DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI
The Le Mars Community Schools Foundation last night honored David Lorenzen with their Distinguished Alumni Award, at a banquet at the Le Mars Convention Center. Lorenzen, from the class of 1975, said he was a social student, but learned lessons in discipline from his teachers and coaches in Le mars.
Having lived away for so many years, Lorenzen calls Le Mars a special place.
Lorenzen retired in 2021, after a career in law enforcement, and later, in the Iowa Department of Transportation. He and his wife, Cheryl, now live in Waukee.
DEBT CEILING BILL
The four Iowa Republicans who serve in the U.S. House have voted to cut federal spending and raise the federal government’s debt ceiling — after biofuels issues were removed from the package. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s original plan would have scaled back tax incentives for carbon pipelines, ended the tax credit for biodiesel and repealed a technology tax credit that may benefit ethanol producers. Congressmen Randy Feenstra of Hull and Zach Nunn of Bondurant, and Congresswomen Mariannette Miller-Meeks of Le Claire and Ashley Hinson of Marion successfully lobbied to have those anti-biofuels provisions removed. The group issued a joint statement, saying the biofuels industry drives the Iowa economy and they were able to protect federal biofuels incentives during negotiations. Governor Reynolds thanked House Speaker Kevin McCarthy for agreeing to a compromise that Reynolds says recognizes the importance of biofuels to the country.
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT OPEN HOUSE
Turnout was strong at a community open house yesterday to consider Le Mars future development.
Danielle Propst of the ISG design firm, heads this year long project to design a roadmap for what Le Mars will look like twenty years from now.
The open house Wednesday gave Le Mars residents opportunity to consider ideas for community growth in several different areas.
The ideas presented yesterday came from a meeting with community groups earlier this year.
The community meeting brought out a number of ideas for future housing in Le Mars.
One area of interest was a variety of indoor and outdoor recreation activities.
This includes Indoor playgrounds, splashpads, playground expansions, and even concert sites. Some ideas came from the consulting firm.
Housing, highway commercial, and industrial development were other areas where ideas were gathered. All these images and ideas are placed on the Le Mars Community Development web site. If you missed the open house, you can still express your ideas on the web site. This fall, the ideas gathered at the open house will be refined into a community development plan.
LCS FOUNDATION AWARDS
The LeMars Community Schools Foundation honored employees, students, and alumni last night at their annual Foundation Banquet.
Janet Van Boven received the Decades of Excellence Crystal Bell Award. She is a Special Education Teacher at Franklin Elementary School
She’s still overwhelmed by the honor
Being a special education teacher, her standard of success is different from most teachers.
Her reward is all the things her students picked up along the way.
Unique in that she builds long-term relationships with her students.
David Lorenzen, Class of 1975 was honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award. The Foundation also recognized their employees of the month, those with 25 years in employment in the district, and the top five percent of the class of 2023.
FATHER EISELE
The Le Mars community is remembering Father Paul Eisele, who passed away Monday at age 81. Father Eisele served the church as a priest, a teacher, a principal, and a pastor for over 50 years. In a 2018 interview, Father Eisele recalled the early years of his ministry.
He then moved into northwest Iowa, where he spent most of his life.
He later moved back to serve in north central Iowa.
Father Eisele had impact on schools and parishes in Sioux City and the Remsen, Le Mars, and Algona areas. He retired to Le Mars in 2015.
A mass of Christian Burial will be held for Reverend Paul Eisele on Monday, May 1, at Divine Mercy Catholic Parish- St. Michael Church in Whittemore, Iowa with Bishop R. Walker Nickless officiating and other concelebrating priests in the Sioux City Diocese. There will be a visitation and Vigil Prayer service on Friday of this week and Saturday Memorial Mass at All Saints Parish- St. Joseph Catholic Church in Le Mars. There will also be a visitation and Rosary on Sunday at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Remsen. Services have been entrusted to the Fisch Funeral Home In Remsen.
PIPELINE COMPLAINT TABLED
The Senate Ethics Committee has tabled a complaint against the state senator who didn’t schedule a hearing for a House bill with new rules for carbon pipelines. Republican Senator Mike Bousselot of Ankeny used to work for Summit Agricultural Group and one of its subsidiaries to planning to build a pipeline. Bousselot says he has no conflict of interest and the complaint was a waste of the Senate’s time. Senator Pam Jochum, a Democrat from Dubuque, says Bousselot should not have been leading senate review of the bill. Jochum and the other five members of the Senate Ethics Committee voted to notify the group that filed the complaint that no further action will be taken, unless further relevant information is produced by the group that filed it.
