Fire and Rescue Department To Hold Annual Pancake Breakfast
(Le Mars) — October is recognized as “Fire Prevention Month” and the Le Mars Fire
and Rescue Department will be holding its annual pancake and sausage appreciation
breakfast on Sunday, October 2nd. The pancake breakfast will be held at Fire
Station number 1 located at 45 1st Street southwest,across from the Le Mars Eagles
Club, and diagonally across the street from the Le Mars Public Library. The
pancakes will be served beginning at 8:00 a.m. and continue through 12:00 noon.
Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper encourages people to look at the trucks and
equipment, saying “they are owned by the people”. This may be the first
opportunity for Le Mars residents to view the new brush and grass pickup truck
rig, used primarily for rural fires. The pickup truck was purchased exclusively
through private donations.
A quilt made by Jeri Dreckman will be raffled away, and there will be a drawing
for toy pedal tractors, donated by The Le Mars Toy Store.
Chief Schipper says the money that is raised through the pancake breakfast is used to help purchase needed equipment.
That pancake breakfast is scheduled for this coming Sunday at Fire Station number
1 beginning at 8:00 a.m. and continuing through 12:00 noon. It is a free-will
donation.
Absentee Ballots Now Available At County Auditor’s Office
(Le Mars) — Absentee ballots for the November 8, 2016 General Election are
available as of September 29th in the Auditor’s Office at the Plymouth County
Courthouse during regular business hours of 8 am to 5 pm, Monday through Friday to
vote in person.
Absentee ballots may be cast in the Auditor’s office until Monday, November 7th
until 5 pm. Absentee ballots to be mailed to voters must be requested in writing.
Forms are available at the Plymouth County Auditor’s Office or at
www.co.plymouth.ia.us under Online Services and then County Forms. Absentee
ballot request forms can be mailed to the Auditor’s office at 215 4th Ave. SE, Le
Mars, IA 51031. Voter’s may contact the Auditor’s office and an absentee ballot
request form can be mailed to a voter.
Voters requesting an absentee ballot to be mailed to them must have the request
form to the Auditor’s office no later than 5 pm on Friday, November 4th, as that
is the last day absentee ballots can be mailed out to voters. The Auditor’s
office provides the postage for all absentee ballots returned by mail. Ballots
must be postmarked prior to midnight, November 7, 2016 (the day prior to the
election), or can be delivered to the Auditor’s office before the polls close at
9:00 pm on November 8, 2016 (Election Day.)
If you wish to absentee vote in the Auditor’s office Monday, October 31st through
Monday, November 7th and are not registered to vote already, you will be required
to complete the EDR (Election Day Registration) process at the Auditor’s Office
prior to casting your absentee ballot. The EDR voter registration process
requires a valid photo identification, and one form of proof of Plymouth County
residency. Examples of proof of residency can be a valid Iowa drivers license
with your current Plymouth County address, a utility bill, cell phone bill,
residential lease, bank statement, paycheck, government check, vehicle
registration, or tax assessment.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact the Plymouth County
Auditor’s Office at 712-546-6100.
Matlock Man Found Guilty Of Sexual Assault
(Orange City) — A Matlock, Iowa man was found guilty on Thursday in Sioux County
District Court for one count of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, Class C Felony.
Sioux County Attorney, Thomas G. Kunstle, prosecuted the case on behalf of the
State of Iowa. 33 year old Daren Leikvold, was found guilty.
The case arose in February of 2016, when authorities were contacted by school
officials who learned a 12 year-old child reported she was twice raped by her
mother’s boyfriend, Daren Leikvold, who denied he ever inappropriately touched the
child. After investigating, the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office arrested Leikvold,
charging him with two counts of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree.
Leikvold pled not guilty, waived his right to a jury trial, and the case proceeded
to a bench trial before the Judge Duane Hoffmeyer on July 19-20. Leikvold chose
not to testify. Judge Hoffmeyer announced his verdict today (Thursday) finding
Leikvold guilty on one count of Sexual Abuse in the Third Degree, and set the
matter for a sentencing hearing at 10:00 am on October 31, 2016. Because Sexual
Abuse in the Third Degree is a forcible felony, Leikvold was taken into immediate
custody pending sentencing.
Sioux City Man Claims Self-defense In Stabbing Incident
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A man who spent most of his adult life in prison says he
will argue that he was acting in self-defense when he stabbed another man to death
in Sioux City.
Elias Wanatee is charged with first-degree murder in the Feb. 17 death of 50
-year-old Vernon Mace. Police say the men had been arguing before Mace was stabbed
six times.
Wanatee’s public defender will argue self-defense at Wanatee’s trial, set to begin Oct. 25.
Wanatee had been out of prison for just more than a year when he was charged.
The 47-year-old was convicted of first-degree murder in 1991 for the death of
Kelton DeCora outside a Sioux City bar, but released from prison in January 2015
after successfully appealing his conviction.
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Iowa State University Student Speaks Out About Her Rape
NEVADA, Iowa (AP) – A woman who was the victim of a sex assault at Iowa State
University is speaking publicly about the incident and its effect on her life
because she says she wants to change how rape victims are treated on college
campuses. The Associated Press doesn’t generally name victims of sex assaults. But
21-year-old Melissa Maher said Thursday that she wanted to come forward.
