Home News Friday Afternoon News, January 10th

Friday Afternoon News, January 10th

Drivers License Office Will Now Be Open On Tuesday Afternoons

(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Treasurer Shelly Sitzmann has announced beginning January 28th, the Plymouth County Driver’s License office will open on Tuesday afternoons from 12:30 – 4:30. This will be in addition to the office being open on Wednesday & Thursdays from 8:30 – 4:30.

The Driver’s License office will be open on Tuesday afternoons from 12:30-4:30 for obtaining or renewing drivers licenses, identification cards, updating to REAL ID, permit tests and other knowledge tests.

If you need to schedule a drive, those must be done on Wednesday & Thursdays and you may call 546-1663 to schedule a time.

For people who have questions about REAL ID, please check out Plymouth County’s website at www.co.plymouth.ia.us, or the Iowa DOT website at www.iowadot.gov, or contact the Driver’s License office during their business hours.

 

 

Preparations Being Made For Upcoming Iowa Caucus

(Le Mars) — The Iowa Caucus is less than a month away, and political figures have been criss-crossing the Hawkeye state in attempts to attract would-be voters to their side. Although, state republicans will also hold their caucus, most of the focus this year will be centered on the Democrats with more than a dozen candidates seeking the presidential nomination. There are some changes to the caucus system. Mark Sturgeon serves as the chairman for the Plymouth County Democratic party and says many questions can be answered by accessing a link on the internet.

Sturgeon reminds would-be voters that the locations for the caucus is different from where you would normally cast your votes for an election.

The Plymouth County Democratic party chair explains the process of a political caucus, and how it is different from a primary voting election.

Sturgeon says during the caucus, delegates supporting one particular candidate may try to lure other delegates to switch sides and come join them in support of their candidate.

Many of the presidential candidates have made campaign appearances within the region, and a few have even stopped in Plymouth County. Sturgeon says so far, many Plymouth County Democrats have not yet made up their mind as to which candidate they wish to support.

The Iowa Caucus is scheduled for February 3rd.

 

 

Democratic Presidential Candidate Pete Buttigieg To Visit Le Mars

(Le Mars) — South Bend, Indiana Mayor and Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg has scheduled a campaign stop in Le Mars. Buttigieg will appear next Friday, January 17th at the Plymouth County Historical Museum’s “Old Central Gymnasium” beginning at 11:00 a.m. As Iowa’s first-in-the-
nation caucus nears closer, Buttigieg has emerged as one of the top four Democratic presidential hopefuls. Polls show he is in a close race with former Vice President, Joe Biden, Massasschutes Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders. Buttigieg will also make appearances in Orange City and Sioux City scheduled for Thursday, January 16th.

(photo contributed)

 

 

Former Sioux City Councilman Makes Agreement To Dispose Of Environmental Waste Products

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A former Sioux City councilman has made an agreement with Iowa environmental regulators on removing potentially hazardous materials that accumulated from his electronics recycling business. The state attorney general’s office sued Aaron Rochester in 2018, saying more than 17 million pounds of the material was being stored at facilities in Iowa and Nebraska. The Sioux City Journal reports that Rochester has agreed to annually ship at least three semitrailer loads of
used or broken cathode ray tubes and/or containers of leaded glass to a federally approved treatment, storage and disposal facility.

 

 

Reynolds Names Anderson As Interim D-O-T Director

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A civil engineer who has worked at the Iowa Department of Transportation for 28 years has been chosen as the agency’s interim director. Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds announced Friday that Stuart Anderson has begun his new duties and will lead the department until a permanent director is appointed. He replaces former Iowa DOT Director Mark Lowe, who was asked by Reynolds to resign last month. Lowe, a lawyer, had been appointed by Reynolds in May 2017. She cited her desire to seek a change in leadership as the only reason for seeking his departure. Anderson joined Iowa DOT in 1992.

 

 

Police Officers Rescue Man From Burning Home

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say three Burlington police officers rescued an unconscious man whose house was burning. The officers were patrolling nearby when the blaze was reported a little before 4 a.m. Thursday. Authorities say the officers used a neighbor’s ladder to climb up 8 feet to a bedroom window, break it and then get the man out to safety. He was treated at the scene and then taken to a hospital. A dog inside the house was able to run out the front door. The names of those involved haven’t been released. The fire cause is being investigated.

 

 

Alliant Energy Ask Utilities Board Permission To Raise Rates

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa regulators have approve a rate increase that’s lower than what Alliant Energy sought. On Thursday the Iowa Utilities Board also decided that Alliant must refund around $7.5 million to customers who paid interim rate increases. Alliant had sought a permanent annual
revenue increase of $203.6 million. Several customers objected, and a settlement was reached that would limit the increase to $127 million. The board announced Thursday that it will approve the settlement. It also approved increasing the monthly customer charge to $13 from $11.50 for residential customers and to $20 from $19 for general service customers.

 

 

Trial Is Delayed For Man Accused Of Killing A Mother And Her Children

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The trial for a man charged with killing a Des Moines mother and her two young children has again been delayed. Television station KCCI reports that a judge on Thursday agreed to push the trial date for Marvin Escobar-Orellana to April 27 after both sides requested more time
to prepare for trial. Escobar-Orellana’s trial had been had been set to begin on Jan. 27. Escobar-Orellana is charged with three counts of first-degree murder after police say he fatally shot 29-year-old Rossibeth Flores-Rodriguez, her 11-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son on July 16 in a Des Moines home.