Home News Saturday Afternoon News, March 9th

Saturday Afternoon News, March 9th

Daylight Savings Time Begins This Evening

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – It’s time to spring forward again, as the country makes the switch to daylight-saving time.

Like those in almost all other states, residents in Nebraska, Iowa, Kansas and Missouri will trade an hour of sleep starting Sunday morning for an extra hour of sunlight in the evening.

The government expanded daylight-saving time in 2007 in an effort to save energy. It now begins on the second Sunday in March and continues until the first Sunday in November.

The official change occurs at 2 a.m. Sunday, local time, although
people often change their clocks before going to bed Saturday night.

Daylight-saving time ends Nov. 3.

 

 

 

Fire Destroys Garage At Hinton Rural Residence

(Hinton) — At around 8:00 a.m. this morning, fire was seen coming from a rural residence approximately two miles northwest of Hinton at 23487 280th Street, about a half a mile east of county road K-22. The Hinton, Merrill, and Le Mars Fire Departments responded to the blaze. The fire started in
the garage area, destroying two vehicles and the contents within the garage.
Hinton Fire Chief Chad Beck says he isn’t certain as to what started the fire.

Firefighters remain at the scene at this hour. Beck says he will know the estimate of damages after speaking with the homeowners, but he says the fire has done several thousand of dollars of damage.

 

 

Jeneary Discusses Traffic Camera Bill Now In The House Chambers

(Merrill) — Nearly a half a dozen people attended the legislative town hall meeting held Saturday morning at the Kissinger Community Center at Merrill.
State Representative Dr. Tom Jeneary and State Senator Jim Carlin are addressing questions by the attendees. Among other topics discussed, people were asking the lawmakers about a proposal to change the way judges are selected to serve on the Appellate and Supreme Courts.

One bill that was debated in the House chambers this past week was the use of traffic cameras.
Representative Tom Jeneary offers an update as to what was discussed and decided upon with regards to traffic cameras.

 

 

Le Mars Little League Receives Donation From Loess Hills Delta Waterfowl Association

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Little League continues to be the benefactor of financial gifts since last fall’s flooding damaged the fields, facilities, uniforms and equipment.  On Saturday morning, members of the local Loess Hills Delta Waterfowl Association presented Heath Husk of the Le Mars Little League with a check amounting to $1000.  Charlie Mohning of Le Mars, the organization’s president, says they decided to present the Little League the money because they want to help youngsters.

Standing left to right: Matt Saltsgiver, Nic Hampton, Charlie Mohning, Heath Husk with the Le Mars Little League, Kevin Penning, April Ruden, and Pat Ruden.

 

 

 

Western Iowa Man Arrested For Murder Of Des Moines Man

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Police say a 20-year-old western Iowa man has been arrested in Des Moines in the January death of a Council Bluffs man.
Police say Nicholas Haner, of Harlan, was arrested Friday morning after officers spotted him in a stolen vehicle. Police say officers were able to stop the vehicle and immediately arrest Haner.
Haner is charged in a warrant with first-degree murder in the death of 38-year-old Adam Angeroth was slain. Angeroth’s body was found in his apartment on Jan. 24. Details about his death haven’t been released.
On Thursday, a 16-year-old Nebraska boy also was charged with murder in the case. A murder warrant also has been issued for a third person, 21-year-old Liam Stec of Omaha, Nebraska.

 

 

Supreme Court Upholds Lower Court’s Decision On State Paying For Transgender Surgeries

(Des Moines) — The Iowa Supreme Court has upheld a lower court’s ruling that the state cannot deny two transgender women Medicaid coverage for sex reassignment surgery.
In its ruling Friday, the state’s high court agreed with Judge
Arthur Gamble’s ruling in June that a 1995 Iowa Department of Human Services policy denying Medicaid coverage for sex reassignment surgery violates the state’s 2007 Civil Rights Act, which added gender identity to the state’s list of protected classes.
Gamble also deemed state’s 1995 policy unconstitutional, but the
high court did not address that finding.
The ruling comes in the consolidated cases of Carol Ann Beal and
EerieAnna Good, who sued in 2017 after their Medicaid provider and the Iowa Department of Human Services denied surgery requests recommended by doctors.

 

 

Inmate Dies In Prison

FORT MADISON, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa man convicted of a 1987 drug-related slaying has died in prison.
The Iowa Corrections Department says 71-year-old Charles Robinson died of an illness Wednesday at the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison.
The Des Moines Register reports that Robinson was a drug dealer who fatally shot 50-year-old Joseph Coon in January 1987 and wounded another man. Prosecutors said Coon owed Robinson $260 for drugs and the two had argued over the money.
He’d also served prison time for robbery, forgery and shoplifting
convictions.

 

 

Department Of Administrative Services Releases Report On Sexual Harassment Cases

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Department of Administrative Services says it was investigating seven complaints – six of them sexual harassment complaints – within state government as of mid-January.
That information was given to the Des Moines Register late Friday afternoon in a fully disclosed Jan. 25 letter from the head of the agency.
The letter had previously been released, but was heavily redacted.
Additional information about the sexual harassment complaints was not provided in the letter.
The release of the information comes days after Democratic Rep. Amy Nielsen said she had received bureaucratic runaround in her attempts to get the data from Department of Administrative Services Director Janet Phipps.
Nielsen said Wednesday that taxpayers have paid out more than $7.5 million in settlements in the past two years and deserve to know if there are other cases that could cost even more.

 

 

Des Moines Police Investigate Dead Body Found In Parking Lot

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Police in Iowa’s largest city are investigating the death of a man whose body was found in a parking lot.
Des Moines police say the death is being investigated as a homicide.
The man’s name and details of his death have not been released.
Police said in a news release that officers were called to the lot
around 1:15 a.m. Saturday for a report of a person down. Arriving officers found the 25-year-old man’s body.

 

 

Sioux City Woman Convicted For Insurance Fraud

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Sioux City woman has been convicted of insurance fraud and sentenced to two years of probation.
The Iowa Insurance Division says in a news release that 43-year-old Jennifer Lea Fuentes was convicted and sentenced Thursday. As part of her sentence, she must complete 75 hours of community service and pay a $750 penalty.
Authorities say an investigation showed Fuentes crashed her car into another in a parking lot last year while driving without insurance.
Investigators say she bought auto insurance online later that same day without disclosing the collision. Three days after the accident, Fuentes filed a claim with her insurer and intentionally misrepresented the date of the crash.