Iowa House Acts On Traffic Cameras
(Des Moines) — State lawmakers have been working through a pile of bills as they complete the tenth week of the General Session. A bill pertaining to the regulation of traffic cameras and red stop light cameras was voted on in the Iowa House this week. Le Mars Republican State Representative, Chuck Holz says
an amendment was added to the bill to totally eliminate the usage of traffic cameras and stop light cameras. Holz says the vote was close, but the amendment failed to pass the Iowa House.
The Iowa House then acted on the original measure to regulate the usage of the traffic cameras. Holz calls the action by the state legislature a step forward, but he still would like to see some revisions to the bill.
Some municipalities argue the traffic cameras are not only used to promote traffic safety, but to also help bring in additional revenue for the cities.
Holz says Sioux City and Cedar Rapids are two cities to utilize the traffic camera technology, but there are doubts as to whether the cameras are making it safer for motorists on the highways.
The House finally did pass the original Senate version of the traffic camera bill.
Lobbyist Resigns Following Release Of Video Kissing State Senator
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A newspaper reports an Iowa Statehouse lobbyist has resigned from her job days after a video was released that showed her kissing a state senator.
Iowa League of Cities Executive Director Alan Kemp on Thursday confirmed the resignation of Lindsey McCune to the Des Moines Register , but he declined to give more information. The League promotes policy in the Statehouse on behalf of cities.
The website Iowa Starting Line published video Monday morning that showed McCune kissing former Sen. Bill Dix at a Des Moines bar. The married Republican resigned from office hours later. He served as the Senate majority leader.
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Thursday that a special election will be held April 10 to fill Dix’s district seat.
Governor Reynolds Calls For Special Election For Vacant Senate Seat
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds has called a special election to fill the Senate seat left vacant by former lawmaker Bill Dix.
Reynolds announced Thursday an election will be held April 10 for Senate District 25. It’s comprised of Grundy and Hardin counties, and portions of Butler and Story counties.
Dix served as Senate majority leader until he resigned Monday from office. He stepped down after a video was published on the website Iowa Starting Line that showed the married Shell Rock Republican kissing a Statehouse lobbyist at a bar.
Republican Annette Sweeney and Democrat Tracy Freese are expected to face off in the election. Data shows the district has more than 16,000 active Republicans and more than 8,000 active Democrats. About 15,000 people are registered with no party.
Sioux City Man’s Murder Trial Delayed For 5th Time
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City man accused of helping to kill a Nebraska man has been given another starting date for his murder trial.
Thirty-year-old Daniel Levering has pleaded not guilty to the July 23 slaying of 36-year-old Vincent Walker, who lived in Winnebago, Nebraska.
The new date: July 17 in Woodbury County District Court. His other starting dates: Oct. 17, Jan. 23, March 20 and April 17.
Police say Walker was washing his car when he was confronted by three people. Police say the group then assaulted him, with one stabbing him and another hitting him repeatedly with a baseball bat. Walker later died at a Sioux City hospital.
Authorities have not reported the arrests of the two other suspects.
Anthon Man Sentenced To Ten Years For Possession of Explosives
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A northwest Iowa man arrested after explosives were found on his property has been given 10 years in prison.
33-year-old Brett Sauser, of Anthon, was sentenced Thursday. He’d pleaded guilty to an explosives permit violation
and to possession of a controlled substance. Prosecutors dropped four more explosives counts in exchange for Sauser’s pleas.
Sauser was arrested Jan. 9, 2017, after explosives and bomb-making items were found on his property after a fire that damaged his garage.
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Chamber Ag Business Luncheon Scheduled For Tuesday
(Le Mars) — National Agriculture Week is scheduled for the week of March 18th through the 24th. The Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee
will honor the local farmers and agri-businesses by hosting the Ag Business Luncheon scheduled for Tuesday, March 20th at the Le Mars Convention Center.
The day’s events will begin with a Chamber coffee hosted by Plymouth County Farm Bureau. At 10:30 Mark Porter, the Chief Operating Officer with Seaboard Triumph Foods of Sioux City will speak about the expanding pork industry, and specifically about the new pork processing facility that only recently went on
line and began production. This year’s key-note speaker is Mitch Holtus who does the play-by-play of the Kansas City Chief football games. Holthus grew up on a Kansas farm and will speak about agriculture.
Holthus says agricultural commodity prices have always been riding the roller coaster with farmers seeing the value of their agricultural goods constantly go up and down. He says he feels it is his responsibility to share with consumers the story of agriculture.
Tickets for the Ag Business Luncheon are priced at $15 and can be obtained from the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce offices.
Iowa Soybean Growers To Visit China
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A group of Iowa soybean farmers will travel to China this week in hopes of smoothing over any rift in the trade relationship caused by the Trump administration’s announced tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Iowa Soybean Association President Bill Shipley says now isn’t the time for the U.S. to retreat as a trusted source of soybeans because U.S. commodity prices are sliding and other countries are ramping up production.
Nearly one of every four rows of soybeans grown in Iowa is destined for China. Last year’s Iowa crop was valued at more than $5 billion.
The soybean group’s CEO Kirk Leeds says agriculture trade is often the first casualty in any trade war or retaliation but Iowa farmers want to tell the Chinese personally of their commitment to maintaining trade.
Waterloo Fire Kills Two Children
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – Firefighters say two children have died in a Waterloo house fire.
The fire was reported a little after 4 a.m. Thursday. Two people who saw the smoke followed it to the home and tried to use a garden hose on the flames after they called 911.
The Courier reports that 9-year-old Amari Burkett and 6-year-old Ava Everman were removed from the home and pronounced dead at a local hospital. A woman also pulled from the house was taken to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City. A third child, a girl, was able to escape by crawling through her bedroom window.
Firefighters say several dogs and a cat where killed in the fire. Officials say there were more than a dozen pets in the home.
Officials are investigating.
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