LE MARS 2025 TEACHER OF THE YEAR
At an assembly this morning at Le Mars Community High School, Mrs. Tami Dunn was named the LCSD 2025 Teacher of the year, and awarded the annual Decades of Excellence Crystal Bell award.
Mrs. Dunn has served as a high school General Science teacher since joining the school district 25 years ago. She’s also a member of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports team through the district’s Teacher Leadership program. Since 2010, She’s been the head girls track coach, and previously served as an assistant track coach and head girls cross country coach. Mts. Dunn was nominated for this award by colleagues, parents, students, and student athletes. She will be honored at the Foundation banquet on Wednseday, April 23.
SPECIAL USE PERMIT FOR NEW CELL TOWER
A Special Use Permit was approved for construction of a new cell tower in Le Mars. Verozon Wireless plans to erect a 109 foot tall cell tower at the site of their current tower: 660 6th Street. The special Use Permit is required because the proposed tower height exceeds the city code’s limit of 45 feet. The new tower replaces an existing tower which stands 85 feet tall.
FARMERS ALMANAC PREDICTS PROLONGED HOT SUMMER FOR IOWA
Iowa has seen radical temperature swings lately, with highs in the 80s followed by snowfall days later, but one outlet predicts the summer ahead will be stuck on one setting: steamy. Old Farmer’s Almanac editor Sandi Duncan warns “the heat is on for this summer” and there may be record breakers. Since 1818, the Almanac has been using a proprietary formula to forecast the weather, based on historical and celestial factors. Duncan says Iowa’s long-running bouts with drought will likely return this summer, as the almanac predicts average rainfall for the Midwest, but very hot temperatures.
DEMOCRATS SEEK MORE WEEKS OF UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFIS
Nearly a thousand people have gotten layoff notices this week from companies in Amana, Decorah and Dubuque. Democrats in the Iowa House say it’s time to extend unemployment compensation for Iowans who lose their jobs. Three years ago, Republican lawmakers reduced the maximum number of weeks Iowans may file for unemployment from 26 weeks to 16 weeks. Representative Jeff Cooling, a Democrat from Cedar Rapids, is president of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 405.
Representative Dan Gosa, a Democrat from Davenport, says hundreds of John Deere workers who’ve been laid off need more than the current 16 weeks of jobless benefits.
Republicans hold over two-thirds of the seats iin the Iowa legislature and House Speaker Pat Grassley says Republicans have no plans to adjust unemployment benefits.
Governor Reynolds says there’s about two billion dollars in the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund — a record high — and she’s called on the legislature to reduce the tax Iowa businesses pay into the fund, which the source tapped to pay unemployment benefits.
CERT TEAM ADDS NEW MEMBER
The Plymouth County-based Tri-County Combined Emergency Response Team has a new member. The Le Mars city council approved an amendment to the CERT Team 28E agreement to add Sioux Center Police to the team. Current members of the team include the Plymouth, Sioux, and Cherokee County Sheriffs Offices, and Le Mars and Cherokee Police Departments. The CERT team includes officers from each of the aforementioned law enforcement units. These officers are trained to respond to high-danger events in northwest Iowa.
COUNTY BUILDING PERMITS
Building permits for an estimated 986-thousand dollars in projects were approved in Plymouth County in March.
Three farm permits for a cattle shed and two machine sheds were approved. The value of the construction is some 360-thousand dollars.
Two non-farm building permits were approved for homes to be built in Johnson and Liberty townships, at a value of some 626-thousand dollars.
LE MARS FIRE RESCUE MONTHLY REPORT
Le Mars Fire Rescue reported 146 total calls in the month of March. 107 of them were EMS/Rescue calls, vehicle accidents and transfers. There were nine Fire/Rescue calls. In addition, there were 12 inspections, 18 meetings and programs, and 4 training sessions.
Also last month, all city-owned automatic defibrolators were inspected, all fire/rescue members were Fit tested for Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus, and tornado sirens were sounded for Severe Weather Awareness Week in Iowa.
VOTES AREN’T THERE IN HOUSE TO PASS SO-CALLED ‘ROUNDUP BILL’
House Speaker Pat Grassley says a bill that would provide some liability to protection to the makers of Roundup and other farm chemical companies does not have enough Republican support to pass the Iowa House.
The bill is a priority for Bayer, the maker of Roundup, which is facing a number of lawsuits from Americans who allege their cancer is connected to their use of Roundup. The bill says farm chemical companies that follow E-P-A labeling standards cannot be sued for failing to issue health warnings about the products. Grassley, a farmer from New Hartford, says the bill is narrowly focused.
The bill passed the Iowa Senate last year and it passed the Senate again last week, but by a narrower margin. Senate President Amy Sinclair, a Republican from Allerton, has been a vocal supporter of the bill.
But Sinclair says a company that sells a product with labels that follow federal guidelines shouldn’t face lawsuits alleging the labels are flawed.
GOVERNOR SAYS TRUMP’S TARIFFS ARE A NEGOTIATING TACTIC
Governor Kim Reynolds says President Trump is using tariffs as leverage to force trading partners to the negotiating table. Reynolds issued a written statement after Trump revealed a slate of tariffs on Wednesday afternoon. Reynolds said her job, as governor, is to protect Iowans and Reynolds said she’s working directly with the administration to ease the short-term impact, keep the ag economy strong, and open the door to new export opportunities. Reynolds said Trump’s tariffs will put America’s farmers first and she accused the Biden Administration of consistently ignoring the needs of Iowa farmers.
IOWANS WILL WITNESS COMMISSIONING OF USS IOWA SUBMARINE
The U-S Navy’s newest fast-attack submarine will be commissioned for duty Saturday, and it’ll formally enter service as the U-S-S Iowa, the third Navy vessel in history to be named after the Hawkeye State. The executive director of the U-S-S Iowa Commissioning Committee, Mat Tanner says former Iowa First Lady Christie Vilsack will preside over Saturday’s event at Submarine Base New London in Groton, Connecticut. The crew will run aboard and man the rails along with the raising of pennants and a 21-gun salute. As many as 900 Iowans are expected to attend, while more than two dozen watch parties are planned across Iowa. The three-billion dollar submarine will have a crew of about 140. The submarine can generate its own power and fresh water and will carry a 90-day food supply.
