County Supervisors Listen To TeBrink Share Proposed Sheriff’s Office Budget
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Board of Supervisors re-elected Don Kass as the chairman of the board, and Craig Anderson was again elected to serve as the vice chairman of the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors.
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Sheriff Jeff TeBrink presented to the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors with his proposed fiscal year budget during the weekly supervisor meeting held Monday. TeBrink is asking for modest increases for each division under the sheriff’s jurisdiction. With the Communications
Center, TeBrink is proposing a budget of $525,517. The current budget is at $516,517 or an increase of 1.7 percent.
Next up, TeBrink discussed the proposed budget for the jail staff and facilities.
The current budget for the jail services is listed at $1,382,574 and the proposed budget would be listed at $1,435,130. Sheriff TeBrink shared the Sheriff’s Rural budget as a one-point-nine percent increase over last year’s allotment. TeBrink says he placed the salaries of four of his deputies within the Rural Division. Supervisor Craig Anderson says the Sheriff’s Rural
Divison has always encountered problems.
The new sheriff then proceeded to inform the county supervisors about his proposed budget for the Sheriff’s General Basic fund.
The combined total proposed budget for the Sheriff’s Office is listed at $3,683,222 dollars. The current budget is at $3,569,016. The increase represents a 3.19 percent increase.
Cherokee Man Charged With Shooting At House And Vehicle
(Cherokee) — A Cherokee man was charged after the Cherokee Sheriff’s Office was dispatched to a residence in Larrabee on Friday on a vandalism report. During the investigation, it was found that a vehicle and house had been shot multiple times. 29-year old Joseph Luellen of Cherokee allegedly shot the house and car during the early morning hours on Friday, January 1st. Luellen was charged with two counts of 2nd Degree Criminal Mischief, a Class D Felony, Felon in Possession of a Firearm, a Class D Felony; Carrying Weapons, an Aggravated Misdemeanor; and Reckless Use of a Firearm, an Aggravated Misdemeanor. The Cherokee Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Marcus Police Department and the Iowa State Patrol.
(courtesy of KAYL radio of Storm Lake.)
Environmental Groups Request MidAmerican Energy To Shut Down Coal-burning Power Plants
(Des Moines) — Three environmental groups are calling on MidAmerican Energy to retire its coal power plants in order to save Iowa customers millions of dollars. A Sierra Club analysis of the utility’s numbers found it lost 27-million dollars over the past five years by operating two coal plants in Sioux City. Kerri Johannsen, energy program director for the Iowa Environmental
Council, says MidAmerican’s latest emissions plan doesn’t meet state standards for operating in a cost-effective way.
By retiring two coal plants in Sioux City by 2023, the report says MidAmerican could save 92-million dollars. Johannsen says the Sierra Club, the Environmental Law and Policy Center, and the Iowa Environmental Council are urging the company to save money in addition to avoiding the public health and climate impacts of the plants.
The environmental groups are making the arguments to the Iowa Utilities Board, which is reviewing MidAmerican’s latest emissions plan. A hearing in the case is slated to go before the board in February.
Police ID Sioux City Woman Fatally Wounded When Shots Were Fired Into House
(Sioux City, IA) — Sioux City police have identified the 18-year-old woman who was fatally wounded when shots were fired into a house from outside last week. A New Year’s party was being held when the incident happened and Mia Alexis-Marie Kritis of Sioux City was the victim. She died after the shooting
early Friday morning. Investigators say multiple guns were shot into the home and four other people were wounded. They haven’t been identified because all four were juveniles. All of them are expected to recover. Police are hoping witnesses will come forward to help them solve the case.
Biggest Problem For Lawmakers This Session The Same As 2019: COVID
(Des Moines, IA) –– When the next legislative session starts January 11th, the biggest problem facing lawmakers will be the same as it was last year – dealing with COVID-19. Iowa Senate Democrats are calling for the passage of another relief bill in addition to the one from the federal government. They
will have to talk Republicans into supporting legislation like that because the G-O-P has majorities in both legislative chambers. Majority Leader Jack Witver, an Ankeny Republican, says the gains his party made in the November election are evidence the voters approve of the way state government and the coronavirus pandemic are being handled. Witver says his priority for the
session will be tax relief.
Federal Judge Rejects Tyson’s Motion To Move Lawsuit Out Of State Court
(Waterloo, IA) — An effort by Tyson Foods to have the lawsuit it is facing over a worker’s death moved to federal court has been rejected. Isidro Fernandez died from complications from COVID-19 last April. He had worked at the Tyson plant in Waterloo. His family filed suit in state court, but the company had sought to have it switched to federal court. Tyson has argued it wasn’t liable for the victim’s death because it was following federal guidelines to stay open during the coronavirus pandemic. A federal judge rejected that argument last week.
Iowa Supreme Court Limits Damages When Police Use Excessive Force
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Supreme Court is limiting the financial damages that can be awarded in lawsuits over police using excessive force. The court has ruled those lawsuits are subject to the limits in the Iowa Tort Claims Act. Last week’s ruling was six-to-one on limiting punitive damages. The
court decided they are not available in the suits that allege Iowa officers used excessive force in violation of a person’s constitutional rights. One justice wrote compensatory damages are still available and they offer an “adequate remedy.”
