(HINTON)–A political outsider who wants to move inside the Governor’s mansion hosts an actor, martial arts expert, and well-known conservative in Hinton tonight.
Chuck Norris is traveling with Republican Bob Vander Plaats this weekend and will make a campaign appearance with the Siouxland candidate for governor at Hinton High School at seven tonight.
KLEM News asked Vander Plaats what’s different about his candidacy compared to others seeking the nomination.
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The business consultant and former educator says the June 8th primary will be a very, very close election.
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Vander Plaats will vote at the Hinton Community Center Tuesday and will be joined by his wife, Darla, and two of his sons, Josh and Hans.
(LE MARS)–The Plymouth County Historical Museum is the location for Woof-stock–a festival for dogs and people today in Le Mars.
The second annual Woof-stock emphasizes the fight against canine cancer and heart disease. Information about both will be available at a booth and Eva Mouw of Le Mars whose dog is fighting cancer will visit with pet owners.
Groups that rescue animals will have booths along with organizations that specialize in dog-related services or products.
Stephanie Oswald of Remsen will offer demonstrations on agility training.
A water and treat bar will be set up for pets.
Wood-stock begins with a “Poochi” parade at 10 and continues until 3 this afternoon with free admission.
(UNDATED)–The Le Mars Community Elementary Schools paper recycling project is this morning. Paper may be dropped off at O’Toole Park in Le Mars from 8-10 a-m. Other pickup sites are at the Struble and Craig Banks, the Brunsville Bank corners and at Kissinger School in Merrill form 8-9 a.m.
The Remsen-Union Family Connection and St. Mary’s School Board collect paper from 8-11 a.m. at the Marion Street permanent location.
Today is a Landfill Amnesty for Le Mars residents. The landfill is open from 8 a-m to noon. There is one more Saturday for the city of Le Mars Spring Cleanup Landfill Amnesty–June 19th.
Recycletronics collects electronic items for the final day in Le Mars. The parking lot behind City Hall is the drop off site from 9 a-m to noon. This is not restricted to city of Le Mars residents.
(LE MARS)–Two people face drug charges after a nearly four-month investigation of drug sales in and around Plymouth County. Authorities expect more arrests.
The sheriff’s office made the arrest of 19-year-olds Jesse Andrew Wielenga and Casey Ryan Hanson Thursday afternoon at five in the 300 block of Business Highway 75 North in Le Mars.
Wielenga, originally from Sheldon and Hanson, originally from Smithland, are each charged with delivery of meth, failing to affix a drug tax stamp, delivery of an offensive weapon and possession of stolen property. Hanson is also charged with possession of cocaine.
When Hanson and Wielenga were arrested about 22 grams of meth, 5 grams of powder cocaine and a sawed off shotgun that was determined to be stolen from Sioux City and $700 in cash were seized.
The drug investigation involved the sheriff’s department, Hinton and Le Mars Police Departments.
(LE MARS)–There’s new information about a one-vehicle rollover accident that claimed a life in Le Mars Thursday.
Le Mars Police have now determined the passenger in the vehicle who died, 26-year-old Mohamud Ali Ahmed, was from Mankato, Minnesota.
Ahmed was a passenger in a sport utility vehicle driven by his brother, 48-year-old Muhumed Ali Ahmed also of Mankato, Minnesota.
The older Ahmed was driving south on Highway 75 when the sport utility vehicle rolled several times after he over corrected when the vehicle went off the paved portion of the roadway.
The 26-year-old passenger died and his brother, the driver, was taken to a Sioux City hospital where he has been listed in fair condition.
(Le Mars) Plymouth County Attorney Darin Raymond is a candidate for re-election in the Republican Primary on June 8th. Raymond is completing his 12th year as county attorney and has encountered a wide array of duties since first taking office.
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Raymond says the county attorney’s office and Plymouth county have shown state leadership over his terms in office.
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Raymond finds the county attorney’s office a rewarding experience.
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Darin Raymond is unopposed in his re-election bid. The primary election will be held Tuesday, June 8th. Locations and voting times can be found on the KLEM web site , klem1410.com under KLEM Stuff, Election Information. (News report by Dave Ruden)
(SIOUX CITY)–Sioux City Police are releasing few details about an arrest for a stabbing reported Thursday.
According to written information released Friday afternoon, Alicia Slatton faces two charges of felony willful injury.
Slatton was arrested by officers from the Investigative Services Bureau Friday who found Slatton at her residence in Sioux City.
No further arrests are anticipated by police.
(SIOUXLAND—THE BODY OF A HOMER MAN, WHO HAS BEEN MISSING SINCE SATURDAY, HAS BEEN FOUND.
THE BODY OF 26 YEAR OLD DUSTIN PEARCE WAS FLOATING ON TOP OF THE WATER FRIDAY AFTERNOON AS HIS FRIENDS AND FAMILY WERE SEARCHING FOR HIM.
PEARCE’S COUSIN JESSE NORRIS OF HOMER SAYS PEARCE FELL INTO THE MISSOURI RIVER LAST SATURDAY WHILE HE WAS BOATING.
PEARCE WAS IN A BOAT THAT WAS BEING OPERATED BY ANOTHER MAN AND HE FELL INTO THE MISSOURI RIVER NEAR THE PORT NEAL AREA.
NORRIS SAYS PEARCE’S BODY WAS FOUND JUST SOUTH OF WHERE HE FELL IN.
A DUSTIN PEARCE MEMORIAL HAS BEEN SET UP FOR FUNERAL EXPENSES AND FUTURE COLLEGE SCHOLARSHIPS AT THE FIRST NATIONAL BANK IN HOMER.
