Perry Creek Dairy To Hold Open House
(Le Mars) — Western Iowa Dairy Alliance will celebrate June Dairy month with an open house scheduled for this afternoon and evening at the Perry Creek Dairy Farm located west of Le Mars on county road K-22. The open house will take place between 4:00 and 8:00 p.m. Attendees of the open house will have the opportunity to view an active milking operation. Perry Creek Dairy is owned by Allan Feuerhelm along with his sons Brad and Scott. The dairy operation is a state-of-the-art milking facility and will showcase its carousel milking parlor. Scott Thoms serves as the herdsman for Perry Creek and tells of the unique milking procedure.
Perry Creek dairy will also host this morning’s Le Mars Chamber of Commerce Coffee. More than 3,500 Holstein cows are milked three times a day at Perry Creek. Along with its sister dairy farm Plymouth Dairy, located south of Le Mars, together, Perry Creek Dairy and Plymouth Dairy milk more than 6,000 cows each day. Perry Creek is located at 20243 county road K-22. Simply follow
Highway 3 going west of Le Mars until the intersection with county road K-22, turn left or south, and travel for nearly two miles. Perry Creek is on the west side of the county road K-22.
Vandals Strike Foster Park With Graffiti
(Le Mars) — Vandals have struck again in our community, this time in the form of graffiti and the unfortunate target was Foster Park at the gazebo, rest rooms, and even the child statutes. Le Mars Police Chief Kevin Vander Vegte says city staff noticed the vandalism on Monday, and immediately reported it.
Vande Vegte is asking residents to keep their eyes open for any type of criminal activity.
The Le Mars Police Chief is confident the perpetrators will be caught, especially since each city park is equipped with video surveillance cameras.
It may be easy to blame youth for the acts of vandalism. Vande Vegte says the reason for the graffiti vandalism may be anything from vandals wanting to mark their territory, to want to deface public property, to just being bored.
Vande Vegte says city crews will either paint over, or remove the graffiti as quickly as possible.
Plymouth County Farm Bureau Contributes Funds To Museum
(Le Mars) — In a related matter, Plymouth County Farm Bureau directors have voted to donate $500 to the Plymouth County Historical Museum for repairs to their broken windows as a result of vandalism that occurred last weekend. Farm Bureau officials say the the museum holds many of the farm organization’s
archives and records, and it is important to the the county farm bureau that these items be secured and preserved. Plymouth County Farm Bureau joins Total Motors who last week had donated $1,000 for the repair of the broken windows and display cases. The Le Mars Eagles Club has established an awareness
campaign called: “Not in our town and not on our watch.” The Eagles have decided to offer a reward of $1,000 to the positive apprehension of the individual or individuals responsible for the broken glass panes and display cases at the Plymouth County Historical Museum. Farm Bureau officials says any money left over will be directed to improving the museum’s camera security
system.
Le Mars Police K-9 Unit Wraps Up Fund Raising Campaign
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars Police Department is wrapping up its fund raising campaign for its K-9 unit. Police Chief Kevin Vande Vegte says although the campaign is coming to an end, the police department would still welcome donations directed to the K-9 program.
Vande Vegte says the community was very supportive, and contributions exceeded the goal.
Officer Rob Rohlmiller is the handler of the Le Mars Police Department’s K-9 unit consisting of “Ace” a cross between a German Shepard and a Belgium Malinois. Rohlmiller says he is appreciative of the community’s response.
Recently, representatives of Northwest Bank of Le Mars contributed $500 to the Le Mars Police K-9 Unit. From left are: Joyce Barents, Rebecca McGinnis, Officer Bob Rohlmiller and Kevin Eekhoff.
Chief Vande Vegte says “Ace” has performed well and keeps improving with training.
Officer Rohlmiller tells of the success “Ace” has had at regional police dog competitions.
Rohlmiller talks about the many different capabilities of “Ace” and the areas which he has been trained.
The police K-9 is also capable of tracking and the apprehension of suspects.
Rohlmiller says “Ace” is also being trained for search and tracking of either a lost child, or an elderly individual suffering from dementia, and has wandered away.
World Pork Expo Returns To Des Moines After 3-Year Absence
(Des Moines, IA) — The World Pork Expo returns to the Iowa State Fairgrounds today (Wednesday) after a three-year absence. The trade show for Iowa pork producers and others runs through Friday, featuring seminars and new technology. Organizers say they will have safety and health measures in
place. Admission is 20 dollars at the gate for anyone 12 or older. More than 20-thousand producers and agriculture professionals from all over the world are expected to attend.
