City Council Approves Doug Heidebrink To Planning And Zoning Commission
(Le Mars) — The Le Mars city council on Tuesday approved the appointment of Doug Heidebrink to serve on the Planning and Zoning Commission. Heidebrink will fill in for Pat Kenealy who recently moved away from Le Mars. The city council also passed the boundaries ordinance. Due to the shifts of population, along with the growth of the city’s population as a result of the 2020 U-S Census, Le Mars will be adding another precinct. Currently the city has three precincts, but after the first of the year, a fourth precinct will be added. The city ward districts will remain the same with three wards and two at-large seats on the city council. The city leaders voted to work with the Plymouth County Auditor’s Office for the creation of the new boundaries set forth for the fourth voting precinct.
Law Enforcement Agencies Want People To Slow Down During Holiday Travel
(Le Mars) — For many people, holiday travel may begin today, and the Iowa State Patrol wants to make certain the only flashing lights you see are those on a Christmas tree, or outside Christmas decorations. Trooper Kari Yaneff says law enforcement will be stepping up their presence during the holidays.
Yaneff says people should watch their alcoholic consumption during the holiday season, and not to be driving, but rather rely on a designated driver.
An area of major concern for law enforcement agencies is the fact that motorists have been speeding at excessive speeds during the last couple of years. Yaneff suggests motorists take their time driving to their destination, and since the highways will be filled with holiday travelers to allow for extra time.
Trooper Yaneff says many of the accidents are a result of driving too fast.
Yaneff says speeding on the highways and roads can be costly, both in terms of the initial fines, plus the possibility of losing your driving privileges, if you are speeding at least 25 mph above the posted limits.
Each year, the Iowa State Patrol sets a goal to have under 300 fatalities in Iowa. However, Yaneff says this year, already the number far exceeds the goal.
Yaneff says motorists should buckle-up, put down the phone, refrain from driving and texting, avoid distractions, slow down and drive defensively.
Iowa Attorney General Decides Fatal Police Shooting Of Stalking Suspect Was Justified
(Iowa Falls, IA) — The Iowa Attorney General’s Office has decided the fatal police shooting of a stalking suspect was justified. Iowa Falls police engaged Jared Risius two weeks ago after seeing him ram a woman’s S-U-V. The officers say Risius had a gun and he refused to comply with legal commands for him to drop his weapon. Iowa State Trooper Jeremy Schaffer fired the fatal shot when Risius got into the woman’s vehicle and appeared to try to drive away. The officers said they felt the suspect posed a risk to a nearby school and residential neighborhood.
Price Of Gas Drops By A Penny In Iowa
(Des Moines, IA) — You probably didn’t notice it when filling up but the price of gas in Iowa dropped another penny over the last week. Triple-A reports the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gas was three dollars, four cents. That’s 85 cents higher than it was one year ago on this date. The national average Wednesday was 3-30 a gallon, down two cents from a week ago. Iowa diesel prices average 3-33 a gallon and that’s a quarter a gallon cheaper than the national average. Propane prices held steady, while home heating oil was down six cents, and natural gas was up by three cents.
Veteran Educator To Serve As Executive Director Of School Administrators Of Iowa
(Clive, IA) — A veteran educator has been named to serve as the executive director of School Administrators of Iowa. Lisa Remy has been superintendent of the West Des Moines Community School District since 2013. Remy started her education career as a Spanish teacher in Hudson and has spent years as an assistant principal and principal in the Hudson and West Des Moines districts. She will succeed retiring executive director Roark Horn next June. The S-A-I represents more than two thousand educational administrators in the state.
University Of Iowa Researcher Eager To See What New NASA Space Telescope Shows
(Iowa City, IA) — A researcher at the University of Iowa says she’s eager to see what a new NASA space telescope shows at the edges of the universe. The James Webb Space Telescope is more than twice the size of the Hubble telescope and it will capture infrared light, allowing it to look deeper into space. It will be launched into orbit Saturday. Keri Hoadley says astronomers are finding more planets orbiting distant stars. Scientists will be able to study those planets more closely when the new telescope comes online. The data captured will be archived and eventually passed on to researchers around the world.
National Weather Service Confirms 30 Tornadoes in Iowa Last Week
(Des Moines, IA) — The National Weather Service now says last week’s derecho contained an even 30 tornadoes that touched down in Iowa. Several were minor but 12 twisters were classified as E-F-ones and 13 were E-F-twos. Forecasters issued severe thunderstorm warnings for 97 of the state’s 99 counties on December 15th. Around 150-thousand households lost power during the December severe weather outbreak.
Security Expert Has Tips to Thwart Porch Pirates This Holiday Season
(Urbandale, IA) — Thousands of Christmas presents are being left by mail carriers and package delivery people outside Iowans’ homes this week and porch pirates may be watching and waiting to steal those boxes. Jason Cloudt with S-E-I Security Solutions says if you’re not home to monitor what’s delivered to your doorstep, you should take steps to protect your purchases. He says video doorbells are very popular things to record package deliveries. Cloudt says the do-it-yourself video doorbells items can start under 100 dollars while the professionally installed ones are between 250 and 350 dollars. Many of the video doorbell systems can be linked to your smartphone. He says a cheaper option is having packages delivered to your workplace.
Atkins City Council Member Censured For Unknown Reason
(Atkins, IA) — A city council in eastern Iowa is censuring one of its members. The Atkins City Council voted Tuesday night to publicly censure Councilwoman Julie DeMeulenare (duh-mull-uh-NEHR’), but she says she doesn’t know why. City leaders have mentioned DeMeulenare’s conduct, but they say they can’t talk about it publicly. DeMeulenare will be the only city council member still on the council at the end of the year as the other three council members’ terms are ending. Three new city council members will be sworn in at the beginning of the year.
