MOC-Floyd Valley sixth grader to be honored at Iowa-Nebraska game
A northwest Iowa boy will be honored for his heroism during the annual Iowa-Nebraska “Heroes Game” on Friday. 12-year-old Jayce Koob, a sixth grader at MOC-Floyd Valley, will be recognized as Iowa’s Hero during the game, highlighting his actions during a deadly house fire in Granville on Labor Day.
The fire occurred during the early morning hours of September 1st, two and a half miles outside of Granville. Four teenagers were rescued from inside the home, with three of them, 16-year-old Kolten Hofmeyer, 16-year-old Bryleigh Koob, and 17-year-old Ashton Koob, ultimately dying from their injuries. Amid the tragedy, 12-year-old Jayce Koob, who woke up to heavy smoke, was able to escape from the burning home, and walked nearly a mile in the dark to alert neighbors and to call 911. Authorities would later cite Jayce’s quick thinking as playing a critical role in getting first responders to the scene, and aiding the survival of one of the teenagers inside the house.
Jayce will attend Friday’s game in Lincoln as Iowa’s Hero, alongside Nebraska’s Hero: 16-year-old Ashley De La Cruz-Martin, who was recognized for performing life-saving CPR on a man outside of a waterpark this summer. The two Heroes will be honored on the field during the game, and will have their names engraved on the Heroes Game trophy.
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Construction update on new elementary school
The Le Mars Community School District board received an update from ISG on plans for the new elementary school during their meeting last week.
Josh Muckenhirn of ISG presented to the board changes to the project that were made by the board itself during September 8th’s meeting. These include putting heating-cooling units on the rooftops instead of in mechanical rooms, keeping geothermal heating instead of a traditional mechanical system, and changing interior finishes. The decisions decreased the total cost of the project by roughly $5 million.
Muckenhirn told the board that ISG was working with the city of Le Mars on extending Central Avenue, and that both ISG and Hausmann Construction would continue to meet with the board over the next couple of months. Hausmann is expected to give an updated design development cost estimate sometime next month.
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Le Mars man arrested near Orange City for no-contact order violation
A Le Mars man was arrested last week outside of Orange City after it was discovered he was violating a no-contact order.
The arrest occurred on Thursday afternoon after a deputy from the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office came upon a disabled 2009 Dodge Ram two miles north of Orange City. The female driver of the vehicle was on the phone with 60-year-old Jose Martinez-Gomez of Le Mars, who deputies later determined was the subject of a no-contact order with the driver. Martinez-Gomez was later located in Orange City and was arrested; he admitted to authorities that he had maintained communication with the female driver via phone for over a week, and that he gave her permission to drive his truck.
Martinez-Gomez was taken to the Sioux County Jail and charged with violating his no-contact order, as well as on a Plymouth County warrant. The female driver was cited for operating a motor vehicle on a suspended license, for no driver’s license and vaild insurance, and a child restraint violation.
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Mobile food distribution helps over 300 Siouxland families
The Sunnybrook Hope Center and the Food Bank of Siouxland provided meals to over 300 Siouxland households on Monday, as part of a holiday mobile pantry distribution event.
Each box contained important non-perishable goods and proteins, as well as holiday staples. Volunteers spent Monday afternoon packing the boxes, and starting at 4:30pm, those in need were able to drive-in and pick up the boxes. Perdue Farms supported the two organizations by providing high-quality protein and by donating $20,000 to the Sunnybrook Hope Center via the Franklin P. and Arthur W. Perdue Foundation. The Food Bank of Siouxland also received a delivery of 41,000 pounds of high-quality protein this month, with a significant portion allocated towards the mobile pantry distribution.
In a press release, Tina Stroud, the executive director of Sunnybrook Hope Center, stated that 42% of Siouxland’s food-insecure population uses the center’s Choice Food Pantry, and that rising grocery costs means that many household budgets are stretched beyond their limits. She thanked Perdue “for their extraordinary generosity, which will help us provide essential pantry staples to our community.”
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