(LE MARS)–Le Mars residents have a free place to take items from their fall house, yard and garage cleaning today and tomorrow and again next Thursday through Saturday.
The city of Le Mars offers a five-day amnesty on landfill charges for up to one-thousand pounds of throw away material. City administrator Scott Langel explains what is covered in the fall cleanup.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/sept2010/amnesty1090910.MP3{/audio}
Hours today and tomorrow are from 8 am to 4 p.m., then next Thursday and Friday from 8 am to 4 p.m. and Saturday from eight a.m. to noon.
The city asks residents or those who haul items for others to be courteous at the landfill.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/sept2010/amnesty2090910.MP3{/audio}
Next month on, October 6, Le Mars and Oyens residents can be part of a Household Hazardous Materials Collection.
Appeals court rules in Sutherland case
(SUTHERLAND)–The Iowa Court of Appeals has ruled the city of Sutherland’s insurance company is not liable for an accident the police chief had with his own vehicle. Radio Iowa’s Dar Danielson reports.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/sept2010/ddsutherland.mp3{/audio}
Court records say David Johannsen was the police chief of the city of Sutherland in 2004 when he had an accident while driving his best friend Gary Tunink and Tunink’s girlfriend Jodi Munn around in his truck on a gravel road outside the city limits. The record says Tunink and Munn were having sex in the back seat of the truck — Johannsen became distracted and lost control of the truck. He drove off the road and the truck rolled over several times. Munn died in the accident and Tunink was paralyzed. Tunink sued Johannsen saying he was liable for the accident and was awarded over three-million dollars. Tunink then sought to get the city of Sutherland’s insurance company to help pay the judgment. Tunnink said Johannsen had originally picked him up to try and get him to avoid having a fight with other men, so Johannsen was working in his capacity as police chief. The Iowa Court of Appeals ruled it was “inconceivable” that Johannsen driving his friend outside the city limits after three a-m while he engaged in sexual relations was in any way, shape or form related to the conduct of the city’s business. The Appeals Court upheld the district court ruling that Johannsen was not on duty and the city insurer does not have to pay. (News report courtesy of Radio Iowa)
Sheriff’s deputies will provide Alta protection
(ALTA)–The leaders in a northwest Iowa city of 18-hundred have decided to get rid of their police department, as Joel Hermann reports.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/sept2010/kayl09.mp3{/audio}
The city of Alta has signed an agreement with the Buena Vista County Sheriff’s Department to take over law enforcement in the city beginning next month. Sheriff Gary Launderville says it’s a good time for the agreement as one of Alta’s police officers is on military deployment and another plans to retire at the end of September. This week, two deputies were hired, who will patrol during the night shift, with day calls handled by other county deputies. Alta will turn over their two police vehicles and other equipment to the sheriff’s department on October 15th. The agreement is for three years. (Joel Hermann, KAYL, Storm Lake, Radio Iowa)
Judge separates trials in Iowa Film Office case
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A Polk County judge has ordered separate trials for a trio of filmmakers charged in the Iowa Film Office case.
The filmmakers allegedly inflated costs in fraudulently seeking and obtaining lucrative state tax credits.
The Gazette reports that District Judge Arthur Gamble on Wednesday granted defense motions after attorneys indicated the three defendants will likely have conflicting court strategies.
Wendy Weiner Runge, Matthias Alexander Saunders and Zachary LeBeau are each charged with one count of ongoing criminal conduct and 11 counts of first-degree fraudulent practices.
Gamble set a Nov. 1 trial for LeBeau, while Runge will tried in early January and Saunders in February.
River finally drops below flood stage in Ottumwa
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) For the first in 80 days, the Des Moines River has dropped below flood stage in Ottumwa.
The river, which has run roughshod over Wapello County all summer, slipped below flood stage just before 2 a.m. Tuesday.
According to The Ottumwa Courier, state records show the last time the river was lower than the 11-foot flood stage was at 3:10 a.m. on June 19.
Jim Parker, of Ottumwa, lives near the river. He got about six inches of water inside his house when flash flooding hit in August. Most of the time, his house was inaccessible but not under water. And, he says, his power was never shut off.
That was not the case for some nearby residents. Few homes in their neighborhood had water damage, but some residents were still waiting for the power to be restored.
Iowa universities post big enrollments
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) It’s a record fall for enrollment at Iowa State University, while the University of Iowa has welcomed its largest freshman class.
Figures released Wednesday by the schools show a record 28,682 students enrolled at Iowa State. That’s up 2.6 percent over last fall.
There are 4,557 new freshmen at Iowa. That tops the previous record of 4,289 freshmen in 2006.
The Des Moines Register says the extra students have made finding housing and courses difficult. At UI, some freshmen are living in off-campus housing or renovated dorm lounges. Students at both schools are dealing with full classes in some courses.
The University of Northern Iowa increased enrollment for a fourth consecutive year. It has 13,201 students this fall, an increase of about 1 percent from last fall.
Trial delayed for Iowan in pacemaker attack
MANCHESTER, Iowa (AP) There’s another delay in the trial of an Iowa man accused of cutting his father’s pacemaker from his chest with a pocketknife.
Jesse Fierstine (FIRE’-stine), of Manchester, was to stand trial next week on charges of attempted murder and willful injury.
The Gazette reports that District Judge Monica Ackley continued the trial because of conflicting medical reports regarding his competency.
It’s the fifth continuance in the case.
Ackley has ordered Fierstine to undergo a psychological evaluation. The trial will be scheduled after the evaluation is completed.
Fierstine is accused of attacking his father, Charles Fierstine, on April 25, 2009. Charles Fierstine, who recovered from the attack, died in July after a lengthy illness.
Man sentenced for embezzling from religion store
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) An Iowa man who pleaded guilty to embezzling more than $150,000 from a South Dakota religious goods store has been sentenced to six months in jail.
The Argus Leader says 42-year-old Anthony Weber, of Lansing, Iowa, will face 10 years in prison if he fails to pay $151,873 in restitution and court costs over the next five years.
Prosecutors say Weber wrote himself checks from the business account of Hurley’s Religious Goods in Sioux Falls, where he worked for his aunt and uncle for nine years.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Submit your news release, confidential news tip or news idea by email klemnews@lemarscomm.net, by calling 712.546.4121 or 712.546.9672 fax.
