Home News Thursday Afternoon News, December 5th

Thursday Afternoon News, December 5th

Le Mars Ambulance Service Issues Quarterly Report

(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Ambulance Service issued its quarterly report for the period between September 1st, 2019 and November 30th, 2019.  During the quarter, the Le Mars Ambulance responded to 274 calls, which is a decrease of 22 calls or seven percent for the same period one year ago.  In 2019 the local ambulance has responded to 1054 calls, from January 1st, 2019 through November 30th, 2019.  That number represents an increase in overall call volume by 52 calls or five percent increase from the previous year time period.  The Le Mars Ambulance Service currently utilizes 24 crew members.  The ambulance service has 9 Basic level providers, and 12 Advanced level providers.  The breakdown of the certification level for the providers includes five paramedics, eight RN exceptions, and 11 EMT level providers.

 

 

Murder Suspect Of Bank Robbery Identified 

LU VERNE, Iowa (AP) – Investigators say they have a suspect in custody after a shooting during a bank robbery left one woman dead in a small northern Iowa town. Mitch Mortvedt of the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation says a suspect was detained Wednesday, hours after the robbery and shooting at the Security State Bank, the only bank in Lu Verne. Video surveillance and witnesses provided deputies with a description of the
possible shooter. Mortvedt says the female employee was “just walking into the bank” when she was shot and killed. The Kossuth County Sheriff’s Office identified the woman as 43-year-old Jessica Weishaar, of Algona.

Investigators have released the name of the man believed to have killed a woman outside a bank in Lu Verne Wednesday.
According to the Kossuth County Sheriff’s Department, 35-year-old Valentino Williams of Coralville has been charged with first-degree murder and first-degree robbery in Kossuth County District Court. Williams was taken into custody about an hour after the shooting, after law enforcement stopped the
vehicle he was driving in the north-bound lane of I35, near mile marker 158.
Witnesses had advised law enforcement of a black S-U-V with no front license plate leaving the scene of the shooting and heading east out of Lu Verne at a high rate of speed. Investigators say Williams fired multiple shots at the victim, identified as 43-year-old Jessica Weishaar of Algona, and then fled the scene.
Williams is being held in the Kossuth County jail pending an initial court appearance.

 

 

Jury Finds Fort Dodge Man Guilty Of Murder

NEVADA, Iowa (AP) – A jury has found a Fort Dodge man guilty of murder in the 2018 shooting deaths of two Fort Dodge brothers following a three-week trial. The Messenger reports that 28-year-old Tanner King was found guilty Wednesday of two counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of 34-year-old El Dominic and 37-year-old Marion Rhodes on Oct. 22, 2018. Police
say Dominic’s body was found in an alley and his older brother’s body was found in a nearby apartment parking lot. Police say King also fired a shot at another man but missed. A sentencing date has not yet been scheduled.

 

 

Cedar Rapids Library To No Longer Charge Late Fees

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (AP) – Cedar Rapids-area libraries are moving toward eliminating overdue fees , saying they hurt low-income borrowers and don’t succeed in getting material returned more quickly. The Cedar Rapids Public Library board of trustees is expected to vote on the change later Thursday.
The Hiawatha Library Board already has changed its late fee policies and The Marion Public Library board could do so next week. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that there still would be a penalty for not returning material.
Patrons would have their accounts blocked after 30 days. They would be billed for an item but could return it within six months without a charge.
The new policy would begin July 1.

 

 

Man Shot In Cedar Falls 

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) – Police in Cedar Falls say a man has been fatally shot at a downtown apartment complex. Police say officers were called to the apartment around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday for a report of gunfire.
Arriving officers found a man with gunshot wounds who was pronounced dead at the scene. The man’s identity has not been released pending notification of his family members. Police say a suspect fled the scene before officers arrived. No arrests have been reported.

 

 

State Diesel-Powered Vehicles To Use B-20 Biodiesel

(Des Moines) — Industry officials are praising Governor Kim Reynolds for signing an executive order that all new diesel vehicles purchased for state fleets run on B-20 fuel, which is 20-percent biodiesel and 80-percent petroleum diesel. Iowa Soybean Association president Tim Bardole, of Rippey, says three new state snow plows will run on the blend.

Bardole says Iowa’s 11 biodiesel plants produced 365-million gallons of the fuel last year.

The association says biodiesel supports about 4,700 Iowa jobs.