Home News Tuesday News, July 19th

Tuesday News, July 19th

Kingsley Dog Breeder Pleas Guilty To Making False Statements

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A Kingsley dog breeder, fined by the U.S. Department of
Agriculture for maintaining unsanitary and unsafe conditions for animals has
pleaded guilty in federal court to making false statements in an effort to avoid
paying the fines.
Court documents show 61-year-old Gary Felts entered the plea July 13. He faces
up to five years in prison.
The USDA fined Felts nearly $19,000 in 2012 after inspectors found repeated
Animal Welfare Act violations over a five-year period at his kennels in Kingsley.
Felts never paid the fine and he was ordered to file yearly financial
disclosure statements and negotiate payments.
Prosecutors say he failed to disclose bank accounts and a $25,000 workers’
compensation settlement.

 

Supervisors To Hold Short Meeting

(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will hold a short meeting
this morning at the County Courthouse Board Room. County engineer Tom Rohe will
appear before the county governing board to seek approval for a permit submitted by
Frontier Communications. The supervisors will also discuss a reimbursement
agreement with Enterprise Products for MidAmerican pipeline.

 

Iris Avenue To Be Closed For Installation Of Box Culvert

(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Secondary Roads Department will close Iris Avenue between Highway 3 and 190th Street beginning today.  The road will remain closed until August 12th.  County construction crews are replacing a bridge with a box culvert.

 

City Council To Hold Public Hearing On White-topping Project

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars City Council is scheduled to meet this afternoon at the
city council chambers. The council will hold a public hearing regarding the
white-topping of Business Highway 75. The city council will discuss a request to
exempt a sidewalk located near the intersection of 12th Street south and Central
Avenue. The council will discuss the 2016 Dogwood Second Addition utilities
project, and will likely award a contract.

 

Sioux City Man Arrested For Possession Of Marijuana

(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office, on Friday night, arrested 25
year old Nicholas Bertrand, of Sioux City, for possession of marijuana with a 1st
offense. Bertrand was stopped by a Plymouth County deputy at Frelon Drive and
340th Street for operating a motor vehicle with no registration. Bertrand was
found to have a suspended Iowa driver’s license. He was also found to be in
possession of marijuana. The defendant was cited into court and released for
driving suspended and possession of marijuana 1st offense (serious misdemeanor).

 

Authorities Release The Name Of Motorcycle Accident Victim

(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Sheriff’s officials have released the name of the
driver involved with that motorcycle accident that happened on Sunday morning, July
10th. Clint Krienert of Le Mars was riding his Yamaha motorcycle traveling west on
county road C-16 when a deer had crossed into the path of Krienert causing a
collision. Krienert was transported by the Le Mars Ambulance to a local hospital.
Responding to the scene was the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department along with the
Le Mars Ambulance Service. The Iowa Highway Patrol also responded to that
accident.

 

Iowa State University Extension And Outreach To Hold “Weeds Week” Seminars

(Le Mars) — Farmers have noticed that the herbicides they have been using for
their crops have not been as effective as was the case in years past. The reason,
is because many of the targeted weeds found in fields have been able to build up
resistance to those herbicides. Iowa State University Extension crops specialist
Joel DeJong says crop protection chemical companies have not been able to introduce
a new line of herbicides since the 1980’s.

dejongjoel photo 2010 big

DeJong says Iowa State University Extension and Outreach are hosting a series of
“Weeds Week” seminars at locations through out the state this week. The seminar
scheduled for Northwest Iowa is scheduled for Wednesday and will be held at the
Western Iowa Tech Community College auditorium at Cherokee. DeJong and fellow Iowa
State University Extension crops specialist Paul Kassel of Spencer are leading the
discussion of what farmers can do to help reduce the resistance level of weeds.

waterhemp

DeJong says even if crop protection companies were able to develop a new line of
herbicide, it would still be several years before the product could be introduced
to the marketplace.

That “Weeds Week” seminar to be held Wednesday will begin at 10:00 a.m. Interested
farmers should register online by Tuesday, or contact either Joel DeJong or Paul
Kassel, so they will have an accurate meal count.

 

Regents Agree To Increase Tuition Rates

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Board of Regents is approving a $250 tuition
increase for tens of thousands of students at Iowa’s public universities in the
upcoming school year. The board cut its $300 proposed increase for students from
Iowa by $50 after the earlier plan was criticized as too high. But regents said
they needed to keep most of the increase in tact to offset lower than requested
funding levels approved by lawmakers.

 

Bookkeeper Admits To Embezzling From Credit Union

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – In a plea agreement with federal prosecutors the
bookkeeper for an Iowa credit union has admitted to embezzling nearly $2.5 million
from her employer over 37 years, an act that forced the credit union into
insolvency.
Linda Lee Clark of Corydon faces 30 years in prison, a $1 million fine and
must pay restitution after pleading guilty Friday to embezzlement from the SCICAP
(SEE-cap) Credit Union in Chariton.
Prosecutors say the 68-year-old Clark admits she took customers’ money and
kept it secret by maintaining two sets of records.
Sentencing is Nov. 15.
The credit union was federally insured. Assets were transferred to an Ottumwa
credit union.
SCICAP is an acronym for the South Central Iowa Community Action Program, a
non-profit human services organization the credit union was founded to serve.