DUNN CHARGES
A Kingsley man faces additional charges in a case of stalking a former girlfriend.
54 year old James Dunn was the chief of police in Kingsley when he was arrested by the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation last month. He is now on administrative leave.
According to court documents, Dunn is now charged with 12 additional counts, related to misuse of a law enforcement database. Dunn is accused of using the database to access information on a former girlfriend, her boyfriend, and two others.
The total number of charges include 14 counts of unauthorized access to or Dissemination of Criminal History Data, two counts of stalking, both Class D felonies, and three counts of Misconduct in office, misdemeanors.
A preliminary hearing on the charges will take place Monday, March 20, in Plymouth County District Court.
HONOR FLIGHT
The 14th Midwest Honor Flight will take 84 area military veterans to Washington SC from Sioux Falls on May 16th.
The event was announced Wednesday at the Grand Falls Casino and Golf Resort at Larchwood, Iowa, where the non-profit Lyon County Riverboar Foundation presented a check for 87,500 dollars to Midwest Honor Flight CEO Aarton Van Beek.
There will be ten veterans from Lyon County on this 14th Honor Flight mission, but veterans from Plymouth County and several other northwest Iowa counties will take part.
All of the veterans fly for free to see the war memorials in the nation’s capitol. It’s the second time Lyon County has partnered on an Honor Flight trip.
Van Beek says it costs 175-thousand dollars to put on an Honor Flight. The donation covers half the cost of this mission.
MUSSON SCHOLARSHIP
Applications for the Steven H. Musson Memorial Emergency Services Scholarship are now being accepted, until April 14.
Applicant(s) must reside and actively engage in emergency care in Plymouth County. This can include: paramedic, first responder, emergency care technician (EMT), WITCC College Now students enrolled in the EMT course or a squad.
This year, the scholarship program will be awarding a $600 scholarship.
Interested applicants (individuals or a squad) may obtain an application by visiting floydvalley.org under the scholarships tab, or The Foundation at 712-546-3348,to request a copy be mailed.
The Floyd Valley Foundation, along with the Musson family, sponsor the scholarship program.
SAC COUNTY CORN PLANT
An Iowa company that plans to make boards out of the leftover stalks and leaves from corn known as stover, finally plans to open. Cornboard founder and C-E-O Lane Segestrom, says the original start-up was delayed by the supply chain and other issues — but they will break ground in Sac County outside of Odebolt. He says they will make pallets out of the corn-based boards. The plant will make about 10 million square feet of board a year with between 50 and 75 farmers providing the stover.
STATE AUDITOR LIMITS
The Iowa Senate has voted to put new limits on documents and information the Democratic State Auditor may access as it investigates state government operations and whistleblower complaints. Republican Senator Jason Schultz of Schleswig says the bill was drafted in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling that there are no limits on what the state auditor may investigate. All Democrats voted against the bill — including Senator Janice Weiner from Iowa City. She says it is now a waste, fraud and abuse promotion bill that doesn’t protect privacy, and only undermines independent oversight.
BEECK – HILLVIEW PARK
The flagship of the Plymouth County Conservation areas, Hillview Park, is looking to future use of a land acquisition that will double the size of the park. Nick Beeck (Beck), the Plymouth County Conservation Director, says the first parcel has been prepared for future use.
Five years ago, the two parcels of property were sold by Virgil Newberg, a farmer next door to the park. The first parcel was turned over to the conservation board at the start. Newberg passed away last fall, so the second parcel will soon be available. For now, Beeck and his colleagues are daydreaming over what could be done with the additional park property.
Beeck says most of the property which makes up Hillview Park has come from the Newbergs. Are waiting to take control of both properties before working toward a plan for the site. Conservation officials have been talking about how the property can be used.
Beeck says most of the property which makes up Hillview Park has come from the Newbergs. It’s a very busy park.
The Plymouth County Conservation Board has hired a consultant to begin a site study next month, and prepare a master plan for the park.
Beeck says at some point after the master plan is presented, the public will have an opportunity to comment on it.
SEXUAL ORIENTATION INSTRUCTION
The Iowa House has passed a bill to ban instruction about sexual orientation and gender identity in kindergarten through sixth grade classrooms. School programs, tests or surveys on those topics would be barred for students in those grades as well. Representative Skyler Wheeler of Hull is among the 62 House Republicans who voted for the bill.
Wheeler says the bill protects the innocence of Iowa children.
Representative Sharon Steckman, a Democrat from Mason City who’s a retired public school teacher, responded.
All House Democrats and one Republican voted against the bill. Representative Heather Matson, a Democrat from Ankeny, says the policy will prevent teachers from addressing bullying of some students.
Earlier this year, Governor Kim Reynolds proposed banning instruction about sexual activity and gender identity in early elementary grades. A bill on this topic and other school policies is pending in the Senate.
BAN MINOR TRANSITIONS
After a nearly two and a half hour debate, the Iowa House has given final approval to a bill that would ban Iowa doctors and therapists from providing gender transition care to minors. All Senate Republicans voted for the bill Tuesday night and on Wednesday, 58 of the 64 Republicans in the House backed it. Republican Representative Steven Holt of Denison says there are grave doubts about having children undergo these life-altering procedures. Holt says children are unable to give informed consent to these kind of procedures. Representative Ross Wilburn, a Democrat from Ames, told his colleagues he’s the father of a son who completed his gender transition at the age of 21. Representative Chad Ingels of Randalia was one of the Republicans who voted against the bill says choosing to focus on one extremely small group in the state with this and other bills is not what the majority of Iowans want. A similar law passed in Arkansas in 2021 was immediately challenged in court and has never taken effect as the case has not been resolved.
ARREST ON WARRANT
A Sioux City man was arrested in Plymouth County on an active warrant. 35 year old Leslie Jon Cournoyer was arrested early Tuesday morning. He is wanted for failure to appear in court for a hearing on on 3rd and subsequent offense possession of a controlled substance, a felony. Cournoyer was booked into the Plymouth County Jail, and held on 10-thousand dollars bond.
NEW EDUCATION DIRECTOR
Governor Kim Reynolds has chosen a native of Clinton to become the next director of the Iowa Department of Education. Chad Aldis (ALD-iss, rhymes with “bald hiss”) has worked as the vice president of policy for the Thomas B. Fordham Institute of Ohio for the last nine years. Information from the Governor’s Office says Aldis led the Fordham Institute’s efforts to successfully reform Ohio’s high school graduation requirements, state report cards, and charter school laws. He replaces Ann Lebo (LEE-boh) who announced last month she is resigning to pursue other opportunities.
