CONCENTRATED PATROL RESULTS
Friday, the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office conducted a targeted traffic enforcement project from 8 AM to noon. Four additional deputies were out along Iowa 60 and U.S. 75, focusing on speeding, seatbelt use, and distracted driving. This resulted in 11 citations, including two for speeding, and two for seatbelt use – and 40 warnings, including ten for speeding and three for seatbelt use. This project is funded in part by a grant from the Governor’s Traffic Safety Bureau. Iowa has had 154 fatality crashes this year. In 43% of those crashes, a seatbelt was not used.
MOSQUITO SPRAYING
This spring’s wet weather has led to an increase in mosquitoes in the area. Le Mars officials discussed what should be done about it. A citizen, Henry Herrig, spoke up at this week’s council meeting, asking that the city spray for mosquitos. City manager Jason Vacura says they haven’t had spraying equipment for two decades, and no one is certified to do the work. A contractor could be hired. One will spray the fairgrounds before the fair next week, but it’s unclear if any action was taken on that option. Council members didn’t want to spray residential areas, leaving it up to individual residents to do so on their own property. City property, such as portions of the Willow Creek Golf Course and recreation trail, would be the best places to concentrate their efforts. For the future, a pickup-sized spraying unit would cost some 20-thousand dollars, including licensing and chemical costs. It could be considered in the next city budget.
STATE AGENCY COMPUTERS IMPACTED BY GLOBAL TECH OUTAGE
Officials say the state’s critical I-T systems have been restored after the worldwide technology outage affected about 20 percent of the electronic devices used in state agencies. The state’s I-T security center identified the errors caused by an automatic software update at about 12:30 Friday morning, applied a temporary fix about half an hour later and then a formal fix was made around 1:30 a.m. According to a news release from the governor’s office, 14-hundred computer servers and 33-hundred workstations in the executive branch were affected and those systems will be fully restored over the weekend.
NATIONAL PARTY RULES KEEP IOWA GOP CAUCUSES FIRST IN 2028
Iowa Republican Party leaders say there have been clear signals this week that their Iowa Caucuses will be first-in-the-nation again in 2028.
Radio Iowa’s O. Kay Henderson reports.
RESTRICTIONS ON GREAT LAKE BOAT SPEED TO END
The Dickinson County Emergency Management Commission lifted high water speed restrictions on the Iowa Great Lakes area this morning. Dickinson County Emergency Management Coordinator Michael Ehret says some commissioners wanted to extend the five-mile-an-hour rule another week, but that was overruled.
A report from the Iowa Regents’ Lakeside Lab says more than 70 shorelines have collapsed due to the high water. Tourism officials in the region estimate tourism is down by 40 to 60 percent. Ehert is urging boaters to remain cautious.
Ehret says the rule would be reinstated if the area get high amounts of rain that bring the water levels back up.
GLENWOOD IS THE STARTING POINT FOR RAGBRAI
Cyclists are converging in western Iowa this weekend for the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, commonly known as RAGBRAI. Glenwood is the starting point for the 434 mile route. Glenwood City Administrator Amber Farnan expects the town of about five-thousand to more than triple in size tonight, bringing along some much-welcome business.
Some Glenwood residents will welcome RAGBRAI riders into their homes or on their lawns. Riders will exit Glenwood Sunday morning, headed to spend Sunday night in Red Oak. The other overnight stops are in Atlantic, Winterset, Knoxville, Ottumwa, Mount Pleasant and Burlington. This the 51st year for RAGBRAI and while this year’s route is the shortest ever — it’s also the hilliest.
ALGONA WOMAN ARRESTED FOR EMBEZZLEMENT
An Algona woman is accused of stealing one-point-eight MILLION dollars from a state agency in South Dakota. Sixty-eight-year-old Lonna Carroll is charged with two felony counts of aggravated grand theft. Carroll was an employee of South Dakota’s Department of Social Services who retired in 2023. She’s accused of embezzling money intended for child care services between 2010 and 2023. Carroll was arrested Wednesday in Algona and is awaiting extradition to South Dakota.
