Mike Huckabee To Visit Le Mars
(Le Mars) — Republican presidential candidate and former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee has scheduled a visit to Le Mars. Huckabee will appear at the Habitue Coffeehouse and The Living Center this morning between 11:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. Huckabee won the Iowa Republican Caucus back in 2008, but this time around, polls indicate he is trailing with receiving only single digit approval rating.
Huckabee is visiting with Angie Catton and Shirley Benson about energy issues during his last visit to Le Mars.
Emily’s List President To Appear In Le Mars To Campaign For Hillary Rodham Clinton
(Le Mars) — The president of Emily’s List, Stephanie Schriock, will be in Le Mars today to campaign on behalf of Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton. Schriock will appear at the Le Mars Public Library Meeting Room at 2:45 p.m.
Kass And Sturgeon Explain Caucus Process For Both Political Parties
(Le Mars) — In ten days, Iowans will have the opportunity to start the selection process for who will be our next president as we hold the first-in-the-nation caucuses. Don Kass of rural Remsen serves as the chairman of the Plymouth County Republican party. He says the caucus, for both parties, serves as the grassroots organization for the beginning steps in selecting a presidential candidate.
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Kass says at the caucus site, the republicans will be picking their precinct captains, as well as their voting delegates to the county convention. He urges everybody to participate and get involved. Kass says the local caucus is also where ideas can become resolutions, and may be part of the party’s platform.
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Kass says if the resolution is passed at the county convention, it will be forwarded to the district convention, and if passed again, it will be a resolution at the state political party convention. Another aspect of the caucus is to hear people speak on behalf of their chosen candidate. Kass says since there are a great number of candidates, and he anticipates a larger number of people will participate in the caucus process, the county republican party will place a time limit on the speeches.
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The Plymouth County Republican party chair says if a person is not registered to vote, they can register at the caucus location. However, Kass suggests the people plan ahead.
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{audio} images/stories/mp3/January 2016/Kass caucus4.MP3{/audio}
(Le Mars) — As for the democratic caucus, Mark Sturgeon, vice chair of the Plymouth County Democratic party says party officials will ask for your presidential preference at the time you first enter the doors.
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{audio} images/stories/mp3/January 2016/Sturgeon1.MP3{/audio}
Sturgeon offers an explanation as to what is a “viable” candidate.
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The Plymouth County Democratic party official talks about what happens if a candidate does not get enough number of “viable” supporters.
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Another way the Democrats are different with their caucus is a person’s selection is not secret, but visible to all that participate. Sturgeon feels people are not bothered by the fact it is not a secret ballot.
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{audio} images/stories/mp3/January 2016/Sturgeon4.MP3{/audio}
Like the Republicans, the Democrats will also begin forming their political platform by discussing and voting on proposed resolutions. Sturgeon says he introduces the same resolution each election cycle.
Listen to
{audio} images/stories/mp3/January 2016/Sturgeon5.MP3{/audio}
Trial Set For Sloan Shooting
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) — A July trial has been scheduled for a 30-year-old man accused of killing another man in the northwest Iowa community of Sloan. The trial of Timothy Schroeder had been set to begin Feb. 16, but Judge Jeffrey Neary agreed to give defense attorneys more time to prepare. The trial now is scheduled to begin July 12 in Woodbury County District Court. Schroeder has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge in the Jan. 9, 2015, shooting death of 29-year-old Dustin Wilder at Wilder’s home in Sloan.
State Senate Approves Bill To Give Meskwaki Tribe More Judicial Power
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The state Senate has passed legislation that would give a Native American tribe in central Iowa more authority over criminal offenses committed on its land.
Lawmakers voted 41-6 Wednesday to give more judicial power to the Sac and Fox Tribe of the Mississippi in Iowa, located on the Meskwaki Settlement in Tama. The bill now heads to the House.
A federal law approved in 1948 gives the state of Iowa jurisdiction to handle criminal offenses between tribal members on the settlement. This bill aims to switch that power to the tribe.
Senator Steven Sodders, a State Center Democrat who led the bill, says the tribe has greatly enhanced its criminal justice system. Tribal members say the mixed system of state and tribal oversight leads to dual charges in some instances.
Fort Dodge Tire Fire
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) — A Fort Dodge tire warehouse is being demolished after a fire destroyed the walls of the building. The front wall of the building on Central Avenue has been knocked down and additional demolition is in progress. Fire Chief Kent Hulett said the front and rear walls of the building were “structurally unsound” after the fire. Fire crews were called Monday afternoon to reports of a fire just north of Central Avenue, across the street from the fire station. A firefighter who suffered a hand injury in the fire had surgery Monday. Investigators continue to seek the cause of the fire.
CPR Grant
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — More hospitals and ambulances across the state may soon have access to an automated CPR device that health officials say is more consistent than human-performed CPR.
The Iowa Department of Public Health has received a $6.3 million grant that will mainly go toward installing automated chest compression devices in ambulances and hospitals around Iowa, and to provide training for their use.
The grant was awarded by The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust and will be given to the department’s Bureau of Emergency and Trauma Services.
There are now a limited number of the devices in Iowa. The health department says the machines are able to perform longer and more consistent chest compressions compared to people manually performing CPR.
The devices cost about $10,000 each.
ISU Police Arrest Man With Handgun Intimidating People
AMES, Iowa (AP) — A man is in custody and faces several charges after police responded to an Ames neighborhood altercation.
Iowa State University police say 26-year-old Jerome Elgin Guy Clinton was charged Wednesday after witnesses in Schilletter Village reported that a man had pointed a loaded handgun at three people and attempted to engage in a fight.
Police were able to locate him and a handgun nearby.
Clinton was charged with three counts of assault, three counts of going armed with intent, three counts of first-degree harassment, three counts of intimidation with a dangerous weapon, carrying weapons and possession and control of a firearm by a felon.
Online court records do not reflect whether Clinton has an attorney who could speak on his behalf.
He is being held in the Story County Jail.
