Sioux County To Build Nature Center Near Hawarden
(Hawarden) — Ground was broken last week for the Oak Grove park nature center near Hawarden. The facility has been in the plans for 10 years and Sioux County Conservation Board Chairman and Foundation Member, Gordon Pottebaum, says it is finally getting done.
He says they knew there was a need for the center, and as time
went by the need continued to grow until they formed the foundation in 2014 to raise funds. Conservation Board Assistant Director, Sunday Ford, says more space is really needed.
Ford says they have the staff to do the environmental education,
but don’t have the building or the space and that means many kids can’t get into summer camp. Ford is one of two Environmental Educators for the organization.
Ford says she is “super excited” to see the new building so
that people can have a connection to the outdoors. The project received an Enhance Iowa Community Grant of 600-thousand dollars from the state to go along with the four-point-four million being raised. The 12-thousand square foot facility, will host naturalist-led school field trips, summer camps, nursing home visits, civic groups, and families as they explore historical
and wildlife displays. Total cost for the nature Center is four-point-eight million dollars, and it should open late next year.
Le Mars Police Department To Host Open House For “National Night Out”
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Police Department will be holding an open house at the police headquarters Tuesday evening, in observation of “National Night Out.” This is the 35th year for National Night Out, and it serves as an opportunity for the community to meet with the officers of the Le Mars Police
Department and build relations. A meal consisting of burgers, hot dogs, and ice cream will be distributed to visitors. There will be give-aways, and raffles for the K-9 program. National Night Out will be between 5:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. and it will be held at the Le Mars Police Department located at 22 2nd Street Northeast.
Father Paul Eisele Celebrates 50 Years Of Priesthood
(Le Mars) — A week ago, the parishioners of the All Saints Parish consisting of both the St. Joseph and St. James Catholic churches of Le Mars honored Father Paul Eisele for his 50 years as serving as a priest. Eisele, who grew up near Whittemore, Iowa, close to Algona says he comes from a long line of people answering the call and pursuing a priesthood as a career.
Eisele says he has had the pleasure to serve many Catholic parishes and Catholic schools within northwest Iowa during his 50 years as a priest.
Certainly one of Father Eisele’s passions is music. He continues to assist Gehlen Catholic with its music programs, and in fact, Father Eisele is assisting the Le Mars Community Theater at the Postal Playhouse with its next production.
Eisele says the production could be considered as a “musical-comedy.”
Besides music, another passion for Father Eisele is to collect various nativity scenes. Through the years, he has managed to gather more than 75 nativity sets.
Eisele says he also enjoys traveling, and shares some of his most memorable trips throughout the United States and abroad.
The parishioners of the All Saints Catholic Parish awarded Father Eisele with a new car for his 50 years of service.
Body of a Small Child Recovered From Mississippi River
MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say the body of a small child was recovered from the Mississippi River in southeast Iowa.
It was pulled from the water Sunday night near Brown’s Island at
Riverside Park in Muscatine.
Authorities would not comment on whether the body was that of 2- year-old Hawk Newberry, who fell into the water July 24 from a dock at Schwiebert Riverfront Park in Rock Island, Illinois. He’d been fishing with his family.
Missing Student’s Reward Continues To Increase
BROOKLYN, Iowa (AP) – The reward for the safe return of a missing University of Iowa student has ballooned to $260,000.
Crime Stoppers of Central Iowa said Sunday that relatives of 20-
year-old Mollie Tibbetts believe she’s alive but has potentially been kidnapped. Spokesman Greg Willey says the family hopes the reward money will lead to her return.
Tibbetts went missing on July 18 from her small hometown of Brooklyn, Iowa.
Investigators are being tight-lipped about the case, saying holding back basic details may help solve it. That includes saying whether they believe Tibbetts returned home from a jog the evening she went missing.
Willey says Crime Stoppers will protect the anonymity of tipsters who call in or submit tips online . He says the organization has shared more than 200 anonymous tips with law enforcement since Monday.
Authorities Have Not Released Names Of Police Shooting
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) – A day after police in southeastern Iowa engaged in a deadly shootout that left one man dead and another seriously injured, authorities have not released the names of the suspects or officers involved.
The shootout happened Friday afternoon after police received a report of people with guns in an outdoor area near Liberty Elementary. Arriving officers say they encountered several suspects and that at least one of them
fired at officers, who fired back, killing one suspect and injuring another who remained hospitalized Saturday. A third suspect was arrested quickly.
The Ottumwa Courier reports that a fourth suspect was arrested Friday evening after he was found hiding in a wooded area near Ottumwa.
No one else was injured in the shootout. Officials say two officers
were treated for dehydration during the search for the fourth suspect.
Police have not released details about what led the suspects to be armed near the school, which spent hours on lockdown Friday.
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Iowa State Fair Games To Be Inspected On Thursday
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Personnel from the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals will conduct an inspection of the Iowa State Fair concession games as the fair kicks off.
The inspections will take place at 1 p.m. Thursday. Staff from the
Social & Charitable Gambling Unit will be checking the games to make sure they are appropriately licensed and conducted in a fair and honest manner.
State regulators make sure the object of each game is attainable and possible for the average person to perform. Inspectors also make sure that the rules of the game are clearly posted, the maximum base cost to play each game is not more than $5, and that all prizes are awarded in merchandise.
The Iowa State Fair starts Thursday and runs through Aug. 19.
Fatal Hit-and-Run Suspect Sentenced To Ten Years
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A central Iowa man who fatally hit a Des Moines motorcyclist in 2016 and fled the scene has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
Television station KCCI reports that 67-year-old Jack Janda was
sentenced in a Polk County courtroom Friday. He had earlier entered an Alford plea to vehicular homicide by reckless driving in the death of motorcyclist 57-year-old Joseph Davis of Des Moines. In exchange for his plea, prosecutors
dropped charges of vehicular homicide by operating while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a fatal accident.
Police say Janda swerved his pickup around Davis’ motorcycle at the end of a construction zone, causing the bike to hit another vehicle.
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