(LE MARS)–High water levels from record rains have flooded out two gravel sources for rural roads and gravel stockpiles in western Plymouth County.
Engineer Tom Rohe Tuesday reported gravel sources at Chatsworth and Akron won’t be used due to high water levels in the gravel pits.
A gravel back haul is the solution county officials will use to deal with the flooded out gravel sources. Rohe says Higman Sand and Gravel of Akron is using side dump trailers to haul sand to projects south and east of Sioux City.
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Rohe told supervisors, “It’s probably the only way we’re going to be able to get any gravel in the western part of the county this fall.”
Supervisor Mark Loutsch asked, “Is that (Washta source) pretty good gravel down there?”
“Much better gravel than we’ll ever get from Akron,” Rohe answered. “Yes, it is.”
Supervisor Craig Anderson told Rohe, “Well, it looks like a good contingency plan.”
An estimated 2,000 to 25-hundred loads will be hauled. About half that will be moved onto county roads and the other half will be stockpiled.
County crews will have extra work to load from the stockpiles and spread it onto the road. But due to weather conditions, the engineer said he didn’t know where they had any other choice.
(SIOUX CITY) The authors of a book about the 2008 Presidential election see another ‘game change,’ if the Tea Party gains momentum in mid-term elections.
Journalists and authors of “Game Change,” John Heilemann and Mark Halperin spoke at the annual meeting of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce Tuesday night.
Asked about the influence of the Tea Party movement on the next Iowa Caucus, Halperin said Iowa has not been influenced as much by the Tea Party in 2010 elections as some other states.
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Halperin and Heilemann have already been in Iowa researching the next Presidential campaign.
Flood warnings continue
(SIOUX FALLS)–The flood warning continues for the Big Sioux River at Akron. The National Weather Service reports the river is about six feet above flood stage. The stage is 21.8 feet today and the river is forecast to remain above flood stage for the next week. The river is expected to be about 20.9 feet or five feet above flood stage by seven tomorrow morning.
At Hawarden, the Big Sioux River is at 22 feet which is seven feet above flood stage. The river will remain above flood stage for the next week.
Roads reopened after flood waters recede
YANKTON, S.D. (AP) The South Dakota Department of Transportation has reopened a couple of highways that were affected by flood waters.
South Dakota Highway 50 at the Iowa line and South Dakota 19 south of Centerville are now open, as the flood waters there have receded.
Still closed is South Dakota Highway 48 at the Iowa state line, from mile marker 383 to 384.23.
Motorists are asked to use alternate routes, but they should keep in mind that many county and township roads are closed due to flooding.
The DOT says drivers should use caution when approaching sections where water is flowing adjacent to or over a road. They should not try to drive through water covering the road, as it could be washed out underneath.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
‘Nature Calls’ passes 39-thousand dollar mark
(SIOUX CITY) A fund raiser focused on nature passed the thirty-nine thousand dollar mark.
The Woodbury County Conservation Foundation’s seventh annual “Nature Calls” last weekend featured an art show, auction and beer tasting .
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center director Dawn Snyder says this year’s event was better than ever with the response from sponsors and the community being very generous. More than four hundred people attended “Nature Calls.”
The fund raiser was begun as a way to heighten awareness for nature education and conservation.
According to Snyder, proceeds from the fund raiser will provide funds for new educational exhibits to support that mission and ensure that green spaces and parks will remain for generations to come.
A 540-thousand dollar exhibit renovation at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center is estimated to be completed in April of next year.
Five injured in Ida County accident
(IDA GROVE) Five people, including an infant, were injured in a two-vehicle accident in Ida County Monday night.
The Iowa State Patrol reports a car was being driven east on Highway 175 by 19-year-old Symone Earl of Ida Grove and crossed the center line while negotiating a curve.
The car entered the path of a vehicle driven by 44-year-old William Davis of Ida Grove.
Earl was taken to Horn Memorial Hospital by Ida Grove Ambulance. Davis and one of his passengers, 41-year-old Lori Davis of Ida Grove were taken to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City by Mercy Air Care.
