1956 Franklin School May Day
Facebook Page Features Museum Archive Photos
Brian Nitzschke is a photographer for Le Mars Fire Rescue…
He’s also a volunteer at the Plymouth County Historical Museum, and he recently became involved in unpacking an archive the museum obtained from the Le Mars Sentinel.
Nitzchke began posting pictures from the archive on a Facebook page, “I Grew Up in Le Mars, Iowa”. The posts are generating a lot of interest.
Nitzchke says the site gets lots of reactions, especially from people who recognize photos of family members.
And there’s plenty more material to post.
Nitzchke is also developing an online history of Le Mars Fire Rescue, using old photos and newspaper accounts.
The I Grew Up in Le Mars page contains general history of Le Mars, Nitzchke has also shared fire stories from the museum archive with the Le Mars Fire Rescue web page.
This develops some synergy between the two archives.
Working on both archives is a satisfying venture for Nitzchke..
Nitzchke says digitizing the Museum archive will take several more months, and he’ll post more photos during the process.
The Plymouth County Museum archive can be found on Facebook: I Grew Up in Le Mars, and the
Le Mars Fire Rescue archive can be found at lmfrphotos@smugmug.com
FUNDING CUT TO ANTI-DISCRIMINATION WATCHDOGS IN SIOUX CITY
The head of Sioux City’s Human Rights Commission says some of the most vulnerable people in the community will suffer after the city council slashed the commission’s budget this week by more than a third, or 140-thousand dollars. Executive director Karen Mackey oversees the panel that enforces anti-discrimination laws. City officials say property tax cuts passed by the Iowa Legislature have led to a tighter financial outlook. Mackey says it’s too early to tell where cuts will take place, but staffing will likely be reduced. The commission also organizes an annual multicultural fair and Mackey fears because of budget cuts, the event planned for next month will likely be the last.
MAN ACCUSED IN IOWA WOMAN’S 2016 DEATH IN CUSTODY IN HONDURAS
The man charged in the death of Sarah Root — the Council Bluffs woman who is the namesake of what’s known as “Sarah’s Law” — is in custody in Honduras. In 2016, Eswin Mejia was accused of drunk driving while street racing in Omaha and crashing into Root’s vehicle as it was stopped at a red light. Root, who was 21 years old, died at the scene. Mejia, who was in the country illegally, posted a five-thousand dollar bond, was released and disappeared. Iowa’s congressional delegation soon introduced “Sarah’s Law” to require that illegal immigrants accused of violent crimes must be detained. Sarah’s Law was paired with another bill earlier this year and President Trump signed it into law. Iowa Congressman Randy Feenstra and Iowa Senator Joni Ernst say accountability is coming for Sarah’s Root’s killer. Senator Chuck Grassley and Governor Kim Reynolds say this is justice for the Root family. The Honduran National Police notified U.S. officials Mejia was taken into custody on February 27th. Negotiations are underway to have him extradited to Nebraska to stand trial.
IOWA AG SECRETARY TALKS ABOUT TRADE TRIP
Iowa Ag Secretary Mike Naig is back from a trade trip to Costa Rica and Guatemala. Naig says both countries present a lot of trade opportunities.
He says representatives of Iowa’s beef industry were on the trip.
Naig says the accessibility of the two countries is a positive.
The Iowa Economic Development Authority was on the trip with Ag Department as they worked to connect Iowa companies with markets for their products and service.
