WEATHER ADVISORY
A Winter Weather Advisory has been called for Plymouth and 6 other northwest Iowa counties for Tuesday. Jeff Chapman, National Weather Service Meteorologist in Sioux Falls, says the snow will begin early Tuesday…
The morning commute could be a bit messy in Plymouth County, with a bit of ice mixed in with the snow.
By late morning into the afternoon, there will be snow and blowing snow…
The snow will taper off into the late afternoon.
Temperatures Tuesday will turn colder early in the day, and remain cold in the wake of the system. Weather conditions should improve after the storm system exits the area.
Up to two inches of snow are forecast for Plymouth County, up to three inches for Sioux County, on Tuesday.
DRUG SENTENCE
A northwest Iowa man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison after pleading guilty to distributing five and a half pounds of meth. According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Sioux City, 46-year-old Justin Haubrich of Milford got meth from sources in Denison and Council Bluffs from mid-2018 to early 2019. In another meth-related case connected to northwest Iowa, 43-year-old Wesley Wood of San Marcos, California has been sentenced to a decade in prison. Authorities say he admits to sending meth to Sheldon through the U.S. Postal Service.
TEACHER OF THE YEAR
An Altoona, Iowa second grade teacher has been named Iowa’s Teacher of the Year by Governor Kim Reynolds. Two northwest Iowa teachers were finalists.
Krystal Colbert, who has been teaching for 16 years, serves in the Southeast Polk Community School DIstrict, was honored for the impact she has made on her students.
Among the finalists for this year’s award were Levi Letsche, an Orange City resident, who is a high school mathematics teacher in the Sheldon Community School District. Another finalist is Lori Brandt, a special education teacher in the Sioux Center Community School District.
BIRD FLU
An additional case of bird flu was noted in Dixon County, Nebraska, on Saturday. The Nebraska Department of Agriculture says a commercial flock of 1.8 million laying hens were destroyed there, as per USDA policy. That was the 13th bird flu outbreak in Nebraska this year, affecting 6.7 million birds. Iowa has been hardest hit by the bird flu this year, causing the destruction of more than 15 million birds. The USDA says bird flu has been noted in 46 states, causing the destruction of 52.3 million birds, mostly chickens and turkeys on commercial farms.
BOBCAT TRAPPING
The Iowa bobcat trapping season is underway and D-N-R wildlife biologist, Vince Evelsizer, says trappers should be able to fill their quotas.
Evelsizer says it’s one of the positive conservation stories.
The limits on bobcat trapping continue based on the populations for each county.
Evelsizer says the trapping helps keep the populations from getting out of control.
You can find out more about bobcat trapping on the Iowa D-N-R’s website.
IOWA RECESSION
An Iowa State University economist says there have been three negative quarters in the state’s economy, which is the classic definition of a recsssion. Peter Orazem says the number of employed Iowans are lagging pre-pandemic levels, and that’s holding back the Iowa economy. It also explains why the Gross State Product has been negative for the past three quarters. The number of employed Iowans remains one percent below prepandemic levels, and the labor participation rate is about 2 percent below what it was in February, 2020.
LEMARS VEHICLE PURSUIT
Two persons were injured, including a LeMars Police officer, in a motor vehicle pursuit in LeMars early Friday morning. A Plymouth County deputy attempted to stop a vehicle along Holton Drive, when the suspect vehicle fled. The chase carried on through Le Mars, at times double the posted speed limit. The suspect vehicle eventually went into a corn field along Blue Diamond Road, and while attempting to exit the field, entered an intersection and crashed headon into a Le Mars police squad car. The suspect driver, Miakol Miakuach Myiik, 38, of Le Mars, and the Le Mars police officer, were admitted to Floyd Valley Hospital for treatment of minor injury. Myiik was arrested and was charged with Assault with injury to a law enforcement officer, felony eluding, and several other violations. The officer returned to work the next day. The Iowa State Patrol took the accident report. The Sheriffs Department was also aided by the Le Mars Police Department.
CHRISTMAS IN LEMARS RECAP
It was a spectacular start to the holiday season. Dave Grosenheider recaps Saturday’s Christmas in Le Mars celebration.
