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08/12/2009
KLEM NEWS UPDATE-AM
(DES MOINES)--A PLYMOUTH COUNTY PROJECT IS REVIEWED FOR STATE FUNDING POSSIBILITIES TODAY.
THE COMMUNITY ATTRACTIONS AND TOURISM (CAT) COMMITTEE CONSIDERS THE PROPOSED PLYMOUTH COUNTY ECO CENTER DURING A 10 A-M MEETING AT BLANK PARK ZOO IN DES MOINES. .
THE PLYMOUTH COUNTY CONSERVATION BOARD WORKED WITH ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ANDREA WESTERGARD TO APPLY FOR 100-THOUSAND DOLLARS IN STATE FUNDS. THE MONEY WOULD HELP BUILD AN EDUCATION CONSERVATION OPPORTUNITIES OR ECO CENTER AT HILLVIEW RECREATION AREA WEST OF HINTON.
(LE MARS)--PLYMOUTH COUNTY'S TWO LARGEST EMPLOYEE GROUPS BEGIN TALKS ON NEW CONTRACTS WITH THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AUGUST 25TH.
EMPLOYEES OF THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE AND ROAD DEPARTMENT ARE IN THE FINAL YEAR OF FIVE-YEAR AGREEMENTS WITH THE BOARD. THE CONTRACTS EXPIRE JUNE 30TH OF NEXT YEAR. .
SUPERVISORS HAVE HIRED AN ATTORNEY WITH A SIOUX CITY LAW FIRM TO REPRESENT THEM IN COLLECTIVE BARGAINING. NEGOTIATING TEAM MEMBERS FOR THE SUPERVISORS ARE CHAIRMAN JIM HENRICH AND SUPERVISOR DON KASS.
SUPERVISORS PLAN TO RESPOND TO THE INITIAL CONTRACT PROPOSALS WITH THEIR INITIAL OFFERS ON SEPTEMBER EIGHTH.
THE EMPLOYEES' FIRST PROPOSAL AND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS FIRST OFFERS ARE REQUIRED BY STATE LAW TO BE PRESENTED AT PUBLIC MEETINGS.
(SIOUX CITY)--MIDAMERICAN ENERGY CUSTOMERS IN LE MARS WILL BE PART OF AUTOMATED METER READING SOON.
MARK REINDERS OF MIDAMERICAN ENERGY SAYS FOR THE MOST PART IT WILL BE A SEAMLESS CHANGE FOR CUSTOMERS. .
"THEY'RE NOT GOING TO NOTICE MUCH SHORT OF NOT ACTUALLY SEEING A PERSON WALKING AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD ANYMORE GETTING MANUAL READINGS FROM THEIR METERS," REINDERS SAYS. "INSTEAD, A MIDAMERICAN VEHICLE WILL BE GOING THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOODS AND AIMING A GUN BASICALLY AT THE METERS AND GATHERING THAT INFORMATION REMOTELY THROUGH COMPUTER TECHNOLOGY."
REINDERS SAYS ELIMINATING ESTIMATES FOR BILLING ARE A PLUS OF THE AUTOMATED METER READING.
"IT WILL BENEFIT THE CUSTOMER BECAUSE THERE WILL BE NO MORE ESTIMATED READS FOR EXAMPLE. THE READS WILL BE ACCURATE INFORMATION BASED ON EXACTLY HOW MUCH ELECTRICITY A CUSTOMER IS USING," REINDERS SAYS.
CUSTOMERS WON'T BE ASKED TO GIVE MUCH TIME TO THE METER CHANGE.
"WE'RE HOPING THAT THEY'RE ON THE PREMISES WHEN WE CHANGE OUT THE METER," REINDERS SAYS. "THEY WON'T REALLY BE IMPACTED MUCH BEYOND A SHORT DISRUPTION OF ELECTRICAL SERVICE AND WE LIKE TO LET THE CUSTOMER KNOW THAT SO THEY CAN SHUT OFF THEIR COMPUTER, FOR EXAMPLE, OR BE AWARE THAT IT HAPPENED SO THAT THEY CAN RESET THEIR CLOCKS; THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. BUT THE ACTUAL PROCESS OF CHANGING OUT THE METER IS JUST A SHORT 10 TO 15 MINUTE PROCESS."
THE TRANSITION TO AUTOMATED METER READING INSTALLATION IS EXPECTED TO BE COMPLETED THIS MONTH.
