BLIZZARD WARNING
A Blizzard Warning is in effect for Plymouth, Woodbury, and O’Brien counties, and points east, until 7 this evening. The National Weather Service says total accumulations of between 3 and 8 inches of snow are forecast. The highest amounts will be along an Ida Grove to Storm Lake line. The Le Mars forecast calls for 4 inches of snow today, ending this afternoon. North winds 30 to 35, gusting to 50 miles per hour, are expected today. The Thursday forecast includes sunny and breezy conditions. A High Wind Warning covers Osceola and Sioux counties in Iowa, and Union County, South Dakota.
LE MARS PUBLIC HEARINGS
The Le Mars city council began their meeting Tuesday with a pair of public hearings. The first concerned an amendment to the city parks ordinance. The amendment allows the city to be responsible for repair and maintenance of the PlyWood Trail segment between Le Mars and Merrill. Councilman Mark Sturgeon, who is also a member of the PlyWood Trail Foundation, said that a fund is being established to reimburse the city for expenses incurred for maintenance and repair. The council approved first reading of the ordinance.
The council also approved a motion accepting the facility plan for the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The plan includes installation of a lift station and force main at the Wells North Ice Cream Plant; anaerobic industrial pretreatment facilities; expansion of the west Treatment Facility for treatment of all wastewater; and demolition of the majority of the east Treatment Facility site. The costs for these project elements will be funded through customer sewer rates and agreements with industrial partners, which are now underway.
ROCK VALLEY MAN SENTENCED FOR DRUG VIOLATION
A Rock Valley man was sentenced to prison for possession with intent to deliver methamphetamine. Sioux County Attorney Thomas Kunstle announced that Albert Jorge Dominguez Hernandez, 43, of Rock Valley, Iowa, was sentenced Monday in Sioux County District Court for the Class “C” Felony. Assistant Sioux County Attorney Lori Ehlers prosecuted the case on behalf of the State of Iowa.
Dominguez Hernandez sold methamphetamine to an informant under the supervision of the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office. A search warrant executed on Dominguez Hernandez’s home, uncovered marijuana, cocaine, and digital scales with white residue.
Dominguez Hernandez was sentenced in District Court to a ten (10) year indeterminate prison sentence, ordered to pay a fine, and was ordered to submit to a sample of his DNA. After serving the prison term, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expected to take custody of Dominguez Hernandez.
IOWA SENATE PASSES BILL TO BAN HANDLING A CELL PHONE WHILE DRIVING
The Iowa Senate has again passed a bill that would penalize motorists who handle a smart phone while driving. Republican Senator Mark Lofgren of Muscatine says it hopefully will reign in distracted drivers. The bill has passed the senate in previous years and the vote on it today (Tuesday) was 47-1. The bill now goes to the House, where it has stalled over the past several years. Governor Kim Reynolds used part of her annual address to lawmakers in January to call on them to send the bill to her desk this year.
HOUSE VOTES TO REQUIRE SCHOOLS BAN CELL PHONE USE DURING CLASSES
The Iowa House has overwhelming voted in favor of requiring schools to ban students from using their cell phones while they’re in class. Representative Jeff Shipley, a Republican from Birmingham, praised the Ottumwa School District and Des Moines Hoover High School for being trailblazers on the issue. A principal at Hoover where cell phones must be kept in a student’s backpack, told Axios Des Moines there was a 31 percent increase in As and Bs earned by students in the fall semester and a six percent drop in the number of failing grades. The bill, which has the backing of Governor Kim Reynolds, passed the House by an 88-to-nine vote. A similar bill is eligible for debate in the Iowa Senate.
BILLS RESTRICTING D.E.I. PROGRAMS AT IOWA COLLEGES CLEAR HOUSE
A bill that’s cleared the Iowa House would to prohibit the three state universities from requiring students take courses about diversity, equity and inclusion or critical race theory — unless the subject matter is directly related to their majors. Another House bill approved Tuesday would deny Iowa Tuition Grants to students who attend Iowa private colleges that have diversity, equity and inclusion programs. Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison, says D-E-I is a destructive ideology. Republican Representative Henry Stone of Forest City called D-E-I a threat to American society. House Democratic Leader Jennifer Konfrst (KAHN-first) of Windsor Heights says it’s mind-blowing the legislature is trying to dictate policies at private institutions, too. Nine-thousand students got Iowa Tuition Grants this year to attend an Iowa private college or university.
