City Council To Meet This Afternoon
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars City Council will hold a meeting today at the city council chambers beginning at noon. The city council will review the bid package #3 for the public library and is expected to award a contract. The city council will address the rezoning issue for K-N-S third addition. The council is expected to name Captain Tim Hop of the Le Mars Police Department as the Acting Police Chief until such time a new police chief is hired and takes office. Speaking about the new police chief, the five finalists for the position of police chief will meet the public at a meet and greet reception session scheduled for this early evening at 6:30 p.m. at the city council chambers. The candidates will have an opportunity to interact with members of
the public and answer any questions they might have. Spouses and/or significant others are invited and encouraged to attend this event. Tonight’s reception will end at approximately 8:00 p.m. The five police chief finalists include Robert Bendlin with the Le Mars Police Department, Shane Brevik with the Spirit
Lake, Iowa Police Department; Ray Eickholt with the Storm Lake, Iowa Police Department; Deric Gress with the Ypilanti, Michigan Police Department; and Kevin Vande Vege with the Le Mars Police Department. Mayor Dick Kirchoff says there were over 40 applications from 20 different states.
Sloan Man Identified After Fatal Fire
SLOAN, Iowa (AP) – Authorities have identified a man who died Monday in an early-morning house fire in western Iowa. The Iowa State Fire Marshal’s Office says that 39-year-old Matthew Goodvin died in the Monday fire. He was pronounced dead after authorities say he did not make it out of a house, which was located between Hornick and Sloan.
Young Boy Drowns At Storm Lake
STORM LAKE, Iowa (AP) – Police say a 6-year-old boy has drowned in a northwestern Iowa lake. Luis Fernando Silva Moreno, of Sioux City, drowned Monday in Storm Lake. Storm Lake Police said Wednesday in a news release that
the boy was pronounced dead after a dive team found his body underwater just off a lake beach shortly before 1 p.m. Monday.
Woman Shot By Des Moines Police Dies
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A 29-year-old woman has died after being shot by a Des Moines police officer.
Police Sgt. Paul Parizek says Tiffany Lynn Potter was wounded while trying to flee from officers in a car around 2 a.m. Wednesday.
Few details have been released about what happened.
No officers were hurt during the confrontation.
The incident will be investigated by the Iowa Division of Criminal
Investigation.
Iowa DNR Dissolves Forestry Bureau
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Natural Resources has announced layoffs and will dissolve its forestry bureau to offset a $1.2 million reduction in its budget.
The agency confirmed Wednesday it’s eliminating eight positions, including state geologist and animal feeding operations coordinator. Duties will either be transferred within the department or contracted out.
The agency will also close its forestry bureau, eliminating the top bureau chief position and reorganizing others within DNR.
DNR spokesman Alex Murphy says no services will be impacted by the changes, which also include the elimination of a program that helps maintain Iowa’s trails. The department is also ending its participation in the AmeriCorps program.
The Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature agreed this year to reduce funding for several states agencies amid multiple budget shortfalls.
Inmate Uprising At Fort Madison Corrections Facility
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s corrections agency says dozens of inmates at its Fort Madison prison were involved recently in a “large fight” that included minor injuries.
The Iowa Department of Corrections confirmed Wednesday that roughly 50 inmates were involved in the incident Saturday at Iowa State Penitentiary, which houses men.
Spokeswoman Lettie Prell says staff gained immediate control of the fight, which took place in a yard. Prell says there were no staff injuries but minor injuries to inmates. She says one tennis racket was involved.
The American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 61, which represents correctional officers, criticized the agency’s description of the incident and claim it involved more inmates. Prell says some inmates
initially thought to be involved were cleared and the department is investigating the situation.
Environmental Protection Agency Holds Renewable Fuels Standard For Ethanol Steady, But Reduces Biodiesel
(Des Moines) — The U-S Environmental Protection Agency is proposing that the federal production mandate for “conventional” ethanol remain at the maximum in 2018, but the requirement for biodiesel is causing concern in the industry.
Monte Shaw of the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association says it means that next year at least 15 BILLION gallons of corn-based ethanol should be produced.
That’s the maximum amount under the “Renewable Fuels Standard.”
Shaw says. However, the E-P-A is suggesting the mandatory level for soybean- based biodiesel production remain the same.
The Iowa Biodiesel Board calls the E-P-A’s proposal a “setback” at a time when the industry was “ready to take a large leap forward.” The E-P-A’s recommended federal mandate for next year’s production of “cellulosic” ethanol that’s made from plant materials, like switch grass or corn stalks, is reduced
as well according to Shaw.
There’s a public comment period underway on these rules and Shaw says the industry will debate whether the E-P-A has settled on the right numbers.
President Trump, as a candidate, visited an ethanol plant near Gowrie and pledged to support the ethanol industry.
Iowa is the nation’s leading producer of corn-based ethanol, plant-based ethanol AND soybean-based biodiesel. Congressman Dave Loebsack (LOHB-sack), a Democrat from
Iowa City, says “never in its history” has the E-P-A failed to raise the production mandate for “advanced biofuels” and Loebsack says Trump “has turned his back on Iowa’s farmers and rural communities.” Republican Senator Joni Ernst
says she’s “pleased” with the new administration’s decision on conventional ethanol, but Ernst says she is “disappointed” in the E-P-A’s recommendation on biodiesel. Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds is also “disappointed biodiesel levels are not higher,” but Reynolds commended Trump for the E-P-A’s “commitment” on conventional ethanol.
Grassley Comments On North Korea’s Missile Test
(Washington) — Iowa Republican Senator Chuck Grassley says he hasn’t yet been given a security briefing on the latest flexing of North Korea’s military muscle, but he is following the situation closely. As most Americans celebrated the Fourth of July, North Korea launched its first intercontinental ballistic missile. It flew for 39 minutes and — according to the North Koreans —
precisely hit a target in the Sea of Japan. From what he’s been told, Grassley says the rocket is powerful enough to reach the US.
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[mkcg1] :13 “San Francisco”
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(As above) “The range is anywhere from 4,000 miles to 6,000 miles,” Grassley
says. “Four-thousand would take it to Alaska or Hawaii and 6,000 would take it
to San Francisco.” Following the launch, The U-S and South Korea fired missiles
into the waters off South Korea in a response that some interpret as a warning.
Grassley says the U-S response to the I-C-B-M launch has prompted an emergency gathering of top United Nations officials.
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[mkcg2] :17 “North Korea”
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While North Korea is banned from firing such missiles under a UN resolution, this marks that nation’s second launch this year and the sixth in the past 11 years.
North Korea on Tuesday declared itself a “proud nuclear state.”
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[mkcg3] :19 “North Korea”
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Until now, that action has been predominantly economic sanctions.
New Rules Being Considered for Adoptions
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa officials may add new rules to oversee adoptions in the state after two adopted teen girls died in the past year.
The Des Moines Register reports (https://dmreg.co/2tt8SCt ) the state Department of Human Services may require families that receive state financial aid for adoptions to document annual doctor visits for their kids.
The Department’s new Director, Jerry Foxhoven says requiring the yearly check-ups will add another layer of oversight to the state’s child welfare system for adopted children.
The parents of both the girls who died have been accused of neglecting them.
Iowa spent about $42 million in fiscal year 2017 to help families that adopted children with special needs or difficult-to-place children out of foster care. On average, those families received about $7,700 a year per child.
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