A JULY 10TH BENEFIT WILL BE HELD AT THE BANANZA BAR IN HOMER TO RAISE MONEY FOR A RESCUE BOAT FOR THE HOMER FIRE DEPARTMENT.
(JOSIE COOPER OF KSCJ NEWS/POWELL BROADCASTING)
(SIOUX FALLS)–The brunt of severe weather moving through the KLEM listening area was in the Akron area.
The National Weather Service in Sioux Falls received a report a mobile trailer tipped over northeast of Akron about 10:30 Thursday night.
Plymouth County Emergency Management also reported trees uprooted four miles northeast of Akron during high winds.
According to Sioux County Emergency Management, a thunderstorm wind gust of 62 miles an hour occurred one mile west of Hawarden about 10 Thursday night.
Hail up to three-fourths of an inch in diameter was reported by Emergency Management in Plymouth County two miles east of Le Mars about 10:20.
KLEM’s weather station recorded a peak wind gust of 39 miles an hour at 10:15 Thursday night.
The weather service issued two Severe Thunderstorm Warnings forecasting wind gusts of up to 60 miles an hour. The warnings ended at 11:15 when the line of storms moved out of southeastern Plymouth County.
WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) Defense attorneys for 15-year-old Edgar Concepcion Jr. have once again been concentrating on language issues in his trial for the murder of his 3-year-old cousin.
Concepcion is charged as an adult with first-degree murder and first-degree sexual assault. He is accused of abusing and killing young Krystel Banes of Charles City.
Concepcion speaks a dialect of the Filipino language called Ilonggo, and his ability to comprehend English has been at issue during his trial. On Friday morning, Defense attorney Judith O’Donohoe recalled the defendant’s cousin, April Concepcion, to talk about some characteristics of the dialect.
She said Ilonggo tends to be more literal than English, and she added that a speaker may also answer in an affirmative manner when he actually means a negative response.
WATERLOO, Iowa (AP) Jurors in the child labor trial of former Agriprocessors slaughterhouse manager Sholom Rubashkin are getting the weekend off before they continue deliberations.
Black Hawk County Judge Nathan Callahan dismissed the panel of seven jurors Friday afternoon after they didn’t deliver a verdict. They are scheduled to resume deliberations Monday morning.
The jurors began their deliberations Friday morning after almost a month of testimony and arguments.
Rubashkin is charged with 67 counts of child labor violations involving some 26 teenagers from Guatemala and Mexico who worked at Agriprocessors’ plant in Postville in 2007 and 2008.
Rubashkin is also currently awaiting sentencing in federal court for a fraud conviction in connection with bank loans the company received.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) An Iowa lawmaker is apologizing to his family, colleagues and constituents after being arrested for drinking and driving.
State Rep. Erik Helland, R-Johnston, said in a statement that he’s “truly sorry” and deeply regrets his mistake.
Josie Albrecht, spokeswoman for the House Republican leader, says Helland was arrested at about 12:45 a.m. Friday by state Trooper Brett Tjepkes.
Tjepkes is the son of State Rep. Dave Tjepkes, R-Gowrie.
A breath test showed Helland had a blood-alcohol content of .08 or more. He refused chemical testing.
Helland is charged with operating while intoxicated and interference with official acts.
The 30-year-old first-term lawmaker has been released on bond.
NORTH LIBERTY, Iowa (AP) The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says the operator of a boat that fatally struck a 12-year-old Fairfield girl last weekend has been identified as a 42-year-old Cedar Rapids man.
The DNR said Friday that Sarah Nicole Perkins of Fairfield had fallen off a tube being towed by a boat operated by 51-year-old Janyce Gray of Cedar Rapids when she was struck in the water by the other boat. Authorities say Perkins had been camping and boating with friends over the Memorial Day holiday.
The accident remains under investigation by the DNR, assisted by the Johnson County Sheriff’s office.
ANKENY, Iowa (AP) An Iowa mother who was in a coma for nearly a month after a crash that killed two of her children is now awake.
Troy DeJoode (DUH’-jodee) says his wife Heather came out of the coma on Wednesday.
He says she has a type of traumatic brain injury in addition to multiple pelvis and facial fractures.
She’s been released from Mercy Medical Center in Des Moines and has been transferred to On With Life, an inpatient rehabilitation center in Ankeny.
The DeJoodes’ 5-month-old daughter Claire and 5-year-old son Carson died after the May 6 accident.
Troy DeJoode says a third child, 3-year-old Chase, is doing well and doesn’t appear to have any significant pain in his leg or neck.
Authorities say the family’s vehicle was struck by a pickup truck.
JOHNSTON, Iowa (AP) Iowa Republican Party Chairman Matt Strawn says he will announce the date of a special 3rd Congressional District nominating convention before the primary election that will likely force such a gathering.
Strawn declined to give the date Friday but says he will announce it soon to ensure candidates have time to meet with convention delegates.
Most think a convention will be needed because with seven Republicans running for the 3rd District in Tuesday’s primary, it’s likely none of the candidates will reach the 35 percent voter threshold needed to gain the nomination. The nominee will face Democratic Rep. Leonard Boswell.
Strawn and Iowa Democratic Chairman Michael Kiernan spoke about the election during a taping of the public television program, “Iowa Press.”
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Humane Society of the United States is offering a reward of up to $2,500 in the case of six kittens who were put in a garbage bag somewhere in the Des Moines area and thrown out with the trash.
Only one of the kittens survived.
Waste Connections workers found the bag early Wednesday morning and saved the one surviving kitten, whom they named Alley. She is now at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa and will go to a foster home until she is back in full health.
Animal Rescue League of Iowa Executive Director Tom Colvin said the case is particularly troubling because anyone can leave unwanted animals with his agency.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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