From the daily archives:

Saturday, December 19, 2009

There was a costly fire at an apartment complex in Cherokee last night.

Officials say a “heavy fire” was burning in a first floor apartment in the Timber Ridge Apartment Complex when fire fighters arrived. The fire spread to a second-floor deck and then to the roof above.

All 16 units in the building were evacuated. Eventually crews were able to contain the fire, but damage is estimated to be as high as a quarter of a million dollars.

One person was treated for smoke inhalation. 

Investigators say they believe the cause of the fire was probably an electrical cord under the sofa in that first floor apartment.  The sofa caught fire and then the flames spread.

(Reporting by Mark Bruggom, KICD, Spencer)

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Two children killed in wreck near Orange City

by Radio Iowa Contributor 12/19/09 1:20 PM

Two Orange City children have died as the result of an accident at the intersection of Highways 75 and 10, five miles west of Orange City. 
The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office reports that about 6:35 p.m. Friday, 29-year-old Alan Muilenburg of rural Maurice was driving a 1999 GMC Envoy southbound on Highway 75.  Thirty-one-year-old Michelle Toering of [...]

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State Patrol to close Cherokee office

by O. Kay Henderson 12/19/09 10:57 AM

The Iowa State Patrol office in Cherokee will close this spring. Jessica Lown of the Iowa Department of Public Safety says it’s a cost-saving measure. “It was sort of an opportune time. The lieutenant up there and the secretary of that district have indicated that they’re going to be retiring in the spring. There’s a [...]

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Nominations sought for ESGR awards

by Matt Kelley 12/19/09 10:53 AM

Iowans serving in the National Guard or Reserves who feel they’re well-supported by their employers are encouraged to nominate them for a national award. Dick Rue, of Des Moines, is field committee chairman of the Iowa Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, or ESGR. Rue says employers are obligated to do certain things for [...]

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Farmers can still harvest corn stranded in fields

by Pat Curtis 12/19/09 10:51 AM

Last week’s snow storm stranded more than motorists – about 4% of Iowa’s corn crop is still trapped in the field. Iowa State University farm economist William Edwards says  90% of the state’s farmers have crop insurance policies that expired December 10th. He says they shouldn’t have any problem receiving an extension.
“It’s pretty obvious the corn [...]

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