(MERRILL)–A Minnesota woman died in a traffic accident south of Merrill on Highway 75 Thursday afternoon.
Sixty-two-year-old Gerry Eileen Olson of Plymouth, Minnesota was driving a sports utility vehicle south on Highway 75 about a mile-and-a-half south of Merrill.
The Iowa State Patrol reports Olson possibly suffered some sort of medical condition and the S-U-V traveled into the median and rolled.
A passenger, 82-year-old Marion Olson of Plymouth, Minnesota, was taken to Mercy Medical Center by Merrill Ambulance.
The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department assisted the State Patrol.
NOTE: This information was later updated by the Iowa State Patrol to indicate Olson did NOT die but was INJURED. Her passenger’s name was updated to Marion Basel, 84, of Plymouth, Minnesota.
(SIOUX CITY)–A Sioux City man who served in the Iowa House and was a longtime educator has died after a 13-month battle with cancer.
Dr. Roger Wendt was 77.
Memorial Services are Monday, April 4 under the direction of Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel in Sioux City.
After a 44-year career with the Sioux City Community School District, Dr. Wendt was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives. He served four terms.
He chaired the House Committee on Education prior to resigning due to illness last year.
His son, Dr Todd Wendt, is the superintendent of the Le Mars Community School District.
(SIOUX CENTER)– The Northwest Iowa Symphony Orchestra will be celebrating the end of winter at their spring concert this Tuesday, April 5th at 7:30. NISO is under the direction of Dr. Christopher Stanichar for this show. While he’s still considered a guest conductor this season, Stanichar will be taking over as the organization’s full time conductor in the fall. He says Tuesday’s concert will have a very “woodsy” feel.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/April2011/NISO Spring 1.MP3{/audio}
Stanichar says he’s especially excited to rock out the finale at the B.J. Haan Auditorium.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/April2011/NISO Spring 2.MP3{/audio}
Joining NISO at their spring concert is special guest, Synchronicity, a piano and percussion duo from New York City. And if you can’t make it to NISO’s concert on Tuesday at 7:30pm, Synchronicity will also present a concert at Northwestern College’s Christ Chapel on Thursday, April 7, at 7 p.m. (News report by Angela Drake of KLEM News)
(SERGEANT BLUFF)–A Siouxland employer is adding more than 500 workers.
Stream Global Services in Sergeant Bluff handles inbound customer service and technical support calls for business clients. Hiring of more than 500 people at Stream’s Sergeant Bluff site is beginning immediately.
The hiring is a result of service for one of Stream’s
high-profile consumer electronics clients. Stream will provide technical and customer support to the client’s gaming customers.
Siouxland Chamber of Commerce President Chris McGowan says the announcement is another indication of Stream’s commitment to Sergeant Bluff and to the Siouxland region.
McGowan also described it as confirmation of the private sector’s recognition that Stream’s trained and talented workforce is capable of providing a variety of service programs to multiple companies and industries.
The hirings are in contrast to about 250 layoffs for the Stream workforce at Sergeant Bluff announced last month.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Iowa House has approved a ban on abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy.
The House voted 59-39 Thursday evening to approve the measure. The Senate still must considering the bill.
Iowa abortion opponents pushed for new abortion restrictions this session in part because the state now has a Republican governor who is likely to sign them.
After lawmakers in Nebraska enacted similar restrictions, a doctor in the Omaha area announced plans to offer late-term abortions at a clinic just across the state line in Council Bluffs.
Because the bill came out of the Government Oversight Committee, it is not subject to an April 1 legislative deadline that would have prevented it from moving forward.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A Des Moines dormitory director has pleaded not guilty to a federal child pornography charge.
Twenty-seven-year-old Kent Oman was indicted last week on a single count of producing child pornography.
Federal authorities allege the 27-year-old produced nude recordings of a teen he mentored through Big Brothers Big Sisters from his dorm at the AIB College of Business.
Oman, who is being held in Polk County Jail, entered his plea Thursday. His attorney says he will appeal Oman’s detention.
Oman is set to stand trial May 31st.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The chairman of the board that oversees electrical utilities in Iowa says consumers would pay about $7 more a month for every $1 billion MidAmerican Energy invests in a possible nuclear power project.
Rob Berntsen of the Iowa Utilities Board also told the Senate Commerce Committee on Thursday that businesses would pay about $30 a month and industry about $2,000 a month over 40 years.
MidAmerican is pushing legislators to support a measure requiring the utility to apply to the board if it wants to build an Iowa nuclear plant. The company would be allowed to collect costs for the plant during construction.
Berntsen says the bill would achieve the goal of building a plant costing between $1 billion and $3 billion but it may not be the only alternative.
.
ATLANTIC, Iowa (AP) The father of a U.S. Army soldier from Atlantic wounded during combat in Afghanistan says his son is making remarkable progress and could to return to the U.S. within 36 hours.
A news release from the Iowa National Guard says Spc. Nathan Allen was hit by small-arms fire Tuesday during operations in Kunar Province.
His father, Mick Allen, tells radio station KJAN that Nathan was shot in the right shoulder and the bullet left through his abdomen.
Mick Allen says his son is still on a feeding tube, but adds that the Army is expected to fly his son back to Ft. Gordon, in Augusta, Ga. late Thursday night.
The Guard says the 23-year-old Allen is assigned to C Company, 2nd Battalion, 327th Infantry of the 101st Airborne Division.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A Des Moines detective interrupted his lunch break to nab three suspected burglars.
Detective Scott Anderson pulled his unmarked squad car into a parking lot for a quick bite late Thursday morning when two cars suspected of being involved in burglaries drove by.
Anderson began following both cars, and one of them pulled into a residential driveway while the other stopped 30 feet away. Anderson says men came out of the house with a big-screen TV.
Anderson tells the Des Moines Register he called for backup, and the alleged burglars were arrested and taken into custody after a short chase.
Jedadhaie Griffin, Joseph Brown-Bennett and Scorpio Dantzler, all of Des Moines, are charged with third-degree burglary.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) A woman charged with multiple counts of animal abuse in Cedar Rapids has been arrested in Colorado.
The Gazette reports that 36-year-old Jennifer Wood was arrested on March 24 in Red Feather Lakes, Colo. on two counts of being a fugitive from justice.
Wood was released after posting a $10,000 bond and is set to appear before a judge Friday morning.
Wood’s booking came a week after a second warrant for her arrest was issued in Iowa.
Wood has been charged with 35 counts of animal abuse and two counts of unhealthy and unsanitary conditions after officials seized 32 dogs, two cats and a parrot from her Cedar Rapids home.
Linn County Sheriff Brian Gardner said Wood will eventually be extradited back to Iowa to face local charges.
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) Insurance company GEICO plans to add 100 jobs at its Coralville office over the next year to meet growth demands.
GEICO, which announced its plans on Thursday, says it’s already in the process of hiring nearly 30 sales and customer service department associates.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette says those additions will bring the staffing level at its Coralville location to nearly 380.
GEICO is owned by Omaha-based Berkshire Hathaway. It’s the third-largest private passenger automobile insurer in the United States and insures over 16 million vehicles.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Submit your news release, photo, confidential news tip or news idea by email klemnews@lemarscomm or by calling 712.546.4121 or 712.546.9672 fax.