Two other passengers, 21-year-old John Williams Senior and two-month old John Williams Junior, both of Ida Grove, were taken to the Ida Grove hospital by Ida Grove Ambulance.
The accident reported at six Monday night is still being investigated.
Judge certifies class-action discrimination suit
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A lawsuit filed by several black plaintiffs against the state of Iowa claiming hiring discrimination has received class-action status.
Polk County District Court Judge Robert Blink approved the class-action status Tuesday. The case, initially filed in 2007, includes 32 plaintiffs who allege they were discriminated against because they are black. They all applied for jobs with the state or sought promotions in state jobs they already had.
The attorney who filed the lawsuit, Thomas Newkirk, says the case seeks to deal with the varying degrees of discrimination seen in state government.
Deputy Iowa Attorney General Jeff Thompson says his office encouraged the certification of the case. He says it allows the case to move forward without delay.
Trial is set for September 2011. Charges filed in deadly Iowa vehicle crash
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Des Moines police say a 22-year-old Iowa woman has been charged with providing alcohol to a minor in connection with a deadly vehicle accident.
Police said Tuesday that Silvia Fouch of Johnston is charged with supplying alcohol to a minor resulting in death. Police say Fouch was arrested on the felony charge and taken to the Polk County jail on $50,000 bond. Police say Fouch provided alcohol to 20-year-old Jennifer Nichole Poli of Newton.
Poli died in a vehicle crash on July 16. Police say at the time of the crash Poli’s blood alcohol level was 0.19 percent, above the legal limit. A person who answered a phone listing for Fouch said it was the wrong number. A public defender assigned to Fouch did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Iowa bank robber sentenced to 20 years
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Federal authorities say they’ve sentenced a 51-year-old man to 20 years in prison for robbing two Des Moines banks and passing notes to bank workers that said “I am armed.”
The U.S. attorney’s office in Des Moines said Tuesday that Ray Edward Lee was sentenced on counts of bank robbery and violating supervised release. He was ordered to serve three years supervised release upon completion of his sentence. He must pay $200 to a crime victims fund and $3,335 in restitution.
Prosecutors say the sentence came after Lee pleaded guilty in June. He was accused of taking money from two U.S. Bank branches in Des Moines on Oct. 27 and 28 of last year.
Jewish man sues Postville for discrimination
POSTVILLE, Iowa (AP) A Postville man has filed state and federal lawsuits against the city claiming he has suffered discrimination because he is Jewish.
Gabay Menahem is a residential landlord in Postville. The Gazette newspaper in Cedar Rapids reports that he has filed the lawsuits against the city of Postville, the city clerk and two city council members. In the lawsuits, Menahem alleges the city denied him due process because he is Jewish and city officials made disparaging comments.
Postville Mayor Leigh Rekow says the city has no comment on the lawsuit.
Menahem is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and equitable relief. The lawsuits allege city actions related to water, snow and street services led to the failure of his company.
Iowa health efforts get $720,000 in federal money
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) HIV surveillance, tobacco prevention and infectious disease responses are among the Iowa projects that will receive about $720,000 in funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Iowa Department of Public Health announced the funding Tuesday, saying it comes through the Affordable Care Act. Department director Tom Newton says the money will allow for the “development and expansion” of programming. The money will be divided among the three efforts.
The largest share of about $475,000 will go toward preventing infectious diseases. About $180,000 will be used to prevent and track HIV in Iowa. About $65,000 will be for programs aimed at curbing smoking in Iowa.
Webster City firm ready to make electric cars
WEBSTER CITY, Iowa (AP) A Webster City company is close to beginning production of electric vehicles.
AMS Inc. owner Joe Fleming says the firm is about two weeks away from producing the autos and is putting final preparations in place. The Webster City Freeman Journal reports Tuesday that the company will start out assembling about 38 cars a week and increase that to about 100 cars a week in December.
The company is hiring workers and Fleming says they’re “anxious to get started.” In late July the company and Webster City announced that AMS had signed an agreement with EnVision Motor Company of Ames to produce the Electric Motor Cars brand. AMS workers will install the drive train and motor into car chassis made in Europe.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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