Semi Truck And Trailer Plunges Into Floyd River
(Le Mars) — A semi truck and trailer plunged into the Floyd River on Highway 75 near Merrill early this morning. The semi truck crashed through the barricades and eventually ended up partially on the riverbank and with the truck in the Floyd River. The Le Mars and Merrill Fire Departments responded to that accident that occurred at about 2:00 a.m. The truck is owned by the B-T Inc of LeMars. The trailer was hauling beef trimmings to be used to make sausage. Officials with the trucking firm said the beef trimmings would need to be disposed at a landfill. Michael R Wichner, age 55 of Sioux Falls, SD, was operating a 2012 Peterbilt belonging to B-T Inc of LeMars. Wichner was traveling northbound on Hwy 75 just on the north edge of Merrill when he lost control of the semi, struck a bridge rail belonging to Iowa Dept of Transportation, entered the east ditch and rolled into a waterway under the bridge. Wichner had to be extricated from the cab by emergency personnel. Wichner was transported to Mercy Medical by Merrill ambulance with non-life threatening injuries. Officials associated with the trucking firm said he has since been released. The right lane of travel on Highway 75 just outside of Merrill is closed as officials attempt to remove the semi truck and trailer from the river. The accident remains under investigation.
Remsen Fire Department Responds To Structure Fire
(Remsen) — The Remsen Fire Department was called to a structure fire last evening at about 10:00 p.m. The fire was located at a business at 2nd street and Washington. Todd Tentinger, Remsen Fire Chief says thanks to the carnival personnel who were in town for the Remsen Kids Days, for calling in the fire.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Tentinger fire2.mp3{/audio}
Tentinger says there were no flames visible upon arrival at the scene, and the Remsen Fire Department was on the scene for about a half an hour.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Tentinger fire1.mp3{/audio}
The investigation of the fire has been turned over to the Remsen Police Department and the Plymouth County Sheriff’s office.
Le Mars Fire Department and Dean’s Foods to Hold Tornado Drill
(Le Mars) — Tornadoes have ripped through several communities in recent years with Pilger, Nebraska being the latest town to be wiped off the map because of a strong tornado. The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department wants to be prepared if a tornado should strike our community and severly damages one of our industries. For that reason, the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department in cooperation with Dean’s Foods will jointly conduct a training session Wednesday evening on tornado safety. Dave Schipper, fire chief for the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department explains what will occur during the training.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Schipper tornado1.mp3{/audio}
Schipper says they will not be conducting a mock injury scenerio with Wednesday evening’s training. He says it is more of a plant tour to know where people would most likely be located if in the event a tornado should hit the Dean’s Foods facility.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Schipper tornado2.mp3{/audio}
Hedge Avenue Closed Due To Bridge Repair
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Secondary Roads Division has announced they will close Hedge Avenue between 250th to 270th Streets starting Wednesday and continuing through late August. The road is being closed due to the replacement of a bridge.
Graves Construction To Replace Bridge That Washed Away From Floods
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors accepted a bid submitted by Graves Construction of Spencer, Iowa for a bridge replacement project. The bridge in question was was washed away from the flooding of a year ago during the Memorial Day weekend. Graves Construction was one of three bids submitted for the 120 feet long by 30 feet wide bridge, located on 110th Street in Fredonia Township. Graves’ bid was listed at $412,471 with 85 percent of the cost to replace the bridge will be financed through FEMA.
Supervisors Proclaim Fair Week As “Agriculture Awareness Week”
(Le Mars) — In other action taken by the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors, they approved a resolution proclaiming the week of Monday, July 21st through Sunday, July 27th as “Plymouth County Agriculture Awareness Week”. The week happens to be the same week as the Plymouth County Fair. Five members of the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce Agriculture Committee were on hand for the proclamation. Paul Jacobson, the chairman of the Le Mars Chamber of Commerce Agricultural Committee informed the supervisors of the economic and social importance agriculture has upon the county. Jacobson told the supervisors that more than $600 million dollars is generated through the sale of grains, livestock, and agricultural products, making Plymouth County third in the state of Iowa and 66th in the nation for total value of agricultural products sold.
Disabled Veterans Eligible For Tax Benefits
(Le Mars) — Thanks to bills passed by the Iowa Legislature and signed into law by Iowa Governor Terry Branstad, disabled veterans and their spouses will be able to receive some tax benefits. Plymouth County Veterans Affairs Director Wayne Thieman explains who is eligible for those benefits.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Thieman1.mp3{/audio}
Thieman says it does not change anything with those veterans who have signed up for a regular homestead tax credit. Thieman says the program is for the veterans residence up to forty acres where the home is actually located. Thieman explains what veterans will need to do in order to participate in the program.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/June 2014/Thieman2.mp3{/audio}
Owner Of Former YMCA Building Indicted
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – The owner of the former YMCA building in Sioux City has been indicted, accused of several asbestos removal violations.
Larry Wolf is charged with nine counts of work practice standards violations and one count each of failing to notify state and federal agencies of his intent to do renovation work and making false statements to the federal Environmental Protection Agency.
Wolf told the newspaper on Tuesday that he didn’t renovate the building but declined to comment further.
The indictment says Wolf had insulation containing asbestos removed from pipes inside the building and didn’t follow proper removal and disposal procedures. A court document says Wolf denied removing any asbestos and told investigators he removed only metal pipes that had no insulation attached.
—
Lake View Nursing Facility Fined $500,000
LAKE VIEW, Iowa (AP) – A skilled nursing facility in northwest Iowa has agreed to pay $500,000 to resolve civil allegations against the center involving payment claims made to the government.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Iowa announced Tuesday that Blackhawk Lifecare Center in Lake View agreed to make the payment following allegations that the business submitted improper therapy services claims for payments. Blackhawk didn’t admit to any liability or wrongdoing, and the government didn’t allege the business harmed any patients.
The government had alleged that between January 2007 and December 2009, the company submitted claims to Medicare for therapy services that weren’t justified by the patients’ conditions.
The allegations were prompted by an investigation led by the Department of Health and Human Services.
