Wind storm causes damage to traffic light pole on Central Ave and Plymouth St
High winds during a wind storm last week caused severe damage to a traffic light at the corner of Plymouth St and Central Ave.
The damage occurred amidst gusty winds between 50 to 55 mph last Thursday. According to the city’s Facebook page, the high winds caused damage to the pole and mast arm, and stopped eastbound traffic on Plymouth St temporarily. The intersection will remain in a red flash, 4-way stop configuration for the foreseeable future due to the extent of the damage.
The damage occurred as the city was already planning to replace all downtown traffic lights in a modernization project. The lights, including the damaged equipment on Central Ave and Plymouth St, are scheduled for replacement in Spring 2026.
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Holiday garbage and recycling schedule announced
The city of Le Mars and Van’s Sanitation would like to remind residents of garbage and recycling pickup changes due to the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.
All garbage and recycling pickup dates will be one day later for the rest of the week. If your normal day is Thursday, it will be picked up on Friday, and if your normal day is Friday, it will be picked up on Saturday. The regular schedule will resume starting the week of January 5th.
If you have any questions or concerns, contact Van’s Sanitation at 712-548-4644.
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Iowa GOP lawmakers preparing for eminent domain pipeline debate
House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann says there’s a high level of interest among House Republicans to respond to landowners who don’t want Summit Carbon Solutions to seize segments of their property for the company’s proposed pipeline. Kaufmann was highly critical of Governor Reynolds decision six months ago to veto a bill that would have made it more difficult for Summit — and other companies — to use eminent domain for pipelines and other utility infrastructure.
Kaufmann isn’t predicting what proposal may come up for a vote, but mentioned the law South Dakota’s governor signed in March that bans the use of eminent domain for carbon pipelines.
But Kaufmann says he’s polling his fellow House Republicans to determine what the group supports and he plans to meet with Governor Reynolds to discuss it. Kaufmann isn’t withdrawing his criticism of her pipeline bill veto.
Meanwhile, Senate Republican Leader Mike Klimesh will be introducing a bill to create a 10 mile zone around the proposed routes for utility infrastructure. Klimesh says it would let developers find new paths to avoid properties owned by people who don’t want the project on their land.
Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says the proposal Klimesh is talking about has no guarantee that Summit would be prohibited from using eminent domain to seize property along the pipeline route.
Holt is among a group of House members who’ve worked on and passed several bills over the past few years to set up new regulations for carbon pipelines or even block the Summit project.
(Story via Radio Iowa)
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Merry Christmas from KLEM News
KLEM News will not air tomorrow, December 25th, due to the Christmas holiday. From everyone at KLEM, we wish you a Merry Christmas!
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