Home News Monday News, August 31st

Monday News, August 31st

Firefighters Respond To Saturday Evening House Fire Resulting In One Burn Victim

(Le Mars) — Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department responded to a house fire Saturday evening at 620 S. Greenwood Drive. The fire was reported at around 9:43 p.m. and unfortunately resulted in a male victim having suffered burn injuries. The address serves as a duplex with two separate residences. Fire Chief Dave Schipper says upon arrival at the scene firefighters saw smoke coming from the structure.

Schipper says fire officials are still conducting an investigation, but apparently, the fire started as a result of a cooking accident.

The victim was transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare by the Le Mars Ambulance Services for treatment of the sustained burns, and remains there for additional observation. Schipper talks about the extent of damage as a result of the fire.

Schipper says fire had burned in several rooms, resulting in a lot of soot left in the kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom. Orange City fire department was called to the scene to offer additional manpower through mutual aid assistance. MidAmerican Energy officials were also called to the home to shut off the gas and power to the residence. Assisting at the scene were the Le Mars Police Department and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office. This marks the second time the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department were called to a fire at the address. Several years ago they responded to a Saturday morning fire that also resulted in a victim being burnt.

 

 

 

Ambulance Volunteer Dies From Fatal Accident On I-29

(Elk Point) — An EMT volunteer has died as a result of a fatal accident involving an ambulance. One person died and two others were injured early Saturday morning in a collision between an ambulance and semi-trailer on Interstate 29 a mile south of Jefferson.
The South Dakota Highway Patrol says a Midwest Ambulance based out of Sioux City was southbound on I-29 around 3:30am when the driver lost control.
The ambulance crossed both lanes, went across the median into the northbound lanes and struck the back end of the semi-truck and trailer.
The impact caused the semi-truck and trailer to roll onto its passenger side.
A 29-year-old female passenger in the ambulance was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the vehicle.
She was pronounced dead at the scene.
The 22-year-old male ambulance driver, who was wearing a seat belt, suffered non-life threatening injuries and was taken to a Sioux City hospital.
The 62-year-old male driver of the semi-truck also was wearing a seat belt and sustained minor injuries.
He was not hospitalized.
The accident closed Interstate 29 in that area for about eight hours, opening again at 11:20 a.m.
The fatal victim has been identified as Tonya Bruscher of Brunsville.

 

 

 

Plymouth County Ranks Highest County In Iowa With Positive Percentage of COVID-19 Cases

(Le Mars) — Plymouth County recently witnessed a spike in the number of positive cases of COVID-19 and health officials say we all need to be aware of mass gatherings that have taken place. Tara Geddes is the Plymouth County Community Health Services Director and she says there are many factors to be considered when observing the positivity percentage rates.

Geddes says the latest numbers show Plymouth County with a 22 and a half percent positive percentage rate, which makes Plymouth County the highest within the state.

Friday, marked the first evening for high school football, and along with area volleyball matches, Geddes admits to being concerned, especially for the spectators. She suggests people need to continue to wear masks or face coverings.

Geddes is hopeful that Plymouth County will be able to lower our numbers within the coming days and weeks.

 

 

 

Second Iowa Judge Rules In Favor Of Trump Campaign

(Sioux City, IA) — A second Iowa judge has ordered a county to invalidate thousands of absentee ballots. Woodbury County Judge Patrick Tott issued his ruling Friday evening. He found that elections commissioner Patrick Gill acted improperly when he sent absentee ballot request forms to 57 thousand registered voters that had their personal information already filled in. The Trump campaign and other Republican interests filed suits in three Iowa counties. Another judge ruled Linn County officials had also violated a directive from the Secretary of State. That ruling was handed down Thursday.

 

 

 

3-Year-Old Child Dies From Injuries Suffered When Hit By Car

(Johnston, IA) — Johnston Police are confirming a fatal accident at an apartment complex parking lot has left a three-year-old child dead. Police say a vehicle hit the victim at the Cadence Apartments Sunday afternoon. No names have been released in the accident that happened at about 1:15 p-m. Johnston Police and the Iowa State Patrol are investigating the crash.

 

 

 

Cedar Rapids Tree Trimmer Suffers Powerful Shock

(Cedar Rapids, IA) — Emergency responders in Cedar Rapids say a tree trimmer suffered a powerful shock Saturday afternoon when the portable lift he was using came in contact with an overhead power line. The 22-year-old victim’s name hasn’t been released. He was conscious as crews arrived and told him to stay on the platform of the lift until Alliant Energy could de-energize the power lines. When that was done, firefighters moved the victim to the bucket at the end of an aerial ladder on a fire truck. He was taken to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics for treatment. His medical condition hasn’t been released.

 

 

 

Black Lives Matter Group Marches To Des Moines City Councilman’s Home

(Des Moines, IA) — Members of the Des Moines Black Lives Matter movement marched to a city councilman’s home as part of the fight to end systemic racism. Marchers say Councilman Josh Mandelbaum calls himself the most progressive member of the council, so marching to his home Saturday made sense. The group’s list of demands includes defunding the Des Moines Police Department, putting another eviction moratorium in place, decriminalizing marijuana, and creating a civilian review board to investigate the actions of police officers. Mandelbaum said he doesn’t believe defunding the police department is the way to end police brutality, but he did agree to work with Black Lives Matter on other issues.