Newly-elected Le Mars officials sworn in, start terms
Six newly-elected city officials were officially sworn into office yesterday in Le Mars during a ceremony inside of the city council’s chambers.
District Associate Judge Jessica Noll was the presiding official for the ceremony. Le Mars mayor Rob Bixenman, councilmen Brian Bruns and Mark Sturgeon, Floyd Valley Hospital Trustees Kelli Flack and Craig Bauerly, and first-time councilman Derek Conyers each took their oaths of office during the ceremony.
According to Iowa law, all local officials taking office had to be sworn in prior to noon on January 2nd. The first city council meeting of the new term will take place next Tuesday, January 6th.
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City of Le Mars opens waste collection site to Christmas trees
Residents that are looking to discard their Christmas tree are now able to do so at the city’s tree and yard waste collection site starting today.
Christmas trees can be taken to the site, located behind the Riverview Ball Complex, north of Highway 3 and west of the Floyd River. Discarded trees must be completely free of ornaments and other decorations.
The site will be open from 7am until 7pm from now through January 12th.
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$170 tickets, starting tomorrow, for handling a smart phone while driving
Starting tomorrow — January 1st — Iowans caught handling a smart phone while driving a vehicle could get a 170 dollar ticket, including the fine, court fees and other charges. The law took effect July 1st, but officers have been issuing warnings rather than citations. By the end of November, Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Alex Dinkla says state troopers had issued about 10-thousand warnings.
Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau Chief Brett Tjepkes says they learned from other states with so-called “hands free” laws that a warning period or soft roll out was important, so his agency printed 60-thousand cards to educate motorists.
Tjepkes says you don’t have to have a new vehicle with hands-free technology to comply with the new law.
That one touch is for answering a call with a tap on the screen. Law enforcement agencies say it was hard to enforce Iowa’s previous law, which banned texting while driving. Sergeant Dinkla says beyond sending a text, there was some confusion about what drivers were allowed to do with a cell phone while driving.
Dinkla has issued warnings to drivers over the past few months who told him they had no idea they could not hold their phone while driving. Dinkla says some drivers can’t resist the temptation of responding to the chime from the phone, indicating they’ve gotten a new text.
In 2011, about a third of all Americans owned a cell phone. Now, 98 percent have one.
(Story via Radio Iowa)
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