation Administration taking on most of that cost. The City of Le Mars would be responsible for some 215-thousand dollars in costs.
MORE BIRD FLU
The Iowa Department of Agriculture has received confirmation from the U-S-D-A on two new cases of avian influenza in commercial turkey flocks in Cherokee and Sac County. The Sac County site has some 40-thousand birds, while the Cherokee site has 100-thousand birds. These are the second and third cases of the bird flu this month after a case in a commercial turkey flock was reported in Buena Vista County on December 2nd. There have been 20 cases in commercial flocks of birds this year and six in backyard flocks.
INJURY ACCIDENTS
A car-semi accident Tuesday left one driver seriously injured. The Iowa State Patrol says the accident occurred on Nettle Ave, a mile southeast of Sheldon, in O’Brien County. 48 year old Brian Williams of Omaha was injured, when his vehicle crossed the center line and struck rear wheels of a semi-trailer driven by 22-year-old Devon Stetson of Hull. Williams suffered life-threatening injuries, and was transported to Sheldon Sanford Hospital, and then flown to a regional hospital for treatment. The accident happened around 1 pm Tuesday.
Monday night, a Rock Valley man received serious injury in a single vehicle crash three miles west of Sioux Center. The Sioux County Sheriffs Department says 65 year old Gary Roozenboom of Rock Valley was driving west on 390th street when he lost control of the vehicle, entered a ditch, and rolled. The vehicle came to rest on its top in a creek. First responders from Sioux Center Fire Department extricated Roozenboom from the vehicle. He was transported to Sioux Center Health, and later flown by helicopter to Avera McKennen for further treatment. Sioux Center Police, Fire, and Ambulance assisted the Sheriffs Department.
COLLEGES FUDGE COSTS
A federal report finds a vast majority of colleges and universities mislead prospective students about the true cost of an education, a report Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley calls “alarming.” Grassley says the report from the Government Accountability Office studied financial aid offer letters from dozens of institutions, letters students use to compare prices and to determine where they might go to college.
Grassley says the G-A-O report highlights the “deceptive practices” being used by so many colleges, demonstrating Congress needs to act. The Iowa Republican is co-sponsoring a bill called Understanding the True Cost of College Act.
He says the need for an apples-to-apples comparison is critical. Grassley did not know which, if any, Iowa institutions were studied. The G-A-O report compared the financial aid offers from 176 colleges and assessed them against ten best practices from the Department of Education and a commission comprised of 22 federal agencies. None of the colleges followed all ten recommendations.
https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-23-104708.pdf
REAL ID DELAYED
Federal officials are again pushing back the deadline for when travelers from Iowa and elsewhere need that little gold star on their I-D cards to board domestic flights. Jessica Mayle, regional spokeswoman for the U-S Transportation Security Administration, says the so-called Real I-D won’t be required now until 2025. Mayle says there’s a list of documents that are required during the process — including a passport, marriage certificate, bank statement and a Social Security card. Information from the Iowa D-O-T shows 64-percent of Iowans have already gotten their Real I-Ds. The program was designed in the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, and was originally scheduled to go into practice in 2008, but has been repeatedly delayed.
