Sioux City Man Arrested For Strangling His Girl Friend And Setting Fire To Hotel Room
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a man strangled his former girlfriend before setting at fire in a Sioux City hotel room. Court records say Jordan Henry was charged Tuesday with first-degree murder. The records don’t list an attorney for him. Police say an autopsy showed 40-year-old Elizabeth Bockholt, of Hinton, was strangled. Firefighters found her unresponsive Thursday night in the damaged Wingate Hotel room, and she was pronounced dead later at a hospital.
Plymouth County Pheasants Forever Chapter Honored
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Chapter of Pheasants Forever was recently recognized during an awards ceremony held in Des Moines. Bob Puetz, the president of the Plymouth County Pheasants Forever says the local chapter received the Conservation Excellence Award for contributing $1.7 million
towards the preservation of wildlife habitat.
Plymouth County Pheasants Forever is one of the more active chapters in the nation, having been recognized for its large membership and list of sponsors, and according to Puetz, the local chapter has been able to build relations with the CEO of Pheasants Forever.
Puetz says the Plymouth County Pheasants Forever chapter is already preparing for their annual banquet which is scheduled for Saturday, March 2nd. Puetz says the evening of fun is enjoyable for the entire family. He says the banquet will again feature gun raffles, wildlife prints, silent and live auctions, and hunting excursions.
Lt. Governor Gregg and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Naig To Visit Columbia and Panama For Trade Mission
(Des Moines) — Iowa’s Lt. Governor Adam Gregg and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will lead a delegation of trade representatives from Iowa to Central and South America. The trade mission will take place in early February to Columbia and Panama. The trade team will be led by the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Last week when Governor Kim Reynolds
and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg visited KLEM offices, Gregg spoke of the upcoming trade tour.
Iowa is the second largest ag exporting state in the country with more than $13.2 billion in agricultural exports annually. Last year, over $80 million in Iowa goods went to Colombia, with a 247% increase in trade just within the first six months of 2018. Colombia is a top 25 trading partner with the United States overall, and is America’s eleventh largest agricultural export
market. Panama is a strategic partner for U.S. exports, serving as a crossroads of international trade located between two oceans and two continents.
Pork Producers Contribute Funds For Water Quality Measures
(Des Moines) — At the Iowa Pork Congress held at Des Moines last week, the Iowa Pork Producers Association announced they would contribute $25,000 to the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship to help pork producers across the state install various nutrient run-off water quality measures. Iowa
Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says this marks the third year in a row the Iowa Pork Producers have made a contribution.
Naig says since the Iowa legislature passed a water quality bill during last session, he doubts the legislature will make it a priority issue for this session. However, the money from that water quality and conservation bill is now being allocated by the state legislature.
Mike Ehlers is a Buena Vista County pork producer who has installed a bio-reactor on his farm to reduce the nitrate run-off and improve the water quality. He says as a result of the bio-reactor on his farm, he now has near zero amounts of nitrates in his water.
Buena Vista County was one of three counties named in a lawsuit by the Des Moines Water Works as being responsible for high levels of nitrates found in the Des Moines water supply.
Governor’s Staff Members Salaries Announced
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Three aides to Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds and six newly appointed agency directors earn more than the governor, a decision a spokesman says reflects the need to attract top talent. The Des Moines Register reports that Iowa law sets the governor’s salary at $130,000 and
some of Reynolds’ top appointees will be paid more. Top earners include the governor’s chief of staff, the chief operations officer and chief counsel.
Students Operate Food Pantry On Day Off From School
CORALVILLE, Iowa (AP) – Some eastern Iowa students are spending their cold day off from school running a temporary food pantry. Station KCRG reports that 12-year-old Eve Buresh got the idea for the pantry and asked Coralville Public Library to share some space. Yes was the answer. Eve called businesses for donations, and within hours word of the need spread across
Coralville. The Coralville Community Food Pantry is among agencies, schools and other organizations to remain closed Wednesday because of the weather.
Trial Begins For Mother Accused Of Child Endangerment
LE MARS, Iowa (AP) – The mother of a baby whose lifeless body was found wearing a maggot-infested diaper is on trial in his death. Court records say 21-year-old Cheyanne Harris has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and child endangerment resulting in death. Prosecutors are expected to begin their case Wednesday. Authorities say 4-month-old Sterling Koehn died in August 2017 of malnutrition, dehydration and an E. coli infection.
