Sheriff’s Office Investigating Stolen Vehicles
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office is investigating several incidents of stolen vehicles. On Monday, at approximately 10:00 a.m. the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office was advised of a stolen vehicle from within the city limits of Akron. While deputies were responding to take report, the
Sheriff’s Office was advised of two additional stolen vehicles. Sometime during the overnight hours of September 3rd and September 4th unknown person or persons took the following vehicles: a white 2006 Mitsubishi Endeavor Limited SUV from the
500 block of North Street, a black 2012 Ford F150 pickup truck from the 400 block of 8th Street, and a silver 2005 Pontiac G6 from the 500 block of Sargent Street.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Plymouth County Sheriff’s office at (712) 546-8191. Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo reminds owners to never leave the keys in their vehicles and always lock the doors.
Le Mars Police Make Weekend Arrests
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Police Department made a couple of arrests on Saturday. The first arrest happened at 12:51 a.m. Officers were notified of a hit and run accident at the Wal-mart parking lot. The vehicle involved with the accident was
located in the 200 block of Plymouth Street Southeast. Through investigation, an occupant of the vehicle was found to be in possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia. The occupant was also found to have distributed a controlled substance to a person under the age of 18. The subject was identified as 27 year old Tyler Uden of Le Mars. Uden was transported to the Plymouth County Jail and booked. Later that evening, at about 7:25 p.m. the Le Mars Police Department arrested 23 year old Zachary Dunn of Le Mars. Dunn was
operating a vehicle with expired registration, as a result of the stop, Dunn was found to be suspended in the state of Iowa for failure to re-file SR-22 insurance. He was taken to the Plymouth County Jail and charged with driving while suspended.
Sioux City Police Investigation Shooting Incident
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say two groups of people have traded gunshots in a Sioux City neighborhood.
Investigators are trying to determine whether two people with bullet wounds who were taken to a Sioux City hospital were involved in the gunbattle Monday evening. At least one house was struck by bullets, but police say no one inside
was injured.
Police were uncertain how many people were involved and how many of them fired guns. No arrests have been reported.
Le Mars City Council To Meet This Afternoon
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars city council will gather this afternoon for their meeting at the city council chambers. The city council will hold a public hearing on the municipal park’s expansion and improvements. During action items, the city council will discuss the authorization and possibly approval of the bond loan agreement and issuance of more than $13 million dollars for taxable GO refunding bonds. The council is expected to take action on a federal aid agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation, and the city council will discuss current solid waste fees.
Sioux City Waste Treatment Plant Fails To Charge Neighboring Towns
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Three neighboring cities are resisting paying Sioux City’s long-overlooked wastewater service charge. The city discovered the neglected charge during an audit and notified officials in Sergeant Bluff, in North Sioux City, South Dakota; and South Sioux City, Nebraska, that it would begin imposing the 7 percent charge on July 1. Those cities’ officials worry about having to pass along the cost to their residents, so the officials want to talk over the charge with Sioux City
officials. The agreements with each city for sewage treatment at the Sioux City plant have been overlooked for at least the past two years and potentially longer. Sioux City utilities director Mark Simms says the charge essentially covers administrative costs, and he isn’t sure why it’s been overlooked.
Fort Dodge Man Dies After Being Shot
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a man has died after being shot in Fort Dodge. Police say officers responding to several calls found the man lying in a roadway around 3:30 a.m. Sunday. He was pronounced dead later at Trinity Regional
Medical Center. Police have identified him as 32-year-old Shane Wessels, who lived in Fort Dodge. State detectives have joined Fort Dodge officers in investigating reports that there had been some sort of altercation in the street before the shooting.
No arrests have been reported.
Mason City Woman Charged With Arson
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Mason City woman has been accused of setting fire to a house in the northern Iowa city. Firefighters extinguished the blaze, which was reported around 1:50 p.m. Saturday. No injuries have been reported. Police say witnesses provided the name of a suspect, and she was arrested
and jailed later in the day. Police say 29-year-old Donyale Jones is charged with arson. Cerro Gordo County Jail records said Jones remained in custody Monday, pending $10,000 bail.
Court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for her.
Eastern Iowa Man Charged With Theft
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A 51-year-old man has been accused of duping a homeowner out of more than $366,000 for unfinished and shoddy repairs. Authorities say Scott Geary, of Clinton, is charged with theft. Online court records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for Geary. A criminal complaint says Geary and another person trimmed trees for the
elderly homeowner and then offered to perform needed repairs and finish the house’s basement. Authorities say the two never took out building permits and the work they did didn’t meet code. Police say the victim paid Geary and the other, unnamed person more than $366,000 for work on a home that’s been assessed at $250,000 for taxes.
Northey Nominated For USDA Position
(Washington D.C.) — Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey has been nominated for an Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey has been nominated for an administrative role in the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The White House announced President Donald Trump’s nomination of Northey on Friday.
The 57-year-old Northey has been picked to serve as the Undersecretary for Farm Production and Conservation.
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley says Northey is extremely qualified for the post:
The position was created in May as part of a re-organization at USDA. Northey is in the midst of his third term as Iowa’s ag secretary. He must first be confirmed by the U.S. Senate before he can take over the USDA post.
August Was Cooler Than Normal
(Des Moines) — If you thought it was unusually cooler during the month of August than previous years, you are not alone with your thinking. State climatologist Harry Hillaker says August wrapped up being unseasonably mild statewide.
It was the 16th coolest August in Iowa in 145 years of record-keeping as well as the coolest August since 2004. As for
rainfall, August was the third straight month of below-normal precipitation, but Hillaker says there was an unusual twist.
The state averaged three-point-eight inches of rainfall during the month, about four-tenths of an inch below normal. Rainfall was widely varied. While the eastern Iowa town of Muscatine recorded only half-an-inch of rain during the month, the northwestern town of Milford reported almost 11-inches. As for the month ahead, Hillaker says a long-range forecast was just issued by the National Weather Service.
