FATAL VEHICLE FIRE
The State Medical Examiner is working to identify the victim of a vehicle fire last night in Plymouth County. The Sheriffs Office received a report of a vehicle fire near a rural intersection, 160th and Impala, two miles northwest of Brunsville, at 7-22 pm. After putting out the fire, a body was discovered in the drivers seat. An investigation showed that the driver of the pickup left the roadway and traveled for some distance in the ditch before getting stuck on the roadway embankment. The vehicle then started on fire. For unknown reasons, the driver was unable to escape the vehicle. The vehicle was totally destroyed. The body of the driver was sent to the State Medical Examiner’s Office in Ankeny to determine identituy. The Sheriffs Office was assisted by Le Mars Fire Rescue and the Plymouth County Medical Examiner. The crash remains under investigation.
TRUMP CHOOSES IOWAN TO BE NATO AMBASSADOR
President-elect Donald Trump has announced he’s chosen an Iowan — Matt Whitaker — to be U.S. Ambassador to NATO. Whitaker was the acting U-S Attorney General for three months during Trump’s first term in office. Whitaker campaigned extensively for Trump’s reelection. Trump says Whitaker is a strong warrior and loyal patriot who will ensure U-S interests are advanced and defended. Whitaker’s nomination to be NATO Ambassador is subject to a confirmation vote in the U-S Senate. Whitaker has won Senate confirmation before. He served as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa during President George W. Bush’s second term. Whitaker has run for statewide office twice. He was the Republican Party’s nominee for state treasurer in 2002 and he ran for the U-S Senate in 2014. Whitaker grew up in Ankeny, played football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and earned an M-B-A and a law degree from the University of Iowa in 1995.
PORK DONATIONS
The Plymouth County Pork Producers and Jordan’s Meat Market of Marcus donated pork sticks to all Plymouth County BackPack programs. At the end of each week during the school year, students receive a bag filled with various food items that need little or no preparation. The BackPack program benefits school-age children identified by their parents or guardians.
(photo courtesy Plymouth County Pork Producers)
INJURY ACCIDENT
A two vehicle accident at an Orange City intersection Monday injured the two drivers. Orange City Police say a vehicle driven by 33 year old Kolbie Vande Brake of Orange City and another driven by 53 year old Vanetta Schroeder of Alton crashed at the intersection of 1st St NW and Iowa Avenue. Both drivers were injured, and transported to Orange City Health System for treatment. Schroeder was charged with failure to yield at the intersection.
DONATION TO AIR MUSEUM
Sioux City’s Mid America Museum of Aviation and Transportation received a special gift and presentation Wednesday from a pilot who flew the Huey helicopter on display at the museum during the Vietnam War.
Museum Director Kevin Blosch says he received a call from helicopter Captain Bain Black of North Carolina a few weeks ago:
Black talked about piloting the Huey Iroquois helicopter that became the workhorse of the U.S. Army and the 281st Aviation Battalion that Black flew for: One day Black and his crew were flying near the Laos-Cambodia border when they took on ground fire:
Black described the incident to an artist, who created an oil painting of the Huey firing rockets at the bridge and boat.
Now years later, Black and his wife decided to donate the painting to the museum that displays his helicopter from that mission.
Blosch was thrilled to accept it and hear the stories about it:
Black retired as a major after 21 years in the military. You may see the helicopter and the painting at the air museum located at 2600 Expedition Court near the Sioux Gateway Airport.
(pictures courtesy KSCJ)
STOLEN CAR CHASE IN SPENCER LEADS TO FATALITY
A Spirit Lake man took his life Tuesday after a motor vehicle chase with law enforcement in Spencer. The Clay County Sheriff says a deputy tried to stop a reportedly stolen pickup driven by 30-year-old Andrew Phillips, near the intersection of 11th St SW and US Highway 71. Phillips did not stop and continued through the city of Spencer. During the pursuit Phillips displayed a firearm and discharged it once out of the vehicle’s window. The chase continued through a construction zone at Spencer Municipal Hospital, causing significant property damage. The chase ended at the parking lot of First Christian Church on the northeast edge of the city. It was there that Phillips took his life, while inside the vehicle. The incident happened around 4-10 P.M. During that time, the Spencer Middle School and the First Christian Church were placed on lockdown as a precautionary measure.
The Sheriffs Office was assisted by Spencer Police, Iowa DNR, Iowa State Patrol, Spencer Fire and Ambulance, and the county medical examiner’s office.
COMMISSIONING FOR THE NEXT USS IOWA IS SET FOR EARLY SPRING
The U-S Navy submarine that’s named after the state of Iowa is back at port in Connecticut after its first test drives — and test dives — in the Atlantic Ocean. Mat Tanner, a retired Navy Chief submariner and executive director of the U-S-S Iowa Commissioning Committee, says the 377-foot long nuclear-powered submarine has completed its Alpha and Bravo levels of testing, where the sub is put through its paces. Tanner says, so far, so good — no major issues. The three-billion-dollar submarine will have a crew of 120 enlisted personnel and 14 officers. The sub will become the fourth U-S Navy vessel to be named after the state of Iowa and Tanner says all appears on schedule for commissioning and the start of full-service military duty early next spring.
