Home News Wednesday News, July 5th

Wednesday News, July 5th

Plymouth County Secondary Roads Department To Close Roads

(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Secondary Roads Department are announcing a couple of road closures beginning today. 180th Street between Concord Avenue and Diamond Avenue will be closed from today until July 14th in order to replace a wooden bridge with a culvert pipe. The county roads department will also close a portion of Tamarack Avenue about three-quarters of a mile north of County road C-60. The project involves a bridge replacement and the road is expected to be closed until early November.

 

 

Several People Reported Injured From Using Fireworks

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a man lost his hand in a fireworks mishap in northwestern Iowa.
Sioux City fire officials responded to the incident around 8 p.m. Monday on the city’s north side.
Assistant Fire Chief Dan Cougill says the man had been shooting off fireworks. The man was taken to a local hospital.

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A four-week-old baby and her mother suffered burns and serious injuries when fireworks exploded on them during an illegal Iowa show.
The Johnson County Sheriff’s Office says 36-year-old Margaret Limkemann and her baby were injured when fireworks launched sideways instead of upward at a party Saturday in Swisher.
The projectile struck Margaret and exploded, catching fire. The mother attempted to remove the baby from her lap, tossing her onto a blanket. Both were transported to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
A GoFundMe campaign raising money for the family says the baby suffered a broken femur, fractures and burns. It says Limkemann suffered severe trauma to her legs and needs multiple surgeries.
Property owner Richard Fowler was cited for failure to have a firework permit in violation of county ordinance.

(Orange City) — Another injury related to fireworks happened to a 22 year old man from Alton. Apparently, the man held on to the firework wondering what had happened to the fuse when the firework exploded in his hand. The Alton man was rushed to the hospital where he lost two fingers, the index finger and the
middle finger on his right hand.

Iowa recently lifted a decades-long ban on fireworks sales.

 

 

Fireworks Are To Blame For Several Fires Across the State

(Le Mars) — Fire Departments from across the state were busy with several reported fires that had started as a result of misuse of fireworks. Grass fires and structure fires were reported across the state, as well as here in Plymouth County. Akron and Le Mars fire departments were called a few times during the long holiday weekend to extinguish grass and ditch fires that were caused by
fireworks, and the Merrill and Hinton Fire Departments responded to a structure fire that destroyed a shed and all its contents, including three tractors. That fire was reported on Friday evening.

 

July 1st Marked The Beginning Of Several “Liability Reform” Laws Including the Protection For Fairs Against Spread Of Diseases

(Des Moines) — Several “lawsuit reform” measures passed by the 2017 Iowa legislature became law this past Saturday. One new law will shield more than 100 fairs in Iowa from lawsuits over transmission of the bird flu and other diseases from the animals on exhibit. Representative Chuck Holz, a veterinarian from Le Mars, says the State Fair as well as county and district fairs are included.

The signs are to warn against touching the animals and to encourage fair-goers to frequently wash their hands to prevent the spread of disease. Tom Barnes with the Association of Iowa Fairs says county fairs have had similar warnings in the past, but the new law spells out exactly what they have to say.


Barnes says visitors to animal exhibits in other states have sued after contracting infections. State Senator Dan Zumbach (ZUM-bah), a farmer from Ryan, says going to a fair carries an “inherent risk.”

This new legal protection for fairs in Iowa passed the Iowa House unanimously. Only one member of the Iowa Senate voted
against it. Republicans who hold a majority of seats in the legislature approved several OTHER bills that change the rules for lawsuits. The G-O-P changed liability standards in workers compensation claims, asbestos poisoning cases and
medical malpractice lawsuits as well as so-called “nuisance” lawsuits filed against farmers.
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Despite Increased Hog Numbers, Ag Economists Predict Pork Producers To See Some Profits

(Des Moines) — The latest Quarterly Hogs and Pigs report shows the largest U.S. hog herd on record and livestock market analysts say the industry is positioned to grow. Iowa is the nation’s top pork producing state, with 22.2 million hogs
and pigs on Iowa farms. That’s up 7-percent from a year ago. Lee Schulz, an economist with Iowa State University Extension, projects profitability for many producers.

Joe Kerns, president of Iowa-based Kerns and Associates, says expansion right now isn’t driven by the economics of the industry.

Kerns says that is evident by the variability in the growth of the sow herd across several states.

Kerns says he expects even more sow herd expansion through the remainder of the year.

 

 

Des Moines Police Officer Shoots Woman

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A woman is hospitalized after being shot by a Des Moines police officer.
Police Sgt. Paul Parizek says the woman was wounded during an incident shortly after 2 a.m. Wednesday.
Few details were released initially about what happened.
No officers were hurt during the confrontation.
The incident will be investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal
Investigation.

 

 

Fire Destroys Downtown Businesses In Melcher-Dallas

MELCHER-DALLAS, Iowa (AP) – A major fire has damaged several buildings in a central Iowa town’s downtown.
The Des Moines Register reports (https://dmreg.co/2toYDzd ) the started late Tuesday in Melcher-Dallas and continued to burn into the early morning hours of Wednesday.
Melcher-Dallas Police Chief Steve Johns says he doesn’t think fireworks caused the fire, but the cause of the blaze hasn’t been determined yet.
No injuries were reported, but the building housing That’s My Bag and More is a total loss. The fire also caused extensive damage at a building housing a bar and grill and some apartments.
Melcher-Dallas is a town of about 1,300 people 40 miles southeast of Des Moines. A crowd of about 100 people stood in the town square watching the fire Tuesday night.