"WE ARE IN AN ACCELERATED TIME FRAME ," REINDERS SAYS. "ACTUALLY THE WORK HAD NOT BEEN PROJECTED TO START IN NORTHWEST IOWA FOR A COUPLE MORE MONTHS. BUT, THE CHANGE OUT PROCESS ACROSS THE MIDAMERICAN SERVICE TERRITORY HAS GONE VERY WELL SINCE BEING STARTED ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO AND THEY WILL WRAP IT UP IN NORTHWEST IOWA HERE BY THE END OF THE SUMMER SO IT WILL BE JUST A COUPLE OF WEEKS TIME IN LE MARS."
YOU'LL FIND MORE INFORMATION AT www.midamericanenergy.com AND SELECT METER READING.
(AMES)--A MAGAZINE FOCUSED ON IOWA LIFE IS WITHOUT A PLYMOUTH COUNTY CONTRIBUTOR.
JERRY WIEBEL OF "OUR IOWA" MAGAZINE EXPLAINS VOLUNTEER CONTRIBUTORS CAN PROMOTE THEIR AREA.
"WE TRY TO HAVE A FIELD EDITOR IN EVERY COUNTY. WE CALL THEM HAWKEYES," WIEBEL SAYS. "THEIR JOB IS TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR HAPPENINGS IN THEIR PARTICULAR COUNTY IN THE HAWKEYE STATE. RIGHT NOW WE DO NOT HAVE A PERSON IN PLYMOUTH COUNTY SO IF ANY OF YOUR LISTENERS ARE INTERESTED, WE'D LOVE TO HERE FROM THEM. ONCE IN A WHILE WE DO HAVE AN OCCASIONAL OPENING IN A COUNTY AND PLYMOUTH HAPPENS TO BE ONE OF THOSE WHERE WE CAN AN OPENING RIGHT NOW. IT'S STRICTLY A VOLUNTEER, NON-PAID TYPE OF A POSITION. PEOPLE DO IT JUST FOR THE FUN OF IT TO MAY BE SEE THEIR OWN NAME IN PRINT TO MAYBE BOOST THE RECOGNITION OF THEIR COUNTY, THAT'S WHY THEY DO IT."
"OUR IOWA" MAGAZINE BEGAN PUBLISHING IN THE FALL OF 2007.
www.ouriowamagazine.com
(JOHNSTON)--A NORTHWEST IOWA NATIVE WILL PROMOTE BIODIESEL AND BIODIESEL CO-PRODUCTS.
THE IOWA RENEWABLE FUELS ASSOCIATION STAFF WILL INCLUDE GRANT MENKE AS BIOFUELS MANAGER.
A NATIVE OF RURAL CALUMET, MENKE MOST RECENTLY WORKED AS THE RESEARCH ASSISTANT FOR SENATOR CHUCK GRASSLEY ON THE SENATE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND UMPIRED PROFESSIONALLY FOR MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL.
THE RENEWABLE FUELS ASSOCIATION REPRESENTS THE STATE'S ETHANOL AND BIODIESEL PRODUCERS TO FOSTER DEVELOPMENT AND GROWTH OF THE RENEWABLE FUELS INDUSTRY IN IOWA.
(SHELDON)--TWO PEOPLE WERE INJURED WHEN TWO TRUCKS COLLIDED NEAR SHELDON EARLY MONDAY AFTERNOON.
THE O'BRIEN COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPORTS A SOUTHBOUND TRUCK DRIVEN BY 86-YEAR-OLD VERDEAN BLUMEYER OF SHELDON FAILED TO YIELD TO A TRUCK BEING DRIVEN EAST BY 47-YEAR-OLD GAYLEN SCHNEIDER OF RURAL ALTON.
BOTH VEHICLES CAME TO REST IN THE SOUTHEAST DITCH OF THE INTERSECTION OF GRAVEL ROADS NEAR SHELDON.
BLUMEYER AND SCHNEIDER WERE TAKEN TO SANFORD SHELDON MEDICAL CENTER BY SHELDON AMBULANCE.
THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT LISTS THEIR INJURIES AS NON-INCAPACITATING.
YANKTON, S.D. (AP) Yankton City Manager Doug Russell says he thinks the Keystone pipeline work helped the city's good showing in recent sales tax increases.
He told the Yankton City Commission on Monday that the latest monthly sales tax receipts show Yankton's 10 percent gain over the same period last year leads the state.
Russell says the big month helped Yankton recover from some slow months. He says the increase leaves the city about even for the year, which is an improvement over the previous month.
More than 500 workers were based in Yankton this summer as they built the Keystone oil pipeline.
Yankton hosted a regional headquarters for the pipeline construction. Most of the workers have now moved on to Norfolk, Neb., as the majority of heavy construction is in Nebraska.
(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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