Burnt Victim Now Identified
(Le Mars) — The victim that was severly burnt during a fire Monday afternoon has now been identified. Firefighters responded to a fire at 28279 130th Street north of Le Mars. Upon arrival firefighters found a trailer fully engulfed next to a hog confinement building. A male subject was burned
in the fire and was transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare by private vehicle prior to the arrival of the Fire-Rescue Department. The subject was then air lifted to St. Elizabeth’s Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska with burn injuries.
The subject has been identified as Jorge Orozco age 38 of Sioux City, Iowa.
Mr. Orozco remains in critical condition in the burn unit at St. Elizabeth’s hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Le Mars Community High School To Host “College Fair Night”
(Le Mars) — Le Mars Community High School will be hosting “College Fair Night” on Monday evening at the Carey Gymnasium beginning at 6:00 p.m. Judd Kopperud is a guidance counselor for Le Mars Community and says the college fair event is open to students and parents from the surrounding region.
Kopperud says the event is free for everyone. He says the event is a great way for both students and parents to ask questions about any college, university, or military branch of service, and even financial aid services.
The Le Mars Community Guidance Counselor says registration had been made simpler for attending students.
Officials ask that students and parents enter the Carey Gymnasium through the east doors.
Judge Set $6 Million Dollar Bond For Man Accused Of Killing Fort Dodge Pastor
(Fort Dodge) — The man accused of robbing and killing a Fort Dodge pastor made an appearance before a judge Friday morning. According to KCCI television, 36-year old Joshua Pendleton was supposed to meet with the judge on Thursday, however due to an outrage when Pendleton was agitated when he saw cameras, the hearing was re-scheduled for Friday. The judge has set a cash bond of $6 million dollars for Pendleton. The judge also declared the accused is not allowed to have any contact with the family members of Pastor Allen Henderson. The incident occurred outside the St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge, Wednesday evening. Pendleton will remain in custody at the Webster County Jail in lieu of the $6 million dollar cash bond. Arrest records show Pendleton has a history of criminal assault charges dating back to April of 2016.
Trump Administration Makes An Announcement To Benefit Renewable Fuels
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Trump administration says it plans to implement new rules that will increase demand for ethanol, reversing a decline caused by exemptions given to oil refineries.
The proposal announced Friday follows months of complaints by
Midwest farmers, politicians and the ethanol industry that the federal government’s granting of waivers to refiners had violated federal law and forced some ethanol plants to close.
Although the proposal by the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture wouldn’t address the current loss of ethanol demand, it would ensure that beginning in 2020, the government would comply with a 15-billion-gallon standard already required under federal law. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig calls today’s announcement as a “Big Win”
for Iowa.
Naig says the announcement solves both the near-term and a longer-term dilemma that was facing the renewable fuels industry.
The Iowa Agriculture Secretary says we need to make certain that both the Environmental Protection Agency and the U-S Department of Agriculture follow through with their commitments. Naig was asked if the announcement would
help those plants that shut down production operations, such as the Plymouth Energy plant in Merrill, and the Siouxland Ethanol Cooperative at Sioux Center?
Roughly 40 percent of U.S. corn is used to produce ethanol, so declining demand for the fuel additive can depress prices for the grain.
Harvest Being Delayed Due To Wet Conditions
(Le Mars) — Farmers have had to deal with wet conditions ever since the beginning of this crop year, and it continues right up to harvest. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says this year’s crop year can be summed up in one word: “Wet.” Naig offers a statewide summary of the harvest progress.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Crops Specialist for northwest Iowa, Joel DeJong says those farmers that were able to plant early have been able to see some decent soybean yields. However, in general, the crops have been slow to mature.
DeJong says mother nature needs to provide some assistance to farmers by providing several dry days in order for the moisture levels in our grain to drop.
DeJong says for several soybean growers, white mold has become a problem, further reducing the yield potential.
DeJong says it is very likely many farmers will need to resort to using artificial drying methods in order to store their corn, which only adds to the cost of the crop.
