Le Mars and Oyens Fire Departments Respond To Tractor Fire
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars and Oyens Fire Departments responded to a tractor that had caught on fire, Friday afternoon. The call came in at about 3:20 p.m. with the tractor located on county road K-64 just south of 240th Street, or approximately nine miles southeast of Le Mars. The tractor was a 2019
CASE-IH 150 owned and operated by Tony Schroeder. Schroeder was mowing at the time the fire started. He explains what had happened.
Thick black smoke could be seen for several miles as fire departments rushed to the scene. Schroeder says the tractor was less than a year old.
The CASE-IH tractor was listed as a total loss, including the attached mower and front-end loader.
Schroeder considers himself fortunate to have escaped injury.
Le Mars Man Arrested After Eluding Law Enforcement Officials
(Le Mars)— The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office is reporting that about 3:15 a.m. Friday morning a deputy attempted a traffic stop on a 1995 Pontiac Firebird. The vehicle failed to stop and fled the deputy in and around the Le Mars area. The Le Mars Police Department assisted with the chase that covered about six miles and ended in the 35000 block of county road C-30, east of Le Mars, when the vehicle went into a ditch. At that time, the
driver fled on foot into a corn field. Additional units were dispatched including the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department to provide lighting. The Iowa State Patrol also assisted with additional man power. A search within the area was conducted on foot and with a K9 dog. After about an hour, the search was terminated. At approximately 8:45 a.m. Friday morning a suspect was located by the Le Mars Police Department in the 600 Block of 4th Avenue Northeast. 35-year old Chase Kounkel of Le Mars was taken into custody by the officer and turned over to the Sheriff’s Office for charging. During the arrest, Kounkel was found to be in possession of methamphetamine and drug
paraphernalia. Kounkel was taken to the Plymouth County Jail and booked on the following charges including: driving while barred, an aggravated misdemeanor; eluding, an aggravated misdemeanor; possession of methamphetamine (3rd offense), Class D felony; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a simple misdemeanor.
Chase Kounkel – Le Mars 35-years of age
Remsen Man In Sioux County Jail For Violating No-Contact Order
(Orange City) — A Remsen man who had been released on bail after being jailed in Sioux County last month, is back behind bars. Back on May 12th, 35-year old Alfred Nelson was arrested by Orange City Police after allegedly entering an Orange City residence and assaulting a male victim while children were present. As a result of their investigation, police say Nelson was charged with 1st Degree Burglary, Assault While Participating in a Felony, Assault Causing Bodily Injury, and four counts of Child Endangerment. Nelson was later released on bail, and a no-contact order was issued as a condition of his bail, according to authorities. Court records indicate that after being released on bail, Nelson was arrested on two separate occasions for Felony Stalking and Violating a No-Contact Order for allegedly harassing the victim in the May 12th incident. Due to the two alleged incidents, the Sioux County Attorney’s Office made a motion with the Court asking that Nelson’s bail be revoked, because the original bail “no longer insured the community’s safety.” The Bail Revocation motion was granted, and Nelson was arrested by Orange City Police on Tuesday, June 23rd. As of mid-afternoon Wednesday, Nelson was still being held in Sioux County Jail in lieu of a $26,500 cash only bond, according to jail records.
35-year old Alfred Nelson of Remsen
(story courtesy of KIWA radio)
By-product of Soybean Oil Used As Graffiti Remover
(Le Mars) — There may be a solution to vandals that have spray painted graffiti on many monuments, memorials, buildings, and other structures, across the nation, including here in Iowa, and it comes from the farm. A company based at Brooklyn, Iowa, has developed a product that removes graffiti paint from nearly any surface, including porous surfaces such as brick and concrete. Jeff Gard is with Natural Soy Products, and says their
product is environmentally friendly, bio-degradable, and is derived from soybean oil.
Gard says his company recently sent some bulk volume product to Iowa City and the University of Iowa to be used to remove recent graffiti.
Besides the graffiti remover, Gard says soybean oil is used for many industrial products.
