Home News Wednesday Afternoon News, September 24

Wednesday Afternoon News, September 24

Plymouth County Authorities Arrest Le Mars Man On Drug Charges

(Le Mars) — Plymouth County authorities have arrested a Le Mars man for possession of drugs.  During a traffic stop, shortly after midnight, Tuesday morning, 41 year old Timothy Orban of Le Mars was stopped for equipment violations at county road K-42 and Juniper Avenue, just east of Hinton.  Orban was found to have a suspended driver’s license.  Deputies also found Orban to be in possession of methamphetamine and drug paraphernalia.  Orban was arrested and charged with possession of a controlled substance on a third offense, which is a class D felony, possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor, and driving while suspended, a simple misdemeanor.  Orban was transported to the Plymouth County jail and bond was set at $5,000.

 

Le Mars To Asphalt Streets

(Le Mars) — Le Mars City officials will be closing some streets beginning today in order to lay asphalt.  City Administrator Scott Langel says Barkley Asphalt Company has been hired to lay asphalt in five different city locations.

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Langel says several residents living near the Memorial Cemetery had recently shared their concerns regarding the water runoff with the city council. 

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The city administrator tells which other city streets will be closed due to a scheduled overlay of asphalt.

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National Farm Safety And Health Week

(Le Mars) — This is National Farm Safety and Health Week, a time devoted to call attention to the dangers associated with agriculture.  We continue our week-long series today.  Iowa State University Extension Farm Safety Specialist Chuck Schwab says agriculture sustains a higher number of deaths per 100,000 workers and therefore is the most dangerous occupation when compared to mining, construction, and manufacturing.

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Schwab says there are five categories of farm-related accidents that compile most of the injuries or deaths.  They include tractor and ATV roll-overs, machine entanglements, suffociation, roadway collisions, and electrocutions.

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Another danger that livestock producers are noticing is the build up of toxic gases, especially in confinement facilities.  Schwab says, if not properly ventilated, many of the gases found in a confinement facility can either cause a producer or animals to lose consciousness from a lack of oxygen and suffocate, or, they can also be explosive.

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Just last week a pork producer from northern Iowa suffered burns on his body when it was suspected a bubble of methane gas was trapped in the pits beneath the building had ignited when he was powerwashing the barn.

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Tomorrow, during the noon hour news update, we will continue our focus on farm safety.

 

Rand Paul To Visit Iowa

 DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul will visit Iowa next month to campaign for Republican congressional candidate Rod Blum, according to a Wednesday news release from Blum’s campaign. 
     Blum’s campaign said Paul will appear at a public event at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls on Oct. 22. 
     Blum is running in the 1st Congressional District against Democrat Pat Murphy. The seat is vacant because four-term congressman Bruce Braley is running for Senate.
     Paul has visited the leadoff voting state of Iowa several times over the past two years. In June, he spoke at the state GOP convention. He has been touring the country this year amid speculation about his 2016 presidential plans.

 

Reynolds Announces Mentoring Program For Women

 DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa is launching a statewide effort to recruit mentors to encourage young women to consider careers in science and technology, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Wednesday. 
     The effort is part of a national campaign called Million Women Mentors. The Iowa program seeks to enlist 5,000 mentors for young women in the state over the next four years to encourage women to pursue science, technology, engineering and math, often called STEM, education. Officials said 1,500 have already signed up.
     Reynolds said STEM education “continues to grow momentum across the state.” She stressed that there are good job prospects in related fields and said women should seek out those opportunities.
     The program will be geared at girls aged 12 and older, and mentors will be expected to offer at least 20 hours a year in service. Some companies and universities have already pledged to participate, including Hy-Vee, Vermeer Manufacturing, the Principal Corporation, Drake University and all three of the state’s public universities. 
     For those interested in participating, the program is online at www.mwmia.org .

 

Early Voting In Iowa To Begin On Thursday

 DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Early voting by absentee ballot will begin in Iowa on Thursday, and the secretary of state is encouraging all eligible voters to participate.
     Iowa allows absentee voting by mail and offers early in-person voting at the offices of county auditors beginning the 40th day before Election Day.
     Residents have increasingly opted for voting by absentee ballot in recent elections for the convenience and in response to increasing pressure from political parties striving to get as many votes as possible cast by Election Day.
     Secretary of State Matt Schultz announced earlier this week that the number of absentee ballots requested by Iowa voters this year is nearly double the number sought 43 days before the 2010 election.
     Democrats have in recent election cycles excelled at the strategy but the numbers released Monday show Republican absentee ballot requests are up nearly 145 percent from 2010 to just over 31,000. Democratic requests have climbed nearly 67 percent to nearly 58,000.