(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office is asking for assistance with an
illegal dumping investigation. On Tuesday, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office was
called to the area of 130th St. and Juniper Ave north of Brunsville for multiple
used tires dumped in the ditch. Approximately 30 used tires were dumped in the ditch
and on the roadway. The Plymouth County Roads Department also located two other
dumping locations a few miles away near 120th St and Hickory Ave. Approximately 75
more tires were found at those locations.
If anyone has any information or seen any suspicious activity in that area, please
contact the Plymouth County Sheriff’s office at (712) 546-8191. Crime Stoppers may
pay a reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction for any felony
crime.
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Sheriff’s deputies have recovered a stolen vehicle and
made an arrest relating to that incident. Last Thursday, at approximately 2:00 a.m.
deputies stopped a silver colored Honda van that was being driven 19 year old
Deamber Wilburn of Omaha for traffic violations. After further investigation,
Wilburn was in possession of and driving a stolen vehicle. Wilburn was arrested and
transported to the Plymouth County jail where she was charged with operating a
vehicle without the owner’s consent, providing false information, and operating a
vehicle without a valid license. Wilburn was initially stopped for speeding and
running through a stop sign.
(Le Mars) — After being a teacher, coach, activities director and elementary
principal, Floyd Athey is saying good-bye to Le Mars Community. Athey has been with
the Le Mars Community school district for the past 28 years. He is leaving Le Mars
to assume the responsibilities of an administrator for Ames Christian School.
Athey says he will be wearing many hats as the private school’s administrator. He
says the decision to pursue the opportunity in Ames was a fairly recent decision.
The teacher turned principal says he will cherish his many memories of Le Mars
Community Schools, saying “once a Bulldog, always a bulldog”.
Athey further elaborates on his fond memories.
Prior to arriving at Le Mars Community, Athey taught for seven years at Fonda. He
says he has learned a lot from his faculty, staff, and even students at both Clark
and at Franklin elementary schools. His advice for his successor is to “get out of
the way”.
The elementary principal says a major challenge he will face as the administrator of
a private school is to raise the needed funds to sustain educational programs. He
says he will go from overseeing two schools with 600 students to a school that has
only 90 students which includes the pre-school. Athey says he will draw upon his
experience while at Le Mars Community.
Athey will remain the principal for Clark and Franklin elementary schools through
the end of the contract year which is June 30th.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Sioux City police say the credit and debit card
information from a “significant” number of customers at two local banks has been
stolen by devices known as skimmers.
Police said Tuesday that they are cooperating with the FBI to locate anyone
connected with the skimmers, which were installed on the exterior of an ATM at an
Iowa-Nebraska State Bank branch and an ATM at a Pinnacle Bank branch.
Detective Jeff Harstad says the skimmers were found May 14 and May 21. Sgt.
Chris Groves said some of the stolen card numbers were used to make fraudulent
charges, but most of the charges were made outside of Siouxland.
Authorities have not disclosed the exact number of customers who have been
affected.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Authorities say a Whiting man tried to bribe his robbery
victim into not testifying against him.
Court documents say 21-year-old Justin Dahlheimer was accused of robbing a man
he knew in January in Sioux City. Sioux City television station KCAU reports
(https://bit.ly/247nNw3 ) that documents say Dahlheimer was arrested May 15 after
meeting the man and giving him $300 so the man wouldn’t testify.
Dahlheimer remains charged with robbery and now faces a charge of tampering
with a witness. Dahlheimer’s attorney didn’t immediately return a call Wednesday
from The Associated Press.
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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A school for the deaf in Council Bluffs has held its
20th memorial service for deceased students and staff buried on its campus.
Shirley Hicks held a memorial service for the former Iowa School for the Deaf members Tuesday as she told stories about each of the 10 people who were buried on campus between 1879 and 1900.
Hicks is a former student and teacher at the school, and she now works as a
volunteer to preserve the institution’s history.
The graves were moved in the 1950s to accommodate the widening of a nearby
highway. Today, the remains have been relocated to a common casket on the school
grounds and marked with a monument. Nine of the headstones are preserved in the
school’s museum.
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IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – Police say an Iowa Department of Transportation driving
instructor forced a customer to view sexually explicit images during an exam and
then threatened her to keep quiet.
