(LE MARS)–Six-month-old Macy was all decked out in red, white and blue to say goodbye to her dad, Sergeant Matt Krogman, at Thursday’s send off of Troop C from the 113th Calvary in Le Mars.
Sergeant Krogman left Thursday to begin training for his 3rd tour, his first after having a daughter. His wife Colleen said it’s always hard to see him go, but having a child changes her perspective.
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Colleen added that father and daughter had some quality time on the drive in this morning from their home just south of Des Moines.
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Another dad left today for his first tour. 22 year old Jesse Olson of Le Mars was sent off by his mom, dad, wife, three year old son Noah, and many other family members and friends. His wife April said that even though he’s excited to go, she is not happy to see him leave.
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The Iowa National Guard has a Family Program in place to assist family, friends and even community members struggling with their loved ones being deployed. Information about the support available can be found on-line at www.iowanationalguard.com. (News report by Angela Drake, KLEM News)
Vander Plaats schedules news conference today
(DES MOINES)–The Republican gubernatorial candidate from Plymouth County who finished second in the June 8th Primary will hold a news conference Friday morning, perhaps to make an announcement about his political future.
Bob Vander Plaats said in late June that he planned to “stay in the game” because he owed it to a lot of people to “be their voice” on key issues. Vander Plaats has not endorsed Terry Branstad, the Republican Party’s nominee for governor. Vander Plaats, who won about 41 percent of the vote in the June 8th primary, has said there is a “divide” within the G-O-P that Branstad does not acknowledge. Vander Plaats hasn’t ruled out running as an independent candidate in the fall.
In late June, Vander Plaats said he would run as an independent candidate if he has a “clear chance of winning” and if it’s the “only way to be a voice and a champion” on issues like gay marriage. Friday’s Vander Plaats’ news conference is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. The news conference will be in front of the Iowa Judicial Building, according to Chris Dorsey who is the media contact for Vander Plaats. (News report by Radio Iowa)
Chalk Art in Le Mars in the fall
(LE MARS)–A two-day festival will return to Le Mars this fall.
Mary Reynolds of the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce says Mary Campbell of Bertram and Randy Becker of Le Mars will be the featured professional artists for the 2010 Chalk Art Festival.
Children’s featured artist will be Sydney Rand of Le Mars.
Reynolds says the two-day Festival sponsored by the Chamber will transform the area around the Olson cultural Event Center into a large art canvass. Everyone is invited to come down and draw.
The Festival is Saturday, Sept. 18th and Sunday, Sept. 19th.
Volunteers may help by contacting Reynolds.
ABI endorses Soderberg
(LE MARS)–A Le Mars man who represents areas in Plymouth and Sioux Counties at the Statehouse has been endorsed by the Iowa Association of Business and Industry.
The Association of Business and Industry represents about 14-hundred companies employing more than 300-thousand Iowans. State Representative Chuck Soderberg was endorsed by the group.
A-B-I evaluates candidates on their ability to help create jobs in Iowa by supporting a competitive business climate.
Man sought as “a person of interest” in South Sioux City bank robbery is arrested
(SOUTH SIOUX CITY, NEBRASKA)–A man who is described by South Sioux City Police as a person of interest in a bank robbery Monday is in custody in southeast North Dakota.
Police Chief Scot Ford says 57-year-old Edward Corey was arrested Thursday afternoon in Richland County, North Dakota. Ford credits “diligent work by members of the U-S Marshall’s Service and the cooperation of several law enforcement agencies” for the arrest.
A warrant had been issued for Corey as a fugitive due to an escape charge. An undisclosed amount of money was taken from Dakota County State Bank by a man who showed a gun and drove away from the bank in a van.
Body found in Storm Lake Thursday
(STORM LAKE)–A body of a man was found floating in the water in Storm Lake along the shoreline around noon Thursday.
The Buena Vista County Sheriff reports the preliminary examination by the Buena Vista County Medical Examiner’s office showed no indication of foul play. An autopsy as well as procedures for a positive identification are being completed at the state medical examiner’s office in Ankeny.
Buena Vista County sheriff Gary Launderville released written information about the case
Police: Drake student sexually abused frat brother
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Police have arrested a Drake University student accused of sexually abusing a fraternity brother.
Twenty-one-year-old Anthony Bertolone was arrested Wednesday and charged with third-degree sexual abuse.
