Home News Saturday News, December 29

Saturday News, December 29

(Le Mars) – Re-organization is at the top of the agenda in the new year for The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors.  Appointment of a new Board Chair and Vice-chair for 2013 will be the first order of business when the supervisors meet Wednesday morning, 9:30am January 2, 2013 in the lower level of the court house.  Discussion and assigning committee memberships, filling vacancies for various County Boards,and re-appointment of members to the Compensation Commission require the boards action on Wednesday morning.  Supervisors will also review the City of Le Mars offer on Crescent Ridge property among other items to start the County supervisors new year.

(Sioux City) As a result of the recent snowfall, the Sioux City police department will begin
enforcing winter rules for snow activity.  Skiing, sledding,or tobogganing in non-designated areas could result in misdemeanor citations.  Certain park and trail areas are off limits for these activities.  Sioux City police would like to express their appreciation for the communities cooperation in conducting winter activities only in designated areas.

SIOUX FALLS FIRE-INVESTIGATION
Damage to house delays investigation of fatal fire

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – Authorities continue to investigate a
fire that killed three children in Sioux Falls a few days before
Christmas, but extensive structural damage has prevented the
investigators from entering the structure.
KELO-TV reports that officials from Sioux Falls Fire Rescue say
the structure must be reinforced before investigators can work
inside the house.
The fire on Saturday killed 16-year-old Michael Hensley,
12-year-old Savannah Coon and 6-year-old Alivia Coon. The parents,
Rhiannon and David White, escaped by leaping to the ground from a
second-floor window.
Funeral services for the three children will be held Monday.

FIREWORKS
Fireworks legal in SD through New Year’s Day

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) – South Dakotans can now buy and
discharge fireworks through New Year’s Day, but they should keep in
mind that fireworks are banned in some areas.
This is the second year South Dakota has allowed the discharge
of fireworks in the New Year’s holiday period. In addition to a
period around the Fourth of July, they can be sold and discharged
from December 28th through January 1st each year.
Kevin Lorenzen, owner of Pyro City Fireworks, tells KELO-TV that
people should be careful when using fireworks, even though snow is
on the ground in many areas.
The use of fireworks is banned in Sioux Falls, the Black Hills
Fire Protection District and some other areas.
Officials have urged people to be careful not to start wildfires
with fireworks.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD-LAWSUIT
Planned Parenthood lawsuit dismissed

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit
filed by a former clinic director for a Des Moines-based Planned
Parenthood affiliate.
Sue Thayer claimed in a 2011 lawsuit that Planned Parenthood of
the Heartland bills Medicaid for blood tests and other procedures
related to elective abortions that are not covered by the
government-provided health care plan.
Judge James Jarvey says in his order filed Friday that Thayer
failed to provide the necessary specifics to prove a fraudulent
scheme.
Planned Parenthood CEO Jill June says she’s pleased the court
recognizes a lack of substance in the complaint, which she
characterized as part of a pattern of harassment against the
organization nationwide.
Thayer was assisted in filing the lawsuit by the nonprofit
Alliance Defending Freedom, a Christian group that opposes
abortions.

UNI REPORT
National professors group criticizes UNI over cuts

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) – A national professors group says
administrators at the University of Northern Iowa violated
governance, academic freedom and tenure procedures when they
eliminated certain programs and shuttered the education training
school.
The American Association of University Professors says UNI
officials failed to follow certain policies when determining
programs to eliminate. The report also says the university had no
legitimate basis to terminate faculty appointments assigned to
programs eliminated or restructured.
UNI President Ben Allen says the school disagrees with the
report. He called it on Friday an attempt to intimidate the
university.
AAUP is made up of union chapters around the country. It is
affiliated with United Faculty, the bargaining unit for UNI
faculty. That group has criticized the university over the cuts.

CAR PLUNGE
Police say Iowa woman’s SUV plunges about 25 feet

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say an eastern Iowa woman
is suspected of driving while intoxicated after her sport utility
vehicle plunged about 25 feet off an interstate bridge.
The Cedar Rapids Gazette (reports Nicole Butschi of Robins lost
control of her car and crashed early Friday morning. She had been
traveling southbound on a roadway that curves near Coe College in
Cedar Rapids.
Police say Butschi was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital with
non-life-threatening injuries after the SUV struck a concrete
barrier and toppled over. It landed on its top on a gravel-covered
area.
Police say officers smelled alcohol on Butschi’s breath when
they responded to the accident. They plan to arrest her on
suspicion of operating while intoxicated and failure to maintain
control.

ICE FISHING-DOT
Iowa DOT warns ice fishing anglers about parking

MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa officials are asking ice fishing
anglers on the Mississippi River in northeast Iowa to park away
from snow removal operations.
The state Department of Transportation says vehicles often
parked by ice fishing anglers on the shoulder of Iowa 26 north of
Lansing are hindering snowplows from clearing banks of snow. They
say this can cause unsafe driving conditions for anglers leaving
their fishing spots and other drivers.
Iowa DOT officials and the Iowa State Patrol say anglers should
use designated parking areas along Iowa 26.

HOG INVENTORY
USDA report shows Iowa leads in hog inventory

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A new report shows Iowa’s hog inventory
continues to surpass all other states in the country.
The United States Department of Agriculture says in its latest
report released Friday that the state has 20.6 million hogs and
pigs on Iowa farms as of December 1st. That’s a three percent jump
from the same period last year.
The report shows Iowa leads the country in total inventory by a
comfortable margin. North Carolina comes in second with 9 million
hogs and pigs.
Inventory of all hogs and pigs in the United States is down. It
was more than 66 million head as of December 1st, down slightly
from the same period last year, and two percent from September of
this year.

IOWA CITY-CAMERAS
Iowa City wants to mount video cameras on officers

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Iowa City wants to mount video cameras on
some of its police officers.
The Iowa City Press-Citizen says a report by the city’s police
department proposes buying body mounted video recorders to capture
police interactions with the public.
The annual improvement plan also lists the implementation of new
red light cameras as a focus for next year. The department also
says it wants to keep up with rapid changes in technology.
The City Council recently OK’d traffic enforcement cameras. It
is now waiting for further approval from state transportation
officials.

BARN FIRE-INJURY
Iowan injured trying to save horses as barn burns

LAMOTTE, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say an eastern Iowa man has
been injured while trying to save horses from a barn fire.
Firefighters were dispatched to the residence south-southwest of
LaMotte a little before 8 p.m. Thursday.
LaMotte Fire Chief Joe Kilburg told the Quad-City Times that a
gate hit Duane Meyer in the face as he and his sons rescued some of
the horses. Meyer was taken to a Dubuque hospital for treatment.
Kilburg says some of the horses died in the fire.
The cause of the blaze is being investigated, but Kilburg says
he doesn’t consider it a suspicious fire.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)