Home News Tuesday News, June 7 (Update)

Tuesday News, June 7 (Update)

FATAL ACCIDENT UPDATE

One Person is dead following a two-vehicle collision Tuesday morning on U.S. Highway 75 and C70 in Plymouth County.

The Iowa State Patrol says a southbound vehicle was struck from behind by another car around 6 a.m.  The first vehicle spun after it was struck, and came to rest in the median.

45 year old Joswa Ermiohne of Sioux City, a passenger in the first vehicle, died at the scene of the accident.  The driver, 22 year old Uzael Abraham of Sioux City, was taken to Mercy Hospital in Sioux City with critical injuries.  The driver of the second vehicle, 30 year old David Diaz of Sioux City, was taken to Mercy Hospital for treatment of minor injuries.  The accident is still under investigation by the State Patrol.

 

PLEA DEAL FOR SUSPECT IN U.S. CAPITOL RIOT

A SIOUX CITY MAN FACING FEDERAL CHARGES IN THE RIOT AT THE FEDERAL CAPITOL BUILDING ON JANUARY 6TH OF 2021 HAS AGREED TO A PLEA DEAL IN THE CASE.

54-YEAR-OLD KENNETH RADER HAS ENTERED A PLEA OF GUILTY TO PARADING, DEMONSTRATING OR PICKETING IN A CAPITOL BUILDING.

THE CHARGE CARRIES A MAXIMUM SENTENCE OF SIX MONTHS IMPRISONMENT, A FINE UP TO $5000 AND UP TO FIVE YEARS PROBATION.

THREE OTHER COUNTS RADER WAS CHARGED WITH WILL BE DROPPED.

HE HAS ALSO AGREED TO PAY $500 RESTITUTION AS HIS SHARE OF THE NEARLY $1.5 MILLION DOLLARS IN DAMAGE CAUSED TO THE CAPITOL DURING THE RIOT.

SENTENCING HAS BEEN SET FOR SEPTEMBER 9TH AT NOON IN A COURTROOM TO BE DETERMINED AT A LATER DATE. BEFORE JUDGE ROYCE C. LAMBERTH.

COURT DOCUMENTS STATE THAT RADER HAD DRIVEN FROM SIOUX CITY TO WASHINGTON D.C. TO PROTEST CONGRESS’S CERTIFICATION OF THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE VOTE.

WATER ORDINANCE AMENDMENT

The Orange City council Monday adopted an amendment to their water ordinance, increasing rates for city residents two times over the next six months. The council first voted to pass second reading of the ordinance. They then voted to waive the third reading, and voted to adopt the amendment. Water rates increase 20 percent starting in July, and another 15 percent in January of next year. The increases are done to pay for water utility improvements. In a related item, the council agreed to work with a Des Moines firm to sell Water Revenue Bonds for this project. The city intends to sell up to 12.9 million dollars in bonds to pay for a project which includes sinking a new deep water well, and extending a distribution line into Orange City.


COUNTY ELECTIONS
Local elections include primaries for county elected officials.
In Plymouth County, Supervisors John Meis of Le Mars, Chairman Don Kass of Remsen, and Craig Anderson of Merrill seek re-election. County Attorney Darin Raymond, County Treasurer Shelly Sitzmann and County Recorder Jolynn Goodchild also seek re-election. All are running unopposed in their primary elections. No Democrats are listed.
In Sioux County, Supervisor Carl Vande Weerd of Rock Valley and Board Chair Jerry Muilenberg of Orange City are seeking re-election. So are County Attorney Thomas Kunstle, Treasurer Dan Zomermaand and Recorder Jessica Kooiker. All are running unopposed in the GOP primary. No Democrats are listed for the primary election.
In Woodbury County, Incumbent Supervisor Matthew Ung is running unopposed in the GOP primary in District 4. No Democratic candidate is listed. In District 2, Incumbent Republican Justin Wright is not seeking election. Darrell Bittinger is listed as the lone GOP candidate on the ballot. Two Democrats seek election in the primary, Jeremy Dumkreiger and Maria Rundquist.
Incumbent County Attorney PJ Jennings is running unopposed in the Democratic primary. Two Republicans seek the nomination – Jacklin Fox and James Loomis. Incumbent County Treasurer Tina Bertrand is unopposed in the Republican primary. No Democrat is running in the primary.

