HIGHWAY 60 INJURY ACCIDENT
Two people were injured in a two vehicle accident south of Alton Thursday. The Sioux County Sheriffs Office says the accident occurred during the noon hour on Iowa Highway 60 and 480th, two miles south of Alton. A vehicle driven by 38 year old Oleksander Romenkov of Orange City failed to yield at the Highway 60 intersection, and struck a vehicle driven by Derek Tollette, 31, of Osseo, Minnesota. Tollette and a passenger were transported to Orange City Health System for treatment of their injuries. Romenkov was cited for failure to stop at a stop sign and failure to yield the right of way. The sheriff’s office was assisted by the Alton Fire and Ambulance, Orange City Fire and Ambulance, Orange City Police, and the Iowa State Patrol.
NEW PLYMOUTH COUNTY DEPUTY
A new Plymouth County Deputy will be sworn in this afternoon at the county courthouse. Joe Winge (WING-ee) will be sworn in by District Associate Judge Daniel Vakulskas at 2:30 p.m. Winge is a Ft Dodge native. He joined the Iowa National Guard, and has spent seven years on active duty. He became a combat medic and earned an EMT certification. He’s married with two children.
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.
12TH STREET CLOSED
Two northbound lanes of 12TH Street at Business 75 in Le Mars has been closed, and repair will take place there next week. City manager Jason Vacura says the mast for a light hanging over 12th Street has developed a crack, and that could pose a risk for the mast falling onto the street. Vacura says a contractor will arrive next week to weld the mast. At the same time, a replacement pole and mast has been ordered, but it will take four to six months before the shipment arrives.
IOWA HOUSE COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS
The Speaker of the Iowa House, Pat Grassley, announced Thursday several committee assignments for legislators in the 91st General Assembly.
Among the standing committees, Rep. Skyler Wheeler of Hull will chair the Education Committee. Rep. Megan Jones of Sioux Rapids will chair the Local Government Committee.
Among the appropriations subcommittees, Rep. Travis Sitzman of Kingsley will serve as Vice Chair of the Administration and Regulation Appripriations Subcommittee, Rep. Bob Henderson of Sioux City will be Vice Chair of the Education Appropriations Subcommittee, and Rep. Jacob Bossman of Sioux City will chair the Transportation, Infrastructure, and Capitals Appriations Subcommittee.
Full Committee Assignments will be announced at a later date. The legislature opens Monday, January 13.
HOUSE GOP TO LAUNCH REVIEW OF IOWA’S HIGHER EDUCATION SYSTEM
The Iowa House Speaker says a comprehensive review of the state’s colleges and universities is long overdue — and he’s establishing a Higher Education Committee to do it. Republican Representative Taylor Collins of Mediapolis, the chairman of the new committee, says Iowa has a workforce shortage, but some colleges and universities have been distracted by ideological agendas. Collins led the effort to force the recent closure of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion offices at the three state-supported universities. Collins say there’s been great progress on that front, but the panel may push to eliminate some courses or majors. Collins, who has earned degrees from Iowa State and Drake, says the focus will not just be on the three public universities in Ames, Cedar Falls and Iowa City, but on Iowa’s community colleges AND the state’s private colleges and universities as well.
REPORT: DROP IN ABORTIONS IN IOWA IN AUGUST
A report shows a 38 percent drop in the number of abortions in Iowa after the state law banning most abortions after the sixth week of a pregnancy took effect in late July. The Guttmacher (GOOT-mock-er) Institute, which supports abortion, estimates about 260 abortions were performed in Iowa in August — down from an average of about 400 abortions a month during the first half of this year. Those stats include procedures performed in a clinic as well as medication abortions. According to Planned Parenthood of North Central States, many of those abortions in August were likely “telehealth” abortions that involved a clinician in another state prescribing the medication to an Iowan seeking an abortion.
