An expansion project in northwest Iowa by BoDeans, which makes ice cream cones and wafers, is getting help from the city of Le Mars. The city council agreed to sponsor two grant applications to the Iowa Department of Economic Development on behalf of the company. The council also agreed to provide the company with a five-year no-interest loan of up to $15,000. The grant applications are for I-D-E-D funding and state tax credits totaling $95,000 to pay for a portion of the costs of new equipment within Bodeans’ existing building. The $5.7-million expansion project will create 37 additional jobs over several phases.
BoDeans expanding in Le Mars
April 13, 2009 By
Two churches in Eastern Iowa resurrected on Easter Sunday
April 13, 2009 By
Easter Sunday marked the resurrection of two eastern Iowa churches. Nearly five feet of flood water filled Saint Patrick’s Catholic Church in Cedar Rapids last June, forcing the congregation to worship elsewhere the past ten months.
This was the first mass back in the church and both Sunday services had a standing-room only crowd. Parishioner Jim Lane says it was a thrill to be back in the building.
Lane says, "I live just across the street and cars started coming in a little after seven o’clock for the eight o’clock mass and they waited for the parking lot to empty for ten o’clock. Pretty happy bunch of people." The Archbishop of Dubuque, Jerome Hanus, even attended the mass.
Now that the church is repaired, parishioners will focus on rebuilding the parish center and the rectory. To the northeast in nearby Monticello, members of the First Presbyterian Church were back in their church for services for the first time since an arsonist set fire to the structure last March.
Pastor Al Polito says more than 200 members helped celebrate the homecoming with a balloon release as part of the Easter service.
Pastor Polito says: "It just feels really good to have everyone back, seeing all the families back together. When the choir was practicing, they were laughing, having fun.
Familiar sounds, that was really nice." The blaze destroyed everything from the church’s basement to the bell tower, leaving only the four walls standing.
Federal tax filing deadline approaching
April 13, 2009 By
The deadline to file your federal taxes without paying a penalty for being late is Wednesday. I.R.S. spokesman Christopher Miller says there is still time to get it done and says there are quick ways to file.
Miller says you should consider e-filing as he says electronic filing is "fast, easy, safe, secure and accurate," and the way to go if you are running out of time. Miller says more people have chosen the electronic route this year.
He says the number of people in Iowa who have filed electronically is up nearly 3%, and he says 14% of the people who have e-filed have done so from their home computer. Miller says Iowa led the nation last year 71% of the tax returns filed electronically. Miller says the last minute pressures often lead to some mistakes on simple things like names, and Social Security numbers.
Miller says be sure you get the names of yourself, spouse and all dependents correctly as those names appear on the Social Security cards. He says it’s easy to transpose numbers when you write them in, and says you should double-check your math. Miller says filings have been running behind this year.
Miller says they have about one million of the 1.4 million estimated returns in Iowa. He says the state has been running a few percentage points behind last year’s pace and in the entire U.S., filings are running about eight percent behind last year’s.
Miller says there is a lot of help on-line at the I.R.S. website , including information on filing your taxes electronically for free. Miller says the average refund in the country so far this year is $2,705. The deadline to file your state tax return is April 30th.
Grassley burn "not serious"
April 13, 2009 By
Senator Chuck Grassley was slightly injured Friday as he was working on his farm near New Hartford.
Grassley, who is 75 years old, sent out a tweet on his Twitter account, describing what happened. He was burning piles of brush, but the wind whipped up the fire and it got out of control. Grassley’s neighbor came to the rescue, but Grassley’s pants caught on fire and his leg was burned.
A spokeswoman for the senator says the burn is "not serious." Grassley didn’t "need to go to the doctor" and he’s wearing a bandage over the burn, which is below one of his knees. Grassley told his staff he is "fine" and will be holding his town meetings, as scheduled, this week in western Iowa.
Davenport soldier among those killed in Iraq
April 13, 2009 By
A young man from eastern Iowa was among five soldiers killed last Friday in northern Iraq. Twenty-year-old Jason Pautsch joined the Army after graduating from Davenport North High School in 2007.
His body arrived back in the United States Sunday, along with the four other soldiers who were killed when a suicide bomber struck police headquarters near Mosul.
Military officials are calling it the single deadliest attack against U.S. forces in more than a year. Six other people were killed in the bombing while 60 were injured. Corporal Pautsch, who was due to return home in May, is survived by his father David, who lives in Davenport, his mother Teri Johnson of Moline, Illinois and four siblings.
New York man killed in Story County crash
April 13, 2009 By
A crash at the junctions of Interstate 35 and Highway 30 in Ames on Saturday afternoon killed an out-of-state driver. The victim is identified as 51-year-old Gary L. Parsons of Deposit, New York. Reportedly a 2007 Nissan Armada operated by 17-year-old Garrett Chitty of Ames was merging into the southbound lane of Interstate 35 from westbound highway 30.
As the Chitty car attempted to merge, it struck a semi-tractor-trailer driven by 56-year-old Lewis Thomas of Cleveland, Ohio. The impact sent the trailer of the Thomas semi slamming into the utility truck driven by Parsons causing the Parsons truck to go through the guard rail on the overpass.
The utility truck then rolled down an embankment before coming to rest on a guardrail near the westbound lane of Highway 30. Parsons was pronounced dead at the scene. Both Chitty and Thomas escaped injury. The accident remains under investigation by the State Patrol.
VEISHEA set to get underway at ISU
April 13, 2009 By
One of the rites of spring at Iowa State University opens today. The 87th annual VEISHEA is a week-long celebration on the Ames campus. Event co-chair Elyse Harper, an I.S.U. senior from Woodbine, says the events culminate with the big parade on Saturday morning, followed by VEISHEA Village, where each department is showcased. There’s free entertainment in the evenings including music, comedy, a hypnotist and an adult circus. Students can test their singing skills at Cyclone Idol or take part in a video game competition — or various sports tournaments. Each of the colleges will be putting up teams in the Extreme Challenge, with events like pie-eating contests, bobbing for apples and relay races. Harper says another highlight of the week is the "Stars Over VEISHEA" musical production. The show "Gypsy" is being performed in Fisher Theatre at 7:30 P.M. on Wednesday through Saturday with a Sunday matinee at 2 P.M. VEISHEA had its image tarnished several years ago with riots on and off campus — and a murder. Harper said VEISHEA officials have worked hard to make sure the spring tradition continues without arrests and violence. "We really make a lot of strides and efforts to make sure that it’s safe or as safe as possible for all participants," Harper says, "and we really feel confident we’ll have a successful celebration this year." VEISHEA stands for the Iowa State colleges of Veterinary medicine, Engineering, Industrial Science, Home Economics and Agriculture. Complete information on the celebration is on line at: www.veishea.iastate.edu
