Building Collapses At Hinton
(Hinton) — A building collapsed Saturday morning at Hinton. The brick and concrete building located at 119 South Floyd Avenue, along Highway 75 collapsed at about 8:10 a.m. No one was inside the structure at the time of the structure falling. Owner Sara Smith says the building, which was used
for storage of equipment, was more than 120 years old. The building sits just south of the Subway restaurant and a block south of the traffic light.
Officials blocked off the southbound traffic lanes of Highway 75 for a while due to the building collapse, and the possibility of the east wall may fall into the traffic. The building’s south and west walls had collapsed causing brick and concrete to scatter within the immediate area. Some of those bricks had fallen on to Smith’s vehicles that were parked next to the fallen
structure. Sara Smith talks about the building collapse.
The Hinton Fire Department, Iowa D-O-T, MidAmerican Energy, Hinton Police, and Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office are all at the scene of the building collapse. Officials with the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department were also called to the scene with their drone in order to get a birds-eye view of the fallen structure to check for additional possible concerns with the integrity
of the building.
(Drone aerial photo courtesy of the Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department.)
Gehlen Catholic Celebrates National Catholic Schools Week
(Le Mars) — This week is National Catholic Schools Week, a week designated to recognize and honor catholic education. Amy Jungers serves as the Development Director with Gehlen Catholic Schools of Le Mars. She says National Catholic Schools week has been around for 47 years, and she explains the importance of recognizing Catholic Schools week.
Jungers says this year’s theme is: “Faith, Excellence, and Service.” Jungers offers a brief description as to the many activities being planned for Gehlen Catholic School.
Jungers explains what else is being planned at Gehlen to kick off “Catholic Schools Week.”
The Gehlen Catholic Development Director says special activities and events are planned for each day of the week in celebration of National Catholic Schools Week.
State Senator Jeff Taylor Comments On The 100 Percent In-Person Educational Bill
(Sioux Center) — A bill signed into law by Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on Friday requires that Iowa K-12 schools hold all classes “in-person” by February 15th.
Reynolds says it is an important step in the state’s recovery from the pandemic. The governor says we now have the benefit of months of evidence that shows our schools are the safest place for our kids to be. Republican State Senator Jeff Taylor of Sioux Center serves on the State’s Senate Education Committee and says the bill needed to be passed, and it is the students that suffer from not being in a classroom.
Democratic Lawmaker Tests Positive For COVID-19, Blames Lack Of Mask Mandate
(Des Moines, IA) — A Democratic state representative from North Liberty thinks Republicans are to blame for her positive test results for COVID-19.
Representative Amy Nielsen points to Republican refusals to mandate masks or require people to disclose positive cases. Nielsen’s case is the first to be confirmed among lawmakers, but there have been three more positive cases among people who work in the Statehouse since the legislative session began
three weeks ago. House Speaker Pat Grassley has said he can’t force members to wear masks.
Arizona Man Sentenced To 5 Years For Threatening Mass Shooting At Capitol
(Des Moines, IA) — An Arizona man has been sentenced to five years in prison for threatening to open fire on the Iowa Legislature. Cody Leveke was taken into custody in December 2019 and indicted by a federal grand jury.
Leveke was convicted in a jury trial last September. He apparently got mad when he asked State Senator Herman Quirmbach to change Iowa state laws so he could be removed from the sex offender registry. The bill made it through
the Senate but died in the Iowa House. When the legislative effort failed, Leveke sent several emails to the lawmaker saying he was “angry enough to pull a mass shooting down at the State House.” Leveke told the judge he should get a lighter sentence before he accepted responsibility for the threats, but he got the maximum.
Republican Party Chairman: It Would Be A Relief To Have Grassley Run For Re-Election
(Des Moines, IA) — The chairman of the Iowa Republican Party says it would be a relief to have Senator Chuck Grassley run for re-election. Jeff Kaufmann says if the 87-year-old Grassley runs, he “will be smiling.” Grassley says he will make his decision public later this year.
If he wins and serves all six years, he would be 95 at the end of his eighth term in the U-S Senate. During an appearance on “Iowa Press” last weekend on Iowa P-B-S, Kaufman said he will lobby against any effort to hold the Iowa Caucuses, New Hampshire and South Carolina’s primaries, and the Nevada
Caucuses on the same day. He says it’s something Democrats have discussed.
Snowmobile Accident Takes the Life Of Webster County Man
(Lehigh, IA) — Authorities in Webster County report a 31-year-old man from Lehigh has died from injuries he suffered in a weekend snowmobile accident.
Noah Ferguson died before he could be taken to a hospital. The Webster County Sheriff’s Office says it was notified about the accident shortly after 2:00 a-m Sunday. Investigators say Ferguson suffered fatal injuries when he hit a utility pole while riding the snowmobile near the Lehigh Fire Station.
The fatal crash is still being investigated.