Polling places in Iowa are open until 8 p.m.

 

PRIMARY ELECTIONS

Tens of thousands of Iowans have cast absentee ballots for today’s Primary Election. Secretary of State Paul Pate has the latest numbers.

Iowa set an all-time PRIMARY election participation record of nearly half a million voters in 2020 — during the pandemic when many voters opted to cast absentee ballots rather than vote in person. Pate isn’t making predictions about turnout for this year’s Democratic and Republican Primary Elections.

Pate says Iowans voting in-person today should double-check their polling location, as some have changed. That’s because of  the once-every-decade process that has redrawn the boundaries of legislative and congressional districts.

Republican lawmakers shortened the time period for REQUESTING an absentee ballot and the Iowa Capital Dispatch is reporting 461 voters in four of Iowa’s largest counties missed the deadline. Pate says he doesn’t have any statewide data, but isn’t surprised by those numbers from Polk, Linn, Scott and Black Hawk Counties.

Pate says county auditors have systems in place to notify voters if they didn’t make the absentee ballot request deadline and those voters have been able to vote in person at the county auditor’s office — or they can vote in-person today at their local precinct.

Iowans who’ve filled out an absentee ballot, but didn’t get it delivered have two options today. They can surrender it at their local precinct and cast a new ballot at the polling place OR they can take the absentee ballot to their local county auditor’s office. Absentee ballots must be delivered to the auditor’s office by 8 p.m. tonight, or the ballot will not be counted. The Legislative Council voted last month to give Pate authority — in emergency situations like fires — to let county election officials move precinct locations.

The polls open at 7 a.m. and close at 8 p.m. A 2021 law change moved up poll closing time an hour.

 

IOWA SENATE ELECTIONS

There are two statewide races in today’s primary election for Iowa’s U.S. Senate seat.

Republican Chuck Grassley is seeking an eighth term in the U.S. Senate.  He is being challenged by State Senator Jim Carlin of Sioux City, who says he is optimistic about his chances.

Carlin is well known in western Iowa, and has worked to get his message out across the rest of the state.

Three candidates are running for the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate. They are Mike Franken, a retired Navy admiral from Sioux City, former congresswoman Abby Finkenauer and Glenn Hurst, a physician from Minden.

 

ORANGE CITY PARK

Orange City’s council decided to start all over on its latest park project.  The council yesterday rejected the low bid for it’s Puddle Jumper park project.  The bid, 1.55 million dollars, was 200-thousand dollars above the project estimate.  On recommendation of the project engineer, the council rejected the bid.  They will separate the project into two parts, bidding both later this spring and summer.  At the same time, the engineer will restructure the project in order to reduce costs.  This will push back completion of the park to 2023.  The new, inclusive park will include amenities suitable for all, including persons with disabilities.

 

RIOT TRIAL DATE

A December 12th trial date has been set for a mother and son from Iowa for their actions at the U-S Capitol during the January 6th riot.  The trial date for Deborah and Salvador Sandoval was scheduled during a Monday hearing in the District of Columbia federal court.  Judge Thomas Frank Hogan ruled the two will be tried together.  He denied a defense motion to try them separately.  Defense attorneys want the trial moved to the Southern District of Iowa.  They argue the Sandovals can’t get a fair trial in Washington, D-C.  Hogan didn’t rule on that motion but said he would likely deny the change of venue request.

 

GORDON DRIVE CONSTRUCTION

One of the main roads in Sioux City will undergo rehabilitation.  An asphalt resurfacing project on Iowa 12/Gordon Drive, east of the Gordon Drive viaduct, will begin next week.  It will require nighttime lane closures beginning on Monday night, June 13, weather permitting. The Iowa D.O.T. says nighttime lane closures will occur Mondays through Fridays from 8 p.m. until 7 a.m. There will be no lane closure restrictions on Saturdays and Sundays. The $3 million project was awarded to Knife River.