Le Mars Police Investigate Fatal Accident Involving A Bicyclist
(Le Mars) — Le Mars Police are investigating a fatal accident involving a vehicle striking a bicycle that occurred at about 5:12 p.m. Tuesday evening on Business Highway 75 at the 500 block of 5th Avenue southwest, between the Casey’s General Store, and Perspective Insurance building. Additional information is expected to be released later today.
Firefighters Respond To House Fire Involving Bad Electrical Extension Cord
(Le Mars) — Firefighters responded to a report of smoke in a house at 221 2nd Avenue southeast. The call came in at about 6:54 p.m. Tuesday evening. When firefighters arrived at the scene, smoke had filled the home, and was coming from the basement. Fire Chief Dave Schipper says the fire and smoke was the result of an electrical extension cord that had created the fire. The result was the bad electrical cord started to burn a rug, a dresser, a bag of clothes, and a curtain. Firefighters were able to quickly extinguish the blaze, and ventilated the smoke from the home. The family members were able to escape the home without any injuries, and after firefighters cleared the smoke, the family was able to return to the home.
Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office Participated In Special Holiday Enforcement Program
(Le Mars) — Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office participated in a statewide special traffic enforcement program during the Thanksgiving holiday. The program ran from November 15th through November 28th. Plymouth County had a total of 21 man-hours dedicated to the step-up traffic enforcement project. During those 21 hours, deputies had the following contacts:
1 OWI tested but no arrest
1 child restraint citation
3 speeding citations
13 speed warnings
4 other traffic citations
17 other traffic warnings
2 charges of possession of marijuana
2 charges of drug paraphernalia
2 warrant arrests
and one motor vehicle accident.
Navigator CO2 Ventures Official Comments On Proposed Pipeline
(Le Mars) — On Monday evening a public information meeting was held at the Le Mars Convention Center to explain more about a proposed carbon dioxide pipeline being planned to cross Iowa, including Plymouth County. Navigator CO2 Ventures L.L.C. is proposing a pipeline that would transport liquid pressurized carbon dioxide diagonally across the state to an underground storage facility in Illinois. Navigator CO2 Ventures is the second such pipeline to be introduced for Iowa. The other pipeline is proposed by Summit Ag. KLEM radio visited with Elizabeth Burns-Thompson about the company’s plans for the pipeline. Burns-Thompson is the Vice President of Government and Public Affairs.
Burns-Thompson says Navigator will place the pipeline at a depth of at least five feet deep, and at a minimum of 18 to 24 inches from any existing underground pipeline. The Navigator CO2 Ventures official says her company will be constantly monitoring and inspecting the pipeline.
The Navigator CO2 official explains more of the monitoring and inspection process.
A line of questions from Monday evening’s meeting focused on compensation to landowners and farmers for the construction of the pipeline. Burns-Thompson explains landowners will be given money up front for the right to access the property, but Navigator CO2 Ventures is not planning to compensate landowners during the the long-run operation of the pipeline.
The Navigator CO2 Ventures official explains the compensation plan for any crop yield loss for a duration of three years.
Officials with the Iowa Utilities Board indicate it may be March before a decision is made on the future of the proposed carbon dioxide pipeline.
Iowa Man Arrested For Storming US Capitol Pleads Not Guilty To Charges
(Washington, DC) — An Iowa man arrested for storming the capital in Washington on January 6th is pleading not guilty to a revised set of charges. The original indictment against Doug Jensen of Des Moines suggested that Vice President-Elect Kamala Harris was at the Capitol at the time of the attack, but she had already left. Prosecutors in Jensen’s case and others are asking to correct the record. Jensen continues to face seven charges including disorderly conduct and entering a restricted building with a weapon.
Cities Consider The Creation Of A Central Iowa Water Works – To Save Money
(Des Moines, IA) — Leaders in three central Iowa cities are considering the idea of creating a regional water utility. Supporters of the idea say sharing the cost of water service could end up saving the customers up to 30-percent on their water bills. Des Moines, Urbandale, and West Des Moines will take the next step in discussions next week. Each city would have to vote to join what would be called the Central Iowa Water Works.
Residents Push Back Against Plans For Linn County Solar Project
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — People living nearby say plans for a Linn County solar project threaten the important agriculture economy. The 750-acre solar farm would be built near Coggon. Witnesses at a Monday public hearing today members of the Linn County Planning and Zoning Commission reasons they oppose the idea. County Commission Griffin Kuntz says the number of acres that would be taken out of production is actually very small. A majority of the commission voted against recommending the project. The Board of Supervisors will make the final decision.
Des Moines Shooting Incident Causes School To Go On Temporary Lockdown
(Des Moines, IA) — A Tuesday afternoon shooting incident in Des Moines caused an elementary school to go on a temporary lockdown. Police were responding to a report of shots being fired at about 1:30 p-m not far from Lovejoy Elementary School. A quick investigation revealed two groups of people had been exchanging shots. Officers say they found multiple shell casings. No injuries have been reported and the lockdown was lifted just after 2:00 p-m. Investigators are asking people who live in the neighborhood to check their surveillance video to see if any usable images were captured.
Iowa AG’s Office Completes 6-Year Sexual Assault Kit Project
(Des Moines, IA) — The Iowa Attorney General’s Office says a six-year effort to address untested sexual assault evidence kits is finished. The project has resulted in one-thousand-606 kits tested, four criminal charges to date, two convictions and several improvements in the way kits are processed to benefit victims. The Iowa Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) project was created in April 2015 to clear a backlog of untested sexual assault kits. It was funded by a pair of grants totaling three-million dollars. A-G Tom Miller said, “Not only has the SAKI program been able to reduce the number of untested sexual assault kits, it has also created meaningful and lasting changes to the processes by which state and local practitioners respond to and investigate sexual assault cases.”
Grassley Calls For White House Action Against OPEC
(Washington, DC) — U-S Senator Chuck Grassley is calling on President Joe Biden to challenge OPEC in international court. The Iowa Republican says the president’s energy policies discourage domestic production, while Biden “resorted to pleading” with OPEC to ramp up production, only to be turned down. Grassley said, “instead of asking OPEC to pump more, he should look at how they’re monopolizing the world price of petroleum.” Grassley is calling on the president to support his bipartisan No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels, or NOPEC, Act, which he’s reintroduced. Grassley says Biden backed the original bill some 21 years ago when he was still a senator.
Man Arrested For Alleged Assault in UI College of Engineering Dean’s Office
(Iowa City, IA) — University of Iowa police say a man is under arrest for assaulting two staff members in the College of Engineering dean’s office. Fifty-six-year-old Douglas H. Johnson of Iowa City is facing two counts of assault for Monday’s alleged incident. College of Engineering officials said in an email to staff, “we recognize that this event has been traumatic for those involved as well as unsettling and disturbing for our entire college community. We are grateful that UI Public Safety was able to take this individual into custody.”
