Deep Freeze Means More Homeless People Seeking Shelter
(Sioux City) — The extreme cold frigid temperatures of the last few days have prompted homeless people to seek shelter. Paul Mahaffie serves as the director of the Sioux City Gospel Mission. He says the shelter was nearly full Tuesday evening.
Mahaffie says in addition to providing shelter for the homeless, the Gospel Mission also serves nearly 250 meals each day. He says there is no time limit as to how long a homeless person can stay at the shelter. Mahaffie says the Gospel Mission tries to help the homeless locate jobs so they can better support themselves. Mahaffie says there are homeless people that stay at the Gospel Mission from surrounding communities and other states.
Mahaffie says there are several homeless people that use their vehicle as a means for shelter until the temperature drops to the point they can’t remain in their vehicles overnight.
Mahaffie says when the homeless attend the shelter, the Gospel Mission often provides them with the necessary toiletries, and proper clothing if they are not well clothed for the winter weather.
Plymouth County Pheasants Forever Chapter Honored
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Chapter of Pheasants Forever was recently recognized during an awards ceremony held in Des Moines. Bob Puetz, the president of the Plymouth County Pheasants Forever says the local chapter received the Conservation Excellence Award for contributing $1.7 million
towards the preservation of wildlife habitat.
Plymouth County Pheasants Forever is one of the more active chapters in the nation, having been recognized for its large membership and list of sponsors, and according to Puetz, the local chapter has been able to build relations with the CEO of Pheasants Forever.
Peutz says the Plymouth County Pheasants Forever chapter is already preparing for their annual banquet which is scheduled for Saturday, March 2nd. Peutz says the evening of fun is enjoyable for the entire family. He says the banquet will again feature gun raffles, wildlife prints, silent and live auctions, and hunting excursions.
Lt. Governor Gregg and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Naig To Visit Columbia and Panama For Trade Mission
(Des Moines) — Iowa’s Lt. Governor Adam Gregg and Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig will lead a delegation of trade representatives from Iowa to Central and South America. The trade mission will take place in early February to Columbia and Panama. The trade team will be lead by the Iowa Economic Development Authority. Last week when Governor Kim Reynolds
and Lt. Governor Adam Gregg visited KLEM offices, Gregg spoke of the upcoming trade tour.
Iowa is the second largest ag exporting state in the country with more than $13.2 billion in agricultural exports annually. Last year, over $80 million in Iowa goods went to Colombia, with a 247% increase in trade just within the first six months of 2018. Colombia is a top 25 trading partner with the United States overall, and is America’s eleventh largest agricultural export
market. Panama is a strategic partner for U.S. exports, serving as a crossroads of international trade located between two oceans and two continents.
Trial Begins For Child Starvation Death
LE MARS, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa woman charged in the death of her baby left the courtroom sobbing during the first day of her trial when prosecutors showed photos of her lifeless son in a swing set.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports 21-year-old Cheyanne Harris caused a break in her trial Wednesday at the Plymouth County Courthouse in Le Mars.
Harris has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and child
endangerment resulting in death. She was arrested in August 2017 after medics found 4-month-old Sterling Koehn dead in the swing in a dark, sweltering bedroom.
An autopsy shows he died of malnutrition, dehydration and an E. coli infection caused by being left in a maggot-infested diaper for up to two weeks.
The boy’s father, Zachary Koehn, already has been sentenced to life in prison .
Missing Marshalltown Boy Fell From Cell Tower
(Marshalltown) — Marshalltown police have released more information on a teenager who was found dead after a five-day search. Police Chief Mike Tupper talked about the findings in the death of 13-year old Corey Brown.
Police say Brown went over a fence and climbed the tower in a secluded area where his body was found Sunday morning. Brown left his home in the evening on January 22nd — after what was reported as a typical parent-teen dispute. Police are still waiting on results of chemical tests following the autopsy — but say there is no indication of criminal activity.
Police Sergeant Sues City of Urbandale
URBANDALE, Iowa (AP) – An Urbandale police sergeant is suing the city, saying he suffered harassment, discrimination and retaliation for the post-traumatic stress disorder he suffered in the wake of the 2016 ambush killings of a colleague and a Des Moines officer.
The Des Moines Register reports that Sgt. Mark Jorgensen was one of the first responders on the scene when Urbandale Officer Justin Martin was shot as he sat in his patrol car. About two miles away, Des Moines Sgt. Anthony Beminio was shot in his cruiser. Scott Michael Green pleaded guilty to the killings and is spending life in prison.
The lawsuit says, among other things, that Jorgensen was berated and harassed by superiors as he struggled in the aftermath of the shootings. It also says the department failed to accommodate his PTSD.
Urbandale Police spokesman Sgt. Chad Underwood said he couldn’t comment on the lawsuit. The city’s attorney, Brent Hinders, says Urbandale plans to “vigorously defend” itself.
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Man Accused Of Killing 16-Month Child Faces Trial
COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (AP) – A man accused of killing a 16-month-old girl is scheduled to go on trial next week in western Iowa.
Pottawattamie County District Court records say 23-year-old Javon Jennings has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. His trial is set to begin Tuesday in Council Bluffs.
He’s accused of killing Jazlynn Harshbarger, who was pronounced dead at a Council Bluffs apartment on April 19 last year after officers and medics sent there to check a report about an unresponsive child . Police say he was the sole caretaker of the girl when she was fatally injured. Her injuries included a broken left leg.
Jamaica, Iowa To Appoint New Mayor
JAMAICA, Iowa (AP) – The central Iowa town of Jamaica is set to appoint a new mayor after its previous mayor was arrested earlier this month on charges related to marijuana found growing in her basement.
Acting mayor Tim McDermott tells the Des Moines Register that city leaders are expected to appoint a new mayor Monday. McDermott says former mayor LaDonna Kennedy submitted her resignation last week.
Kennedy and her husband, 58-year-old Randy Kennedy, were arrested Jan. 16 on various drug charges after Guthrie County Sheriff’s deputies searching for a suspect in a separate crime knocked on their door. The suspect wasn’t found, but deputies called for a search warrant after smelling an “overwhelming odor of raw marijuana” coming from the home.
Investigators say 18 marijuana plants, several bags of marijuana and drug paraphernalia were found.
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