KLEM to air “Decision 2025” candidate forum
Le Mars residents will go to the polls on Tuesday, December 2nd for a special run-off election to decide the mayor’s race and an at-large seat on the Le Mars City Council, and KLEM invites you to join us on Friday, November 21st for our “Decision 2025” candidate forum. The forum will air live over the air on KLEM and on our YouTube page starting at 10:30am.
The hour-long broadcast will be divided into two half-hour segments: the first featuring City Council at-large candidates Derek Conyers and Beth Meyer, and the second featuring mayoral candidates Rob Bixenman and Brian Hughes. Listeners will have the opportunity to email questions to the moderator of the fourm, Le Mars Community High School history teacher Michael Bahr.
“Decision 2025”, featuring all four candidates in the upcoming run-off election, will air live this upcoming Friday, November 21st, at 10:30am.
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Le Mars first-degree murder trial set for next April, request to move location denied
The trial of a Le Mars man accused of murder will take place in April 2026.
22-year-old Omar Cruz is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of 21-year-old Miguel Martinez-Luna, which occurred at Martinez-Luna’s home in Le Mars on September 30th, 2024. Cruz was arrested in Sioux City a week later, and has been in custody at the Plymouth County Jail since then.
Cruz was originally scheduled to go on trial on October 28th of this year, but his attorneys requested a continuance to adequately prepare for trial. His trial is now set to start on Tuesday, April 14th, at 9am, with Plymouth County Attorney Darin Raymond prosecuting. Cruz has pleaded not guilty to the charges, and is currently held on $1 million bond.
Cruz has filed a handwritten request with the court seeking for a change of venue for the trial outside of Le Mars. In the document, Cruz alleges that the Le Mars Police Department released “vital evidence and inflammatory statements” to local news media that indicated Cruz committed the crimes he’s charged with, and that his due process rights were violated. The court will not accept the request as Cruz cannot file motions on his behalf since he has representation by legal counsel.
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Abandoned, century-old farmhouse near Storm Lake destroyed by fire
Three fire departments fought a fire Thursday night that destroyed an abandoned, century-old farmhouse south of Storm Lake, near the Buena Vista/Sac County line.
At about 9:30 p.m., the Storm Lake Fire Department was dispatched after a passerby spotted flames. When fire fighters arrived, the two-story house was fully engulfed in flames. The Newell and Early Fire Departments provided additional water to fight the blaze. MidAmerican Energy crews shut off power to the property. Buena Vista County Secondary Roads crews later brought in an excavator to know down unstable portions of the home that continued to smoulder. Crews used thermal imaging cameras to check for hot spots and the fire was brought under control. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire remains under investigation.
(Story via Radio Iowa)
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Taco John’s in Le Mars announces grand re-opening
Taco John’s and the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce will hold a ribbon cutting ceremony for the grand re-opening of the restaurant in Le Mars on Monday.
Starting at 9:30am on Monday, an open house of the newly-renovated building will be held, with free coffee and donut bites offered. The ribbon cutting ceremony itself will take place at 10am, with members of the Chamber of Commerce present. A free bike giveaway and a “golden ticket” giveaway will also be held during the event.
The restaurant had been closed for renovations since September 9th. Drive-thru service became available starting on October 25th, and the dining room was re-opened to the public last week.
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