RED CROSS RESPONSE TO FLOODS
The Greater Northwest Iowa Area Red Cross has spread out to provide to provide aid in the wake of floods in northwest Iowa. Tammy Lee of Le Mars is the ExecutiveDirector of the Area Red Cross.
The Red Cross is providing immediate aid to flood victims.
The area Red Cross is hard at work in a number of northwest Iowa communities that have been damaged by the floods of last weekend.
Greater Northwest Iowa Area Red Cross executive director Tammy Lee says hundreds of people are stepping up to help meet the needs of flood victims.
Lee says people in need can also find resources by telephone: 800-red-cros
Their local number is 712-252-4081.
You can also find Red Cross shelters at redcross.org.
Volunteers can sign up and donations can be made to Red Cross at the same site: redcross.org
DIAZ SENTENCING POSTPONED
The sentencing of a Sioux City man charged with vehicular homicide in Plymouth County two years ago has been postponed. A filing this week in the Plymouth County Clerk of Courts office indicates that sentencing for David Jack Diaz of Sioux City has been postponed to July 22 in Plymouth County District Court.
Diaz reached a plea agreement with prosecutors in the case.in April, where he will plead guilty to an amended charge of homicide by vehicle due to reckless driving, a class C felony, and OWI resulting in serious injury, a class D felony. Diaz was involved in an accident near Hinton on US 75 which killed a passenger and injured the other driver.
KEY LAWMAKER RIPS PIPELINE DECISION
A key Republican legislator is ripping the Iowa Utilities Board decision to approve the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline project. Representative Bobby Kaufmann of Wilton says the ruling sets a dangerous precedent.
Kaufmann accuses the board of capitulating to pressure from influential Republican donor Bruce Rastetter, who owns Summit.
Kaufmann says the board’s ruling is a signal the 300 mile Wolf pipeline is likely to be approved and it could lead to the resurrection of Navigator’s abandoned pipeline project. Kaufmann, along with a majority of Iowa House members, have passed legislation in previous years that would have set new requirements for the proposed pipeline, but those bills were never considered in the Iowa Senate. Kaufmann predicts Tuesday’s Iowa Utilities Board decision will be a catalyst for action.
LAND RETURNED TO WINNEBAGO TRIBE
Last week, the Senate unanimously passed a bill that U.S. Senator Joni Ernst supported and shepherded through to transfer approximately 1,600 acres of land back to the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska.
Congressman Randy Feenstra lead and successfully passed companion legislation in the House of Representatives. The bipartisan Winnebago Land Transfer Act now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law. The legislation was supported by all members of both the Iowa and Nebraska delegations.
In 1970, the U.S. government claimed land along the Missouri River from the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska through eminent domain to implement flood mitigation and recreation projects.
After years of litigation and appeals, the courts ultimately ruled that the seizure of land was illegal. Senator Ernst consistently advocated for Congressional action – the only remaining remedy for the tribe to reclaim their land.
FEMA ARRIVES IN NORTHWEST IOWA
Federal Emergency Management teams arrived in Plymouth County Tuesday, after the presidential disaster declaration made by President Biden Monday. The teams will begin visiting shelters and neighborhoods to help those affected by the flooding in the area. Plymouth, Sioux, Lyon, Clay and Emmet counties are part of the federal disaster declaration. The FEMA teams can provide money to eligible applicants for help with needs like temporary living arrangements, home repairs, and other things that are not covered by insurance. Residents are encouraged to ask for official photo ID before providing personal information to the FEMA personnel.
KLEMLAND CARES
KLEM has added a special resource to our web site. KLEMLAND CARES is a listing of resources for information and assistance during the flood recovery efforts. It also features ways to donate to different organizations for flood relief. Go to klem1410.com and click on KLEMLAND CARES.
ERNST SURVEYS FLOOD DAMAGE
U.S. Senator Joni Ernst was in Siouxland Tuesday, surveying flood damage in Woodbury County and other locations.
The Republican from Red Oak says she will do whatever she can to help communities and residents with flood damage:
Ernst says this has been a year of unprecedented storm damage in Iowa:
She has had first hand experience in dealing with storm recovery while serving in the National Guard:
Ernst met privately with city, county and state leaders at the Emergency Operations Center in Sioux City Tuesday afternoon.
MOWER ACCIDENT/FATALITY
A Le Mars man died Monday in a mower accident. The Plymouth County Sheriffs Office says 67 year old Jeffrey Hanson was operating a lawn tractor near a burn pit on the property on Mesquite Ave, north of Le Mars. The lawn tractor was operating near the edge of the burn pit. It dropped off the edge and overturned into the pit, pinning the operator underneath. Hanson suffered fatal injuries in the accident. Le Mars Fire Rescue, Le Mars Police, and Plymouth County Deputies responded to the scene.
LE MARS MAN ARRESTED
A Le Mars man was arrested Monday on outstanding warrants from Plymouth County. 42 year old Mark Arlen Nannen is wanted for trespass 1st offense, burglary in the 2nd degree, and 4th degree theft. Nannen was booked into the Plymouth County Jail and held on 23-thousand dollars bond.
PLYWOOD TRAIL POSTPONEMENT
The PlyWood Trail Foundation has announced that, due to the flooding in the area, their ribbon cutting to take place Friday in Merrill will be postponed. A new ribbon cutting date will be posted on the PlyWood Trail Foundation Facebook page. This is the first part of the trail to be completed. The recreation trail extends from Le Mars to Merrill. The trail will eventually connect with Sioux City and Sergeant Bluff.
REGULATORS APPROVE CARBON PIPELINE ROUTE
The Iowa Utilities Board has unanimously approved the proposed route for the Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline, but the company must meet other requirements before construction may begin. All three members of the Iowa Utilities Board agree the public benefits of the project outweigh the private and public costs. That clears the way for Summit to — eventually — use eminent domain authority to force landowners who’ve resisted the project to let the pipeline through their property. The board’s order says Summit must get approval from South and North Dakota regulators for its pipeline route in those states, plus approval in North Dakota for the underground site where carbon is to be shipped and stored before construction may begin. A group of landowners who do not want the pipeline on their property say they will file a lawsuit. Republicans in the Iowa House say they plan to propose an update to Iowa’s law on eminent domain. The Summit Carbon Solutions pipeline route runs 688 miles, through 29 Iowa counties, including Plymouth, and all of its surrounding counties.
