Troop C members return during Freedom Escort tomorrow
Citizens and businesses in Le Mars are invited to welcome home members of Troop C of the 1-113 Cavalry Regiment of the Iowa National Guard during a Freedom Escort tomorrow afternoon.
The escort will travel east on Plymouth Street towards downtown and then proceed south on Central Avenue toward 12th Street. The procession is expected to pass through town at approximately 1:10pm. Members of the public are encouraged to show their support to welcome home the troops.
45 members of Troop C were deployed to the Middle East in May of 2025 as part of Operation Inherent Resolve, alongside 1,800 other uniformed personnel. The troops arrived back in the United States last week, landing in Bangor, Maine.
KLEM will have live coverage of the closed to the public ceremony at approximately 1:30pm, over the air and streaming on our YouTube page.
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Monthly Northwest Iowa Genealogical Society meeting to cover covert military operations
The monthly meeting of the Northwest Iowa Genealogical Society will take place next Saturday, March 21st at the Plymouth County Historical Museum. During the meeting, featured speaker Michael Peters will give an illuminating talk about covert military operations in Laos between 1959 and 1975, titled “The Secret War in Southeast Asia.”
Landlocked by Vietnam, Myanmar, and Thailand, Laos is recognized as the most bombed country in the world by population. Peters will detail activities involving the CIA, the U.S. Military, General Vang Pao and Ho Chi Minh that aided in that lamentable designation. As a knowledgeable student of military history, Peters is sure to give insight into such complex military strategies rarely explained to the general public.
An LCHS graduate, Peters has previously given talks to the Society over the past three years, covering topics such as the American Civil War, the Vietnam War and the Korean War. For the Laos talk he promises to wear a U.S. military uniform that “was never adopted by the military on record.”
This event is free and open to the public, with refreshments to be served. The meeting will take place on Saturday, March 21st inside the 4th floor Study Hall of the Plymouth County Historical Museum.
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Board of Supervisors holds regular meeting
The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors met for a regularly scheduled meeting yesterday morning, covering several agenda items.
The Board approved an amended liquor license for Lazy H. Campground that extended to the campground’s outdoor service area, with the new license to expire on January 13th, 2027. Two minor subdivisions in Union and Remsen Townships were also approved during the meeting.
The Board will not meet next week due to St. Patrick’s Day; their next meeting will take place on Tuesday, March 24th at 9:30am.
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Plymouth County 4-H holding pancake breakfast this weekend
The Plymouth County 4-H chapter will host a pancake breakfast this upcoming Sunday, March 15th, inside of the Le Mars Convention Center.
Menu items for the breakfast include fluffy pancakes, scrambled eggs, flavorful toppings, orange juice, coffee, and water. To-go boxes will be available for guests as well. Proceeds from the breakfast will help support the Plymouth County 4-H program, and the meal is a free-will donation, with guests asked to give what you can to support youth leadership and opportunities.
The breakfast will take place on Sunday morning inside of the Le Mars Convention Center from 10am until 1pm.
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MOC Floyd Valley looks to more training after reports of racist comments
A northwest Iowa school district plans to provide more training after community complaints of racism from students. During a school board meeting, MOC Floyd Valley student Itzel Benitez says her sister and other Latino students have faced racism in school.
Superintendent Mike Mulder says he’s heard from concerned parents and citizens in the Orange City district, and he will do something about it.
The district wants to hire a third party company to provide additional training for staff on cultural and bias-awareness training. One board member says some of the issues raised by the public are out of the school district’s control. About 25 percent of students who attend MOC Floyd Valley are minorities, and some say students were told to “go back to their home countries,” and one high schooler reportedly wore a shirt that said “ICE, ICE, Baby” with a photo of President Trump.
(Story via Radio Iowa)
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