Officials Monitoring The Floyd River For Possible Flooding
(Le Mars) — As we heard yesterday, several rivers within northwest Iowa are under a flood watch. Le Mars Fire Chief Dave Schipper has been monitoring the Floyd River. Schipper says the Floyd has risen about five feet in the last two days.
In their most recent report, the National Weather Services doesn’t believe the Floyd River will exceed its banks, but based on past flooding episodes, Schipper has some doubts.
Schipper offers a report on the Willow Creek’s status.
The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Chief talks about the consequences when the Floyd River reaches different flood levels.
Trotzig Honored As Chamber’s “Boss of the Quarter”
(Le Mars) — A long-time Le Mars attorney was honored during the Chamber Coffee this morning. Mat Trotzig of the Trotzig and Bauerly law firm was presented the Chamber of Commerce “Boss of the Quarter” award.
Trotzig plans to retire on June 1st, and will leave Le Mars where he has practiced law for the last 35 years, 40 years total. He will be re-locating to Colorado. Several people attended this morning’s Chamber Coffee to congratulate Trotzig, and to wish him well during his retirement. Immediately after Chamber representative Kevin Eekhoff presented the plaque to Trotzig, he was greeted by his granddaughter and grandson who gave him a big hug.
Trotzig was nominated for the “Boss of the Quarter” by three employees of the firm, Tricia Ernst, Amy Berding, and Jill Young. In their nomination they state: “Mat is a dedicated and detail orientated attorney who gives 110 percent to each and every client. When Mat says “EXACTLY” to you that is the highest compliment one can receive and you know you have done an outstanding job. Mat has a great sense of humor. We will never forget his priceless reaction to our office antics. We will miss Mat dearly. We wish him a great retirement and hope he enjoys every minute in Colorado with his wife, children, and grandchildren.
With big hugs from your hardworking employees – Tricia Ernst, Amy Berding, and Jill Young.”
Following Trotzig’s retirement, the law firm will have a name change, and will be known as Bauerly and Langel.
Our congratulations go to Mat Trotzig for being honored as the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce 2019 2nd Quarter Boss of the Year.
King Believes U-S House Will Approve Disaster Relief Bill When House Convenes Following Memorial Day Recess
(Le Mars) — The U-S House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the disaster relief package bill that cleared the Senate last week. According to Iowa Republican Congressman Steve King, the vote on the $19.1 billion dollar relief package may appear on the agenda as early as next Tuesday. King says
Speaker Pelosi had asked for an unanimous consent to pass the bill prior to dismissing for the Memorial Day Holiday. However, Texas Congressman Chip Roy objected to the procedure.
King says he is confident the bill will pass the House of Representatives.
He says disaster relief bill entails more than just the flood damaged area of the Midwest.
The Republican Congressman offers three reasons why he is confident the bill will pass through the U-S House.
People Forced To Evacuate Again Due To Flooding
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Weeks after historic flooding in eastern Nebraska and western Iowa forced thousands of people living along swollen rivers out of their homes, some of those residents again find themselves faced with evacuating in the wake of new flooding.
The Omaha World-Herald reports that rural and riverside residents along the Missouri River in Mills County, Iowa, were preparing this week to evacuate. In Nebraska along the Platte River, residents around Hanson Lakes just south of Bellevue were sandbagging a levee that was already being overtopped by the river.
The Plattsmouth Emergency Medical Services Department warned via its Twitter account Tuesday that the Platte and Missouri Rivers were rapidly rising around Plattsmouth.
The department advised: “If you are in an area which previously
flooded a few months ago, get out NOW.”
The new flooding comes in the wake of recent heavy rains and as the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers stepped up releases from Gavins Point Dam upstream on the Missouri River.
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Interstate 29 Closed Again Due To Flooding
HAMBURG, Iowa (AP) – Motorists in southwestern Iowa are back to traveling a maze of detours as a new round of flooding closes portions of Interstate 29 and other highways and roads.
Those thoroughfares had only reopened in recent weeks following devastating flooding along the Missouri River in March. On Wednesday, the Iowa Department of Transportation said that I-29 is closed from St. Joseph, Missouri, to the Iowa state line at Hamburg. From Hamburg north to Pacific Junction, the interstate sees intermittent lane closures due to new flooding, significantly slowing the flow of traffic.
Highway 2 – which connects the interstate to Nebraska City, Nebraska, over the Missouri River – is again closed for flooding. New flooding has also closed Highway 34 between the Nebraska state line and I-29 near Pacific Junction.
Detour routes can be found online at https://www.511ia.org/ .
Man Who Stabbed Five Different People Has Been Sentenced For 25 Years
MASON CITY, Iowa (AP) – A man who stabbed five people at a downtown Mason City bar last year has been sentenced to up to 25 years in prison.
The Globe Gazette reports that 40-year-old Raul Millares Arias, of Mason City, was sentenced Tuesday in Cerro Gordo County District Court. After a judge rejected his plan to argue diminished responsibility because he was drunk, Millares Arias entered an Alford plea last month to five counts of willful injury and one of going armed with intent. In an Alford plea, a person doesn’t admit guilt, but acknowledges there is enough evidence for a
likely conviction.
Police say Millares Arias had been asked to leave the bar July 4 last year before stabbing four men and one woman and attempting to stab a sixth person.
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School District Settles Lawsuit From A 15-Year Old Volunteer Accused Of Sexual Abuse
MARION, Iowa (AP) – The Marion school district in eastern Iowa has settled another lawsuit with a family who alleged their child was sexually abused by a 15-year-old classroom volunteer.
Television station KCRG reports that the Marion Independent School District will pay $619,000 to the family, which was the fifth of six families to sue the district over abuse of kindergartners. The district has so far agreed to pay a total of more than $3.3 million to victims’ families.
The 15-year-old boy was convicted of sexual abuse in 2016.
The kindergarten teacher who oversaw the class was acquitted in 2018 of failing to report sex abuse allegations. Prosecutors had said two students at Starry Elementary told the teacher in 2016 that they were being abused by the volunteer and that she failed to report it.
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Ottumwa Man Charged With Murder
OTTUMWA, Iowa (AP) – Police say a 37-year-old man has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in the death of another man whose body was found last weekend in an Ottumwa home.
The Des Moines Register reports that Preston Odell Martin, of
Ottumwa, was arrested some hours after the discovery Saturday afternoon of 41-year-old Thomas Carlton Foster, who was found dead in his Ottumwa home.
Police initially described the death as suspicious. Officials have
not said how he died.
Police had received a call of a suspicious person in the area of
Foster’s home earlier that day. After finding Foster’s body, police broadcast the description of the suspicious person.
Police say Martin was found on the city’s Jefferson Street bridge.
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