HARMS TRIAL
The trial of a Le Mars man charged with 2nd degree murder and attempted murder will begin next week in Plymouth County District Court. Reese Harms was originally charged with attempted murder and wilfull injury causing bodily injury, both class B felonies. Harms was arrested in January of 2024 for allegedly assaulting 44 year old Michael Gomez at a Le Mars apartment. Gomez later died, and the wilful injury charge was upgraded to second degree murder. Harms has pled not guilty to the charges. Harm’s attorney, in a recent court filing, gave notice of his intent to rely on self-defense as justification for the defendant’s actions. The trial by jury will begin at 9 am next Tuesday, March 4, in the Plymouth County Courthouse.
HINTON PPEL VOTE
A special election will be held in the Hinton Community School District, Tuesday, March 4. Superintendent Ken Slater says voters will be asked to extend their current Physical Plant and Equipment (PPEL) levy for another ten years.
The PPEL levy will remain the same as it is now… one dollar, 34 cents per thousand.
Funds raised by the levy are used for a variety of purposes.
One such immediate need is roof repairs.
Voters recently updated their intention list for PPEL funds.
One immediate need is roof repairs, and lighting upgrades.
Supt. Slater says if the PPEL extension is approved, will set a list of priority projects to carry out.
Supt. Slater says if the PPEL fails at the ballot box next Tuesday, the current levy expires, and the district would lose a key means of funding building repairs, equipment replacement, and transportation needs.
The election will be next Tuesday at the Hinton Community Center, from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.
With the Hinton girls basketball team going to state next week, Slater reminds residents to make sure they vote before heading off to Des Moines.
FINAL VOTES LOOKING ON GENDER ID BILL
The Iowa Capitol was packed with protesters today as the Iowa legislature is poised to debate legislation to remove gender identity from the state’s Civil Rights Act.
A 90 minute public hearing got underway at 9:30 a.m. and Representative Steven Holt, a Republican from Denison who is the bill’s floor manager in the House, opened with a note of caution.
Ryan Benn, legal counsel for The Family Leader, was first to testify.
V Fixmer-Oraiz, a member of the Johnson County Board of Supervisors who is a transgender Iowan, says the role of government is to protect the rights of all citizens.
The House and Senate are likely to pass the bill sometime today.
IOWA AG SECRETARY HAPPY TO SEE FEDERAL BIRD FLU PLAN
Iowa Secretary of Agriculture Mike Naig says he’s encouraged by the announcement of a plan by the U-S Ag Secretary to address Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Naig says it is a five-pronged plan.
He says the plan has some new things and some that have been already in use.
Naig says the biosecurity would help keep the disease from getting into facilities.
Naig says the use of vaccines has some issues that would have to be worked through.
Naig says the bird flu has taken a large toll on Iowa poultry producers.
He says the impact producers goes well beyond the monetary impact.
Naig says Ag Secretary Brook Rollins has pledged 500 million dollars to support on-farm biosecurity assessments and cost-share funding, which will help farmers make necessary infrastructure improvements. The plan also commits 400 million dollars to update indemnity tables to ensure farmers are receiving fair market rates for birds that have to be destroyed.
COMPANIES CITE RISING CASES OF COPPER THEFT
Companies that provide telecommunication and wireless services are asking legislators to update Iowa law to ensure those who sabotage infrastructure like cell phone towers or buried cables can be charged with a felony. Due to a recent court ruling, the definition of telecommunication services has been changed at the federal level and a bill to make the same adjustments in Iowa law has cleared a House subcommittee. At a summit in Texas last year, representatives of the telecom industry said there were an average of 44 incidents of cell phone tower vandalism every day in the U-S. It’s driven by the rising price for copper, as thieves are climbing cell phone towers to steal cables that contain copper.
IHHS REPORTS TWO SAFE HAVEN BABIES
The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services says two baby girls were turned over to the state earlier this month under the Safe Haven program. The Department says one girl was born on February 8th and the other on February 12th. Safe Haven allows parents who determine they cannot care for an infant to turn the baby over to the state with no questions asked. The baby has to be under 90 days old. There were eight Safe Haven babies turned over in 2024. These two baby girls make a total of 76 infants turned over since the law went into effect more than two decades ago.
FORT DODGE GUARD UNIT SHUTTING DOWN SUNDAY
The Iowa National Guard has set this Sunday at 2 p-m as the date for the formal ceremony marking the shutdown of the 133rd Test Squadron in Fort Dodge. Iowa Guard spokesperson Jackie Schmilllen says they learned in May of last year that the squadron was going to be shut down as part of a national restructuring. She says there are 38 traditional service members with the Iowa National Guard and three full-time in Fort Dodge. They are authorized to have 118 and had around 100 when the shutdown was announced. All full-time members were offered other positions with the Iowa Air National Guard and a majority are going to the 132nd Air Wing in Des Moines or the 185th Refueling Wing in Sioux City. Schmilllen says the Sunday ceremony will celebrate the more than 75 years of the unit in Fort Dodge
