Plymouth County Authorities Arrest Plendl For Shooting Pig
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Sheriff’s authorities have placed 27 year old Jordan Plendl of Kingsley, Iowa under arrest following an incident that occurred on April 23rd. After an investigation, sheriff’s deputies were able to determine that Plendl fired a high powered rifle at a barn located at the Jeremy Lund residence of 32484 Highway 140 near Kingsley. Lund and his family was inside a barn at the time of the shooting. Lund heard a gunshot and went outside to investigate and found a pig had been shot lying next to the barn. Lund reported seeing a club or quad cab style late model Chevrolet or GMC pickup truck, white in color leave the area. The Kingsley Police along with the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department searched the area and found a pickup that matched the description at the Jordan Plendl residence located at 33924 Quest Avenue, near Kingsley. Plendl was interviewed at the time, but denied having any knowledge of the shooting. Throughout the course of several days, information was developed by the Kingsley Police and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s office, primarily due to individuals coming forward with additional information about the incident. Last Friday, sheriff’s deputies interviewed several people again, including Jordan Plendl, where Plendl did admit to shooting the pig with a high powered rifle. Plendl was charged with one count of reckless use of a firearm, which is an aggravated misdemeanor; and one count of livestock abuse, also an aggravated misdemeanor. An arrest warrant was issued on Wednesday for Plendl. He posted a cash bond of $5000 and was released from custody.
Jamal Dean Waives Extradition
(Sioux City) — The suspect in the shooting of a Sioux City Police Officer will soon be on his way back to Iowa from Texas. Jamal Dean Waived Extradition back to Woodbury County during a hearing in Corpus Christi, Texas, Wednesday afternoon.
Dean is being held on a charge of attempted murder in the April 29th shooting of Officer Kevin McCormick during a traffic stop on Sioux City’s westside. He was arrested in Texas a few days later. The waiver of extradition means the Woodbury County Sheriff has ten days to take custody of the suspect. A statement from the Sheriff’s office says they are examining transportation options to return Dean to Iowa.
Hinton Drainage District Meeting Scheduled For Tonight
(Le Mars) — Residents living within the Hinton Drainage District will want to attend tonight’s informational meeting scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. at the Hinton Community Center. The meeting is being hosted by the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors acting in the capacity of the Hinton Drainage Board, and by the County Engineer’s office. Tom Rohe, Plymouth County engineer says the meeting is to discuss a financing plan for two bridges that need to be replaced within the drainage district.
Listen to
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The Hinton Drainage District was originally established in the 1920’s and it consist of close to 450 parcels of land. Rohe explains the proposal would be to have landowners submit a levy of $100 per year for the next five years.
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The county engineer explains the location and the expected cost of replacement for the two bridges in question.
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Rohe explains the condition of the bridges and why they need to be replaced.
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{audio} images/stories/mp3/May 2013/Rohe Hinton4.mp3{/audio}
Branstad and MidAmerican Energy Announce Wind Turbine Project
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad and MidAmerican Energy are announcing plans to spend $1.9 billion to install 656 wind turbines in Iowa by the end of 2015.
The Des Moines-based utility’s plan announced Wednesday at a Statehouse news conference represents the largest economic development project in Iowa history.
When completed, the new turbines will have the capacity to generate up to 1,050 megawatts of wind power.
MidAmerican estimates that by January 2016, it will be capable of generating nearly 40 percent of its power by wind.
MidAmerican is Iowa’s largest energy company, bringing electricity to 734,000 customers and natural gas to 714,000 customers in Iowa, Illinois, Nebraska and South Dakota.
Senate Approves Tax Credits For Restoration Of Historic Buildings
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A proposal to increase funding for tax credits that go to the restoration of historic buildings has won final approval in the state legislature.
The bill won final Senate backing Wednesday and will now move to Gov. Terry Branstad.
The program, started in 2000, offers property owners or developers tax credits for 25 percent of qualifying rehabilitation costs in eligible historic buildings.
Currently the state approves up to $45 million in credits in a fiscal year. Under this legislation, that number would increase to $60 million annually for the next three years, before dropping to
$50 million annually.
A spokesman for Branstad said he would review the legislation before deciding whether to sign it into law.
Spencer Airport And Five Other Iowa Airports To Receive Federal Funding
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin is announcing nearly $1.2 million in funding for projects at six Iowa airports.
The money from the Federal Aviation Administration will fund projects at airports in Belle Plain, Forest City, Osceola, Oskaloosa, Spencer and West Union.
The largest amount will go to the Spencer Municipal Airport, where $342,000 will be spent on renovating the runway lighting system.
At the Osceola Municipal Airport, $270,630 will go toward building a new hanger.
The Oskaloosa Municipal Airport will spend $213,300 on eliminating water ponding at the airfield.
Senate Approves $8 Million For Iowa Speedway
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Senate has approved a bill that includes $8 million to upgrade facilities at the Iowa Speedway in Newton.
The Senate approved the money Tuesday night as part of an appropriations bill that includes spending on a variety of projects. The measure now goes to the House.
Waterloo Democratic Sen. William Dotzler pushed for the funding. He says the money is vital for the speedway to make improvements needed in its effort to attract NASCAR Sprint Cup races.
Although the track already hosts the Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide races, Dotzler calls Sprint Cup races “the big Kahuna” because they attract more fans and media coverage.
The state tax dollars would be spread out over four years.
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