Des Moines Woman Pleads Guilty To Vehicular Homicide Charges
(West Union, IA) — A 27-year-old Des Moines woman has pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide charges. Kelli Jo Michael admitted hitting a teenager riding his moped three years ago. Fourteen-year-old Kaiden Estling was killed. Michael admits she was driving recklessly when she rear-ended the victim near the town of Fayette. She was arrested last summer and now faces
up to 10 years in prison. Michael’s sentencing is set for July 12th. As part of the plea agreement, she will pay the victim’s family 150-thousand dollars in restitution. The family is also suing her in a civil court action.
Traffic Enforcement Officials Working To Slow Iowa’s Rising Fatality Rate
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa State Patrol says its troopers have reported some of the most dangerous driving behaviors in the patrol’s 85-year history.
Traffic enforcement officials say they are cracking down on speeders, drunk drivers and people distracted by their cell phones between now and the weekend. Even when the coronavirus pandemic reduced traffic volume by 12
percent in the Hawkeye State, traffic fatalities went up last year. Patrols will be increased starting today (Wednesday) and lasting through Saturday.
The goal is to keep Iowa traffic fatalities below 300 this year.
Mother Living In Mobile Home Park Says Crime Is Rising And No One’s Doing Anything
(Huxley, IA) — A mother of three children says crime is getting worse in her mobile home park in Huxley and nobody is doing anything about it. Carly Palmer and her three children live in a trailer at Sunnybrook mobile home park. Residents there have complained about raw sewage, gunshots and flying axes in recent months. Palmer says her neighbor is sub-leading his mobile home to dangerous people. She recounts one incident where police arrived, two men who weren’t living there came out covered in blood, and a woman was screaming for her life. Huxley police say they have responded to multiple
calls at the location. Palmer tells K-C-C-I television she no longer feels safe there.
Iowa Man Pleads Not Guilty For Role in US Capitol Attack
(Washington, DC) — An Iowan caught on video leading a crowd of rioters during the attack on the U-S Capitol is asking to be released from prison as he awaits his trial. Forty-one-year-old Doug Jensen of Des Moines is pleading not guilty to charges related to his alleged involvement in the January 6th insurrection, including entering a restricted building with a knife. Jensen’s attorney says his client now feels duped by conspiracy theories. The lawyer says Jensen now believes he was misled by then-President Trump and fed a “pack of lies” on social media. A judge has set Jensen’s bond hearing for June 24th and his attorney plans to play parts of a two-hour interview with Jensen in court and have Jensen’s wife testify.
Iowa House Committee Will Focus on Government Cyber Security
(Des Moines, IA) — Classes are cancelled for a fourth day at Des Moines Area Community College due to what DMACC (dee-MACK) officials call a “data security incident.” House Speaker Pat Grassley says the Information Technology Committee he established in the House in December spent the past
few months working on the governor’s broadband initiative, but will now focus on cyber security issues. Grassley said, “whether it’s pipelines, meatpacking- any of those kinds of critical infrastructure needs, we have a situation in the House where we have a committee that will make that part of what they will
look at and be working on between now and the upcoming session.” DMACC’s president said in a statement that it does not appear student or faculty data has been compromised by the security breach. The school has outside security experts and the F-B-I working on the case, but has not described it as a
ransomware attack.
Cedar Rapids Man Draws 19-Plus Years in Prison For Selling 100 Pounds of Meth
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — A Cedar Rapids man who admitted to dealing more than 100 pounds of methamphetamine will spend over 19 years in federal prison.
Forty-three-year-old Henry Eilders was sentenced to 230 months after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute meth. A search of Eilders’ residence in March of 2020 led to more than 800 grams of the drug, a gun and 63-thousand dollars in cash. He also admitted to selling 104 pounds the previous year.
Authorities ID Apparent Rathbun Lake Drowning Victim
(Moravia, IA) — Authorities in southern Iowa are identifying the fisherman who apparently drowned on Rathbun Lake last Friday. The Appanoose County Sheriff’s Office says 79-year-old Ralph Rosenberger of Indianola fell off his boat near the Island View boat ramp. Rosenberger was found unresponsive in the water and boaters were performing C-P-R when deputies arrived, but he died at the scene. The Iowa State Medical Examiner’s Office is doing an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.
