Snow Continues To Fall On Northwest Iowa
(Le Mars) — Snow continues to fall on northwest Iowa. Here at KLEM offices, as of 7:15 a.m. we have measured six inches of snow so far. Jeff Chapman with the National Weather Services of Sioux Falls says we may even expect more.
Chapman says the heaviest snow did occur last evening, but it is likely to continue through the morning hours.
Just when you may have thought that after last weekend’s five inches of snow, and today’s six inches, that we may be able to relax for a few days, Chapman tells us yet another winter storm will approach the region this coming weekend.
The weather meteorologist says Le Mars could see another four to five inches of snow for this weekend.
Fire Department Asks Residents To Help Clear Snow Away From Hydrants
(Le Mars) — With the five inches of snow we received this past weekend, along with the six to seven inches of snow being predicted for today, plus another snow storm scheduled to hit the area for the upcoming weekend, Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper is asking residents to help keep snow away
from the city’s fire hydrants. Many times following a heavy snowfall, fire hydrants can be buried under the snow.
Schipper says there are more than 600 fire hydrants located within the city limits, so his crew can’t clear all hydrants. He is asking residents to clear a path around the hydrant near your home.
Plymouth County Supervisors Did Not Reach Agreement With IDOT
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors, working as the Hinton Drainage Area Board decided against entering into an agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation on Tuesday regarding the proposed changes to
Highway 75. The area in question is between the Plymouth County border with Woodbury County and the southern edge of the Hinton city limits. The area involves nearly five miles. The county supervisors had questions the Iowa DOT official could not answer. Supervisor Craig Anderson says he has spoken to many people that have property along Highway 75. Anderson says his
constituents have indicated an interest in improving Highway 75, however, he says none of them want a bicycle trail, and many suspect the Iowa DOT will acquire a large enough piece of right-of-way property to include a bicycle recreational trail that would run parallel to the highway. Tom Hernick informed the supervisors that was not in the plans. The supervisors wanted
assurance from the Iowa DOT official that improvements to the highway would also include improvements to the drainage area, noting that several farmers have not been able to farm their cropland due to an excessive amount of water that never drains. The supervisors were asked to submit their questions via email to the Iowa DOT, and DOT engineers would respond back to
the supervisors requests. County Attorney Darin Raymond asked the Department of Transportation official if he was aware of a plan by local property owners on a nearby hillside, close to the highway, that hope to have a drainage channel that would direct water to the ditch alongside the highway? Raymond says there is a possibility for additional water draining into the area that the Iowa DOT may not have accounted for when designing
their plans for highway improvement. It was decided the supervisors would email a list of questions to the Iowa DOT headquarters in Ames, with the understanding the two sides would gather again on March 5th to review the plans. The supervisors also indicated they would prefer to hold a public
hearing on the issue sometime in the near future, preferably at the Hinton Community Center, in order to allow local property owners an opportunity to comment on the situation.
Police Department Submits Annual Report To City Council
(Le Mars) — Le Mars Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte submitted the police department’s annual report to the Le Mars City Council during their Tuesday
meeting. Vande Vegte says the overall activity for the police has
increased.
Vande Vegte continued to inform city council members about parking violations and investigated accidents.
One of Vande Vegte’s goals is to increase the number of contacts with the community. The Le Mars Police Chief says his officers have spent about ten percent of their time with community contact involvement.
Congressman King To Hold Town Hall Meeting At Ida Grove
Washington DC- Congressman Steve King announces that he will be holding a town hall meeting on Saturday, February 23 in Ida County. The event is open to the public and to the media. The town hall will be held from 9:30-10:30 a.m. at the Ida Grove Community Rec Center, located in Ida Grove at 311 Barnes St. This town hall will be the third of the 39 scheduled town
halls King will be holding this year.
Trial Re-scheduled For Suspect Accused Of Stabbing
SIOUX CITY, Iowa (AP) – Another trial starting date has been set for a 19-year-old in northwest Iowa accused of stabbing to death his ex-girlfriend and another young man.
Woodbury Country District Court records say prosecution and defense attorneys requested another delay in the trial of Tran Walker. The trial had been set to begin Tuesday . The new starting date is April 30. The original starting date was July 24.
Walker’s pleaded not guilty to two counts of first-degree murder. He’s accused of killing 17-year-old Paiten Sullivan and 18-year-old Felipe Negron Jr., who both lived in Sioux City. Police say Walker was in a car with the other two on Jan. 28 last year when he began to stab Sullivan because he was upset that she had broken up with him. Police say that when Negron tried to
intervene, Walker stabbed him, too.
Drake University To Expand The Harkin Institute
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – A nonpartisan public policy research institute has announced plans for an $8 million expansion at Drake University to create more space for public events.
The Des Moines Register reports that the Harkin Institute for Public Policy & Citizen Engagement will build a new two-story, 16,000-square-foot building on the campus in Des Moines.
Institute officials say the organization has outgrown its current
offices, which house six full-time employees, 15 undergraduate student workers and five research fellows.
The institute says in a news release that it has already raised $6.6 million in private donations for the project. Construction is expected to start this year.
Retired state Sen. Tom Harkin established the institute in 2013 to conduct public policy research and analyze issues including labor and employment, disabilities, retirement security and nutrition.
—
Governor Reynolds Dismisses Criticism On Date Selected For Special Election
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Gov. Kim Reynolds is dismissing criticism of her decision to schedule a special election for a state Senate district in the Cedar Falls area while University of Northern Iowa students are on spring break.
Asked Tuesday if she knew students would be gone when she scheduled the election for March 19, the Republican governor responded, “It doesn’t really matter.”
Reynolds says voters have plenty of time to request an absentee
ballot, and she noted they could cast the ballot at the county auditor’s office the week before the election.
The special election will fill the seat vacated by Democratic Sen.
Jeff Danielson, who resigned Thursday.
Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Troy Price accused Reynolds and Iowa Republicans of trying to “silence the voices of students.”
The Black Hawk County district includes Cedar Falls, where the
university is located, in addition to Hudson and parts of Waterloo.
Woman Sentenced To Life In Prison For Death Of Infant Son
NEW HAMPTON, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa woman whose infant son’s lifeless body was found in a baby swing has been imprisoned for life without possibility of parole.
Court records say 22-year-old Cheyanne Harris was sentenced Tuesday in New Hampton to the state-mandated penalty, and her request for a new trial was denied. A jury found her guilty Feb. 6 of first-degree murder and child endangerment causing death.
The charges stem from the death of 4-month-old Sterling Koehn, whose body was found Aug. 30, 2017, in a maggot-infested diaper at an apartment in Alta Vista. The swing was in a sweltering bedroom.
An autopsy shows he died of malnutrition, dehydration and an E. coli infection.
The baby’s father, Zachary Koehn, also has been sentenced to life in prison. That trial was held here at the Plymouth County Courthouse due to a change of venue.
Firefighters Make Grain Bin Rescue
SUMNER, Iowa (AP) – Volunteer firefighters rescued a northeast Iowa man who became trapped in a grain bin.
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports members of the Sumner Volunteer Fire Department were called Monday afternoon to a farm in Bremer County were a man was buried up to his waist in corn.
Kip Ladage, the Bremer County Emergency Management coordinator, says the firefighters were able to remove the grain from around the man and finally free him after about three hours.
Ladage called it an “amazing situation” and noted that “seldom do we go to something like this, and they’re able to walk away.”
The rescued man wasn’t identified.
—
