Independence Day Celebrations Being Organized
(Le Mars) — Plans to celebrate Independence Day in Le Mars are being organized.
The Plymouth County Historical Museum is taking the lead with the town’s
celebration, starting with the 4th of July annual parade. Judy Bowman of the
Plymouth County Historical Museum shares the details.
Bowman says there will be various musicians participating in the patriotic parade.
Bowman says the parade will begin at the 8th Street Blvd. and will continue on
Central Avenue heading north to 2nd Street North. Following the parade, the entire
community is invited to attend a luncheon at the Plymouth County Historical Museum.
The museum administrator says the lunch is a free-will donation. However, museum
officials indicate they ask for five dollars as the minimum donation.
Following the luncheon, Bowman invites everyone to enjoy the many artifacts and
exhibits at the Plymouth County Historical Museum, saying the museum has added some
displays that many people perhaps have not seen. At 3:00 p.m. on Monday afternoon,
the museum will be serving free watermelon. Bowman says the watermelon feed has
become a long standing tradition with the Le Mars celebration.
The museum official says another 4th of July tradition will be acknowledged at the
county museum, and that is the serving of rootbeer floats from the Miller’s Lunch
counter. Bowman says the recently restored Joy Hollow log cabin will be open
during the 4th of July celebration. She says volunteers have spent many hours
decorating the log cabin that once served the Girl Scouts.
Bowman says Le Mars has had a long tradition of celebrating the Independence Day
holiday, and she hopes it will continue.
The evening’s activities include a free concert at 8:00 p.m. held at Foster Park
with music provided by the Le Mars Municipal Band. Following the concert,
fireworks will be set off from the Plymouth County Fairgrounds.
Storms Strike Southwest Iowa
PERSIA, Iowa (AP) – Although here in Le Mars and Plymouth County we did not
receive any rain from last night, areas south of us got dumped on. The National
Weather Service has issued a flash flood warning for Woodbury County in western
Iowa.
The service said early Thursday morning that up to 3 inches of rain already
had fallen and that thunderstorms in the area were expected to drop heavy rain.
Severe thunderstorms moved through much of western Iowa Wednesday evening,
spawning at least one confirmed tornado. The service says the twister touched down
near Persia, a small community in Harrison County. No damage or injuries have been
reported.
Hail up to 1.75 inches in diameter was reported three miles southwest of
Underwood in Pottawattamie County.
ATV Accident Kills Orange City Man
(Orange City) — The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a fatal
accident involving an all-terrain vehicle (ATV). The accident occurred Tuesday
evening near the intersection of Jackson Avenue and 390th Street, five miles north
of Orange City, IA.
A passing motorist observed the ATV in the ditch with a person pinned beneath it.
Kenneth VanGorp, age 65, of Orange City had been driving a 2009 Yamaha 4 ATV
pulling a sprayer trailer westbound in the south ditch of 390th Street when he lost
control of the ATV. The ATV and sprayer rolled in the ditch and pinned VanGorp
beneath it. VanGorp was transported by the Orange City Ambulance to the Orange City
Hospital where he died of his injuries.
The Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Orange City Police Department, Orange City
Ambulance and Orange City Fire Department.
Informational Town Hall Meeting Scheduled For Corn Growers
(Le Mars) — MidwestCornLawsuit.com will be hosting an informational town hall
meeting in Le Mars, scheduled for Tuesday, July 5th. The attorney hosting the
meeting will cover the litigation against Syngenta Ag. All corn growers in the
area are being encouraged to attend. Back in 2009, Syngenta released a new strain
of corn seed into the United States market before receiving import approval from
China. Without import approval for this strain, known as Agrisure Viptera, China
rejected U-S corn shipments in 2013 and 2014, causing global collapse in U-S corn
prices. The export market disruptions with China cost U-S farmers billions of
dollars. All U-S corn growers, regardless of whether or not they planted Syngenta
seed, were impacted by this market disruption. In addition, to individual farmers,
landlords, grain elevators, transporters, and others in the supply chain may be
able to file a claim in order to be made whole by Syngenta. Over 45,000 corn
farmers across the United States have already filed suit, as have large
agricultural companies including Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland. The
informational town hall meeting will be held at the Pizza Ranch restaurant located
at 11 Central Avenue in Le Mars.
Bank Robber Killed By Police
FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) – State and federal law enforcement are investigating a
bank robbery in the southeast corner of Iowa that led to the shooting death of a
suspect.
The Iowa Department of Public Safety says that a robbery was reported around
10 a.m. Wednesday at the Fort Madison Bank and Trust Co.
Arriving officers spotted a man running from the bank and confronted him.
Police say the man fired several shots in the direction of officers, hitting a
patrol car. Officers say they returned fire, hitting the man once in the torso. The
man was taken to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Police have not yet released the man’s name, or the names of the officers
involved. The officers have been placed on administrative leave, per department
policy.
Boone Man Identified Following Police Shooting
BOONE, Iowa (AP) – Police have identified the Boone man shot and killed by officers earlier this week, as well as the officers involved in the shooting.
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation reports that 28–year-old Michael Disbrowe died at a hospital after being shot Monday by Police Sgt. Nathan Kester and Officer Joseph Slight. Kester is a 14-year veteran of the force; Slight has served for a year.
The officers have been placed on paid administrative leave until completion of the investigation, per department policy.
Investigators say officers were dispatched around 10:15 p.m. Monday after a 911 caller reported an armed man was threatening people. Officers say they found Disbrowe, who pulled a gun from his waistband. The officers say they fired after Disbrowe aimed the gun at them and began to advance.
Second Trial Set For Lottery Official Accused Of Rigging Games
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The second trial for a former lottery official accused of fixing jackpots in five states will be postponed until next year.
An Iowa prosecutor and Eddie Tipton’s attorney told a judge Wednesday they’ve agreed to a Feb. 13 trial date. The judge hasn’t yet set a location for the trial.
The former information security director for the Multi-State Lottery Association was convicted last year of fraud for attempting to rig a 2010 Iowa Hot Lotto drawing. He’s appealing.
After his conviction Tipton was charged with ongoing criminal conduct and money laundering tied to drawings in four other states.
The attorneys argued Wednesday over testimony expected from witnesses including Tipton’s brother Tommy Tipton and an Eddie Tipton friend, Robert Rhodes. The Texas men also face ongoing criminal conduct charges in Iowa.
