(DES MOINES)–Republicans who will have majority control of the Iowa House in the next legislative session are making leadership plans.
State Representative Chuck Soderberg of Le Mars is one of the newly appointed leaders.
Soderberg will chair the House Commerce Committee. He is beginning his fourth term as a state representative.
Soderberg was appointed by Speaker-elect Kraig Paulsen who said under Soderberg’s leadership, the Commerce Committee will help put Iowans back to work.
Soderberg will also serve on the House Economic Growth/Rebuild Iowa, Environmental Protection and Ways and Means Committees.
He’ll join State Senator Randy Feenstra of Hull to provide a legislative update during the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce “Lunch with Legislators,” Wednesday, December 15th at noon at American Bank. Reservations are being accepted by the Chamber until December 13th.
Aurelia lawmaker Dan Huseman is also in a new leadership post.
Paulsen appointed Huseman to chair the House Transportation, Infrastructure and Capitals Appropriations subcommittee. According to Paulsen, Huseman brings a tremendous amount of knowledge and expertise to this budget area.
Huseman begins is ninth term next month and will also serve on the House Agriculture, Appropriations and Transportation Committees. .
Supervisors won’t meet today
(LE MARS)–The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will not meet today (Tuesday).
The board occasionally waives a weekly meeting when there are five Tuesdays in a month and there are limited agenda items.
Plymouth County road reopens after culvert project
(LE MARS)–A bridge replacement project north of Kingsley is finished.
Engineer Tom Rohe reports 260th Street, from Polk Avenue to Quest Avenue, reopened Monday afternoon.
A bridge was replaced with a precast box culvert.
The project began in late October.
Sioux County jury convicts Sheldon woman
(ORANGE CITY)–A Sheldon woman has been convicted on drug charges by a Sioux County jury.
County attorney Coleman McAllister released information about the verdict for 27-year-old Angela Michelle Heideman.
A jury last week convicted Heideman for failing to have a drug tax stamp and possession of marijuana as a fourth offense. She had three prior convictions for possession of pot.
Heideman was charged after a traffic stop on March 27th by an Iowa State Patrol officer on Highway 60, just south of Alton.
A sentencing date has not been set yet.
Two men escape black ice danger on Storm Lake
(STORM LAKE)–Buena Vista County authorities report two men made it safely to shore after walking out on black ice covering Storm Lake Saturday.
According to information released by the sheriff’s office Monday afternoon, 20-year-old Christopher Friddle of Centerville Utah and 22-year-old Weston Bodily of Carbosa Viejo, California said they had no idea of the danger of black ice or hypothermia.
The men told authorities they’d decided to walk to the large island. Half way to their destination, they realized it was a dangerous situation and they made it back to shore safely.
Storm Lake Fire and Rescue, Storm Lake Ambulance and the Sheriff’s office water rescue team were placed on standby while police and sheriff’s deputies watched the men from shore. Plans were also made for an ice water rescue, but were not needed.
Siouxland Chamber executive expected to head state agency
(DES MOINES)–Governor-elect Terry Branstad is expect to name a Siouxland business group’s top executive to head a state agency today.
Branstad has scheduled a 9 a-m news conference at his campaign headquarters in Urbandale to announce his choice to head Iowa’s economic development and job creation efforts.
Debi Durham, of the Siouxland Chamber of Commerce is expected to be named to the job. The 50-year-old Durham was a Republican candidate for Lt. Governor in 2002 as the running mate of Doug Gross. She is a member of the Iowa Transportation Commission.
Two injured when Sheldon woman loses control of SUV
(BOYDEN)–Two people were injured when a driver lost control on a gravel road north of Boyden.
The Sioux County Sheriff’s office reports 22-year-old Alyssa LePaige of Sheldon was driving north on Kennedy Avenue and attempted to pass a vehicle in front of her.
When LePaige lost control, the S-U-V entered the west ditch and rolled.
LePaige and a passenger, 20-year-old Patrick Hunt of Sheldon, were taken to a hospital in Sheldon by the Boyden Ambulance.
Information about the November 24th accident was released Monday.
