Ply-wood Trail Proponents To Address Sioux City Council
(Sioux City) — Officials associated with the Ply-wood Recreational Trail will be appealing to the Sioux City council this afternoon for their support of the proposed bicycle trail that would extend from Le Mars to Sioux City and connecting the towns of Merrill and Hinton. The Sioux City council is scheduled
to begin its meeting at 4:00 p.m. this afternoon, and will hear the proposal.
Le Mars city council has already indicated support for the project, however, Plymouth County Board of Supervisors have said the project is too costly for the county tax payers. The proposal has had cost estimates ranging from $10 million to $25 million dollars. The proposed bicycle trail would follow the Floyd River
and Highway 75 connecting Plymouth and Woodbury counties. Advocates of the project say the bike trail is needed in order to make it safer for bicyclists to stay off the busy county roads. Sioux City mayor, Bob Scott, has sent a letter to the Sioux City council members advocating his support of the project. Trail
proponents point to other major Iowa communities with connecting bicycle trails, and claim a bicycle trail is needed for this region.
Semi Truck Rollover Kills Minor Passenger
(Sibley) — A semi truck and trailer accident on Friday in Osceloa County ended up killing a minor. The Iowa State Patrol reports the accident occurred shortly after noon when the semi truck and trailer, being driven by 35 year old Joshua Hamrick of Spencer was driving an International truck when the front tire of the
semi truck left the roadway. The trailer also left the roadway and began to slide into the ditch. The trailer slid around the side of the semi and began to roll, causing the semi truck to also roll. The truck made one complete roll resting on the passenger side of the intersection of Walnut Ave and 120th Street. The minor passenger was pronounced dead on the scene. Officials have
not released the name of that minor passenger.
Hail Storm Has Meant Booming Business For Roofers
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A severe June 30 hail storm that struck Sioux City has become big business for certain sectors of the local economy and drawn interest from outside contractors. The Sioux City Journal reports that auto body shops, insurance agencies, roofing companies and other auxiliary businesses have also seen benefits from the storm’s aftermath. Some Sioux City neighborhoods reportedly experienced golf ball-sized hail. Some contractors say it’s the biggest influx of customers they’ve ever
seen, and local insurance agents say they’ve been overwhelmed by calls. Roofing contractor Charese Yanney says the hail storm may have been the most widespread since one that struck in June 1978. —
Agriculture Secretary Perdue Visits Iowa
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue is visiting Iowa on a tour to tout the importance of bringing more young people into farm-related professions. Perdue stopped in Sheffield, Des Moines, Urbandale and Davenport over the weekend as part of a five-state tour. On Saturday, he delivered the keynote speech at the 2017 Iowa Ag Summit in Des Moines. Perdue also announced a new mentoring program for farmers. He says he wants to make it easier for families to get into the industry. A new partnership
between the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the nonprofit group SCORE will help aspiring farmers. Perdue says future farmers need more access to capital, technology and
information to join the industry, which he says will face greater demands in the next 30 years.
Iowa Marine Dies After Tree Falls On Him
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) – A Marine from Iowa based at Camp Pendleton has died after a tree fell on him at the Southern California base. Marine officials said Sunday that Lance Cpl. Cody Haley of Hardin, Iowa, died at the scene Friday. Marine spokeswoman Capt. Sarah Burns said Haley was doing routine
morning physical training when the tree fell. The 20-year-old Haley was assigned to the 1st Marine Division. He deployed with the 11th Marine Expeditionary Unit in March 2016. His awards include the National Defense Service medal, Global War on
Terrorism Service medal, and the Sea Service Deployment ribbon. A Marine statement says the Corps is heartbroken about Haley’s death.
Union Pacific Officials Apologize For Train Blocking Intersections For Seven Hours
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) – Union Pacific has apologized for a train that blocked a northern Iowa railroad crossing for more than seven hours. The Mason City Globe Gazette reports that the train blocked an intersection in southern Mason City from 9 a.m. until at least 4 p.m. on July 27. The blocked crossing was initially blamed on a broken-down train, but Union Pacific spokesman Justin Jacobs says the delay was due to replacing the
train’s crew, which had run out of hours of service. Jacobs says Union Pacific apologizes to the community. Iowa law prohibits railroads from blocking a crossing for longer than 10
minutes, but there are exceptions, such when a train is disabled or when it’s necessary to comply with government safety regulations. —
Des Moines Man Charged With Fatally Stabbing His Brother
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines police have arrested a man for the early-morning stabbing death of his brother. Police say 49-year-old Shawn Eugene Davis faces a first-degree murder charge for the death of his brother, 35-year-old Preston Lee Davis. Preston Lee Davis was fatally stabbed early Saturday morning on Des Moines’ northwest side. Police say the younger Davis was stabbed during a dispute at a family gathering. Shawn Eugene Davis has a criminal history that includes a second-degree murder conviction for the October 1986 shooting death of 27-year-old Thomas Law.
His sentence was reduced after the Iowa Court of Appeals ordered a new trial in 1989, and he later received a 12-year-sentence for voluntary manslaughter. Online court records did not list an attorney for the elder Davis.
Voter’s Social Security Numbers Wrongfully Emailed
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – The Linn County auditor says the last four digits from thousands of voters’ Social Security numbers accidentally have been emailed to four email addresses.
Auditor Joel Miller blamed a computer error by a worker fulfilling a legal request for voter data from the Linn County Republican Party. The mistake occurred Friday morning.
Miller says his staff has reached people at three of the four email
addresses. They told his staffers that the emails have been deleted. He says the fourth address could be that of an inactive email account.
The state secretary of state’s office has been notified.
