(JOHNSTON)–Soldiers from Troop C in Le Mars and their fellow guard members are facing a dangerous enemy in Afghanistan.
That’s the view of Col. Ben Corell who commands the 2nd Brigade Combat team, 34th Infantry and briefed media, including KLEM Radio News, today.
Answering questions from Bagram Airfield in Afghanistan. Col. Corell described the enemy as evil and ruthless.
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Rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) are the most common weapon the troops face.
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For guard members who were in Iraq, the commander says the difference between the countries is infrastructure. The American forces often operate from trails.
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He encourages Iowans to continue to send letters and care packages after the holidays. Efforts are made to provide mail even to the most remote forces once, if not twice, a week. He says the soldiers ask for more cell phone and internet contact and efforts are being made to meet their requests.
Recycling “lesson” yields more than 10 ton
(LE MARS)–Le Mars area residents and businesses donated more than 10 tons of paper to the Le Mars Community Elementary Schools paper recycling Saturday.
Steve Wick, a Le Mars Community School instructor at Kluckhohn Elementary, coordinates the paper collection.
Wick reports the students and volunteers, including school staff and parents, collected 20-thousand 160 pounds.
Wick says this was more than 10 tons of paper not put into the rural Le Mars Plymouth County Solid Waste Agency’s landfill.
In Wick’s words, “Thanks to all who continue to support our worthwhile lesson of recycling.”
Due to the New Year holiday, the next paper drive for the Le Mars Elementary Recycling program will be Saturday, January 8th.
Deckert trial set for January
(LE MARS) A January trial date is set for a Le Mars man charged after a Le Mars teen disappeared in October.
20-year-old Jordan Deckert pleaded not guilty to two charges of sexual abuse in the third degree and enticing a minor.
Police said the charges are felonies involving a 13-year-old girl who was reported missing by her mother.
The trial is set for January 11th. A pre-sentence investigation has been ordered for the Department of Corrections.
Deckert is being held in the Plymouth County Jail. According to court records, his attorney has asked to have Deckert’s bond reduced.
Templeton rye readied for sale by volunteers
(Templeton)–A popular prohibition-era whiskey distilled in western Iowa will become more readily available this week. The fourth batch of Templeton Rye is being bottled and delivered to liquor store shelves around Iowa and Illinois. Templeton Rye president Scott Bush says demand has far outpaced supply over the company’s four year history.
“This product right here marks the first Templeton Rye once we started to scale up production,” Bush said. “So, we have about five times as much product available for next year. I tell people it’s still not going to be easy to find, but it’s going to be a lot easier than it is today – which is virtually impossible.” The whiskey was first produced illegally in the 1920s. Bush says a few cases of fourth batch of the now legal spirit will be shipped to San Francisco and New York.
“Certainly our plan is to eventually be a national brand, but this is the product we made four years ago and the product for the next three years is already made too. So we’re somewhat limited on how big we can get how fast,” Bush said. “Each of the next three years we’re taking a fairly sizable, but somewhat conservative step forward.” The recipe for Templeton Rye requires the whiskey to be aged in oak barrels for four years. The batch being shipped this week was bottled and packaged with the help of 150 volunteers. Bush says fans of the whiskey came to the distillery in Templeton from around Iowa and seven other states.
“It was humbling to see how many people were interested and it’s been a neat experience to have people come here, work all day long for no money and then thank us when they leave,” Bush said with a laugh. The release of Templeton Rye batch four coincides with the 77th anniversary of the end of prohibition.
SE Iowa man arrested after high speed chase
WEST BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) A man has been arrested after authorities say he led officers on a high-speed chase that included a state trooper firing shots at the speeding vehicle.
The Des Moines County sheriff’s office say Christopher Brownlee was taken into custody Saturday after he crashed a pickup truck into a ditch near Burlington. The pickup was reported stolen from a hospital parking lot.
The sheriff’s office says the 24-year-old Brownlee sped past troopers trying to block the road. The sheriff’s office says a trooper jumped out of the way to avoid being hit but fired two shots at the truck.
Brownlee was not injured.
No telephone listing for Brownlee was found. He is not in the county jail and no information about Brownlee was found in online court records.
Iowa woman survives icy crash into river
ANAMOSA, Iowa (AP) An Anamosa woman was uninjured after she rolled her sport utility vehicle into the Buffalo River near Anamosa in northeast Iowa.
The Gazette in Cedar Rapids is reporting that 18-year-old Haily Sams lost control of the SUV she was driving on a snow and ice covered road just after noon on Sunday. The vehicle went through a ditch and rolled once before coming to rest on its wheels in the river, about 2 miles west of Anamosa.
The Jones County sheriff’s office says Sams was able to get out of the vehicle on her own and was not hurt. The SUV was totaled.
Iowa settles tax-credit dispute with filmmaker
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Iowa has settled a tax-credit dispute with a Hollywood film company for more than $434,000.
The Des Moines Register says the settlement with After Dark Films is in addition to nearly $316,000 in tax credits already awarded to the company. It filmed horror movies “Husk” and “Fertile Ground.” In Iowa.
The settlement is aimed at satisfying any legal claims the film company has with Iowa following the suspension of the state’s film program in September 2009.
The two films were considered “under contract” with Iowa when the film program was suspended.
In October, Attorney General Tom Miller sued several filmmakers that received millions of dollars in tax credits to make movies in Iowa, saying they conspired to defraud the state.
Escaped Iowa work-release inmate recaptured
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) An Iowa work-release inmate has been recaptured.
The Des Moines Register says 45-year-old Steve Collins was captured about 2 a.m. on Friday.
The Iowa Department of Corrections says Collins was listed as an escape after he didn’t report for work on Nov. 24.
Collins is serving a 15-year sentence for assault and burglary. He entered state custody in 2005.
He was transferred in October to the Polk County work-release facility, a minimum-security setting designed to allow offenders to adjust from prison back to the community.
Officials: 6 people hurt in Iowa hunting accidents
ATLANTIC, Iowa (AP) Several hunters were wounded in Iowa hunting accidents.
According to Atlantic radio station KJAN-AM, officials say six hunters were hit by shotgun blasts this past weekend, but all six were expected to survive their injuries
An Altoona man was struck in an arm while hunting deer north of Polk City.
A pheasant hunter was hit in a leg south of Osceola.
A 67-year-old man suffered an injured foot when a shotgun he was handling discharged.
A 15-year-old suffered a minor injury when he was hit by a shotgun slug that had passed through a deer before hitting the teenager.
A 22-year-old man was hit by a shotgun slug in Palo Alto County.
And a shotgun slug fired by another hunter struck a Minnesota man in one of his hips.
Iowa to play Missouri in Insight Bowl
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) Iowa has accepted a bid to the Insight Bowl, where they’ll face 14th-ranked Missouri for the first time in 100 years.
The Hawkeyes and Tigers are border rivals and less than 250 miles apart, but they haven’t faced each other since 1910.
Missouri finished the regular season 10-2. Iowa (7-5) opened the season ranked in the top 10 but has lost its last three games.
The Tigers and Hawkeyes have one common opponent in Iowa State, which won the Insight Bowl in 2009.
Missouri blanked the Cyclones 14-0 two weeks ago, while Iowa thumped their instate rivals 35-7 in September.
(Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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