Missing Kingsley Woman Found Dead In Creek
(Kingsley) — A Kingsley woman, who had been missing since Sunday evening, was found dead Tuesday morning at a nearby creek. The body was identified as 57 year old Lisa Derby. On Sunday evening at about 10:30 p.m. the Kingsley Police
Department was notified about a missing woman. Josh Derby advised that his mother, Lisa Derby had been missing since about 5:00 p.m. Sunday evening. Family and friends had been searching for Lisa, but were unable to locate her. Early
this morning (Tuesday), at about 8:07 a.m. the Plymouth County Communications Center received a call from a subject that resides at 43755 County Road C-66.
The caller advised he was checking the un-named creek close to his residence and found an unresponsive female in the creek. The Kingsley Ambulance, Kingsley Fire Department, Plymouth County Sheriff’s Deputies, and the Kingsley Police Department were dispatched to the area. A white female was found in the creek deceased. The Plymouth County Coroner was contacted and the body was transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare in Le Mars. The dead female body was identified as the missing woman, Lisa Derby. At this time, the investigation is continuing in this matter.
City Council and IDOT Propose Removing Traffic Control Lights
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars City Council is proposing to remove the traffic signal lights located at the intersections of Central Avenue and 1st Street North, as well as Plymouth Street and 1st Avenue West. The current traffic signal controllers were purchased in 1991 and replacement parts have been unavailable
since 2007. The traffic signals are currently in need of LED lights and eventually new controllers will cost the city approximately $24,000 per intersection. City officials have had conversations with Iowa Department of Transportation representatives, and the Iowa Department of Transportation is in favor of removing the traffic signals and making Highway 3, or Plymouth Street, a
through street without any stop signs or other traffic controls within the downtown area. There are no plans to remove the stop light at the Plymouth Street and Central Avenue intersection. The Iowa D-O-T also is against using four-way stop signs. However, what is being proposed is that Central Avenue north and south bound traffic would not utilize a stop sign at the 1st Street North downtown intersection, but 1st Street North would require motorists to stop at a stop sign. Similar action would also take place at the Plymouth Street and 1st Avenue West intersection. Highway 3 would not need to stop, but the north and south bound traffic would stop for a stop sign to be placed at the corner. The council approved the measure on a 4 to 0 vote with the stipulation
that the city’s Public Safety Committee first study the proposal and report back to the council with its recommendations. Councilman Steve Wick, who is a member of the Public Safety Committee, was absent from the council meeting.
Police, Fire and Rescue, And Convention and Visitors Bureau Submit Annual Reports
(Le Mars) — Annual reports were submitted to the city council by the Le Mars Police Department, Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department, and by the Le Mars Convention and Visitors Bureau during Tuesday’s council meeting. Police Chief Stewart Dekkenga reported the police had a total of 5,136 cases in 2016, which is
slightly higher than the reported 5,039 in 2015. Dekkenga reported the number of accidents had increased in 2016 totaling 255. A year earlier, the police department responded to 247 accidents. The Le Mars Police Department made 465
arrests last year with 60 of those arrests were for juveniles. Dekkenga mentioned the number of juvenile arrests were holding steady with previous years, and the total number of arrests had shown a slight increase. Dave Schipper, the
Le Mars Fire and Rescue Chief reported the fire department responded to 521 calls in 2016. That number represents 67 more calls than in 2015. Of the 521 calls, Schipper informed the city council that 404 calls were within the city limits, while 78 calls originated in the rural areas, and 39 times the Le Mars Fire and
Rescue Department were called to offer mutual aid. Schipper says there were 16 structural fires in 2016, and five vehicle fires, 57 rescue calls. Eight times the fire department needed to extricate victims. The fire department responded
to three grass or tree fires. Schipper noted the trend saw an increase of calls for city and rural calls, as well as with the mutual aid calls.
As for the Le Mars Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, Jessica Brownmiller reported their website had 100,129 visits, with each hit lasting nearly three minutes, and with most of the website visits checking the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau facilities which include the Le Mars Convention Center, the Willow Creek golf club house, the Municipal Park’s shelter house, Olson Cultural Events Center and Foster Park. Brownmiller also reported that the city hosted more than 30 charter tour buses, not including those buses that came to the Brown Century Musical Theater. Brownmiller says a total of 725 visitors came to the “Ice Cream Capital of the World” through those
tours and spent a total of $52,824.
Grassley and Ernst Come Under Fire At Town Hall Meetings
GARNER, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s U.S. senators were met with overflow crowds who pointedly questioned them about President Donald Trump’s action during his first month in office and other issues.
Although Republican Sens. Charles Grassley and Joni Ernst held meetings Tuesday in small towns, they drew big crowds. Grassley was in northern Iowa and Ernst was in eastern Iowa.
Many of the questions focused on the president, including whether Republicans would investigate whether the Trump campaign made contact with Russian officials before the election.
Asked in Garner about whether he’d support impeaching Trump, Grassley responded it would be improper to give an opinion because the Senate “sits as a jury” for impeachments.
In Maquoketa, Ernst spoke before more than 100 people, who raised issues ranging from climate change to health care.
