Kingsley House Destroyed By Fire
(Kingsley) — Fire has totally destroyed a house in Kingsley. The fire was reported shortly after 3:00 a.m. at 308 Dover Street in Kingsley. Firefighers responded to see the home fully engulfed. Kingsley Fire Department requested mutual aid from both the Remsen Fire Department and the Moville Fire Department. Brandon Sitzmann serves as the Assistant Fire Chief for the Kingsley Fire Department and explains the scene.
Sitzmann says the State Fire Marshal has been notified and will be arrive on the scene sometime Saturday to investigate the origin and cause of the fire. Sitzmann says he is uncertain as to the dollar amount of damage, other than the home and much of the contents have been totally destroyed, as well as the adjoining garage. A car that was parked inside the garage was also destroyed by the fire. Sitzmann says the occupant of the house was able to escape the burning structure without any injuries. The fire was reported by the occupant of the home as well as surrounding neighbors. Sitzmann says there was some concern the fire may spread to immediate neighbors homes.
Kingsley firefighters remain at the scene Saturday morning, but Sitzmann says both Moville and Remsen were released from the scene of the fire at around 7:30 a.m. after battling the blaze for more than four straight hours. Smoke could still seen coming from the roof, as firefighters were watching for hot spots smoldering.
Firefighters Respond To Field Fire
(Le Mars) — Le Mars Fire and Rescue Department responded to a field fire Saturday afternoon at about 1:05 p.m. The fire was located in a corn stubble field north of Le Mars about three miles between 150th and 160th Streets on Marble Avenue. Mike Wise, Assistant Fire and Rescue Chief says the fire started from a burn barrel that was burning, and the north winds help spread the embers to the adjacent field. Firefighters were assisted with fighting the field fire from a local farmer that had a tillage disk. Wise estimates an area of nearly two and a half acres had burnt. Firefighters were on the scene for about 45 minutes.
Hunter Falls Into Big Sioux River
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Sheriff’s Deputies responded to a 9-1-1 call that came through the Plymouth County Communications Center at about 10:05 a.m. indicating a hunter and his dog had fallen into the Big Sioux River, near Boyd’s Bend access north of Akron. Deputies were able to arrive at the scene at about 10:18 a.m. to find a hunter and his dog stuck in the water and unable to get out of the water due to the tall embankment. Sheriff’s Deputies and an Akron firefighter were able to pull the hunter and his dog from the river. The hunter was transported to Hawarden Hospital by the Akron Ambulance for possible hypothermia. Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Akron Fire Department and Akron Ambulance. The hunter was not identified in the news release, however, the hunter is expected to make a full recovery with no injuries.
Knights Of Columbus Present Life Skills Phone-a-thon Check
(Le Mars) — Members of the Knights of Columbus presented a check in the amount of $43,393 dollars to the Life Skills Training Center staff and clients Sunday afternoon. The check is from the proceeds of the annual K-C phone-a-thon held in September. The Knights of Columbus presented the check just prior to their broasted pork chop dinner feed. Justin Freking is the chairman of the annual phone-a-thon event.
The phone-a-thon chairman explains that a portion of the raised money goes to help the Iowa Special Olympics program. He says the amount of money raised for both programs are from entire Plymouth County community.
The area Knights of Columbus chapters have been conducting the annual phone-a-thon to assist Life Skills Training Center for the past 41 years. Freking says the people of Plymouth County are generous, and he appreciates their efforts.
Shelly Thomson, Marketing and Development Manager with Life Skills Training Center says the money raised during the annual phone-a-thon is the primary fund raiser for the organization. She says it will be used for capital expenditures.
Life Skills Training Center holds many different fund raisers through the year, including a quilt auction, bossy bingo, and the Ice House, all taking place during the Plymouth County Fair. Another fund raiser happening now is the sale of Christmas ornaments. However, Thomson says the phone-a-thon brings in the most money.
Thomson says Life Skills has approximately 60 to 65 clients throughout the year. She says the money will go to both locations.
This year’s fund raiser fell slightly short of the projected budget, but Thomson says Life Skills had anticipated a small decline, and she says it shouldn’t adversely affect Life Skills overall budget.
Thomson says Life Skills is appreciative of the efforts by the Knights of Columbus.
Number Of Holiday Travelers Nearing Pre-Pandemic Levels
(Des Moines, IA). — The number of people who are predicted to be traveling this week is up 13-percent from last year and it’s almost back to pre-pandemic levels, according to a Triple-A survey. Meredith Mitts, the spokeswoman for the auto club in Iowa, says almost one-in-five people across the region will be taking a journey over the Thanksgiving holiday and most of them will be traveling by car. Compared to last Thanksgiving, gasoline prices in Iowa are up by a dollar-20 a gallon. Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, is predicted to be one of the busiest travel days of the year, followed closely by Sunday, so motorists should prepare accordingly. The national average for gasoline is three-41 a gallon, while in Iowa, the average is three-17. A year ago, the statewide average was a dollar-98.
Chef: There’s Just 1 Main Goal When Cooking The Turkey
(Des Moines, IA). — There are a lot of ways to cook a turkey and but the director of the Iowa Culinary Institute at Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC) says every method has one goal. Chef John Andres (Ahn-draz) says that’s to keep the meat moist. “You are always kind of in a battle between getting the outside of your turkey nice and caramelized and roasted — and at the same time, you want to retain moisture in the meat,” he says. Andres says he likes the traditional sides to go with his Thanksgiving turkey. But, he has a fresh take on the old standby green bean casserole and makes it without canned mushroom soup. He says caramelize fresh onion to go on top. Andres says there are a lot of different recipes available online.
Iowa Casino Agrees To Fine, Takes Steps To Correct Violation
(Clinton, IA). — The Wild Rose Clinton casino has agreed to a fine for a violation involving the self-exclusion gambling law. Racing and Gaming Administrator, Brian Ohorilkoh, says the violation involved casino mailings. “There was an incident where a patron had contacted Wild Rose and indicated they were receiving promotional mailings — that this patron was on the statewide self-exclusion list,” Ohorilko says. He says casinos have a grace period to get new self-exclusion sign-ups into their system and this person was receiving mailings after that period of time. He says the investigation found a total of 12 people who should have been on the list but weren’t. Ohorilko says Wild Rose Clinton has taken steps to correct the issue and they agreed to a ten-thousand-dollar fine for the violation.
Open Positions On Medical Marijuana Board To Be Filled
(Des Moines, IA). — The state board which oversees the medical marijuana program remains down four board members — but there is hope that will soon change. Program Bureau Chief, Owen Parker, updated the four members present for the latest meeting. “I can let you know that we’ve been in touch with the governor’s office. This week they did conduct three interviews for neurology, pediatrics, and psychiatry,” He says. Parker says all of those interviewed had been referred by board members or those we recently left the board. Parker says the best case would have new members on the board by their next meeting in February.
