Levy Breach At Akron Causes Flooding
(Akron) — In the early morning hours on Wednesday, a levy located within the city of Akron was breached by high waters of the Big Sioux River. Minor flooding occurred in the business district of Akron. The Akron Fire Department, along with several volunteers were able to sand bag the area stopping any further flooding on Main Street. Several homes on the west side of the river road were evacuated by fire and law enforcement personnel. Several large pumps were brought in, and they continued to use them throughout the day pumping water from Main Street. Akron officials say the repair in the levy is holding and the river has leveled off. Fire and law enforcement will continue to monitor the river. A total of 8 other homes were evacuated along the river from north of Akron to Highway 18 and Highway 12.
Branstad Declares Plymouth County And Other Northwest Iowa Counties Disaster Area
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Terry Branstad has issued disaster proclamations for five Iowa counties following strong storms.
Branstad issued the proclamations Tuesday for Cedar, Lyon, Plymouth, Pocahontas and Sioux counties.
The action lets state resources be used to prepare for, respond to and recover from storms and flooding on public land or private land that might threaten public health and safety.
State resources already have been deployed, including pumps in Lyon County and thousands of sandbags in Plymouth, Pocahontas and Sioux counties.
Day Two Of Ice Cream Days To Feature “Noteables”
(Le Mars) — Today, is day two for the Le Mars Ice Cream Days celebration. Brad Pick serves as the Chamber of Commerce Vice President for events and marketing says several events lead up to the Primebank ice cream social. He summarizes today’s schedule.
Listen to
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Pick says the Noteables are a collection of Le Mars Community jazz band players from the 1960’s and 70’s.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Pick ice cream2.MP3{/audio}
The outdoor movie will be held at the Olson Cultural Event Center and will feature the animated show “The Croods”, and is being sponsored by the American Bank. Pick remains optimistic the predicted rain showers may be over by the time of the movie.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Pick ice cream3.MP3{/audio}
Other events scheduled for today include the “sitting pretty” exhibit at the Le Mars Art Center, and at the Plymouth County Historical Museum, rootbeer floats will be served this afternoon from the Miller’s lunch diner. Museum officials encourage you to visit the new “Sports Room” and the “Fair and township” room.
Teacher Pleads Guilty To Stealing Prescription Pads
UNDERWOOD, Iowa (AP) – A western Iowa teacher has made a plea deal in her case about stolen prescription pads.
34-year-old Samantha Telleen pleaded guilty on Tuesday to one charge of prohibited acts, a felony. Prosecutors dropped eight more counts in return for her plea. Telleen was given a deferred judgment, was put on probation and was fined $1,000.
Telleen had been put on paid leave from her job as a special-education teacher at Underwood Middle School.
In April charges against her husband, Heath Telleen, were dismissed. Prosecutors say an investigation revealed Samantha Telleen – not her husband – took prescription pads from Underwood Family Practice. Prosecutors say Samantha Telleen was given a key to the building last year to check mail and faxes while the owners were away.
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Body Found In Skunk River
AMES, Iowa (AP) – Authorities in Ames say emergency responders have recovered the body of a man reported missing in the Skunk River.
Public safety officials say the body was recovered about 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, roughly four hours after receiving a report that a man became separated from an inner tube while floating on the river with a group near Carr Park. They didn’t release the man’s name until relatives could be notified.
Police, firefighters, medics and the Story County Dive Team responded and searched the river and riverbanks.
Sgt. Christine Crippen with the Ames Police Department says several days of rain have created high water, swift currents and murky conditions. She encouraged people to stay out of rivers until the waters recede.
Iowa Communities To Examine Economic Development
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – State economic development officials are planning meetings around the state with cities interested in revitalizing their downtowns and commercial districts.
The Iowa Downtown Resource Center which is part of the Iowa Economic Development Authority, will offer several downtown forums in June and July.
Atlantic is the site of the June 24 meeting and Knoxville is on June 25. A July 8 forum will be held in Storm Lake and one on July 9 will be in Oelwein.
The forums include a discussion group, a session to learn about the challenges of each community’s downtown area, a tour of the downtown, and a group discussion focused on creating a successful downtown business environment.
Attorney General Orders Minnesota Company To Refund Money To Iowans
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Minneapolis company must pay $450,000 to refund Iowa residents enrolled in membership programs that charged monthly fees.
Attorney General Tom Miller says the settlement involves Iowa residents charged fees through Sempris LLC or one of its predecessor companies, Damark International Inc. and Provell Inc.
The membership programs include Budget Savers, Credit Radar, Value Access and others. The attorney general’s office says its consumers had reported the charges as early as 1993.
Residents complained of unwanted credit card charges following trial memberships. Iowa law requires specific disclosures when consumers purchase buying club memberships.
Sempris denies liability as part of the agreement.
