Home News Tuesday News, April 17th

Tuesday News, April 17th

Supervisors To Hear Report From Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo

(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will hear from Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo when they convene for their weekly meeting this morning at the Plymouth County Courthouse Board Room. Sheriff Van Otterloo is expected to
update the county governing board on the communications center audit. County engineer Tom Rohe will visit with the county supervisors regarding road construction projects, and the supervisors will open the bids for various planned
construction projects scheduled for this spring and summer.

 

 

City Council To Address Airport Improvement Projects

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars City Council is scheduled to take action on several proposed airport improvement projects during their meeting scheduled for Tuesday at noon at the city council chambers. The city council is expected to award construction contracts for the 150 feet of runway extension, and the airport
turnaround. The city council will also discuss the airport state aviation funding applications. The city council will also go into closed session to discuss pending litigation, as well as the purchase or sale of real estate.

 

 

Floyd Valley To Host “Are Your Kids Safe Online?” Seminar

(Le Mars) — On Thursday, Floyd Valley Healthcare will host a seminar entitled: “Are your kids safe online?” The seminar is open to the public and will be held at the conference room #1, beginning at 7:00 p.m. The program will be lead by two law enforcement officers, Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation special agent, Jackie Montagne, and FBI special agent, Jon Moeller. Moeller says every parent concerned about what their teen is exposed to by way of the computer internet and social media should attend the conference.

The FBI agent says social media is the preferred method of communication with today’s youth, and parents need to know how to communicate with their children, and know who else is communicating with their children.

Moeller says one of the dangers of today’s social media is not knowing what is going on behind the scenes.

Moeller says people of all ages tend to share too much information about ourselves when we are online, and he says many times adults and children may not think of the consequences from sharing that information.

The FBI agent says the evening’s program will be divided into five separate categories including: inappropriate content, online privacy, sexting, online sexual solicitations, and cyberbullying.

 

 

Northwestern College Receives $6 Million Gift For Science Center

ORANGE CITY, Iowa (AP) – Northwestern College says it’s received a $6 million gift for its new science building, the largest single gift in school history.
The $24.5 million building will be named for benefactors Jack and Mary DeWitt, who live in Holland, Michigan.
The building will have classrooms, laboratories and faculty offices for the college’s biology, chemistry and nursing department, as well as space for student-faculty research. It is scheduled to open in August.
Jack DeWitt served on the college board of trustees for 13 years.

 

 

Governor Reynolds To Negotiate Tax Cuts With Legislature

(Des Moines) — Republican Governor Kim Reynolds says she does not plan to dictate which components of HER tax plan must be included in the final version as she negotiates with Republicans who control the legislative branch of government.


For example, the governor’s original plan included a form of “speed bumps” so a yearly tax cut would NOT go into effect if there’s a downturn in Iowa’s economy.
Those “triggers” are NOT included in two of the three tax plans that have emerged in the Republican-led legislature. Plus, the plan that cleared a House committee last Thursday did not include the governor’s proposal to end a state tax break
for federal taxes. It’s a tax deduction that makes Iowa’s individual income tax rates look higher than they are when compared to other states.

Because of that deduction and because FEDERAL taxes were cut, Iowans will wind up paying more income taxes to the STATE of IOWA if policymakers fail to do something to cut Iowa individual income tax rates. As for the SIZE of the tax cut, House Republicans are aligned with the governor at about 300-million dollars a year, while Senate Republicans are proposing about three-quarters of a billion dollars. Reynolds told reporters today (Monday) the final tally of tax cuts may wind up “somewhere in the middle.”

A “sustainable” plan will leave the state with enough tax revenue to meet on- going commitments to the state’s education system, the Medicaid program and other priorities, according to the governor.

 

 

Marion Man Dies After Pickup Truck Rolls Over Him

MARION, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a man was fatally injured when his pickup truck rolled atop him at a restaurant drive-thru in a Cedar Rapids suburb.
The accident occurred just before noon Monday at a Dairy Queen in Marion.
Police say the man’s pickup broke down while he was in line at the drive-thru. It rolled atop him after he got out to fix it. Police say he died at a hospital.
Police identified him as 74-year-old Curtis Schantz, who lived in Alburnett.

 

 

Two People Given Probation After Setting Fire To Covered Bridge In Madison County

WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) – Two people have been given probation for setting fire to a historic Madison County covered bridge featured on the cover of the novel “The
Bridges of Madison County.”
Court records say 19-year-old Joel Davis and 20-year-old Alivia Bergmann were sentenced Monday to five years of probation and given deferred judgments.
Both had pleaded guilty to arson charges stemming from the fire last April.
Under deferred judgments, the convictions can be wiped from their records if the two successfully complete their probation terms.
A third person, Alexander Hoff also has pleaded guilty. He’s scheduled to be sentenced Monday.
The bridge near Winterset also was featured in the 1995 movie adaptation of “The Bridges of Madison County.”

 

 

Iowa Wrestler Pleads Guilty To Computer Fraud

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – A former University of Iowa wrestler has pleaded guilty to a federal computer fraud charge for manipulating the school’s network so he could access its computers and change his and other students’ grades for classes.The U.S. attorney’s office says Trevor J. Graves pleaded guilty Monday to transmission of a command to damage a protected computer.In a plea agreement, Graves admitted that from March 7, 2015, to Nov. 15, 2016, he manipulated the university’s computer network and obtained professors’
usernames and passwords. He then changed grades for himself and five other students.
Graves, who will be sentenced Aug. 23, last participated on the Iowa wrestling team in the 2015-2016 season.

 

 

Trial Scheduled For AAU Coach Accused Of Making Video Recordings of Team Members

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A trial has been scheduled for an Iowa youth basketball coach who’s accused of secretly recording some of his players undressing.
Federal court records say 42-year-old Greg Stephen has pleaded not guilty to knowingly transporting child pornography. His trial is scheduled to begin June 4.
Court documents say the ex-Iowa Barnstormers co-director has acknowledged taking secret videos of three players disrobing in a hotel bathroom in Illinois in January. He’s told investigators he recorded the adolescents in an attempt to monitor their physical development.