Iowa State Patrol spokesman Jim Saunders says there’s a simple way to avoid having you New Year’s celebration end in tragedy. He says particularily over New Year’s or anytime, if you’re going to consume alcohol, have a designated driver. Suanders says troopers will be on the lookout for drunken drivers throughout the weekend. He says if you are heading out to a party — check the weather conditions first — and take some precautions. He says wear your seatbelts, obey the traffic laws and allow plenty of time to get to your destination. State officials say a drunk driving conviction can cost you several thousand dollars.
Shelby County Deputy shoots, kills man
December 31, 2004 By
A western Iowa law officer shot and killed a suspect last night. The shooting happened a little after 7 last night north and west of Shelby at the conclusion of a high-speed chase. A Shelby County Sheriff’s Deputy tried to pull over a car for speeding, but the driver took off. After about ten minutes, officers were able to stop the car with a roadblock. The deputy reportedly approached the car, saw what he thought was a gun in the driver’s hand, and fired one shot, killing the driver. The identities of the deputy and the dead suspect have not been released.
Iowa Guardsman resigns position in South Dakota legislature
December 31, 2004 By
An Iowa National Guardsman is resigning from his post in the South Dakota state legislature. State Representative Bill Van Gerpen of Avon was just elected to a third term but he’s also a chaplain, serving with the 185th Tanker Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard in Sioux City. Van Gerpen says his active duty has been extended, probably until June. Knowing he won’t be available to serve constituents in the legislature, he’s sent his resignation to South Dakota governor Mike Rounds and he expects to hear soon who’s been chosen to replace him. Van Gerpen says he just couldn’t leave his legislative seat open for virtually the whole session.He says “it just wouldn’t be fair” for him to be absent virtually the whole session, and have a vacant seat in that district instead of someone serving constituents. Van Gerpen has served 32 years in the military, 7 of those on active duty with the Air Force, and is a Lieutenant Colonel. He says he’s giving up more than just a seat in the state house of representatives. He was asked this year to chair the South Dakota Ag and Natural Resources Committee, which make sit harder to give up, but he says there are good people available to take his place and he’ll be in Iowa with mobilized personnel. He says there is a lot of stress involved with the guard and reserve members that are on active duty and their families. A spokesman for the South Dakota governor thanked Van Gerpen for his “commonsense” approach to his legislative duties, saying he’ll be missed. Governor Mike Rounds is working to choose a replacement for Van Gerpen.
Broadcasting pioneer dies
December 31, 2004 By
A legendary northeast Iowa radio broadcaster has died. Dick Petrik who spent his entire 41-year career at K-O-E-L A-M in Oelwein, died Wednesday evening after a long illness. Petrik took the job as K-O-E-L’s first news director in April of 1952, nearly two years after the station went on the air. Petrik helped build K-O-E-L into one of the best small-market radio stations in the country. He held the record for longest tenure of any news director in the nation. In 1972, he was the first recipient of the Jack Shelley award, the highest honor given annually by the Iowa Broacast News Association for outstanding contributions to professional broadcast journalism in Iowa. The I-B-N-A later named another award in Petrik’s honor. The “Dick Petrik outstanding student award” is given annually to a college student whose work shows outstanding potential for a career in electronic media journalism. Petrik retired from K-O-E-L in 1992, but stayed with the station part-time another year. Petrik, who is 76, is survived by his wife and five children.
Snowmobilers encourage to take safey course to be ready
December 31, 2004 By
Some lucky Iowans got snowmobiles for Christmas but have yet to test them out — due to the lack of snow. David Downing, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources’ snowmobile program manager, says anxious snowmobilers might consider taking the snowmobile safety course while they’re waiting to gun the engine. Downing says anyone who’s between the ages of 12 and 17 has to have a valid safety certificate if they’re operating on public land or ice. It’s also a good idea for adults to take the course too as a refresher on regulations and safety. The half-day courses only cost three-dollars and Downing says full details are available on the website “www.iowadnr.com”. Depending on where you are in the state, there are six recreational safety officers as contacts in Iowa who can tell you the times and locations of the next course. Downing says Iowa has some 36-thousand registered snowmobiles as well as more than 75-hundred miles of groomed and designated snowmobiling trails.
A-G sues over broken natural gas line
December 31, 2004 By
The Iowa Attorney General’s suing a central Iowa contractor for leaving a broken gas line that could have been a ticking time bomb. The Attorney General’s office says Greg Coalbank was digging to install phone lines in Hartford when he cut into the natural gas pipeline to a house…and then, according to the suit, “attempted a crude patch” himself, backfilling with dirt and leaving the site without ever notifying Iowa’s “One Call” hotline. Workers are supposed to check OneCall before digging to get the location of utility lines, and notify the OneCall center when and where they’ll be doing work. They also are required by law to call the center and report any damage done to an underground line, and NOT to cover it up until the damage has been investigated. In the Hartford case, the patch was found two months later, by a MidAmerican Energy crew investigating a gas leak there. The suit against the Warren County excavator seeks civil penalties up to ten-thousand dollars a day
Conference focuses on women and agriculture
December 31, 2004 By
A conference coming up in a couple of weeks will focus on women in agriculture. Buena Vista County Extension Education Director Rhonda Christensen help organize the “Women in Denim” conference. She says it’s an opportunity for women who have some connection to agriculture to get together and network. Christensen says a woman who attended a conference like this in South Dakota suggested the idea. She says they put together a planning committee to get sponsorships and to put together a program that would be attractive to women of all walks of life and ages no matter what their relationship to agriculture. Christensen says there are a lot of issues facing women in agriculture that need to be addressed. She says things like how do you take a vacation, how do you get involved in a farmers market, how do you sell things over the internet. The conference is being held on the campus of Buena Vista University in Storm Lake. She says they hope people will gain educational information and have a little relaxation and fun as well. The conference is January 14th and15th. For registration information call 800-242-5022.
