Fatal Traffic Accident Saturday Night
An accident at 7:44 p.m. Saturday night has claimed the life of a Struble, Iowa woman.
According to the Iowa State Patrol, a 2003 GMC Sonoma driven by 19-year-old Sarah Van Ostrand was westbound on C-12 when it crossed the center line and collided head-on with semi-trailer truck, owned by Randy Van Nate Farms, which was eastbound preparing to turn into Dykstra Dairy. The semi driver was uninjured. Van Ostrand was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Iowa State Patrol was assisted by the Plymouth County Sheriff’s office, Le Mars Fire/Rescue and Stockton Tow.
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Plymouth County Fair Survey Results
The Plymouth County Fair Board went over the results of a survey about the fair at Thursday’s board meeting.
The survey was conducted during the fair this summer to gauge feedback and look for improvements, board member Alise Allen said to KLEM.
Allen said the majority of responses came from Plymouth County residents. Questions ranged from fairgrounds improvements, to community engagement. For example, Allen says that 65% of fair attendees stopped at local Le Mars businesses when attending the fair.
Allen said that a lot of respondents mentioned the 4H and FFA events in their survey.
Fair food also scored high on the survey.
Allen says that the survey helps determine improvements made to the fair yearly. New lighting and more park benches have been recent improvements made with the help of previous surveys. She says the board is looking at making improvements for next year’s fair.
These improvements should be in place when the Fair opens on July 29th of next year.
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Property Taxes Due In September
A reminder from Plymouth County Treasurer Shelly Sitzmann that property taxes are due by the end of the month.
Real estate, mobile home, and special assessment taxes are due by Tuesday, September 30th. Taxes can be paid online, by mail, or in person. Online payments must be made by the 30th, and mail must be postmarked on or before the 30th to avoid delinquency.
On October 1st, all unpaid taxes will have delinquent interest of 1.5% per month added. For questions about property taxes, contact the Plymouth County Treasurer’s Office.
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“If I Were Mayor” Essay Contest
Calling all future leaders! The Iowa League of Cities is hosting their annual “If I Were Mayor…” essay contest for aspiring future mayors in Iowa.
This contest is open to all 7th grade students in the state; students are prompted to write a one-page essay starting with the words: “If I Were Mayor…,” and explain how they would improve their local community. Essays will be judged on creativity, clarity, sincerity of thought, and grammar.
Four winners from each of Iowa’s congressional districts will be selected, as well as one grand prize winner. District winners will receive a $250 college scholarship, while the grand prize winner will receive a $500 scholarship. Students from Northwest Iowa have been successful in the past, with winners from Hinton Middle School in 2019 and 2020.
Essays are due online to the Iowa League of Cities by December 1st.
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Le Mars City Council Meeting Tomorrow
The Le Mars City Council will meet tomorrow, September 16th, at noon.
At tomorrow’s meeting, the public will be able to comment on the Centennial Building demolition. The council will also consider bids from contractors for the Downtown Traffic Signal Modernization Project, and consider rezoning the Floyd Valley Apartments.
