PARENTS OF HINTON WRESTLERS FILE SUIT AGAINST THE SCHOOL DISTRICT
There has been a lawsuit filed in Plymouth County against the Hinton Community School District, by parents alleging their children were abused in the high school’s wrestling program.
The suit names Hinton Superintendent Ken Slater; the head wrestling coach, Casey Crawford and assistant coach Bradley Skuodas; and the school’s athletic director, Brian De Jong.
The lawsuit says the defendants were negligent in allowing physical assaults, bullying and harassment of their children by members of the varsity wrestling team. Despite confrontation by parents about the incidents, the coaches did nothing to stop them.
The suit claims two incidents where these actions occurred. One was a January road trip to Burke, Nebraska, where varsity wrestlers purchased and assaulted junior varsity members with various sex toys. Another incident occurred in February in Coralville, Iowa, where varsity wrestlers used a taser on some JV wrestlers.
The suit claims that the coaches and athletic director were present and knew about the incidents, but were drinking alcohol in the hotel lobby while the incidents took place.
The parents seek monetary damages for medical costs and emotional distress and for court costs against the school district and the defendants.
SATURDAY IS DRUG TAKE BACK DAY
The National Drug Take Back Day is today. This is a good way to safely dispose of your unneeded prescription drugs. The event runs from 10 a-m until 2 p-m. You can anonymously bring in the drugs and put them in a designated container. They will not accept liquid medications, syringes or illegal drugs. The D-E-A also allows you to drop off vaping devices and e-cigarettes if the batteries are removed from the devices.
Plymouth County drop off points include:
Le Mars Police Department
Floyd Valley Healthcare
HyVee Pharmacy – Le Mars
Lewis Drug – Kingsley
LE MARS COMMUNITY SCHOOLS HONORS
The Le Mars Community High School Foundation honored its own at a banquet Wednesday.
4th Grade teacher Amy Gehling was honored with the Crystal Bell Award as Teacher of the Year. She says the award represents many people who create a good learning environment at Kluckhohn School.
She helps new teachers grow and excel at their profession.
Richard Ziettlow is the 2024 Le Mars Community High School Distinguished Alumni of the Year. Ziettlow is used to working behind the scenes, but he appreciates the honor.
Ziettlow has been part of Le Mars in a number of capacities.
He and his wife, the Rev. Dr. Jean Engelbrecht Ziettlow came back to Le Mars in 2012. Richard has been involved in a number of community projects in that span, including day care, tourism, and he also writes grants for the city.
NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE PLANS BULTMAN CENTER RENOVATION
Northwestern College plans to will break ground in May for a second phase of renovations to the Bultman Center the college’s main indoor athletic facility.
This is a six million dollar project covering 78-hundred square feet. It will include renovations and construction of locker rooms and coaches offices. The plan also includes construction of a 140-seat team meeting room. The additions will allow each team their own locker rooms, and create more office space for assistant coaches and graduate assistants.
More than $5.7 million has been raised for the project so far. Construction is expected to begin in early June, and will be completed by the fall of 2025.
The Bultman Center was built in 1995. The first phase of renovations, was completed in 2021. This phase included a new gym floor and bleachers, a scorer’s table with LED screens, and updates to the lobby and hallway areas.
FINES WILL DOUBLE FOR ILLEGALLY DRIVING THROUGH ‘QUIET ZONE’ RAILROAD CROSSING
Motorists caught ignoring crossing gates and flashing lights and illegally driving across railroad tracks will see heftier fines. These locations are called “quiet zones.” Trains approaching railroad crossings in these zones are not required to sound the horn, in an effort to reduce noise in urban settings. Senator Tom Shipley of Nodaway says doubling the fine for illegally crossing train tracks in an Iowa “quiet zone” will hopefully be a deterrent.
Cities are able to install flashing lights and gates to establish a “quiet zone” at a railroad crossing, but Representative Derek Wulf of Hudson says it’s expensive.
The fine, starting July 1st, will be five-hundred-20 dollars ($520) for illegally driving through a railroad crossing in a quiet zone when the warning lights are on. Fifteen Iowa cities have “quiet” railroad crossings, including Sioux City and Sergeant Bluff.
