Sergeant Bluff Man Dies From Tractor Accident
(Sergeant Bluff) — A 76 year old Sergeant Bluff man died on Saturday as a result of a tractor rolling over. The Woodbury County Sheriff’s Office, Sergeant Bluff Fire and Ambulance Department, and Woodbury County Emergency Services were dispatched to the 1900 block of Glenn Ellen Road at about 4:45 p.m. Initial investigation at the scene shows the man, who has not yet been identified, was operating the tractor, clearing tree limbs and yard debris, when the tractor rolled down a small hill. The victim was thrown from the tractor. He was treated at the scene and was transported to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City by the Sergeant Bluff Ambulance where he had died as a result of injuries sustained in the accident.
Animal Control Takes Possession Of Animals In Mall Zoo
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Des Moines officials have taken charge of more than 30 wild animals – including black bears and wolves – that had been on display at a now-closed “mall zoo.”
The Polk County deputies evicted Pella Wildlife Co. and its owner, Ron DeArmond, from Merle Hay Mall this week. The organization had operated the Academy of Wildlife at the mall until closing its doors in October.
Police Sgt. James Butler says 32 wild animals were on the premises, including three black bears, wolves and a cougar. All appeared to be healthy and were in cages.
If DeArmond is unable to relocate the animals within seven days, they will be turned over to the Blank Park Zoo and Animal Rescue League.
—
Cold Storage Facility May Locate In Council Bluffs
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A cold-storage warehouse that would create at least 50 new jobs has been proposed along Veterans Memorial Highway in Council Bluffs, just across the river from Omaha, Nebraska.
The Council Bluffs Daily Nonpareil reports that the company, XTL Incorporated, has an option to purchase and develop real estate at the location.
Mike Dellinger, executive director of Advance Southwest Iowa Corporation, says the project would involve a 155,000-square-foot, cold-storage facility on 51 acres offering warehousing and logistical support to major food processors in the region.
Its construction value is estimated at $27 million, and the automated facility would include $27 million in equipment, shelving and furnishings. About 50 jobs with an annual payroll of about $2.5 million would initially be needed to operate the facility.
Roads Closed At DeSoto Bend During Deer Hunting Season
MISSOURI VALLEY, Iowa (AP) – Roads and nature trails will be closed for safety during deer hunts at DeSoto and Boyer Chute national wildlife refuges.
At Boyer Chute, the roads and trails will be closed to nonhunters this weekend through December 21st. At DeSoto, roads and trails will be closed beyond the visitor center on December 20th and 21st. The center will be open and accessible from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Both hunts are muzzleloader and antlerless deer only.
DeSoto and Boyer Chute national wildlife refuges sit north of Omaha, Nebraska, along U.S. Highway 30 between Missouri Valley, Iowa, and along U.S. Highway 75 near Fort Calhoun, Nebraska.
Man Wounded While Hunting Deer
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa man is recovering from a shotgun wound after being shot by a fellow hunter who was trying to hit a moving deer.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources said 47-year-old Eric Winkler was hit in the abdomen Saturday by a shotgun slug fired by someone else in his hunting party.
The Carroll man was helping to drive deer at the time of the shooting. He was taken to an area hospital and later transferred to a Des Moines hospital.
Recreational Safety Officer Jeff Barnes says hunters should make sure they know where everyone in their party is at all times. And hunters shouldn’t fire in the direction of other hunters.
Barnes says most hunting incidents happen when shots are fired at moving deer.
Des Moines Apartment Complex Catches Fire
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Firefighters say no one was injured in a blaze inside a Des Moines apartment.
Fire crews quickly put out the fire that occurred Friday afternoon at the Wakonda West Apartments, just north of the Des Moines Airport.
Firefighters say one unit was damaged, with other units suffered smoke damage.
Des Moines Fire Department spokesman Steve Brown tells television station KCCI that the fire started in a pan on a stove. The resident tried to put it out by putting a blanket over it, but the fire spread.
Brown says it’s unknown yet how many people will be displaced by the fire.
Man Forged Checks Stolen From Church
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Police say an Iowa City man forged checks that had been stolen from a local church.
Police tell the Iowa City Press-Citizen that 24-year-old Jerrell Clemons twice cashed fraudulent checks at a credit union bank inside a grocery store. Police say Clemons forged signatures to write checks to himself in September for $645 and $350.
Police say the checks were stolen from an office at the Church of the Nazarene.
Clemons has been charged with forgery, a felony, and third-degree theft, a misdemeanor.
Clemons could not be reached for comment Saturday.
Advocates Want Fine Arts To Be Inclluded As Core Curriculum
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Fine arts advocates in Iowa are renewing an effort to get music, drama and art included in state education standards.
The Iowa Alliance for Arts Education will lobby lawmakers again next year to amend the Iowa Core to add the fine arts. Leon Kuehner, the group’s executive director, says a similar attempt failed in 2014, but he and others hope they will have more luck this time.
State law dictates that schools teach the arts, but the fine arts are not listed in the Iowa Core, which was established in schools statewide in 2008 after approval from the Legislature and the governor.
Democrats who control the Iowa Senate have been supportive of this effort, but it is not clear there is interest in the Republican-dominated House.
