OYENS AND LE MARS FIRE DEPARTMENTS RESPOND TO SHED FIRE
THE OYENS AND LE MARS FIRE DEPARTMENTS WERE CALLED TO A SHED THAT CAUGHT ON FIRE TUESDAY AFTERNOON AT AROUND 3:30 P.M. AT 190TH ST. AND OFTER AVENUE.
OYENS FIRE CHIEF TIM BOLTON HAS THE DETAILS.
THEY HAVE YET TO DETERMINE A CAUSE OF THE FIRE, BUT BELIEVE IT MAY HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A SMALL HEATER.
THE FAMILY’S DOG IS BELIEVED TO HAVE DIED IN THE FIRE.
LE MARS MAN CHARGED WITH INSURANCE FRAUD
A Le Mars man has been charged for his alleged role in committing fraud against Homesite Insurance Company following an investigation by the Iowa Insurance Division, the National Insurance Crime Bureau, and the Plymouth County Attorney’s Office.
Authorities say 39-year-old Scott D. Leininger is charged with Insurance Fraud, Presenting False Information and Forgery, each a class “D” Felony.
Court records say 39-year-old Scott Leininger is scheduled to be in court December 4.
He didn’t immediately return a call Wednesday at a number listed for him in Le Mars. The records don’t list the name of an attorney who could comment for him.
Authorities say Leininger submitted false paperwork to back his claim to Homesite Insurance for damage he said his disability equipment sustained during a lightning storm.
Court documents say the company discovered that the paperwork was bogus and didn’t pay the claim.
Leininger was summoned into Plymouth County District Court, for an initial appearance on Monday.
MARCH TO HONOR NATIVE AMERICAN CHILDREN TAKEN BY WELFARE SYSTEM
A series of educational events dealing with Native American children who have been taken from their families and placed in the country’s child-welfare system has been taking place at Briar Cliff University this week.
The meetings precede Wednesday’s 15th Annual March to Honor Lost Children in Sioux City.
Spokesman Frank Lamere says locally, the Department of Human Services has been doing a better job in recent years of finding a way to place Native American children from troubled homes with other relatives:
But Lamere says there is still much to be accomplished to keep children from being separated from their families and tribes, while also being vulnerable to abuse, neglect and death:
Wednesday morning’s march begins at 7:30 a.m. with a pipe ceremony at the War Eagle Monument at Grove Street and War Eagle Drive.
Marchers will head out to West 4th Street, stopping at various locations for a series of prayers.
A Memorial Dinner will be held at the Sioux City Museum after the walk ends around noon.
SOME MEDICAID PATIENTS UNABLE TO SWITCH COVERAGE
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines officials are considering the contaminated site of a closed manufacturing plant for a new police station.
The officials say the station is likely the best option for developing the property, which has long been mired in legal battles with the Environmental Protection Agency. Officials say the Dico Inc. soil is laced with chemicals, and buildings on the property include hazardous materials. Ongoing monitoring would be required there, once buildings are torn down and the area is cleared for construction.
The four-story, $160 million station would replace the existing station, which officials say will soon be too small to accommodate the growing department.
The city hasn’t budgeted $160 million for the station, nor listed it in the five-year capital plan, so the project could take years to realize.