Other industrial products derived from soybean oil include a paint stripper, adhesive remover, concrete cleaner, and even an asphalt release agent. He says his graffiti remover product has been sent to Los Angeles to be used on the LA Post Office, as well as the Hollywood Walk of Fame. For a complete
listing of the products go to www.naturalsoyproducts.com.
New Law Restricts Secretary of State From Sending Absentee Ballot Applications
(Des Moines, IA) — A new state law will force the top election official in state government to get legislators’ permission to mail Iowans an absentee ballot request form. G-O-P Secretary of State Paul Pate mailed every Iowan a form this spring. A record number of Iowans filled it out, mailed it to their county auditor and got an absentee ballot for the June 2nd Primary.
Some Republican lawmakers say Pate exceeded his authority. The new law forces Pate and all future secretaries of state to get permission from the Legislative Council for a mailing like that in the future. Democrats criticized the bill as a “voter suppression” measure. The law also prohibits county election officials from reducing the number of polling places on Election Day by more than 35 percent. Some county auditors dramatically
reduced precinct locations for the June Primary due to the pandemic.
Senator Ernst Blocking Nomination of EPA Over Renewable Fuel Waivers
(Washington, DC) — Senator Joni Ernst is blocking the nomination of President Trump’s pick for deputy administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Ernst opposed the nomination of Doug Benevento for EPA in the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee. The Iowa Republican
said, “Iowa’s hardworking ethanol and biodiesel producers are sick of being yanked around by Andrew Wheeler and the EPA. Our producers need certainty; until we get that, no EPA nominee is getting my vote.” She says she wants answers about the EPA’s “gap year” waivers for oil refineries.
Iowa State Fair Cancelled, But Will Have FFA and 4H Animal Shows
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa State Fair will not go on this summer due to COVID-19, but something called the 2020 Fair Special Edition is now on the schedule. The State Fair’s website says the special edition will be held at the fairgrounds in Des Moines over three weekends in August. It’ll be an opportunity for only F-F-A and 4-H members to showcase their animals. It
will focus on the superior showmanship, hard work, and determination of Iowa’s youth. Each club will have the traditional categories, including cattle, horses, goats, poultry, rabbits, sheep and swine. The fair says it will follow all recommendations for social distancing, hand washing and sanitization.
AARP Calls For COVID-19 Testing For All Long-term Nursing Care Facilities
(Des Moines) — A-A-R-P of Iowa is calling for mandatory testing of all residents and staff in Iowa nursing homes after a case of COVID-19 has been identified. Brad Anderson is the state director for A-A-R-P.
Anderson says Iowans should be outraged by an Iowa Capitol Dispatch report showing employees with COVID-19 symptoms kept working in a Dubuque nursing home.
Ninety-five percent of residents at the home tested positive for the virus and 11 residents died. Anderson notes 52 percent of all the Iowans who’ve died of COVID-19 were nursing home residents.
Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s aware of the situation at Dubuque Specialty Care.
A week ago, Reynolds signed a law that gives businesses and health care facilities — including nursing homes — new legal immunity from most COVID-related lawsuits.
State officials define a coronavirus outbreak at a nursing home as when three residents test positive for COVID-19. The state
website shows 28 Iowa nursing homes currently have coronavirus outbreaks. At one point this spring, 42 long-term care facilities in Iowa reported COVID-19 outbreaks.
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25 Years Have Passed Since Television Reporter’s Disappearance
(Mason City) — Saturday marks 25 years since the disappearance of Jodi Huisentruit. The former KIMT-TV anchorwoman was believed to have been abducted from the parking lot of her Mason City apartment complex early on
the morning of June 27th, 1995. Her body was never found and the case remains unsolved. Mason City Police Chief Jeff Brinkley says most people thought the mystery would have been solved by now.
Brinkley says information about the case continues to trickle in even 25 years later.
Brinkley says there continues to be one person from the police department actively assigned to the case.
Brinkley believes there are people they haven’t talked to yet that may have information that would be useful to the
investigation.
Brinkley encourages anyone who thinks they may have information about the case to contact the police department.
If you have any information regarding Huisentruit’s disappearance, you can call the Mason City Police Department at
641-421-3636. Organizers of the website “FindJodi.com” are asking people to leave a porch light on or light a candle the next few days in memory of Huisentruit.
