Judge Reduces Charges Against Former Sioux City Manager
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A judge has trimmed the sexual harassment lawsuit filed against the Sioux City and former city manager Paul Eckert.
U.S. District Judge Mark Bennett said in a ruling filed Monday that several claims Brittany Scott used fell outside the statute of limitations. Bennett is allowing the case to proceed on Scott’s claim that she was denied a full-time administrative assistant position in 2012 in retaliation for her complaints about Eckert. The trial is scheduled to begin on March 30.
Scott has said Eckert made sexual overtures starting in 2000 that stopped after she talked to council members about him. Scott says he retaliated by demoting her. Eckert has said the allegations are baseless.
Eckert resigned in August 2013 to take a city manager’s position in Mt. Shasta, California.
Sioux City Man Starts Up Organ Donor Assistance Program
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – A brush with death inspired an Iowa man to start a group dedicated to organ donor awareness and assistance.
Doug Lehman was given less than two weeks to live back in 2012 because of kidney failure. But he received a kidney transplant at the University of Nebraska Medical Center after being on the waiting list for three and a half months.
Lehman says that while he in the hospital, he said he had a vision to help people.
Lehman soon founded the non-profit, Sioux City-based Doug’s Donors. It gives support to patients who need a transplant, helps them get on transplant lists, transports them to medical appointments in Sioux Falls and Omaha and provides information to those interested in becoming a living donor.
Traffic Accident Fatalities Likely To Surpass Last Year’s Total
(Des Moines) — The number of people killed in traffic accidents in Iowa this year will likely be more than last year. The 317 traffic fatalities last year marked the lowest annual total since 1944. As of Tuesday of this week, the traffic fatality count for this year already stood at 317. Iowa State Patrol Sergeant Scott Bright says there were some violent collisions last month on the state’s roadways that quickly raised the number of traffic deaths for the year.
(sot) Bright
There was also a single weekend back in January when freezing rain made roads slick and 11 people lost their lives on Iowa roadways. While most Iowans wear a seat belt when they’re in a vehicle, more than half of the people who died last year in Iowa traffic crashes were not wearing a seat belt.
(sot) Bright
According to U.S. Department of Transportation figures, around 94-percent of Iowans routinely buckle-up in a vehicle. The national seat belt usage rate is 87-percent.
Kirchoff Says He Enjoys Working On Economic Development Projects
(Le Mars) — If you want to see Le Mars Mayor Dick Kirchoff beem with pride, start a discussion about this community’s economic development opportunities. Kirchoff recently spoke with KLEM news about the city’s many accomplishments from this past year, and he says economic development is his favorite area of the city’s business.
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Kirchoff says Van’s Sanitation and the Plymouth County Solid Waste were both able to start new businesses from the recycling efforts by Le Mars residents, which has led to additional economic development.
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The Le Mars mayor also spoke about an agreement recently made with Burlington Shortline Railroad which he says will benefit the cities many industries.
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Mayor Kirchoff says the rail company will assist with the transportation of goods and products coming into Le Mars and leaving Le Mars.
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