Akron Man Arrested For Making Threats Against The White House
(Le Mars) — An Akron man has been arrested by Plymouth County authorities for making threats to the White House. At about 1:00 p.m. on Thursday, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office received a call from an individual who was asking to speak with Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo. He was advised that he would have to leave a message. It was at that time the called became extremely agitated. During the conversation with the subject, he continued to remain agitated and made comments to the dispatcher that he was going to blow up the White House. He identified himself by full name and his voice was recognized by the dispatcher to be who he stated to be. The information was passed on to Federal authorities and later in the evening federal officers, along with a Plymouth County deputy went to the residence of the caller to obtain additional information and investigate the credibility of the comments made. During the visit, the individual again made comments about wanting to blow up the White House, and in addition threaten to kill the federal agents and the deputy sheriff. The subject identified as 37 year old Jeremy Hebert of Akron was arrested and transported to the Plymouth County Corrections facility and charged with making a threat to use an explosive or incendiary device under Iowa Code 712.8, a class D felony. Specifically, the charge states that the defendant did threaten or attempt to place an incendiary device or material, a destructive substance or device in a place where people or property would be endangered, that being the threat to bomb the White House. Jeremy Herbert appeared for an initital hearing Friday morning, and is being held on a $5000 cash bond in the Plymouth County jail.
Northey Comments On EPA’s Decision To Wait On Renewable Fuels Standard
(Des Moines) — The Environmental Protection Agency has announced it plans to delay any announcement regarding the Renewable Fuels Standard. That has ethanol industry officials and critics alike believing it is both good news, as well as bad news. KLEM radio visited with Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey about the EPA’s decision to wait on the Renewable Fuels Standard.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/November 2014/Northey1.mp3{/audio}
Iowa Soybean Association president and Cleghorn farmer, Tom Oswald says “A delay is better than making an ill-advised decision. However, kicking the can down the road couldn’t come at a worse time for Iowa’s soybean farmers given record production and tightening margins. Inaction in Washington, D.C., has negative consequences for biodiesel producers and farmers across the state.
“The EPA’s decision creates more uncertainty in the biodiesel industry, which discourages investment and expansion. Biodiesel production in Iowa, the nation’s leader, is down as a result. That costs jobs and hurts the state’s economy.
“Soybean oil is a primary feed stock in biodiesel, and limiting markets has curtailed prices at a time when margins are already razor thin or nonexistent.”
Iowa Again, Tops Nation In Egg Production
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The U.S. Department of Agriculture says egg production in Iowa was as a record high in October at 1.41 billion eggs.
The department’s National Agricultural Statistics Service says that number is up 3 percent from September and up 4 percent from October last year.
Iowa also had a record number of layers on hand in October at 59.2 million, up slightly from September and up 3 percent from the 57.4 million in October 2013. Eggs produced per 100 laying hens for October came in at 2,384. That’s up 3 percent from September and up 1 percent from 2,370 in October last year.
Nationwide, egg production totaled 8.44 billion during October, up 2 percent from October last year.
Des Moines Officials Concerned About High Nitrate Levels In Drinking Water
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Two rivers that supply drinking water to 500,000 people in the Des Moines area show nitrate spiking to levels making it unsafe for some to drink, levels experts say haven’t been seen in the fall.
The city may have to use a costly process to remove the compound. One official has threatened to sue the state.
The Des Moines River was at 12.8 parts per million Friday and the Raccoon River was at 13.7. Utility officials are blending river water with other sources to stay under EPA limits of 10 parts per million.
Iowa and other states have problems with nitrate in the spring, when rain washes unused fertilizer from fields, but Des Moines Water Works CEO Bill Stowe says it’s unheard of to have spikes so high in November.
Hog Manure Spill Reported In Southeast Iowa
FAIRFIELD, Iowa (AP) – Cleanup of a hog manure spill near Fairfield is under way and is expected to be completed by Saturday.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says a tanker truck hauling manure for Porter Farms went off a road and into a field owned by the farm three miles south of Fairfield on Thursday afternoon. An estimated 3,000 gallons of manure spilled into an unnamed creek, which is a tributary of Cedar Creek. The tributary was dammed about 100 yards from the spill. No manure reached Cedar Creek.
Pond water is being used to flush the creek and the liquid is being applied to nearby farmland.
Jim Kacer, a DNR environmental specialist, says it will be difficult to determine how many fish were killed. He says he saw some dead minnows.
Iowa’s Unemployment Rate Goes Down
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Iowa’s unemployment rate dropped slightly to 4.5 percent in October, down from 4.6 percent in September.
Iowa Workforce Development announced the rate Friday, noting that Iowa’s labor force is at an all-time high of 1.7 million.
The rate in October compared to a 4.4 percent jobless rate in October 2013.
Nationally, the unemployment rate for October was 5.8 percent.
New Prison Still Facing On-going Construction Problems
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The director of the Iowa Department of Corrections says he still doesn’t know when a long-delayed new Iowa State Penitentiary will open.
Director John Baldwin says Friday that the Fort Madison prison – which has been held up by construction problems – is waiting for a certification that will help determine if fixes are needed to the smoke detection system.
Baldwin gave a budget presentation to Gov. Terry Branstad. For the next fiscal year, he is seeking the same nearly $379 million budget, but he offered proposals for how the department would spend additional funds. Extra dollars would go to services like medical treatments, mental health services programs for female inmates and care for an aging prison population.
There are about 8,200 inmates in nine Iowa prisons.
Oakland Man Convicted Of Killing Woman
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A jury has convicted a 63-year-old western Iowa man of first-degree murder in the killing of a woman after a night of drinking.
A Pottawattamie County jury Friday convicted Robert Reynolds of Oakland in the April 8th shooting death of 64-year-old Patricia Kinkade-Dorsey of Atlantic. She was a friend of Reynolds’ wife, Theresa, and was staying overnight with the intention of catching a flight the next day in Omaha to visit a grandson in California.
Kinkade-Dorsey spent the evening drinking with the Reynolds and the couple’s neighbors.
Theresa Reynolds awoke about 3 a.m. to the sound of her husband screaming at Kinkade-Dorsey in the kitchen.
Theresa Reynolds asked her husband to stop yelling. He left the kitchen, got a gun and shot Kinkade-Dorsey.
