Funds raised for Le Mars middle schooler diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome
++++++++++
Halloween comes early at 5th annual Creepy Camper Crawl
It might only be the start of October, but the Willow Creek Campground is bringing Halloween early to Le Mars. This Saturday evening, Willow Creek is hosting their Creepy Camper Crawl Trick or Treat, with the entire campground transforming into its own Halloweentown.
Campground manager Trudy Poeckes explained the evening to KLEM.
This is the fifth year the Creepy Camper Crawl has taken place, and is the last event the campground hosts before winter. Poeckes says she’s thrilled to host the event every year.
She says her favorite part of the event is seeing the reactions from Trick or Treaters.
The Creepy Camper Trick or Treat starts Saturday evening at 5 p.m.. Poeckes asks attendees to bring a non-perishable food item to donate to the Rejoice food pantry.
++++++++++
Former Spirit Lake restaurant owner sentenced to life in prison
The former owner of a restaurant in Spirit Lake has been sentenced to life in prison in Louisiana after being on the run from authorities for over two decades.
Choi Van Leo, the owner of the Asian Palace Restaurant in Spirit Lake, was arrested on May 24th, 2024 by the Spirit Lake Police Department after authorities in Calcasieu Parish in Louisiana received a tip about Leo’s whereabouts. Leo owned another Asian restaurant in Lake Charles, Louisiana, where he was accused of sexually abusing seven children between the ages of four and 12 between 1992 and 2000. Leo fled Louisiana after local law enforcement issued an arrest warrant in September of 2000, and had been in Northwest Iowa over the past two decades.
Leo was convicted by a jury last month, and has been sentenced to three consecutive life sentences without parole.
++++++++++
State Library Association meeting in Sioux City
Sioux City is hosting the Iowa Library Association State Conference this week. Sioux City public libraries director Helen Rigdon says she’s been working on bringing it to western Iowa again since 2018.
Librarians from around the state will arrive in Sioux City Wednesday for the start of the event. Rigdon says they are closing the libraries in Sioux City and Le Mars so all employees can attend.
Rigdon says librarians from across the state will be able to share ideas and programs with each other.
The conference runs through Friday in Sioux City. The Le Mars Public Library will be closed tomorrow for the conference.
++++++++++
