TWO VEHICLE INJURY ACCIDENT NEAR REMSEN
Two people were sent to the hospital with injuries, following a semi-pickup accident Thursday northwest of Remsen.
The Plymouth County Sheriffs Office was called around 3:50 pm to the accident scene, at the intersection of 150th and Polk Ave.
A pickup headed west on 150th struck a semi that was headed south on Polk Ave.
The driver of the pickup was transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare by Remsen Ambulance. The driver was then flown to a Sioux Falls hospital. The driver’s injuries at this time do not appear to be life-threatening.
The driver of the semi was transported to Floyd Valley Healthcare by private vehicle with minor injuries.
The Sheriffs Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol, and Remsen Fire and Ambulance.
The accident remains under investigation, and additional information will be released later.
GRASSLEY CALLS TRUMP VERDICT A POLITICAL VENDETTA
Iowa U-S Senator Chuck Grassley predicts the felony conviction against Donald Trump will be overturned on appeal, after the former president was found guilty Thursday afternoon on all 34 counts of falsifying business records. While first emphasizing he’s not a lawyer, Grassley points to multiple issues with the case which he believes should be grounds for the verdict to be thrown out. For starters, Grassley says the trial should not have been held in Manhattan.
Grassley, a Republican, says the defense team wanted several other people to testify but they weren’t allowed to do so, and he raises issue with the judge forbidding Trump from publicly discussing the case.
The case surrounded what’s described as a hush money payment to porn actress Stormy Daniels during Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Grassley says Daniels should not have been given so much time on the stand to discuss her encounters with Trump.
Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen spent a total of 21 hours on the witness stand during the trial. Grassley calls Cohen a “convicted liar” and believes 99-percent of the evidence was based on his testimony, when Cohen admitted to stealing money from Trump’s organization. Ultimately, Grassley doubts the verdict will have a significant impact on the general election in a little over five months.
A sentencing date of July 11th is set for Trump, who could face probation or prison time — a matter of days before Republicans are again expected to nominate him for president. Grassley’s Thursday afternoon post on X read: “Today’s decision is another example of leftist activist prosecutors weaponizing the judicial system to carry out their political vendettas. I expect the case to be overturned on appeal.”
FEENSTRA AND VIRGIL SPAR OVER RFS
In a joint appearance in Cherokee Thursday, Congressman Randy Feenstra and challenger Kevin Virgil spoke to a number of ag-related topics, including renewable fuels.
Virgil, a Sutherland native, said the Renewable Fuels Standard, which mandates levels of production of ethanol and biodiesel fuels, should be eventually removed.
Feenstra, seeking his third term in the House, says the RFS should be expanded.
Audio is courtesy of KTIV, which broadcast the event.
A wide range of topics were covered at the forum, including rural broadband, the farm bill, structurally deficient bridges, workforce issues, and meat and egg substitutes.
Virgil, who moved back to his family’s farm near Sutherland early this year, is challenging Feenstra, a former State Senator and Sioux County treasurer. The event was sponsored by the Iowa Renewable Fuels Association.
IOWA POLITICIANS REACT TO TRUMP TRIAL VERDICT
The governor and other top Iowa Republicans are denouncing the guilty verdicts against former President Donald Trump. Iowa Attorney General Brenna Bird, who joined a group of Trump supporters at the trial earlier this month, said the verdicts are a dark day in American history. Governor Kim Reynolds said in her statement that the only verdict that matters is the one at the ballot box in November. U-S Senator Chuck Grassley said he expects the case to be overturned on appeal.
State Auditor Rob Sand, the only Democrat serving in statewide office, says as a former prosecutor, he found juries in both liberal and conservative Iowa counties took the work seriously and Sand says the jurors in Trump’s New York trial deserve both thanks and respect.
STATE CLIMATOLOGIST SAYS IOWA’S DROUGHT HAS FINALLY BEEN BUSTED
The latest Iowa Drought Monitor shows there’s no sign of drought conditions anywhere in the state. State Climatologist Justin Glisan says March, April and May have been particularly wet.
Glisan monitors all nine climate divisions in Iowa,
If there’s a particularly dry and warm stretch this summer, though, this may only be temporary.
However, Glisan says soil moisture levels and stream flows in Iowa are both near or above average right now — and the initial weather outlook for June is above normal.
Glisan says deep underground aquifers do need to be replenished because any water surplus picked up in 2018 and 2019 is gone. The 24 month period of 2018 and 2019 is the wettest two year stretch in the 152 years that weather data has been recorded.
MINNESOTA SENDS INCIDENT SPECIALIST TEAM TO IOWA
Eight members of Minnesota’s Incident Management Team are in the tornado-tossed southwest Iowa town of Greenfield, at the request of Iowa officials through a multi-state emergency aid compact. Jacob Beauregard, with Minnesota Homeland Security and Emergency Management says they definitely feel for the people in Greenfield, where four people were killed by the E-F-4 twister last Tuesday. Another 35 people were hurt and dozens of homes were destroyed. Beauregard says when neighbors are in need, you have to be willing to step up and help. He says the Minnesota group will assist with managing volunteer resources, cleanup logistics and the disaster declaration process.
T-MOBILE TO ACQUIRE USCELLULAR’S ASSETS
There’s change ahead for Iowans who are U-S Cellular customers. T-Mobile is spending four-point-four BILLION dollars to acquire most of U-S Cellular’s assets. U-S Cellular is the fourth largest cell phone carrier in the country. T-Mobile is third. Iowa is one of the 21 states U-S Cellular has operated in and T-Mobile’s acquistion of company will expand its reach in rural areas of the country.
