Early Morning Accident
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department along with the Le Mars Ambulance responded to an accident involving a semi truck and a car. The accident occurred Tuesday morning at about 6:35 a.m. and it happened on Highway 60 at mile marker 150, about three miles northeast of Le Mars. At least one person was reported to be injured. The injured victim was transported to a Sioux City hospital.
(photo contributed.)
Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office Investigating Fatal Shooting Incident
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a domestic dispute that ended up having one person shot and killed. The incident happened Monday at about 11:45 a.m. at 20139 Echo Road, about 12 miles
west of Merrill. Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo says the Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call from a woman and reported a domestic dispute followed by a gunshot.
Van Otterloo says there was one male victim that died at the scene and has been transported to the State of Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office at Ankeny.
Law enforcement officials were dispatched immediately and while en-route, it was reported that there was a gunshot, and a victim had been shot. The Cert (Combined Emergency Response Team) was activated but did not arrive at the scene before the alleged shooter came out of the residence. The male suspect was taken into custody without incident. Upon further investigation, it was
learned that there was one deceased male in the residence with a gunshot wound. Another individual was able to leave the residence and talked with law enforcement officials. Van Otterloo says all three individuals involved lived at the residence, but would not comment on their relationship.
The suspect was arrested and charged with Aggravated Domestic Abuse Assault and is being held in the Plymouth County Corrections facility until he can be seen by a judge. Van Otterloo says officials were able to obtain a search warrant for the residence, and the Le Mars Police Department’s forensic team
processed the scene. The names of the individuals involved are being held at this time. Van Otterloo says additional information about the shooting incident may be released on Tuesday. The investigation continues and Van Otterloo says additional charges are expected. The Plymouth County Sheriff says the safety of the public is not an issue, and law enforcement officials are not looking for other individuals.
The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Le Mars, Hinton, and Merrill Police Departments, Iowa State Patrol, Iowa DOT, Plymouth County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agency.
Le Mars Police Arrest Wisconsin Man For Enticement Of Minor
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Police Department arrested a Wisconsin man on Monday based on an equipment violation with his vehicle, but later turned out to be suspicious with a minor that was with him. Sean Williams of Edgerton, Wisconsin was questioned about the presence of a minor occupant in the
vehicle and it was determined that he had enticed the minor to meet him after conversed on social media. Williams was ultimately arrested and charged with enticement of a minor, a class D felony. Williams was also charged with dissemination of obscene materials to a minor, an aggravated misdemeanor, and
no driver’s license and no insurance. The Le Mars Police Department was assisted by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation with this case, which remains under investigation.
Sioux County Authorities Release Identity Of Man Killed Saturday Evening
(Orange City) — The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office is releasing the name of the victim killed during a disturbance that occurred on Saturday, May 9.
The name of the victim that was shot was Grant Wayne Wilson, age 58, of Cleghorn, IA.
The case remains under investigation by the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office.
Supervisors To Meet With County Assessor
(Le Mars) — The Plymouth County Board of Supervisors will convene today for its weekly meeting. The county governing board will hear from Plymouth County Assessor, Jill Reenken as she offers an update regarding valuation and property tax adjustments and approval of refundment of taxes per Iowa Code
445.6. The supervisors will enter into closed session. Following their closed session, they are expected to approve possible settlement agreement.
Later, in the meeting the county supervisors will hear from County Engineer Tom Rohe as he will discuss various road construction projects.
Floyd Valley Healthcare Auxiliary Award Two Scholarships
(Le Mars) — Two $1,000.00 scholarships will be awarded to area students by the Floyd Valley Auxiliary. The 2020 Auxiliary scholarship winners are Gretchin Ruba of rural Granville and Amanda Schwarz of Le Mars.
Gretchin is a senior at MMCRU & the daughter of Jim and Lori Ruba. She will be attending Northwest Missouri State University in the fall and pursing a degree as a registered dietitian.
Amanda, daughter of Mark and Susan Schwartz, will be graduating from University of South Dakota and then is planning on attending University of Kansas Medical Center in the fall and pursing a Doctorate in Occupational Therapy.
A formal presentation to Gretchin and Amanda will be made at a
later date yet to be determined.
The Auxiliary will also contribute $1,000 to the Floyd Valley Education Department to be used for staff and community training, including basic and advanced cardiac life support, neonatal resuscitation and trauma nursing courses.
Each Spring Floyd Valley Auxiliary awards scholarships each year to students in the Floyd Valley Healthcare service area who are pursuing a health related career. For more information on the scholarship, please go to FloydValley.org and click on Auxiliary.
Governor In Modified Quarantine
(Des Moines, IA) — Governor Kim Reynolds is on a modified quarantine plan after potentially being exposed to someone who tested positive for COVID-19.
The governor visited the White House last Wednesday and hosted Vice President Pence in Iowa on Friday. A member of Pence’s staff is infected, so the governor is taking precautions. The governor says she is “healthy and feeling good,” but is getting her temperature taken at least three times daily.
She’ll be tested every morning. Reynolds says she’ll make an announcement Tuesday about what businesses may be allowed to reopen later this week and what restrictions may be extended through month’s end.
Denison Is The Latest Community To Have TestIowa.com
(Denison, IA) — A western Iowa city that’s home to two meatpacking plants is the latest location for one of the “Test Iowa” drive-through sites to screen residents for COVID-19. An Iowa National Guard task force that set up the
site in Denison. Captain Sam Otto says they are experts by now in setting them up and it doesn’t take long. Test Iowa sites are now operating in Des Moines, Waterloo. Cedar Rapids and Sioux City. The state is hiring medical personnel and recruiting volunteer nurses to conduct the tests. Guard soldiers transport the test kits to the State Hygienic Lab for processing.
USDA: Iowa Planting Season Progressing Rapidly
(Des Moines, IA) — The planting season continues to move rapidly ahead following a year where farmers had to sit and wait for things to dry out. The weekly crop report from the U-S Department of Agriculture shows 91 percent of the corn planting is done — up from 78 percent last week. The report says
71 percent of the soybeans were in the ground — an increase from 46 percent the week before. The corn planting progress is now almost one month ahead of last year and two weeks ahead of the five-year average. The soybean planting is also one full month ahead of last year and more than two weeks ahead of
the average.
Former Iowa Speedway President Dies
(Newton, IA) — Former Iowa Speedway C-E-O and President Stan Clement has died after a battle with cancer. Clement was able to get longtime NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace to design the track and pushed to get it built. Newton Mayor Mike Hansen says Clement had been battling the illness for the last several years and says he will be missed. Hansen says the Quad Cities and
Ankeny were other sites that were considered for the track — but says Clement didn’t give up on getting the Iowa Speedway built in Newton in 2005.
