Home News Thursday News, March 29th

Thursday News, March 29th

Le Mars Senior Center Catches On Fire

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department responded to an alarm from the Le Mars Senior Center Wednesday morning located at 110 6th Avenue northeast.
The fire was reported at about 9:20 a.m. Apparently, a ceiling light fixture had caught on fire, then it had quickly spread to the ceiling tiles. Fire Chief Dave Schipper says when firefighters had arrived on the scene, thick black smoke was coming from the Senior Citizens Center.

Schipper says the fire doors did help protect the fire from spreading into the Floyd Valley Apartment complex. However, he says the conference hall sustained enough damage to prevent future activities, at least for the next few weeks

The Le Mars Fire Chief estimates the damage to exceed $10,000 and possibly may go higher.

Schipper says firefighters were able to contain the fire rather quickly. He says they were on the scene for approximately 45 minutes.

 

 

Man Killed By Rail Car

(Sioux City) —  One person is dead following a rail car accident at Sioux City’s Big Soo Terminal. Emergency responders were sent to the terminal located at 4101 Harbor Drive around 11:45 a.m. Wednesday morning.  Sioux City Police say the male victim was apparently run over by a rail car at the terminal and died from injuries sustained in the accident.  Police say the victim was attempting to do a routine switch operation on the track when the accident occurred.  The victim’s name has not been released pending notification of next of kin.

 

 

Corbett To File Lawsuit To Be On Primary Election Ballot

HIAWATHA, Iowa (AP) – Ron Corbett says he’s filing a legal challenge against an elections panel’s ruling that booted him off the Republican primary ballot for governor.
Corbett told reporters Wednesday in Hiawatha he wants a judge in Polk County district court to review his case. A campaign spokesman later said Corbett filed an administrative review, though documentation was not immediately available.
A three-person panel determined Tuesday that Corbett failed to submit enough signatures from the public to qualify to run against Gov. Kim Reynolds. The decision means Reynolds will not have a primary challenger.
Corbett, a former Cedar Rapids mayor, initially turned in enough signatures to reach the 4,005-signature threshold needed to run. Duplicative signatures threw that requirement into question, and the elections panel rejected Corbett’s request to add back signatures that had been crossed off the paperwork.

 

 

Attorney General Rules That Democratic Congressional Candidate Cannot Be On Primary Ballot

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller says Democrat Theresa Greenfield doesn’t legally qualify to be on the June 5 primary ballot for the state’s 3rd Congressional District.
Miller offered his legal analysis Wednesday, shortly before Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate released a certified primary candidate list that didn’t include Greenfield.
Greenfield didn’t qualify for the ballot this month after she failed to submit enough public signatures. Greenfield says she withdrew an earlier submission after learning her former campaign manager forged some signatures.
Greenfield then attempted to qualify for the ballot by pointing to state law that allows a political party to add a new candidate under certain circumstances. Miller dismissed that effort in his analysis.
A Democratic committee voted Monday to nominate Greenfield to be on the ballot, but there were legal questions about whether her candidacy would face a court challenge.
Three other Democrats are seeking the nomination to challenge Republican U.S. Rep. David Young.

 

 

Ernst Says Guns Not The Problem – Mental Health Is The Real Concern

(Le Mars) — Gun control has been a topic of national discussion since the latest school shooting episode that happened last month in Florida. U-S Senator Joni Ernst, a Republican has been approached about the topic while visiting northwest
Iowa as part of her 99-county tour. Ernst says it is not guns that is the problem, but rather the ability to identify people with mental health problems.

Senator Ernst talks about the merits of the introduced legislation.

Ernst made the comments on Tuesday while in Le Mars visiting the Schuster Trucking Company.

 

 

Judge’s Rulings Now Being Questioned

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The State Court Administrator in Iowa has ordered an independent investigation of a retired judge who admitted that he allowed the attorney on the winning side to ghost-write opinions in at least 200 cases.
Administrator Todd Nuccio issued Wednesday an administrative directive appointing a senior judge and a retired court administrator to review allegations that retired northwest Iowa judge Edward Jacobson requested opinions from attorneys on one side of cases without the knowledge of the other side.
The directive says a report with recommendations is due June 2.
Jacobson shocked the legal community in November by admitting in a deposition that he allowed the ghost writing repeatedly in his 16 years on the bench.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Cady admonished judges and attorneys to avoid such one-sided communications.
Jacobson declined to comment.

 

 

Caregivers Sent To Prison

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa couple accused of inflicting chemical burns on a disabled woman in their care have been sent to prison.
Court records say 51-year-old Katrina Eubanks was sentenced Wednesday in Polk County District Court to 30 years and 55-year-old Garry Eubanks was given 10 years.
The Urbandale couple had been charged with kidnapping, two counts of neglect of a dependent person and one count of abuse of a dependent person that resulted in injury. Prosecutors dropped the kidnapping charge in exchange for Katrina
Eubanks’ guilty pleas and dropped all but one count of neglect for Garry Eubanks’ plea.
Police say Katrina Eubanks, a hired caregiver, bathed the 19-year-old woman in bleach and Epsom salt on May 28. Police also say the Eubankses didn’t seek treatment for her burns for days.