(MERRILL) After a 3 month shut-down, Plymouth Oil Company will be up and running again this week.
Rich Magnuson of Plymouth Oil said this (Monday) afternoon that the 23 member workforce will go back to work Thursday. The employees were laid-off in mid-October due to a shut-down for maintenance purposes.
Magnuson also said that Teneska Energy of Omaha will be the single marketer for the products produced at Plymouth Oil. Teneska of Omaha, which reported gross operating revenues of 7.9 billion dollars in 2009, will be supplying Plymouth Oil with germ. Plymouth Oil will then extract food grade corn oil from the germ and end up with a by-product of de-oiled germ meal for hogs and dairy. Teneska will buy those products back from Plymouth Oil and market the products. Magnuson said it will be great to work with one marketer as opposed to the previous set-up, in which Plymouth Oil worked with multiple smaller marketers.
20 of the 23 employees going back to work at Plymouth Oil were a part of the original workforce, the other 3 are new hires that replaced individuals who decided to go a different direction after the October layoffs. Plymouth County Oil is located next to ethanol maker Plymouth Energy along county road K-42, in rural Merrill.
Le Mars man taken into custody for serious assault
(LE MARS) A Le Mars man was taken into in custody for serious assault just after midnight early Sunday morning. According to a report from the Le Mars Police Department, William Evans, age 20 of Le Mars, was arrested after an officer on patrol observed a group of people standing in a dowtown Le Mars parking lot. There was a male subject lying on the ground, and the perpetrator was identified as Evans. The unidentified victim was transported to the hospital by ambulance.
Le Mars man sustained non-life threatening injuries in accident Friday
(MERRILL)– The injuries sustained by a Le Mars man in a two vehicle accident on Friday were non-life threatening. According to a report released by the Plymouth County Sheriff’s office this morning, Timothy Ruhland, age 33, of LeMars was injured after his sport utility vehicle collided nearly head-on with a semi-truck about 11:30 Friday morning. The accident occurred just north of Merrill on Highway 75.
Ruhland was transported to Mercy Medical Center by Mercy Air care for treatment. The driver of the semi, Leo Crowell Junior of Lisman, Alabama, was not injured.
Branstad says up to 1,500 workers could lose jobs
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Gov. Terry Branstad says Iowa can’t afford to pay for a contract negotiated by former Gov. Chet Culver and will consider firing up to 1,500 workers who have been hired or are scheduled to start work soon to cover the cost.
Speaking at a news conference Monday morning, Branstad warned that 1,000 worker hired since July and another 500 who are in the process of being hired could lose their jobs.
The state hired the workers after instituting an early retirement program that prompted more than 2,000 employees to quit their jobs early.
Panel begins interviews for Iowa court vacancies
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) Interviews have begun to fill three seats on the Iowa Supreme Court left open when voters ousted three justices for their role in a ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa.
The state’s Judicial Nominating Commission began interviewing 60 candidates who applied for the posts on Monday. The interviews are expected to continue through Thursday.
For the first time the interviews are open to the public and are being streamed live online.
Voters decided not to retain Chief Justice Marsha Ternus and justices Michael Streit and David Baker in the November election after a campaign to remove them in response to the court’s unanimous ruling that Iowa’s ban on same-sex marriage was unconstitutional.
The commission will present a list of nine finalists to the governor, who will appoint the justices.
UI president says assault case can be a lesson
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) University of Iowa President Sally Mason says the sexual assault trial of a former University of Iowa football player can be a lesson to students about the dangers of excessive alcohol consumption.
Mason says the university has responded to the case by trying to reduce binge drinking, improve campus safety and treat alleged sexual assault victims with more care.
Prosecutors contended during this month’s trial that Cedric Everson and teammate Abe Satterfield sexually assaulted a freshman athlete who had been drinking heavily. Everson and Satterfield both claimed the sex was consensual, and Everson’s attorney argued the woman was in a state of “functional blackout.”
The jury found Everson guilty of misdemeanor assault, and not more serious sexual abuse charges. Satterfield has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault.
Northern Iowa meth dealer convicted
(Information in the following story is from: KIMT-TV, https://www.kimt.com)
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) A north Iowa methamphetamine dealer has been found guilty of conspiracy to distribute drugs.
David Neve, of Rudd, faces 20 years in federal prison and a fine that could reach $1 million. According to Mason City television station KIMT, Neve also most give up more than $100,000 in cash and the 39 guns that were seized when he was arrested in September.
Neve was convicted last week.
Officers testified that Neve sold large quantities of meth from his home from November 2008 to his arrest in September.
Iowa woman pleads guilty to theft, drug charges
MUSCATINE, Iowa (AP) A 22-year-old woman is scheduled to be sentenced in March on theft and drug convictions in eastern Iowa’s Muscatine County.
A news release from the office of County Attorney Alan Ostergren says Amber Patterson pleaded guilty last week to charges of extortion, theft and delivery of a controlled substance.
The release says the theft and extortion charges stem a Dec. 23 incident. The release says Patterson was wearing a ski mask when she went into a convenience store and demanded money from a clerk.
Ostergren’s office says the drug allegation came after an undercover officer bought cocaine base from Patterson in October.
Patterson is scheduled to be sentenced on March 4.
Cedar Rapids man jailed after police standoff
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) A 36-year-old Cedar Rapids man faces several possible charges after a standoff with police that ended peacefully.
Police say Mickael Peterson was arrested around 6 a.m. Sunday. Officers had been called to the scene about 2:30 a.m., responding to a call about a man with a gun.
There were no reports of any shots being fired.
He was arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana, drug paraphernalia, going armed with intent, and other charges.
A jail spokeswoman said Peterson remained in custody on Monday, pending $8,600 in bail. Online court records don’t list his attorney’s name.
Iowa search for snowmobiler’s body resumes
(Information in the following story is from: KGAN-TV, https://www.kgan.com)
PRESTON, Iowa (AP) The search for the body of a snowmobiler is expected to resume near Preston in eastern Iowa.
Authorities say a search for the man proved unsuccessful on Sunday. Officials told Cedar Rapids television station KGAN that the search had turned into a hunt for the man’s body.
The man and his vehicle crashed through the ice Saturday night into the Maquoketa (muh-COKE’-ih-tuh) River. His name has not been released.
Thirty-four-year-old Brett Stalker, of Sabula, was snowmobiling with the other man. Stalker’s vehicle also broke through the ice, but he was able to scramble out of the water.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