He was released from jail later in the day. Jail officials say they had no listing for an attorney, and no attorney was listed in online court records.
A telephone listing for Bertolone wasn’t found, and a call placed to the Sigma Chi (kye) fraternity went unanswered.
Des Moines police spokeswoman Sgt. Lori Lavorato says the victim was incoherent at the time of the assaults and believes he was drugged. She says the victim was unaware of the assaults until he found pictures of himself and Bertolone on a computer.
She says the assaults occurred multiple times with the first known assault occurring last September.
NE Iowa pastor arrested on sex charges
WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) A northeast Iowa pastor is in jail after being charged with sexually abusing a teenage girl.
The Fayette County sheriff’s office says 40-year-old Timothy Parker, of Westgate, is charged with two counts of lascivious acts with a minor and one count of third-degree sexual abuse.
Parker, who is the pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Westgate, was arrested Wednesday. He appeared in court Thursday and remains in jail. Jail staff didn’t immediately know if he had an attorney.
Authorities say the county’s computer crimes department will review evidence collected during a search of Parker’s home.
If convicted, Parker could face up to 30 years in prison and be required to register with the state sex offender registry.
SE Iowa man accused of killing cat
BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) A Danville man has been charged with animal torture after authorities say he hanged his family cat from the ceiling.
Billy Lee Kracht was arrested Wednesday. He was released from jail Thursday morning. Online court records show he requested a public defender but no attorney is listed. No telephone listing for Kracht was found.
The Des Moines County sheriff’s office says deputies went to Kracht’s home July 30 after he reported his cat was found hanging from the ceiling, killed by someone who broke into the home.
When deputies arrived, they found Kracht’s six children crying hysterically and the cat hanging from a leash.
Kracht later admitted he got upset when he found the cat out of its cage and hanged it. He also was charged with filing a false report.
Harkin: Federal money unlikely for Lake Delhi dam
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin says it’s unlikely any federal money will be available to rebuild a failed dam that drained Lake Delhi in northeast Iowa last month.
In a conference call Thursday with Iowa reporters, Harkin noted there hasn’t been a final decision on whether any federal disaster assistance might be available. But he says initial contacts with the Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal Emergency Management Agency were not encouraging.
Because the dam was privately owned, Harkin says it looks like the federal government can’t pay to rebuild it.
When the dam gave way July 24, it drained the 9-mile-long Lake Delhi.
Iowa man gets probation in campground camera case
DECORAH, Iowa (AP) A Decorah man has been sentenced to two years of probation for putting a video camera in a women’s restroom at a northeast Iowa campground.
Sixty-nine-year-old Leslie Peterson was sentenced Tuesday in Winneshiek County District Court. He pleaded guilty to 8 counts of invasion of privacy and was fined $315 on each count.
Peterson was a campground host at the Kendallville Campground. The sheriff’s office says he installed a video camera in the restroom three years ago.
They say it provided a live feed and that no recordings or photographs were found.
Peterson also must complete a sex offender treatment program and register with the state’s sex offender registry.
Cedar Rapids: 435 flood-damaged homes demolished
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) Cedar Rapids officials say crews have demolished 435 homes that were severely damaged in the 2008 flooding.
Officials reported Thursday that those homes are among about 1,200 flood-damaged structures the city expects to ultimately tear down.
The city reports that it demolished 139 structures in 2008 and 2009. It plans to remove about 700 homes this year.
The homes were swamped in June 2008, when the Cedar River flooded, covering about 10 square miles of Cedar Rapids and causing an estimated $6 billion in damage.
Obama boosts Democrat seeking his old Senate seat
CHICAGO (AP) President Barack Obama has been in his hometown of Chicago on a high-stakes mission: keeping his old Senate seat in Democratic hands.
Losing the seat would be a huge embarrassment for Obama and his party, so the president made a Thursday fundraising appearance for the Democratic candidate, Alexi Giannoulias (jeh-NOO’-lee-ehs). Giannoulias, the Illinois state treasurer, is trailing Republican Rep. Mark Kirk in campaign cash.
Obama gave a rousing endorsement of Giannoulias, who has been embroiled in a controversy following the failure of his family’s bank in Chicago.
Obama said “I know his character” and told supporters “you can trust him, you can count on him.”
Also while in Chicago, Obama gave a pep talk to workers at a Ford factory and planned a night of high-dollar fundraising for the Democratic Party.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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