Iowa Department Of Transportation Says Roads Are Still Covered With Snow
(Le Mars) — People are still digging themselves out of the snow that fell on Iowa during Thursday evening and Friday. The latest road condition report from the Iowa Department of Transportation indicates many of the roads are still covered with snow. Highway 75 is completely covered with snow from
Hinton going north. Highway 60 is also completely snow covered, as is Highway 3 and Highway 10. Highway 12 is listed as normal winter driving conditions from Sioux City heading north to Akron. At Akron and continuing north through Hawarden, Highway 12 is completely covered with snow. Highway 20 from Sioux City heading east to Moville is listed as normal winter driving, but at Moville going east to Rockwell City, Highway 20 is completely
snow covered. A tow ban is now in effect fro Lyon, Osceola, Sioux, Plymouth, and Woodbury Counties. Iowa D-O-T trucks are on the roads attempting to clear the snow.
Semi Fuel Truck Jack-Knifed On Highway 60
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department was called to the scene of a jack-knifed semi truck hauling fuel last evening. The incident happened at about 9:00 p.m. on Highway 60. Apparently, when the fuel truck had lost control of the rig, the cab of the truck had spun around and hit the fuel
tanker causing a rupture, and allowing fuel to spill. Firefighters were able to seal the puncture with a putty-type substance. The truck had blocked the north-bound lanes of traffic for nearly 45 minutes.
Emergency Units Respond To Rollover Accident On Highway 3
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Ambulance and the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department, along with the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office responded to a one-vehicle roll-over accident. The accident was reported at about 12:25 p.m.
Friday afternoon. Officials at the scene believe the small pickup truck had rolled several times and came to a rest in a field. The accident happened on Highway 3 near county road K-22, or about eight miles west of Le Mars.
Apparently, there was one injured victim who was transported to a Sioux City hospital. The Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the accident.
Sioux County Authorities Investigate Fatal Accident
(Orange City) — Sioux County authorities are investigating a fatal accident that happened on Highway 10, approximately three miles east of Alton. The accident occurred Thursday afternoon at about 4:50 p.m. Josiah Gonzalez, age 18 of Granville, and formerly of Le Mars, was driving a 2007 Chevrolet
Malibu heading westbound on Highway 10 when he lost control of his vehicle, and entered the eastbound lane striking Barry Galles, age 45, of Remsen.
Galles was driving a 2019 Ford-F250 pickup going eastbound on Highway 10.
Both drivers were transported by ambulance from Alton and Orange City to Orange City Area Health System where Gonzalez was pronounced dead as a result of his injuries, and Galles was treated for minor injuries and released.
Upmeyer To Assist With Iowa Republican Party
(Clear Lake) — The former speaker of the Iowa House who did not seek re-election in 2020 will be helping the Iowa Republican Party to try to win elections statewide in 2022. Party leaders meeting tomorrow (Saturday) plan to elect Linda Upmeyer of Clear Lake as the co-chair of the Republican Party of Iowa.
Kaufmann has been the chairman of the Iowa Republican Party since June of 2013. Upmeyer raised one-and-a-half million for legislative candidates running in 2018 and Upmeyer says she’s ready to ask donors for money for the party — and to recruit candidates to run for office in 2022.
The state party will be involved in high-profile races for governor and U.S. senator in 2022, as Republicans wrestle with what’s next after the U.S. Capitol riot in the closing days of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Upmeyer, who served 18 years in the legislature, was the first woman to serve as speaker of the Iowa House. Upmeyer announced in the fall of 2019 that she was stepping down from that role and wouldn’t seek re-election.
Grassley Believes Senate May Not Deal With Impeachment Of Trump
(Washington) — The U-S House of Representatives have twice voted to impeach President Donald Trump, with the latest impeachment vote occurring Wednesday afternoon following last week’s security breech of the U-S Capitol building by protesters and rioters. Many House members blame Trump for those riots after he told them to go to the capitol. With our nation divided along political ideologies, U-S Republican Senator Chuck Grassley was asked by KLEM news if articles of impeachment may become more of a common occurrence in future years? In other words, would elected officials be likely to turn to impeachment if they disagree with a president?
Grassley made his comments Thursday morning during an interview with KLEM.
State Officials On Alert For Potential Violence At Capitol
(Des Moines, IA) — Local, state, and federal law enforcement officials say they are monitoring potential threats in Iowa leading up to inauguration day. Iowa officials say they have not received threats to the capitol building in Des Moines specifically, but Iowa Department of Public Safety Commissioner Stephan Bayens says more officers are patrolling the statehouse as a precaution. He says the Iowa Department of Public Safety has a division of intelligence analysts that are constantly examining social media and working with federal and local partners to identify threats. The F-B-I’s Omaha field office is asking those with information about potential violence at upcoming protests or events to call 402-493-8688.
Iowa Congresswomen Discuss Proposed Stimulus Package
(Washington, DC) — Congresswoman Cindy Axne of West Des Moines, the only Democrat in Iowa’s congressional delegation, says she’ll vote for the one-point-nine TRILLION dollar pandemic relief plan President-elect Joe Biden unveiled Thursday. Axne says, “The American public needs this more than ever and so many of the provisions of the policy that he’s putting forth will help us move through this pandemic really quickly.” The plan would provide 14-hundred dollar stimulus checks to most Americans as well as subsidies for child care. It also calls for spending hundreds of millions of dollars to speed up the deployment of Covid vaccines. Congresswoman Ashley Hinson, a Republican from Marion, says her top priority is getting another round of Paycheck Projection Program grants to small businesses. Hinson isn’t ruling out a “yes” vote on the package Biden presents to congress after he’s inaugurated next week.
Red Cross Looking For More Volunteers
(Undated) — The American Red Cross is asking volunteers to help other Iowans in need. Nebraska-Iowa region spokeswoman, Emily Holley,, says people who give freely of their time make the charity’s humanitarian mission possible. Red Cross offices across Iowa where blood is drawn are always looking for blood donor ambassadors. They do things like welcoming visitors and taking their temperatures before entering agency facilities and blood drives. There is also a high-priority need for transportation specialists to help deliver blood from Red Cross facilities to local hospitals. She says there’s a wide range of other virtual volunteer opportunities. Find out more at: redcross.org/volunteertoday
Delta Dental Offers Water Fountain Grants To Schools
(Undated) — The Delta Dental Foundation of Iowa is again offering grants to schools to replace drinking fountains with stations that have touchless water bottle fillers. Foundation executive director, Suzanne Heckenlaible says there’s a continued need for the modern stations as schools adapt to the pandemic — as schools have shut down regular water fountains. Heckenlaible says they’ve been working with schools for several years and had restricted the grants to schools that did not have the new water bottle station. She says they are now opening it up to schools that already have one. The foundation is taking grant applications through February 5th. Schools can apply by visiting: deltadentalia.com/foundation/grants.
