Home News Thursday News, August 6th

Thursday News, August 6th

Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office Warns Of New Scam

(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office is reporting a scam alert. On Wednesday, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office received a call from a Plymouth County resident. The caller advised she was just contacted by a “Deputy Miller” of the Sheriff’s Office about a warrant for her arrest. The call appeared to originate from 546-8191 which is the number to the Plymouth
County Sheriff’s Office. The complainant asked additional questions and determined this was some type of a scam. She then called the Sheriff’s Office to report the incident. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office does not take care of arrests warrants by phone. In addition, there isn’t any so-called “Deputy Miller” that works for the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office.
If you have a valid arrest warrant in Plymouth County authorities will show up in person to take care of it. If you are in doubt of who you are talking to, do not give out any personal information.

 

 

Attorney General Files Lawsuit Against Orange City Woman

(Des Moines) — The Attorney General has filed a second lawsuit alleging price-gouging law during the COVID-19 pandemic. Attorney General Tom Miller accuses Brenda Noteboom  of Orange City of selling more than 320 items on eBay at excessive prices for a two-week period in mid to
late March 2020. The items included toilet paper, paper towels, disinfecting and sanitizing products and other items. The Attorney General’s office says Noteboom made more than 55-hundred dollars through the sales. Noteboom is the sister
of Michael Evan Noteboom, who was sued by Miller on April 26th for allegedly charging excessive prices on more than 250 items. Michael Noteboom denies that he violated the price-gouging law.

 

 

 

Reynolds Signs Executive Order To Restore Fellons Right To Vote

(Des Moines) — Governor Kim Reynolds has signed an executive order Wednesday morning that will restore the voting rights of some felons. Reynolds had wanted the state legislature to approve such a measure, while they were in session, but the state lawmakers came up short for the votes. Many of those
legislators who opposed the bill are from the Republican party, the same political party as the governor. Members of the Black Lives Matter had placed political pressure on the governor to take this step, and wanted the action to be done prior to the July 4th Independence Day holiday. Restoring felon’s right to vote had been a priority issue with Governor Reynolds. State
Senator Jim Carlin of Sioux City says he has heard the executive order will not restore the voting rights to all felons.

Carlin wonders when exactly the time line when felons are given their back their voting privileges.

The Republican state senator says since it is an Executive Order, the next governor will have the opportunity to repeal the order if desired.

 

 

 

DNR Investigates “Hit-and-Run” Boat Accident

(Okoboji) — The Iowa DNR Law Enforcement Bureau is seeking the public’s help in locating a boat involved in a hit and run accident on Tuesday, August 4th at approximately 10:35 p.m. near Manhattan Point on West Lake Okoboji.
According to the DNR, a boat, traveling northbound hit another boat from behind just off Manhattan Point, injuring 52-year old Vaughn Wickman of Spirit Lake, who was operating the boar that was hit. The boat that cause the crash then fled the scene. Wickman was transported to a local hospital by ambulance where he was treated for injuries sustained in the crash. DNR
Conservation Officers and local law enforcement attempted to locate the boat involved, and also utilized the Dickinson County thermal imaging drone, but were not able to locate the boat. Conservation officers continue to investigate the incident. Anyone with information related to this hit and run investigation, including witnesses or anyone who sees a boat with new
front end damage, or scrape marks, is asked to contact the DNR law enforcement.

 

 

Construction Worker Killed On I-29 From Runaway Tire

(Atlantic) — A worker was killed on a construction site along Interstate 29 on Wednesday afternoon in western Iowa.
51-year old Homero T. Carrillo, of Des Moines died after being struck by a tire in Harrison County, while working in the east lane of the southbound I-29 bridge, near Mondamin. Authorities say the bridge had been shut-down for the construction project. The Iowa State Patrol says a man from Kansas was driving a pickup northbound on I-29 at around 2:20-p.m., when a
tire flew off the vehicle and northbound through the median before it hit Carrillo, who died at the scene.

 

 

 

ISU Official Speaks About The Widening Drought In Western Iowa

(Ames) — As drought conditions worsen in western Iowa and spread eastward, it’s raising concerns about crop production and the quality of the fall harvest. Mark Licht, a cropping systems specialist at Iowa State University, says while the dry area is expanding, it remains a lesser part of Iowa’s overall ag production.


Licht predicts the autumn harvest -will- be hurt by the summer heat wave and continuing dry spell.

While some farmers are being significantly impacted, Licht says the drought area isn’t big enough to have much of an impact on overall commodity prices.

Licht made his comments during an I-S-U webinar on weather and drought problems.

 

 

 

510 New COVID-19 Cases in Iowa, 8 Deaths

(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Department of Public Health is confirming 510 more positive COVID-19 tests, increasing the state’s total to 46-thousand-492 cases. Eight additional Iowans died of coronavirus complications which brings the death toll to 893. Two-hundred-43 people are hospitalized with
COVID, 77 patients are in intensive care and 34 are on ventilators. There have been more than 498-thousand tests in the state. More than 34-thousand-659 patients are considered recovered. There are 25 outbreaks in Iowa’s long-term care facilities.

 

 

 

Iowa Board Of Education Approves New Rules On Restraints, Use Of Seclusion Rooms

(Des Moines, IA) — The State Board of Education has approved new rules for the use of restraints and seclusion rooms in the state’s schools. Department Attorney Thomas Mayes says three big areas they focused on are the size of the room, notice to parents, and the risk to teachers of injury before they
could engage in seclusion and restraint, The rules were first proposed almost one year ago, and the board delayed implementing them after getting a lot of input. They updated the rules – but then they were delayed by the pandemic.
A spokesperson for the Iowa A-C-L-U told the board they want to see restraints and seclusion rooms as the very last option — and the rules can make that happen. A public hearing will be held September 15th in the Department of Education board room in Des Moines. An online option for the hearing will also be available.

 

 

 

Appeals Court Upholds Ruling On Sex-Change Surgery Payments

(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Court of Appeals has upheld a ruling throwing out a lawsuit involving the payment for sex-change surgeries. The lawsuit was brought by Mika Covington, Aiden Vasquez, and the group One Iowa, which sought to overturn a law passed in the last days of the 2019 legislative
session that allows government entities to opt-out of using Medicaid, to pay for transition-related surgeries. The legislature’s move followed a March 2018 Iowa Supreme Court ruling that the ban on using Medicaid funds for transition-related care was discriminatory under the Iowa Civil Rights Act.
The Appeals Court upheld the district court ruling, saying the two had not exhausted their administrative appeals, and until their Medicaid providers deny them coverage, the controversy is purely abstract because they have not been adversely affected in a concrete way.

 

 

 

Authorities Look For 43-Year-Old Fort Dodge Man In Homicide Case

(Fort Dodge, IA) — The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation is helping Fort Dodge police handle a homicide case. Authorities were notified a woman had been shot Wednesday at about 2:00 p-m. She died before she could be taken to a hospital. Authorities say they are trying to locate 43-year-old
Justin Christopher Hurdel of Fort Dodge for questioning. Police say Hurdel should be considered armed and dangerous. The name of the victim hasn’t been released.