For Road Condition Reports:
**In Iowa
511
www.511ia.org
**In Minnesota
(800)542-0220 or 511
www.511mn.org
**In South Dakota
(866)697-3511 or 511
www.sddot.com
**In Nebraska
(800) 906-9069 or 511
www.511nebraska.org
**In Missouri
(800)222-6400
www.modot.mo.gov
**In Illinois
(800)452-4368
www.gettingarondillinois.com
“In Wisconsin
511
www.511wi.gov
For weather releated announcements: www.snowcaponline.com/siouxland.php
Public safety agency investigating server breach
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) The Iowa Department of Public Safety says the state Division of Criminal Investigation is looking into a breach of the computer server that hosts the state’s Amber Alert website.
Officials announced Monday that the server, which also hosts the Iowa State Patrol’s crash report website, is temporarily out of service.
The Department of Public Safety says the inquiry is an “ongoing criminal investigation” and declined to release more information about the server breach.
Man sentenced to 5 years for assault on prosecutor
DUBUQUE, Iowa (AP) A Dubuque man who assaulted a county attorney after being convicted of second-degree murder has been sentenced to five years in prison for the assault.
Michael Mayton was sentenced Monday in Dubuque County District Court for the July 9 assault on Dubuque County Attorney Ralph Potter.
The Telegraph Herald reports that a jury had just found Mayton guilty in the stabbing death of David Tate and the stabbing of Richard Schramm Jr., when Mayton, with his hands cuffed, hit Potter as he was being led from the courtroom.
He pleaded guilty to a charge of willful injury earlier this month.
Mayton was previously sentenced to 50 years in prison on the murder charge and five years for assault.
Iowa hunter dies of gunshot wound
BUSSEY, Iowa (AP) A southern Iowa man has died of a gunshot wound while hunting deer in Mahaska County.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources say 41-year-old Christopher Durham of Harvey was shot late Sunday afternoon near Bussey. The agency says he was hunting with a group of seven other hunters when he was shot.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation is continuing.
Vandals damage hog lots in northeast Iowa
WEST UNION, Iowa (AP) Authorities say vandals broke into three hog lots in northeast Iowa, causing thousands of dollars in damage and releasing hogs from two of the operations.
The Fayette County sheriff’s office says confinements near Sumner and West Union were damaged late Saturday and early Sunday.
Oelwein radio station KOEL says at the operation near Sumner, vandals broke into the office and took a shotgun and shot a hole in a transformer on a utility pole next to the building.
Damage also was done to buildings at the confinements near West Union, where several hogs were released.
Officials are asking anyone with information to contact the sheriff’s office.
Inquiry into 2004 UI lab attack apparently stalls
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Despite an extensive investigation, it appears no one will be prosecuted for a 2004 break-in at a University of Iowa lab where activists released hundreds of animals and destroyed years of research.
The only suspect ever charged, Scott Ryan DeMuth of Minneapolis, has always maintained his innocence.
Under a plea bargain, prosecutors dropped allegations that he played a role in the attack and he instead pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor for a 2006 break-in at a ferret farm in Minnesota.
Barring a surprise development, that means nobody will be held criminally responsible for the raid in which masked men broke into Spence Laboratories, freed 400 rats and mice, dumped chemicals on data and damaged computers.
FBI spokeswoman Sandy Breault says aspects of the case are still being investigated.
Nevada company buys Ames newspaper
AMES, Iowa (AP) The Tribune in Ames has been sold to a Las Vegas-based company and a new publisher named.
Stephens Media LLC bought the Tribune from Midland Newspapers Inc., a subsidiary of the Omaha World-Herald. The sale was announced Monday. It includes The Tribune’s other publications, including newspapers in Boone, Nevada and Algona.
Tom Stallbaumer, publisher of the Morning News in Springdale, Ark., will be the publisher of the newly acquired publications.
Stephens Media used to own the Oskaloosa Herald and Clinton Herald. Stephens Media Chief Executive Officer Michael Ferguson says the company is pleased to return to Iowa.
Omaha World-Herald CEO Terry Kroeger says the decision to sell The Tribune was made because it is outside the company’s primary market area.
(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.
