(MERRILL)–Traffic was delayed for a brief amount of time in Merrill late (this) Friday morning.
Merrill Police and Ambulance and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of a vehicle collision with a Burlington Northern Santa Fe train on Highway 75 in Merrill.
Authorities say the person thought to be injured in the vehicle refused to be transported by the ambulance.
Fall sanitation time for gardeners
(Plymouth County) The frost has come, and for gardeners that means it’s time for fall sanitation. ISU Extension Horticulture Educator, Melissa O’Rourke, says you really need to clean out any remaining materials from your vegetable garden.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/Oct2010/fallgarden11022.mp3{/audio}
According to O’Rourke, fall sanitation is more important than ever this year because of all the rain we received.
Once the vegetation is cleared it is also a good idea to till the soil on a dry day. O’Rourke said that gardeners often don’t think to test their soil and fertilize until spring. She says fall is an excellent time to do these things because it gives the fertilizer all winter to break down.
Listen here
{audio}images/stories/mp3/Oct2010/fallgarden21022.mp3{/audio}
Soil sample bags are available from the extension office. They will give you instructions on what to collect and then test your soil for a small fee. Once you know the make-up of your soil, you’ll then know what nutrients to add.
If you have questions regarding your garden or yard contact your ISU extension office. The number for Plymouth County is 712-546-7835. (Angela Drake, KLEM News)
NWS: Siouxland still officially without killing frost
(SIOUX FALLS)–The National Weather Service reports Siouxland has yet to experience a killing frost.
However, on October 19th, light frost was recorded when the temperature was at 32 degrees for three hours.
The temperature for a killing frost is 28 degrees for three hours.
No on injured in an apartment building fire on Sioux City’s north side
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) Authorities say no one was injured but dozens of people were evacuated after a fire damaged an apartment complex in Sioux City.
According to an Associated Press report, the fire at Glen Oaks Apartments on the city’s north side was reported shortly before 11 p.m. Thursday. The fire was in one of the buildings in the six-building complex, and everyone in the 24 units got out safely.
It took firefighters about an hour to put out the flames. Most of the damage is on the second and third floors, but many other units sustained smoke damage.
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Larchwood casino construction fuels Sioux Falls contractors workload
SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) The debate is still open on whether a casino being built in northwest Iowa will hurt South Dakota’s economy. But there’s little doubt construction is providing a boost to Sioux Falls.
Complex general manager Sharon Haselhoff tells The Argus Leader that Sioux Falls businesses have been awarded more than $10 million in contracts for the Grand Falls Casino Resort.
Dan Pirrung with Myrl and Roy’s Paving says that’s helping fill gaps in Sioux Falls’ struggling economy.
The casino is expected to open next summer. A 2009 study projected South Dakotans will spend $55 million per year there. It also said South Dakota could expect to lose $18 million in annual video lottery revenues.
Greg Sands with Sands Drywall thinks the resort could be good for Sioux Falls. He says it will help east-side development.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Iowa unemployment rate holds steady at 6.8 percent
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Iowa’s unemployment rate has remained steady for the third month in a row.
Iowa Workforce Development officials said Friday that the seasonally adjusted rate for September was 6.8 percent, the same rate as August and July. The unemployment rate was 6.7 percent in June.
The September rate is slightly higher than a year ago, when the jobless rate was 6.4 percent.
The statewide estimate of unemployed people dropped slightly to 113,300 in September from 113,700 in August. The level was reported at 106,400 a year ago.
Elisabeth Buck, director of Iowa Workforce Development, says in a statement that job growth is expected to remain uneven for the rest of the year.
She predicts hiring will gradually strengthen in 2011.
Iowa court overturns rulings in softball game
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Iowa Supreme Court says a softball player injured when a bat hit him in the head can pursue a lawsuit against the batter.
The court’s ruling Friday reversed a decision by a district court and vacated a decision by the appeals court. The earlier decisions had found that softball is a contact sport and falls under a law that limits lawsuits.
The Supreme Court’s decision is in a Carroll County case involving Benjamin Feld. He was playing first base in a high school pickup game in 2005 and was hit in the head by a bat.
The batter, Luke Borkowski, hit a ball toward third base, and the bat went flying and hit Feld.
The Supreme Court says questions have been raised about recklessness, and whether the batter released the bat in frustration and anger. The court says that’s for a jury to decide and sent the case to the lower court.
Man pulled to safety before train wreck in Iowa
NEVADA, Iowa (AP) Authorities say a police officer pulled a man out of his car moments before it was hit by a Union Pacific freight train in Nevada in central Iowa.
The Iowa State Patrol tells Atlantic radio station KJAN that the driver drove into a railroad intersection about 8 p.m. Thursday and got stuck on the tracks.
A police officer helped the driver get out of the car. Moments later the car was hit by the train.
The patrol says an investigation is under way and charges are pending.
Body found in tent in western Iowa
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) Authorities say an autopsy is pending on a body found in a tent near Underwood in western Iowa.
The Pottawattamie County sheriff office told Atlantic radio station KJAN that a farmer found the body in the tent in a field Thursday afternoon.
Sgt. Duane Riche says the body was badly decomposed, making initial attempts at identification impossible.
Officials are awaiting results of an autopsy by the state medical examiner’s office in Ankeny.
UI, Iowa State to seek $67 million for projects
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The University of Iowa and Iowa State plan to ask the Board of Regents to approve more than $67 million in construction projects.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that UI is seeking $53 million to renovate portions of the Iowa Memorial Union, which was damaged by flooding in 2008.
The project would return the bookstore, food court and student lounge areas to the union’s lower level and add a bowling alley.
The Des Moines Register reports that Iowa State officials will ask for $4 million for a new video scoreboard and about $10 million to build an outdoor sports complex for soccer, softball and track and field.
Iowa State officials say athletic department revenue would pay for both projects. They say no state funds or student tuition would be used.
After hearing boos, Texas returns to cheers
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) The last time Texas played at home, the Longhorns heard the boos rain down from fans during a humiliating loss to UCLA.
A loss to Oklahoma a week later only intensified the shock and malaise that hung over the program. Texas fell out of the AP Top 25 for the first time in a decade.
After a month on the road, Texas returns home Saturday a much happier bunch following an uplifting win over Nebraska. Texas (4-2, 2-1 Big 12) plays Iowa State (3-4, 1-2) on Saturday the first of five home games in the second half of the season.
Defensive tackle Alex Okafor says the players want to redeem themselves in front of the home crowd.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Submit your news release, confidential news tip or news idea by email klemnews@lemarscomm or by calling 712.546.4121 or 712.546.9672 fax.
