The Le Mars Fire Department were called to a structure fire around 10 a.m. Monday, February 24, 2020.
Located at 25200 190th Street, fire fighters found a garage fully engulfed in flames. No injuries were reported. Propane tanks inside the garage exploded which added to the hazard of fighting the blaze. Cause of the fire remains under investigation. A race car inside the building was destroyed, along with the structure.
Fire caused major damage to a previously, red tagged home in Sioux City on Monday Morning. Firefighters were dispatched to 1310-and-a-half Iowa street around 9:30 a.m. City Fire Mashall Mark Aesoph says smoke and flames were coming from the structure when fire crews arrived.
No one was found inside the structure, but Aesoph says it is likely the fire was started by someone.
The origin point and cause of the fire remain under investigation.
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The Iowa Supreme Court has selected Justice Susan Christensen as its next chief justice. Justice Christensen will succeed Chief Justice Mark Cady who passed away on November 15th. Christensen, who is from Harlan, will be the second woman to serve as chief justice of Iowa’s highest court. She will take over from Justice David Wiggins, who has served as acting chief justice since Chief Justice Cady’s passing. Christensen was appointed to the Iowa Supreme Court in 2018 by Governor Reynolds. She will be up for retention in November 2020. hristensen was appointed a district associate judge in 2007 and a district court judge in 2015.
Before becoming a judge, she practiced law in Harlan for 16 years.
Closing arguments expected in Iowa cold case murder trial
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Closing arguments are expected Monday in the trial of a man accused of killing an Iowa high school student more than 40 years ago. Testimony has concluded in the trial of Jerry Burns. He’s accused of fatally stabbing 18-year-old Michelle Martinko on Dec. 19, 1979, in Cedar Rapids. His defense called only one witness. A forensic consultant testified that he didn’t know whether the DNA that prosecutors say came from the killer came from blood or from another bodily fluid. A rebuttal witness called by prosecutors said the only biological fluid screened was blood from Martinko’s dress.
Iowa officials accuse couple of running business scams
DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa attorney general’s office wants to close down a telemarketing company that authorities say has been scamming small businesses in Iowa, Nebraska and other states. A court filing says Scott County residents Paul and Misty Barnes have been operating PM Specialties and Milestone Consulting. The filing says they’ve been using lies and deception to make unauthorized charges to consumers’ credit cards or accounts and to force consumers to pay for goods and services they would never receive. The Barneses told The Des Moines Register they have not defrauded anyone. They say they operate a consulting firm for artist and business management.
Several people rescued after breaking through lake ice
CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Several people have been rescued after breaking through ice on Big Woods Lake in Cedar Falls. Authorities say rescue crews responded three times Sunday. In the first incident, other people in the area had already helped to safety three who’d broken through into the water while ice fishing. Rescue workers later returned to the lake after another person broke through, but he was able to get himself to safety. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that around 6:15 p.m., rescue workers were sent to help two teenagers. Rescuers donned buoyant suits and then used a sled to get the teens back to shore.
Bond election set to build new Woodbury County jail
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — Woodbury County leaders hope voters will approve building a new $50.3 million jail on the outskirts of Sioux City. The new larger jail would replace a building built in 1987 that is dealing with a number of mechanical problems. Consultants have identified $22 million in upgrades that are needed in the current jail’s heating and cooling system. County Supervisor Keith Radig says it makes sense to invest in a new facility instead of repairing the current jail. Voters will decide March 3 whether to build a new 110,000-square-foot jail that could house 440 inmates. The current jail holds roughly 230 inmates.
Western Iowa man convicted of first-degree murder
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) — A Council Bluffs man has been convicted of first-degree murder in the death of a man whose body was found wrapped in a sheet near the city’s downtown. Prosecutors say 36-year-old Dubol Koat was convicted last week in the death of 35-year-old William Josephtong Dut. Dut’s body was found Oct. 28 wrapped in a sheet. Koat was arrested nearly a month later. Police said Koat and Dut were roommates and co-workers.
Iowa State Patrol: 2 boys killed in crash near Hebron
ADAIR, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa State Patrol says two boys have been killed in a head-on crash just northeast of Hebron in central Iowa. The Des Moines Register reports the crash happened around 3:30 p.m. Friday when a large sport utility vehicle collided head-on with a small sedan on a rural road in Adair County. Investigators say a woman and child inside the SUV both suffered serious injuries. The two boys killed were in the car. The patrol has not yet released the names of those killed or details of what caused the crash.