John Wayne Alexander of Ankeny is charged with harassment and felonious
misconduct in office, after a 47-year-old woman complained to police about his
actions during the Feb. 26 drive.
The woman said the 60-year-old instructed her to pull into the parking lot of a
Mills Fleet Farm, where he showed her sexual photos and videos of himself on his
phone for 20 minutes.
The customer said Alexander told her she passed the test but not to tell anyone
what happened because he would lose his job and he would know who reported him.
Alexander retired in March but has pleaded not guilty.
FORT DODGE, Iowa (AP) – Fort Dodge has agreed to pay the Environmental Protection
Agency a $20,000 penalty and build a new $200,000 road to its water treatment plant
for emergency access to settle a complaint it violated federal regulations requiring
a risk management plan.
A settlement agreement was signed May 10.
The city was notified in January 2015 it violated federal Clean Water Act
regulations requiring a plan for hazardous chemicals handling including chlorine
gas.
The treatment plant uses it for water treatment. Chlorine gas if released can
be severely corrosive to the eyes, skin and lungs and exposure to high
concentrations can be fatal.
The risk management plan also is designed to aid fire, police and emergency
response personnel prepare for and respond to chemical emergencies.
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A development group wants to build a 29-story high-rise
in downtown Des Moines.
Blackbird Investments, a Des Moines-based developer, wants to build the proposed $60 million tower on an empty lot where half of the former Younkers department store was
destroyed in a 2014 fire.
Blackbird Investments bought the property after the fire and is renovating the
surviving half of the building into 60 apartments.
The high-rise plan calls for 220 condos or apartments, roughly 150 hotel rooms
and ground-level storefronts. If the tower was built, it would be one of the tallest
structures in downtown Des Moines.
Assistant City Manager Matt Anderson says the group has not yet presented its
plans to the City Council.
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COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – An Omaha man is facing charges stemming from a fatal
hit-and-run on the Interstate 480 bridge between Iowa and Nebraska.
Police say 44-year-old Tracy Peniska turned himself in to the Pottawattamie
County Jail Monday and was officially charged Tuesday with leaving the scene of a
fatality accident and obstructing prosecution.
Council Bluffs police say Peniska was driving his car March 9 and hit a
pedestrian, 29-year-old Brett Jensen. Jensen died from his injuries.
Police say they believe Peniska and 25-year-old William Jones both hit Jensen
that night, but Peniska hit him first and caused the fatal injuries.
Jones was charged with leaving the scene of a property damage accident. He was
cited and released.
An attorney hasn’t yet been assigned for Peniska. The public defender’s office
didn’t wish to comment.
(Des Moines) — In a matter of a couple of weeks, 20,000 pork producers from around
the globe will convene at the Iowa State Fairgrounds in Des Moines to attend the
World Pork Expo. The World Pork Expo is an annual event that features an industry
trade show, junior hog judging contests, and educational seminars. Cindy Cunningham
serves as the Assistant Vice President of the National Pork Board. She says World
Pork Expo is an excellent opportunity for pork producers to gather and network with
industry officials, and with other pork producers to discuss common issues impacting
the pork industry.
Cunningham says this year’s World Pork Expo will cover some of the new regulations
that are soon coming that deal with antibiotics vaccinations and medications.
The pork board official says World Pork Expo offers many organizations and companies
the chance to host a hospitality tent. She says pork producers are welcomed to
attend the National Pork Board’s hospitality tent for some great tasting bacon
products, and to learn and discuss issues with other producers.
This year’s World Pork Expo is scheduled for June 8th, 9th, and 10th.
(Des Moines) — The latest weekly crop condition report from the Iowa Department of
Agriculture and Land Stewardship shows 96 percent of the state’s corn crop has been
planted, which is two days ahead of last year, and six days ahead of the five-year
average. 75 percent of that planted corn has emerged, which is on pace from last
year, but four days ahead of normal. As for soybean planting, the report shows 74
percent of the soybean crop has been planted with nearly 21 percent having already
emerged. Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Bill Northey says “many farmers were able to
make good progress last week, but now may be again a bit delayed with additional wet
weather across the entire state.” Northey says farmers will be anxious to finish
their planting. As for the condition of the crop, four percent of the corn is
listed as poor to very poor. 23 percent of the corn crop is in fair condition, 62
percent is good, and 11 percent of the corn crop is listed as being in excellent
condition.
