Le Mars Walmart Store Robbed
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Police Department were called to the Walmart store at about 2:00 a.m. this morning for a robbery. It was reported a white male between 5 feet 6 inches to 5 feet eight inches tall, medium build, light colored hair, wearing a ball cap and a long-sleeve black t-shirt with red printing on the front approached an employee claiming to be armed with a knife and forcing the employee to open the safe. The suspect fled the scene in a light colored four-door passenger car headling south on Highway 75. There were no injuries reported, and an unknown amount of cash was stolen.
Richter Rides Across Nation On Bicycle
(Le Mars) — Have you ever imagined riding a bicycle across the United States? A Le Mars resident did just that this summer. Father Kevin Richter of the St. Joseph Catholic Church was granted a Sabbatical for the summer, and decided to ride his bicycle across the nation. Richter divided his journey into two halves. He left Le Mars on June 9th, heading east, to Yorktown, Virginia. Then he boarded an airplane and flew to Portland, Oregon and headed back home from Astoria, Oregon. All total, Richter rode 3836 miles with each half surprisingly amounting to the same distance. The first half of the journey was 1900 miles exactly, and the second half amounted to 1936 miles. Along the way, Richter had 13 flat tires. (Check back for comments from Father Richter about his cross-country bicycle ride).
Deer Hits Window Of Sioux City Restaurant
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Officials say no one was hurt when a deer slammed into the window of a restaurant in Sioux City.
The 4-point buck hit the exterior glass of a double-paned window at Rebos on Wednesday afternoon. The interior window did not break and the deer did not enter the restaurant.
Sioux City Animal Control officials say the deer was badly wounded in the incident. It was later euthanized.
Animal Control Officer Kenna Anderson says it’s not uncommon to see deer in the downtown area because they follow the nearby Floyd River.
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Workforce Agency Director Defends Herself At Hearing
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The head of Iowa’s workforce agency is defending herself against accusations of mismanagement, telling lawmakers that she has been trying to update and modernize operations.
Iowa Workforce Development Director Teresa Wahlert came before the Senate Government Oversight Committee on Wednesday.
During two days of hearings, a former workforce judge has said he was unfairly fired and staffers questioned why they were told to keep quiet about the agency’s decision to grant unemployment benefits to people who didn’t seek them earlier this year.
Wahlert, who was appointed by Governor Terry Branstad in January 2011, said there was no effort to cover up the overpayment problem, caused by a technical glitch. To the management complaints, she said some people may be having a hard time with new policies.
Hog Manure Spill
LAUREL, Iowa (AP) – Iowa regulators are investigating a hog manure spill in Jasper County, south of Laurel.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a farmer had called on Wednesday after spotting dead fish and crawdads in a tributary of Alloway Creek.
Environmental specialists tracked the manure spill to a 4,000-head hog facility owned by Clinton Vos, of Newton. It was determined that manure was leaking from a wall of the hog confinement and pooling outside the building.
The department says the owner has repaired the building and erected a berm to contain the manure.
