Plymouth County Historical Museum To Hold Garage and Bake Sale
(Le Mars) — This year’s three-day “Great Garage and Bake Sale” sponsored by the Plymouth County Historical Museum in Le Mars will open at 5 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 17, in the Museum’s “Old Central” Gym, and will continue through 8 p.m. Thursday.
Admission is charged for the “Sneak Preview,” with all proceeds going to the Museum.
Both Friday and Saturday will feature free admission. Hours will be 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 18, and 9 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Oct. 19. Saturday’s offerings will be half-price.
All items should be at the Museum as soon as possible. Anyone wishing to make a delivery to the Museum may call 546-7002. Nothing will be accepted after Oct. 13.
In addition to the garage sale in the Gym, the event includes a bake sale in the Gym lobby all three days and a concession stand on Friday. Baked goods may be brought to the Museum on Thursday afternoon, Friday morning, or Saturday morning.
Proceeds from the sale go to help the Museum preserve the history of Plymouth County.
Julie Leaverton once again is chairing this year’s sale in cooperation with other Museum volunteers. Norma Martfeld and Tena Harvey are her assistants.
Anyone wishing to help with the sale should call the Museum immediately: 539-0223. Help in setting up the sale is especially needed on Sunday afternoon, Oct. 13; Monday, Oct. 14; and Tuesday, Oct. 15.
Madison County Imposes Moratorium On Renewable Energy Sources
WINTERSET, Iowa (AP) – A south-central Iowa county has imposed a moratorium on new wind turbine installations.
Madison County supervisors voted 2-1 on Tuesday to adopt the
moratorium, which will run through October 2020 unless superseded by a new ordinance. The moratorium also applies to new solar energy installations. It won’t affect a 52-turbine wind farm already under development in Madison County.
The supervisors say that during the moratorium they’ll develop an ordinance to guide construction of renewable energy projects.
The county health board passed a resolution in August calling for
wind turbines to sit at least 1.5 miles (2.4 kilometers) from homes. Such a setback would be five times greater than MidAmerican Energy has proposed for its most recent wind farm project.
The county supervisors have taken no action on the health board
recommendation.
Nebraska Judge Sentences Iowa Man For Two Fatalities Resulting From Auto Accident
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – A Nebraska judge has imprisoned an Iowa man who authorities say was driving drunk when his pickup truck rammed into a sports car in north Omaha, fatally injuring two other Iowa men.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that 29-year-old Tony Kenkel, of Earling, Iowa, was sentenced Monday in Omaha to 19 years. He’d pleaded no contest in June to two counts of manslaughter. Prosecutors dropped two related counts in exchange.
Police say the collision occurred Oct. 13 last year on Nebraska
Highway 36 near Glenn Cunningham Lake, when Kenkel’s eastbound pickup crossed the center line and struck the oncoming car. Authorities say 21-year-old Joseph Daniels and 21-year-old Thomas Greise were fatally injured.
They lived in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
Van Buren County To Hold “Villages Of Van Buren Fall Festival”
(Des Moines) — If you want to make a road trip this weekend, you may want to consider driving to southeast Iowa. Many of Iowa’s trees are starting to show the change in seasons and a county in southeast Iowa is dedicating the weekend ahead to viewing those colorful leaves. Emily Hobbs, executive
director of the Villages of Van Buren, says the county’s Scenic Drive Festival runs Friday through Sunday.
Visitors are encouraged to make their way along the Historic Hills Scenic Byway to experience each of the county’s historic villages — for events
ranging from arts and crafts shows to quilt shows, as well as parades, tractor displays, and a tour of historic barns.
In Keosauqua, one local favorite is the Pearson House Museum Complex.
There’s an 1846 Mormon encampment site near Milton and the Pioneer Historical Museum in Farmington where visitors can learn about the Honey War. While the region is steeped in history, newcomers will soon notice something else — there are no chain restaurants anywhere and no big box stores throughout the entire county.
Find more information and a schedule of activities along with a brochure map at the county’s website: www.villagesofvanburen.com
Man Wrongfully Convicted Of Murder Is Now Asking College Students To Help
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A man who spent more than 25 years in prison for an Iowa murder that he didn’t commit is urging college students to help inmates who may be innocent.
Terry Harrington spoke to Coe College students Tuesday, recounting how he was wrongly convicted in the 1977 shooting death of a Council Bluffs security guard when he was a teenager.
Harrington had exhausted his appeals and was serving a life sentence at the Iowa State Penitentiary when he met a prison barber who believed in his innocence.
The barber obtained Council Bluffs police records that revealed
authorities had withheld evidence showing that another man had been a strong suspect but was ignored. Witnesses who had implicated Harrington recanted, saying they’d been coerced. The Iowa Supreme Court overturned Harrington’s conviction in 2003.
Waterloo Officials Approve Measure Directing Businesses Not To Inquire About A Convict’s Record During Job Hires
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) – Officials in Waterloo have approved a measure banning the city and many businesses from asking about applicants’ criminal records in early stages of the hiring process.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports the City Council on Monday night approved a so-called “ban-the-box” ordinance. It doesn’t let employers ask about an applicant’s criminal history until after making a conditional job offer.
The measure is intended to ensure people with criminal convictions get a fair chance of getting jobs.
Similar measures have been passed around the country, but Waterloo is the first city in Iowa to approve such an ordinance.
The measure applies to business with at least 15 employees and the city government.
It will be several weeks before the measure takes effect, and the
council is scheduled to discuss minor changes later this month.
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Cedar Rapids Man Wants A New Trial Location For Parking Lot Shooting
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – A man accused of fatally shooting two 18-year-olds in a vehicle in a business parking lot wants his trial moved out of Cedar Rapids.
Linn County District Court records say an Oct. 25 hearing is
scheduled to hear the request from 26-year-old Andre Richardson. He’s pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder in the May 18 slayings of Matrell Johnson and Royal Abram. Police say two others also were hit by bullets in the parked vehicle at the Iowa Smoke Shop in Cedar Rapids.
Richardson’s lawyer says extensive media reports of the slayings and subsequent investigation have made it impossible for Richardson to get a fair trial before an impartial jury in Linn County.
Richardson’s trial is scheduled to begin May 4.
