DIAZ PLEA AGREEMENT
A Sioux City man will serve up to 15 years in prison after his plea agreement was announced Monday in Plymouth County District Court.
David Jack Diaz was arrested two years ago for a rear-end accident on US Highway 75 south of Hinton, in which a passenger in the other vehicle died, and the driver was injured. Diaz was originally charged with three counts, Homicide by vehicle while under the influence, serious injury by vehicle, and OWI. Under the plea deal announced this week, Diaz pled guilty to a lesser charge, Homicide by vehicle-reckless driving, and Serious Injury by vehicle. The OWI charge was dismissed.
Diaz will serve ten years in prison on the vehicular homicide charge, and five years on the Serious Injury charge. The sentences will be served consecutively. Diaz was also ordered to pay 150-thousand dollars to the victim.
45-year-old Ermiohne Hoswa of Sioux City, died at the scene of the crash. The driver, 22-year-old Uzael Abraham of Sioux City was injured.
FAIR OPENS – UPDATE
Day two of the Plymouth County Fair shapes up to be another active day.
Fair attendance Wednesday, the opening day of the fair, was 14,900. The skies were overcast, but the temperaures were lower than forecast, making for a perfect day to attend the fair.
The fairgrounds are busy this afternoon. Dairy and goat shows are at the livestock arena. there are educational presentations, and later, the 4-H awards ceremony, both at Century Hall. Chainsaw Scluptures, and the new Kids’ Zone, are open this afternoon.
Tonight at the fair, there’s plenty of music. There are two performances of the Red Trouser Show on the Family Stage, and two tribute bands perform on the Pioneer Village Stage. There’s one event at the Livestock Arena, the Bacon Buddies Show, and at the Grandstand tonight are Tuff Trucks.
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The Plymouth County Fair held opening ceremonies last night, with two new Hall of Fame members honored, and a new Fair King and Queen crowned. Brad Harvey of Akron and Terry Reuter of Oyens were named to the Plymouth County Fair Hall of Fame. Aaron Lee is the fair King. He is the son of Harold and Tammy Lee of Le Mars, and is a member of the Classy Clovers 4-H Club. Kelsey Saathoff is the Fair Queen. She is the daughter of Kelly and Missy Saathoff of Akron. Kelsey represents the Johnson Juniors 4-H Club.
Today at the fair, there are two livestock shows this morning – the horse show at 8, the sheep show at 8:30. The goat show is at noon. Tuff Trucks is the grandstand event this evening.
LYON COUNTY FAIRGROUNDS ‘DECIMATED’ BY FLOODING
The Lyon County Fair is underway this week — but changes had to be made after high water from the Rock River heavily damaged the Lyon County Fairgrounds in Rock Rapids. Lori Rens is the secretary of the Lyon County Fair Board.
Lyon County livestock shows were moved to the Osceola County fairgrounds in Sibley.
While the livestock shows were moved to Sibley, the Lyon County Fair Queen pageant was held at the community center in Rock Rapids and that’s where 4-H exhibits were judged last Thursday. The Lyon County Fairboard will host a street dance fundraiser in Rock Rapids Friday night to raise money to repair their fairgrounds and racetrack. The flooding not only damaged buildings on the fairgrounds, it left behind large holes in the ground and exposed electrical lines.
FEDS ARE STILL ASSESSING DAMAGE IN NW IOWA A FULL MONTH AFER FLOODING
One month after flooding devastated the northwest Iowa town of Rock Valley, the mayor says work is still underway to bring in temporary housing. Mayor Kevin Van Otterloo says the residents of about 150 households can no longer live in their homes.
Van Otterloo says Rock Valley is still waiting to get the all-clear from the federal government to start moving people into campers and trailers that are being staged at the Sioux County Fairgrounds, some ten miles away. He says FEMA is still assessing the damage to determine what financial help will be available for residents who were impacted the most.
Van Otterloo says there was already a critical need for housing -before- flooding hit the town of four-thousand.
LE MARS STREET CLOSURES
The Le Mars Street Dept. will be closing 6th Ave. S.W. between 7th St. S.W. and 8th St. S.W. on Tuesday July 30th, 2024, at 8 a.m. to take two ash trees down . Once that is completed, we will reopen that section and then we will close a section of 4th St. S.W. down between 2nd Ave. S.W. and 3rd Ave. S.W. to take another tree down .
API EXEC SAYS THE ‘COLD WAR’ BETWEEN THE OIL INDUSTRY AND BIOFUELS PRODUCERS IS OVER
Mike Sommers — the president and C-E-O of the American Petroleum Institute — says the longstanding ‘cold war’ between the oil industry and ethanol producers is over as the two industries unite to fight for liquid fuels. Regulations that promote the sale and use of electric vehicles are now the common foe. And the American Petroleum Institute has ended its opposition to nationwide, year round sales of gasoline with a higher blend of ethanol. Sommers says the oil industry supports projects like the proposed carbon capture pipeline in Iowa because reducing carbon emissions is a shared goal.
A HARRIS VP PROSPECT DUE IN IOWA SATURDAY
There’s a new level of interest in an Iowa Democratic Party banquet this weekend. Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear — booked weeks ago to headline a party fundraiser in Des Moines this Saturday — has emerged as one of the people Kamala Harris is considering as a running mate. Iowa Democratic Party chair Rita Hart says it’s lucky timing for the party and the event is sold out. Beshear is one of only three Democrats from Kentucky serving in statewide or federal office. Hart says Iowa Democratic Party activists are generally more jazzed about the party’s prospects in the 2024 election now that Harris is the party’s presumptive presidential nominee.
AG SEC NAIG, A.G. BIRD DISCUSS LEGAL CHALLENGE OF EPA RULES
Iowa Agriculture Secretary Mike Naig (NEGG, rhymes with “egg”) says he’s met with Iowa’s attorney general to discuss legal challenges to some federal regulations relating to wetlands. Naig says there have been problems in getting permits from the Army Corps of Engineers for wetland restoration projects in Iowa. Naig says a lawsuit would be based on the U-S Supreme Court’s recent decision that sharply curtails the authority federal agencies have to interpret the laws they administer. Naig says the costs of wetland restoration projects are going up because of the work the feds are requiring in neighboring streams.
