Firefighters Respond To Trailer Home Fire
(Le Mars) — Firefighters responded to an early morning Christmas Eve fire at the Armel Acres, located on the west side of town. At about 7:40 a.m. fire was reported at a trailer home at 9 Birch Street. When firefighters arrived, smoke could be seen coming from the trailer park, and the trailer itself was fully engulfed. Fire Chief Dave Schipper explains…
Schipper says the trailer home is totally destroyed.
The Le Mars fire chief says there were no people inside the trailer home at the time the fire had started.
Schipper believes a space heater was the cause and origin of the trailer home fire.
Schipper did not place an estimate of the loss, saying the structure plus the trailer home’s contents suffered damage from the fire and smoke.
Central Cafe In Hawarden Destroyed By Fire
(Hawarden) — Fire has destroyed a popular restaurant in Hawarden. The Central Café fire occurred overnight Christmas night into Sunday morning. Owner Chad McVay said in a social media posting “Our family business is gone. Central Café is a loss.” Hawarden Fire Chief, Duane Shiefen says nine different fire departments were called to assist with fighting the fire.
Shiefen says the call came in at about 1:50 a.m. when an Hawarden Police officer spotted the fire during his evening patrol. He says the building was engulfed when firefighters arrived at the scene.
Shiefen isn’t certain as of yet as to what may have started the fire. He says fire officials are still conducting their investigation. Shiefen says nearby structures did receive some smoke damage, but there were no other buildings that had caught on fire as a result of the Central Café fire. Shiefen says firefighters were on the scene of the fire for nine hours. He says he is thankful for the community’s support of providing refreshments and other services while firefighters continued to battle the fire.
Shiefen says Central Catering of Hawarden is a separate business and is located in a different building and was not affected by the fire that destroyed Central Café.
Man Who Killed His Brother To Be Sentenced In February
(Creston, IA) — A Creston man convicted of killing his brother will be sentenced in February. A Union County jury deliberated about four hours before finding 43-year-old Dustin Seley guilty Monday. Seley admitted fighting with his brother but told investigators he left 58-year-old Timothy Fechter alive last June. He later changed his story saying he acted in self-defense, then still later admitted shooting the victim. The men had argued and fought when Fechter told Seley he was actually the father of Seley’s daughter. Mandatory sentencing means Seley will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Injunction Granted To Stop Unlicensed Heating Contractor From Taking More Jobs
(Pleasant Hill, IA) — A judge has granted an injunction sought by the Iowa Plumbing and Mechanical Systems Board in its effort to stop an unlicensed heating contractor from taking more jobs. The board is also asking the court to compel Jack Archer of Pleasant Hill to pay civil penalties levied against him in the past. Archer is accused of working on the furnace at a townhouse in Ankeny nearly three years ago. The 42-year-old tenant, Kevin Strah, died a few days later of acute carbon monoxide toxicity. The board says Archer was responsible.
2022 US National Curling Championships Called Off In Cedar Rapids
(Cedar Rapids, IA) — The 2022 U-S National Curling Championships scheduled next month in Cedar Rapids have been called off. Men’s and women’s champions were going to be determined starting January 2nd. U-S-A Curling says the rising number of COVID-19 cases caused by the omicron variant brought on its decision. This is the second year in a row that the event has been canceled due to the pandemic.
Be Patient When Returning Gifts
(Des Moines) — If you got an ugly Christmas sweater, something in the wrong size or a duplicate item as a gift, ’tis now the season for returns and lines at customer service counters are long. Margo Riekes (RY-kiss), spokeswoman for the Better Business Bureau, offers Iowans a few tips to keep the line moving smoothly.
Standing in line for 45 minutes may try your patience, but she says to consider what it must be like to be the person hearing peoples’ complaints all day long.
When returning an item, make sure to keep it in the original packaging and in like-new condition.
If the gift giver was thinking far enough ahead to enclose a gift receipt in your wrapped box, it will make the process infinitely easier.
