Fiery Crash Witnessed By Football Fans
(Le Mars) — Hundreds of people attending the Gehlen Catholic Homecoming football
game Friday evening witnessed a horrific traffic accident that produced an
explosion and fire ball and sent two people to the hospital. The incident
happened at about 8:00 p.m. while people were watching the Gehlen marching band
perform during halftime. Just beyond the football field and behind the visiting
bleachers on 12th Street SW, a motorcycle collided head-on with a pick-up truck.
The motorcycle slid beneath the pick-up truck which caused a fire to start.
Shortly there after officials believe it was the gasoline tank from the motorcycle
that exploded. Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper was attending the football game
and was one of hundreds to witness the fiery collision.
The game was suspended for nearly a half an hour while emergency crews worked at
the scene. Fans on the visiting sideline were asked to leave the area and go
across the field.
Schipper says he asked that the two teams not resume the game until after such
time, officials determined the scene to be safe.
Fire fighters used a fire retardant foam in order to smother the fire which was
burning the pick-up truck. The accident still remains under investigation by the
Le Mars Police Department. According to the traffic accident report issued by the
Le Mars Police Department, the driver of the motorcycle, 21 year old Dillon
McKinney of Le Mars was initially transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare, then
airlifted to a Sioux City hospital. McKinney’s injuries are severe, but are not
thought to be life-threatening. McKinney’s passenger on the motorcycle was 23
year old Samantha Prieksat of Le Mars. She was treated and released from the
hospital. Surprisingly, the driver of the pick-up truck, 19 year old Joseph
Schleis and his male passenger were able to escape the burning vehicle and did not
sustain any injuries, although their vehicle had caught on fire and was totally
destroyed. Charges are pending.
Merrill And Le Mars Fire Departments Respond To Hog Barn Fire
(Merrill) — The Merrill Fire Department and the Le Mars Fire and Rescue
Department responded to a hog confinement barn located at 19575 Juniper Avenue
that caught on fire Saturday evening at about 9:35 p.m. Merrill Fire Chief Jacob
Conley says there were no hogs within the structure at the time the fire was
reported. Conley says the fire was extinguished fairly quickly.
Conley says the fire apparently started from a faulty electrical box.
The hog barn sits at a remote location without a homestead, and it was reported by
a passer by.
Plymouth County Roads Department Closes 230th Street For Installation Of Culvert
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Secondary Roads Department will be closing 230th
Street between Marble Avenue and Nature Avenue beginning today (Monday) in order
to replace a bridge with a culvert pipe. That roadway is expected to remain
closed through the month of September.
MenuMasters Raises More Than $44,000
(Le Mars) — The fifth annual MenuMasters event, sponsored by L.E.E.P. (Le Mars
Educational Enhancement Project) held Saturday evening at the Century Hall at the
Plymouth County Fairgrounds proved to once again be a successful event. 29
different chef teams competed for the top honors of making the best tasting food
item, but also for the best theme. Co-chairs of the even Deb Parmelee and Lynn
Baumgartner proudly displayed a large check totaling $44,467 as the amount of
money raised this year that will be designated to help the Le Mars Community
School District. LEEP committee members honored Linda Mayrose with the first
annual LEEP Legacy Award for her dedicated work in getting the annual event
started five years ago. Mayrose was presented a crystal apple as a token
representing education. The Best Theme Award was given to Dr. Paul Parmelee and
Dr. Andrew Geha representing Floyd Valley Healthcare with their rendition of
“Mammo Mash”. This was the second year in a row that the two medical doctors have
won a trophy. Hy-Vee was presented the trophy for the Best Food. The trio of
chefs of Greg, Don, and Jordan prepared Jalapeno Hog Slop. New this year was a
separate category in which five unknown judges tasted and tested the food samples
and determined their top selection. Winning the first “Judges Choice Award” was
the team from Perspective Insurance consisting of Rick Logan, Matt Susemihl, and
Justin Freking. The trio prepared “A Pork Perspective”. To date, the fifth
annual MenuMasters has raised more than $106,000 which has paid for everything
from text books to tablets, and playground equipment to pencil sharpeners.
Ohio Man Arrested For Murdering Glenwood Woman
GLENWOOD, Iowa (AP) – Glenwood Police have arrested a 27-year-old Ohio man as a
suspect in shooting death of an 18-year-old woman in western Iowa.
The Omaha World-Herald reports (https://bit.ly/2cKYInp ) that Kathryn Lauren
Weber was fatally shot around 6:30 p.m. Saturday outside the assisted-living
center where she worked in Glenwood.
The Mills County Attorney says officers found Weber bleeding and lying on the
ground when they arrived. She wasn’t responsive and died before she could be taken
to a hospital.
The suspect was arrested on suspicion of first-degree murder. He is being
held in lieu of $5 million bail.
Des Moines Police Arrest Man After Trying To Run Over People With Pickup Truck
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities arrested a man after he used his pickup truck
to hit two other men at a Little League complex near Des Moines before crashing
into a concession stand.
Polk County Sheriff’s Sgt. Brandon Bracelin said the incident happened around
8:40 Sunday morning at the Highland Park Little League complex.
Three men were cleaning up debris that was left at the complex from a
Saturday event before the incident happened.
The suspect left for breakfast, and then returned in his truck and hit the
other men. Then he crashed into a concession stand, jumped out of his truck and
chased someone.
It took several officers to arrest the suspect. He was treated for non-life
threatening injuries.
Authorities have not released any of the names of the men involved.
Closed Mental Health Center Has New Management
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The space used to treat patients at a now-closed state
mental health institute in southwest Iowa is reopening under new management.
The Iowa Department of Corrections is expected to sign a contract this month
with a company to lease four wards at the facility once known as Clarinda Mental
Health Institute. Zion Recovery Services, which offers substance abuse treatment,
wants to expand its residential services.
The three-year contract could complicate any effort to reopen the space as a
state-run mental health facility.
The Iowa Supreme Court is in the midst of reviewing a lawsuit that challenges
Gov. Terry Branstad’s decision last year to close the institute along with a
facility in Mount Pleasant. Attorneys for plaintiffs in the lawsuit want the
closed centers to reopen.
