Le Mars Murder Suspect Reaches Plea Deal
A Le Mars, Iowa, woman has agreed to plead guilty in the April 2024 death of her two-year-old son.
Twenty-seven-year-old Sexlyn Tataichy (tah- tay-chee) was charged with second-degree murder and two felony counts of child endangerment. In the plea deal filed in Plymouth County District Court yesterday, Tataichy agreed to plead guilty to child endangerment resulting in death, which is a class B felony.
The second-degree murder count and the other child endangerment count will be dismissed. Tateishi will be sentenced to serve not more than 50 years in prison and pay $150,000 in victim’s restitution.
Last April, emergency services were called to a Le Mars residence, where the two-year-old child was found with multiple injuries. The child later died at Floyd Valley Healthcare. Tataichy was arrested and charged in September. The plea hearing is set for Wednesday afternoon in Le Mars.
Leaders of Iowa’s corn and pork industries see a ‘mixed bag’ after tariffs.
One month after the Trump administration announced sweeping tariffs on imports to the U.S., the pork and soybean industries are closely watching how countries respond. Weekly export sales for U.S. pork recently hit a marketing year low. That low was caused after China cancelled a contract for 12 thousand metric tons. Iowa State Extension economist Chad Hart says agricultural export sales fluctuate, but aggregate data over the last four months shows countries are buying less U.S. pork.
Northwest Iowa Ahead in Planting
Wet conditions kept some farmers out of the fields last week, while others were able to get plenty of planting done. The U.S.D.A. report shows overall corn planting hit 49% by Sunday. The northwest region is way out in front, with 71% of the corn planted there. The northeast lags behind at just 19% planted, and the north-central region has just 32% done. All other regions are more than 50% complete. Overall, corn planting is three days ahead of last year, but five days behind the five-year average. The story is the same for soybeans as northwest Iowa has 53% of the beans in the ground, while the northeast and north-central areas report only 17%. Ten percent of the corn has already emerged, and five percent of the soybeans have emerged.
Le Mars Considers Budget Amendment
The Le Mars city council today will consider setting a public hearing on a budget amendment for the current fiscal year. City staff has been studying the budget to consider where expenditures exceeded budgeted amounts. The city has seen more spending on Public Safety, due to staffing changes. There have been several public works projects approved in this fiscal year, which required higher expenditures. Another area of the budget which saw higher spending included capital projects, where 2024 flood damages required additional expenditures. The council will consider setting a hearing to adjust the budget at their meeting on today.
Governor Reynolds’ Initiatives Still Pending
Governor Kim Reynolds says she’s “OK” with a one-year delay in her proposed state grant program for state-funded preschools and licensed child care centers that partner to provide all-day care for four-year-olds.
Reynolds first discussed the plan in January, with a July 1 start date. Democrats say it’s a shell game that takes money from functional programs and gives it to programs that do not yet exist. Senate Republicans recently voted to have the changes go into effect in the middle of next year after hearing concerns about making the changes immediately.
Another one of the governor’s policy bills that’s stalled in the legislature addresses energy policy. It would give the state’s major utilities, like MidAmerican and Alliant, the first chance to decide whether to build new energy projects before other companies could compete for the work. The Trump Administration has called the policy anti-competitive. Reynolds counters that requiring competitive bidding means a year or more delay before projects could start.
Military Families Initiative
Governor Kim Reynolds has signed legislation to launch a “Purple Star Initiative” in Iowa schools. The bill got unanimous support in the Iowa House and Senate. Iowa is among five states that considered the program this year and 43 other states already have Purple Star Initiatives in place.
Purple Star Initiatives seek to address the stress of these frequent moves by doing things like streamlining enrollment transitions and ensuring staff are notified when a student’s parent is deployed. According to the Military Child Education Coalition, the families of service members on active duty, in the National Guard or the Reserves move every two to three years.
Reynolds signed the bill creating a Purple Star Initiative in Iowa schools — along with a bill to expand the Iowa National Guard’s college scholarship program to include technical training that leads to certification of a skill, like welding.
