Rescue Units Respond To Accident On Lake Avenue
(Le Mars) — At approximately 5:45 p.m. Saturday afternoon, first responders were called to a one-vehicle accident reported on Lynx Avenue, about two miles south of Le Mars. Officials at the scene say the accident left two teenagers with minor injuries consisting of lacerations. The victims were transported to the Floyd Valley Healthcare by the Le Mars Ambulance. According to a Plymouth County Sheriff’s Deputy who is investigating the accident, the car was traveling southbound when it got too close to the shoulder and losing control on the loose gravel, causing the vehicle to spin around and roll into the west ditch. The names of the victims have not yet been released.
Excessive Heat Causes Highway Pavement To Buckle
(Le Mars) — The excessive heat is creating problems for the Iowa Department of Transportation as several instances have been reported of the highway pavement buckling. Troy Clouse says he and his crews have been working all afternoon in attempts to catch up on the damaged pavement.
Another episode of pavement buckling has been reported on Highway 60, making for at least five areas around Plymouth County where the pavement has buckled. Clouse says there were also reports of where the highway had buckled near Sioux City in
Woodbury County, and also near Rock Valley. The Iowa Department of Transportation official says crews are working this evening to make at the least short-term repairs.
Clouse says the high heat causes the pavement to expand looking for an opportunity to relieve the pressure under the pavement.
The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office has received reports of vehicles having their tires punctured as a result of driving over the sharp concrete pieces.
Clouse suggest, if possible, motorists should try to avoid driving directly over the fractured highway.
Sunday’s weather forecast is calling for another day with excessive high temperatures, and the Iowa Department of Transportation official expects to see additional instances of the pavement buckling.
National Weather Services Advises People To Remain Indoors
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) – Residents of Nebraska and Iowa probably don’t need an advisory to inform them: It’s hot outside.
But the National Weather Service has issued heat advisories for both states, warning residents who venture outside to take it easy and stay hydrated in the oppressive heat.
An excessive heat warning has been issued for the northeastern corner of Nebraska and northwestern Iowa – including Sioux City – with heat index values expected to rise to between 105 degrees (40.56 Celsius) and 110 degrees (43.33 Celsius).
A heat advisory has been issued for much of the rest of the states, with the service warning that heat index values are expected to hit between 100 degrees (37.78 Celsius) and 108 degrees (42.22 Celsius) Saturday afternoon and into the evening. Some spots could be higher for a short time.
Actual temperatures will be in the 90s with high humidity.
Des Moines Police Identify Homicide Victim
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – Police have identified a man shot to death this week in the Kirkwood Glen neighborhood of Des Moines.
Police say in a news release that the victim is 41-year-old Earl
Marcello Caldwell, of Des Moines.
The shooting happened Friday afternoon, when officers and medics were called to the area for a report of a shooting and found Caldwell suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken to an area hospital, where he died.
Police say they found two assault rifles, a handgun, cocaine and
marijuana at the scene and arrested 62-year-old Larry Perry on several gun and drug counts.
Shortly after the shooting, another man, identified as 39-year-old Littleton William Clark, showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound not believed to be life-threatening. He remained hospitalized Saturday. Police have said they believe the shootings are connected. No arrests in the shootings have been announced.
State Supreme Court Rules In Favor Of Parole Board Against Juvenile Offenders Who Say They Have Difficulty Making Parole
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The Iowa Supreme Court has sided with the state’s parole board in the case of an inmate who says the board doesn’t give juvenile offenders a fair shot at parole.
The decision Friday comes in the case of 33-year-old Julio Bonilla, who was 16 when he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a teenage girl. He was later convicted of kidnapping and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Following a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that said juvenile offenders must be given a meaningful opportunity to obtain parole, Bonilla was resentenced in 2011 to life with a possibility of parole.
Following the parole board’s rejection of parole for Bonilla in 2016, the Iowa chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union appealed on his behalf saying the board should have allowed several protections Bonilla had sought, including that he have access to an attorney for the parole hearing.
While the high court found the board’s handling of Bonilla’s case
constitutional, the ACLU lauded the court’s message that juvenile offenders are entitled to more consideration than adults in parole proceedings.
