EASEMENT VACATION
The Le Mars City Council has set a public hearing for vacating easements on a parcel sold in the Le Mars Industrial Park, South Addition. The parcel was sold to Pet Parlor, LLC, but the addition has not yet been platted. City Administrator Jason Vacura says the utility and drainage easements are so far just lines on a map,and those will be filled in when the plat of the development is prepared for council approval. The public hearing on the easement vacation will take palce during the council meeting on April 18.
BIRD VISIT
Iowa’s Attorney General is going to makea a visit to Le Mars next week. Brenna Bird, who won election last November, will be at Bellisimo Coffeeworks on Friday,
PORCUPINE IN SIOUX CITY
The Iowa D-N-R was recently called to a hotel parking lot in Sioux City to remove a porcupine. D-N-R wildlife biologist Vince Evelsizer, says that’s a call that doesn’t happen often.
He says it’s another animal that once was common here.
Evelsizer says the porcupines were probably killed off because people thought they posed a danger, or they ate them. Iowa has seen moose and bear wander in from other states — and that’s probably what happened in this case.
Evelsizer says that’s an indication the porcupine maybe came from a more open prairie state like South Dakota and Nebraska. He says the native porcupines in the North Woods from Minnesota, Wisconsin, or Canada tend to be a little darker in color. The porcupines are known for their sharp quills, but Evelsizer says there is some wrong information out there about them.
He says it can be a problem for hunting dogs in the western states or the northern states where there are native porcupine populations. Evelsizer says the prickly animals usually roam around in the night, so spotting one is a treat.
Everlsizer says. He says in general porcupines are not a big safety threat to people, as they like to do their own thing.
CONSTRUCTION ORDINANCE
The Le Mars city council approved first reading of an amendment to the Building and Construction Regulations in the city code. This sets out when building permits are required and how fees are set. There is nowhere in the city code where it states when a building permit is required. The amendment would include new construction, additions, and building use is changed, as conditions where building permits are required. Three readings are required before passage.
US 75 LANE CLOSURE
The Iowa Department of Transportation will soon close lanes on US 75 for a repaving project. Starting April 12, northbound traffic on US 75 between Hinton and Merrill will be switched to the southbound lanes in a head to head configuration. This will continue from now until October 20, when the project is to be completed. During construction, you won’t be able to make left turns in the work zone.
DRUG ARREST
A Le Mars man was arrested Tuesday on drug charges after a search warrant was carried out at his residence. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office searched 20 2nd Ave SW, and discovered a marijuana grow was established in the basement of the residence. The occupant, 42 year old Robert Eugene Trobaugh, was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance, failure to affix a drug tax stamp and possession of paraphernalia. He was booked into the county jail. Le Mars Police assisted the Sheriff’s Office at the scene of the search.
HONDURAS 2023
The Gehlen Catholic Honduras 2023 mission has returned from a ten day trip. Two students shared their impressions of the trip with KLEM News.
Jack Kessenich and Miyah Whitehead said the sendoff for Honduras 2023 was at first an anxious time.
Jack was on the 2022 mission, but Miyah was there for the first time. They found that the Hondurans don’t have much… but they are not impoverished
The 32 missioners traveled to Honduras to help them build houses outside the country’s capital. The work became a community event.
At the sendoff, the missioners were reminded that they represented Jeus Christ to those they serve. Jack and Miyah say it was the other way around.
The two also got a new outlook on giving to others.
The Mission Honduras 2023 group included high school students from Le Mars, Remsen and Marcus.
SNAP AND MEDICAID CHANGES
The Iowa House held a public hearing Tuesday on a proposal to require more frequent income checks and a new asset test for Iowans receiving food stamps or health care coverage through Medicaid. Valerie Petersen, associate executive director of the Foodbank of Siouxland in Sioux City, says these changes will push vulnerable Iowans farther into poverty. She says they’re single moms that work multiple jobs and then have to choose between feeding themselves and their children. Andres Reyes, the senior pastor of the First Baptist Church, spoke in favor of the bill. He says he believes that all people are made in the image of God and so all people have value, but that value is only realized by working for what they have. The bill passed the Senate two weeks ago and is eligible for debate in the full House.
AG SECRETARY TRIP
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig has returned from a trade mission to Vietnam and the Philippines. Naig says Vietnam and the Philippines are emerging markets for Iowa’s raw commodities. Both countries import soybeans and soybean meal and Naig says both are seeing consumption of meat grow, making them prime markets for Iowa pork and beef as well. Vietnam already imported 227 million dollars worth of Iowa ag commodities last year. The Philippines ranks as the ninth largest importer of U.S. ethanol and imported 273 million in raw commodities from Iowa last year. Naig led a trade mission to South Korea and Japan in February. He says Iowa has an opportunity to increase its exports to these four countries because of their growing populations and growing demand for food.
