Home News KLEM News for Wednesday, January 15

KLEM News for Wednesday, January 15

LCSD BEGINS PLANNING PROCESS FOR NEW ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The Le Mars Community School Board Monday approved documents related to plans which will lead to construction of a new elementary school.
The board heard a presentation from consultant ISG on the project.
Their representatives told the board that several groups have begun gathering input from faculty, staff, administration, and other stakeholders in order to develop a construction plan.
One group is touring area schools, to consider design elements for the plan.
The documents approved by the board Monday set timelines for selecting a construction manager, and the award of a construction contract by the school board, by April 14.
ISG anticipates construction on a new elementary school will begin in the Spring of 2026. Site work could begin as early as November, 2025.

 

SIOUX CITY COLLECTING WINTER CLOTHES FOR IMMIGRANTS

The extreme cold conditions are tough for long-time Iowans to handle and even worse for those who are new to the state.
Volunteers at the Mary J. Treglia House in Sioux City are collecting coats and gloves, hats and boots for those who have immigrated here.
Executive Director Barbara Newhouse says this weather is something the newcomers have never seen.

Newhouse says it takes time for people to adjust.

She says they can have anywhere from 25 up to 50 individuals coming in on a monthly basis.

Newhouse says they need a large variety of the warm clothing.

The agency has provided citizenship and immigration services to the Siouxland since 1921. All of the immigrants are in the process of becoming U-S citizens.

SUPERVISORS DISCUSS BUDGETS, REPORTS

Plymouth County’s Board of Supervisors spent much of their Tuesday meeting discussing budget issues.  They discussed a  request from the County Conservation Board for funds to expand a part-time naturalist position to full-time, and to add a seasonal employee.  They also heard more information about a request from County Communications to hire an additional dispatcher in the next fiscal year.

Quarterly reports from the Sheriff, county Comm Center and county Jail were approved by the Supervisors.  Total receipts in the Sheriffs Office were 23-thousand dollars for the quarter.  Service fees were reported down a bit from the previous quarter.  There were 543 Ambulance calls and 165 Fire calls in that period.  Total ambulance calls for 2024 increased from all Plymouth County communities ecept Remsen. Fire calls for the year were higher in Akron, Kingsley, Le Mars and Merrill, lower in Hinton, Oyens and Remsen.  For the year, there were 6197 E911 calls, over 11-hundred fewer than 2023.  Jail receipts were over 113-thousand dollars for the quarter.  Inmate room and board charges and fees to the U.S. Marshals Service were both lower.

The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors approved the semi-annual settlement of funds report.  The report says the county ended the calendar year with 23.4 million dollars in total cash on hand and in bank accounts.  The Supervisors Tuesday also approved a resolution naming nine depositories for county funds.  They authorized deposits of up to 85 million dollars among these financial institutions.

 

LCSD PROPERTY PURCHASE

The Le Mars Community School Board Monday approved the purchase of a residential property adjacent to the high school.  The home is on 810 6th Ave SW, and is located next to the high school track.  Superintendent Dr. Steven Webner says the property is 1.8 acres, and the price was reasonable.  The board approved the purchase, at a cost of 200-thousand dollars.

 

REYNOLDS REVIEWS HER 2025 PRIORITIES DURING SPEECH TO LAWMAKERS

Governor Reynolds delivered the annual “Condition of the State” address last night at the Capitol, outlining her policy priorities for the year. She’s asking legislators to require that public schools, at a minimum, ban students from using cell phones while they’re in class. And Reynolds says it’s time to pass a law to require motorists only use a cell phone in hands-free or voice activated mode while driving. Reynolds is asking lawmakers for a million dollars to support University of Iowa cancer research into the factors that may play a role in Iowa’s cancer rates, since Iowa is one of just two states where cancer rates are rising. Democrats say they can support these initiatives from the Republican governor, but they raised concerns about other proposals, like reducing the tax Iowa businesses pay into the state’s unemployment trust fund.

 

PATE SEEKS CHANGES IN IOWA ELECTION LAWS

Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate is submitting a package of election-related bills to the legislature. Pate is asking lawmakers for new authority to cancel voter registrations if his office cannot confirm someone is a citizen. Pate’s staff released a list of potential non-citizens last October who got an Iowa driver’s license when they were legal residents and Pate asked county auditors to challenge General Election ballots cast by people on the list, in case they had not obtained citizenship. Pate says giving his office broader authority to check the records of state and federal agencies and work with private vendors would speed up the process of checking citizenship status. Pate’s also proposing a ban on ranked choice voting and asking lawmakers to streamline the process for election recounts.

 

GRASSLEY LEANING TOWARD CONFIRMING TRUMP’S AG NOMINEE

Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley will chair two days of hearings starting today as President-elect Trump’s nominee for attorney general Pam Bondi appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee. Grassley says he’s “very impressed” with Bondi’s record as Florida’s attorney general and he’s “leaning towards” voting to confirm her. The D-O-J needs to refocus its attention on enforcing the law, according to Grassley, as well as protecting American whistleblowers and responding to congressional oversights. Bondi served as Florida’s A-G from 2011 to 2019, the first woman elected to the office, and in 2020, she was one of Trump’s defense lawyers during his first impeachment trial.

 

ERNST A “YES” ON TRUMP’S NOMINEE FOR DEFENSE SECRETARY

Iowa Senator Joni Ernst says she will support Pete Hegseth’s nomination to lead the U-S Defense Department. Ernst issued a written statement of support after Hegseth appeared yesterday at a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. Ernst said our country’s next commander-in-chief selected Hegseth to serve in this role and, after speaking with Hegseth and hearing from Iowans, she will vote to confirm him as Secretary of Defense. Ernst, a Republican from Red Oak, is the first female combat veteran elected to the U-S Senate and she initially raised concerns about Hegseth’s views on women in the military. Yesterday (Tuesday), Hegseth told senators he supports women serving in combat roles as long as they meet the same standards as men.

 

EPA STICKS WITH ADDING WATERS TO IMPAIRED LIST

The U-S Environmental Protection Agency says it is sticking with its decision to add seven water segments in Iowa to the impaired list after hearing comments on the decision. The E-P-A says segments of the Cedar, Des Moines, Iowa, Raccoon, and South Skunk Rivers have nitrate levels that exceed safe drinking water limits. The Iowa D-N-R had refused to place these waters on the list. Information from the E-P-A says 72 of those comments supported the decision. Three comments from the Iowa D-N-R, the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, and The Fertilizer Institute opposed the decision.