Clear Lake Mirror Reporter

Workers from Lake Towing successfully located and pulled a snowmobile from the bottom of the lake Wednesday, March 2.  An Urbandale, Iowa man was taken to the hospital Feb. 23 after crashing a snowmobile into the lake just off the City Beach area.  Firefighters searched the area near the aerator open water system looking for the rider.  The 38-year-old driver of the snowmobile, David Robert Mapes, was able to rescue himself and get to shore.

by Marianne Gasaway

The Clear Lake City Council awarded a contract for improvements to the alley project in the 400 block of Main Avenue Monday night.  

Complete Concrete, of Clear Lake, submitted the lowest of three bids for the job.  It’s bid of $126,212.50 was slightly higher than the engineer’s estimate of $122,644.  

by Marianne Gasaway

Clear Lake city leaders gave final approval Monday night to their plan to keep the local tax rate unchanged from its current rate of $9.70 per $1,000 of taxable valuation.

The City Council held a public hearing to consider the budget presented by Director of Finance Creighton Schmidt.

Schmidt reported that for seven consecutive fiscal years the City’s share of the tax rate has either declined or remained constant, without an increase.

by Michael Morain

Iowa Culture Wire

If you really want to understand Iowa, you have to explore it from the ground up. You have to get up close and personal.

“We’re not flyover country,” said Pamela Riney-Kehrberg, who teaches history at Iowa State University. “The problem with looking at everything from 30,000 feet is that you miss out on the texture. You miss out on the detail. You miss out on the people, the places, the moments that really make history come alive.”