Merrill To Hold Meeting Regarding 5th Street Improvements
(Merrill) — The city of Merrill will be holding an informational meeting on this evening at 7:00 p.m. at the Merrill City Hall, Kissinger Community Center. The purpose of the meeting, according to John Meis, a civil engineer with the DeWild Grant Reckert and Associates is to focus on the improvements for 5th Street.
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Meis says the project is slated to begin in the spring of 2013. He says the street reconstruction project will coordinate with the county’s work on county road K-42.
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Meis says the street is in need of repair due in part to the volume and weight of trucks that serve both the Plymouth Energy and Plymouth Oil industries. The civil engineer summarizes tonight’s meeting.
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Tyson Cited By OSHA For Safety Violations
DAKOTA CITY, Neb. (AP) – Regulators have proposed more than $104,000 in penalties for Tyson Foods because of safety violations the regulators say were found at a Nebraska beef plant where a
worker was fatally injured.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration says Springdale, Ark.-based Tyson was cited for seven violations at its Dakota City plant.
Authorities say 37-year-old Rodney Bridgett was injured March 14 when a piece of equipment he was working on collapsed on him. The company has said the slaughter and processing plant was not in
operation at the time.
Tyson’s options include complying with the citations’ provisions, seeking an informal conference with OSHA’s area director in Omaha, or contesting the citations to an OSHA review commission.
Tyson representative Worth Sparkman said Monday the company hasn’t decided which course it will take.
Denison Man Pleads Guilty To Meth Distribution
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a 27-year-old man has admitted distributing methamphetamine in the western Iowa city of Denison.
Prosecutors say Antonio Lara-Pantoja, of Denison, pleaded guilty in federal court in Sioux City to a drug conspiracy charge. He was arrested on March 26, 2011, after officers found nearly 4 grams of
meth in his vehicle.
Investigators say Lara-Pantoja sold meth in Denison from January through March last year after obtaining it in Omaha, Neb.
He faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 40 years in prison. His sentencing hasn’t been scheduled yet.
Three People Rescued After Boat Capsizes
WEST DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Three people have been rescued after their boat overturned at Raccoon River Park in West Des Moines.
Des Moines television station KCCI reports that the accident occurred a little before 8 p.m. Sunday.
Ronnie and Jennifer Oldham and another person were in the boat when another one came by, creating a big wave that flipped over the Oldhams’ craft.
They swam to a nearby shore, where they were rescued by another boat.
No injuries have been reported.
Regents Start Search For UNI President
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Board of Regents has started the search for a replacement for University of Northern Iowa President Ben Allen.
The regents met by telephone Monday to authorize the board to hire a firm to help with the search.
The regents also voted to create a 20-member search and screen committee that will evaluate candidates and recommend finalists. They voted to have three regents on the committee, compared to two during the search for Iowa State’s president last year.
Allen has announced that he will be retiring by next July, once his successor is appointed. He has led the university since 2006, and the campus has recently been in turmoil over a series of budget
cuts.
Regents officials say the search could conclude before Christmas
and cost less than $150,000.
Farm Progress Show Expected To Attract Several Thousand
(Boone) — As many as 100-thousand visitors are expected in Boone this week for the Farm Progress Show, the region’s biggest event of its kind. Dena Morgan is spokeswoman for the 59th annual exposition, showing off everything that’s new in agricultural production.
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Morgan says visitors will be seeing the latest in agricultural equipment and technology as this is the place where many companies will roll out new products and campaigns.
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Morgan was asked how this year’s enduring drought will have an impact on the show.
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The show runs Tuesday through Thursday. It rotates locations every other year. Boone hosts the show in even-numbered years while Decatur, Illinois, hosts it in odd-numbered years. Learn more at: “www.farmprogress.com”
