Automotive

Vehicle drives into Education Station (03/11/10)
One employee said it sounded like a sonic boom. At about 4:15 p.m. Wednesday a van crashed into the glass front of The Education Station, according to the store's owner John MacGregor. "We were in the store, but no one was injured," he said. The driver, Bridget Ann Overman, 31, of Le Mars, was pulling into a parking spot in front of the education store and mistakenly hit the gas pedal instead of the brakes, according to a report from the Le Mars police...

No word from GM for Total Sales and Services (03/10/10)
A Le Mars auto dealership hasn't heard anything from GM regarding whether or not the business' Chevrolet franchise will be reinstated. Total Sales and Service is one of hundreds of dealers across the nation that lost GM franchise agreements in the automakers' bankruptcy dealings in May 2009...

Steve King says time to stop spending (02/08/10)
U.S. Rep. Steve King thinks the biggest problem in government right now is overspending. He also doesn't believe President Barack Obama's $787 billion stimulus plan is working as it was set out to do. Neither does he favor a government-run national health care program...

Transfer brings Chrysler back to Le Mars (01/13/10)
A Le Mars auto dealership is expanding. Le Mars Ford is adding Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep sales and service, according to owner Bob Jensen, of Sioux City. Jensen is transferring those franchises from Heartland Motors, which he owns in Hawarden, to his Le Mars dealership...

Le Mars man killed in icy crash (12/09/09)
A Le Mars man was killed Tuesday morning in a pickup versus semi-trailer crash on icy roads. Juan Chagolla, 46, was pronounced dead on the scene after losing control of the pickup he was driving and crashing into the semi-trailer one mile north of Merrill on Highway 75...

Jury finds Robinson not guilty in traffic death (11/27/09)
A Merrill man charged with vehicular homicide was found not guilty by a jury Wednesday. Danny Clyde Robinson, 50, faced the felony charge after being in an August 2007 collision on Plymouth County roads just north of Merrill that claimed the life of 78-year-old Fern Nielson, of Lake Norden, S.D...

Police to use text messages, e-mails to alert public (11/05/09)
You can now get free alerts from the police on your cell phone and e-mail. The Le Mars Police Department recently signed up for Nixle, a free program that allows community groups like law enforcement agencies to provide up-to-the-minute updates to the general public...

Oh deer! It's that time of year (10/28/09)
With tree leaves turning golden and temperatures cooling, the fall season also brings a greater chance of car-deer accidents on roadways across Plymouth County. "We're starting to see an increase in vehicles hitting deer," said Plymouth County Deputy Paul Betsworth. "Once farmers start getting their crops in, they start chasing the deer out of the fields onto the roadways."...

Missing Remsen man found dead (10/06/09)
Answers are still being sought in the death of a 29-year-old Remsen man who was found dead at noon Monday in a pickup truck partially submerged in the Little Sioux River, just north of Kingsley. Michael David Ahlers, of rural Remsen, was declared dead on the scene, according to the Plymouth County Sheriff's report...

Long-time Le Mars auto and sales dealership changes hands (09/18/09)
Lynn Nuebel, owner of Nuebel Chevrolet, announced this week that he sold his 26-year-old auto sales and service business to a trio of local men. Brent Brownmiller, Todd Brownmiller and Scott Taylor purchased the property to open their new venture: Total Sales and Service...

Back in the saddle: Akron woman overcomes challenges (06/12/09)
Nothing can keep Lea Jacobs from riding horses. Not even a vehicle accident paralyzing her from the waist down in November 2006. "When I couldn't ride after the accident, it felt like forever," Jacobs said. Only about a year after breaking her back, then going through four months of physical therapy, two surgeries and having steel rods put in her back, the Akron woman was back in the saddle...

Motor Inn to close door on Chrysler dealership (06/10/09)
The word came down late Tuesday afternoon from federal bankruptcy court -- Chrysler is clear to cut ties with 789 franchise dealerships, including Motor Inn of Le Mars. The judge's order stated that franchises can no longer act as authorized Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep dealers, effective immediately, according to a story from the Associated Press...

Always believe: Hanno celebrates gift store ownership (06/02/09)
A rural Le Mars woman is rising above a tragic accident to follow a new dream. Megan Hanno, who was seriously injured in a car accident in October 2003, now runs her own gift store which draws shoppers from as far away as the United Kingdom. "We started out small and now we've grown," she said...

Bicyclists plan Ride of Silence in Le Mars (05/18/09)
This week Le Mars area cyclists will have the opportunity to participate in the annual Ride of Silence Wednesday evening, May 20. The Ride of Silence is a slow-paced bicycle ride that will occur in hundreds of locations world wide to honor cyclists who have been killed or injured while cycling on public roadways...

Motor Inn to continue -- minus Chrysler dealership (05/15/09)
The auto industry's turmoil is rearing its head in Le Mars. A local Chrysler auto dealership is one of 789 on a list to be cut in the automaker's bankruptcy dealings. Motor Inn of Le Mars will no longer sell new Chrysler brand vehicles starting early next month, but the decision won't be final until a judge approves the cuts...

Man injured in motorcycle accident (04/27/09)
An Ames man was injured when a gust of wind pushed his motorcycle off the road in Plymouth County. Korey Andrew Brooks, 22, was eastbound on Highway 3 at Jet Road at 5:19 on April 24 when, according to a witness' statement to the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office, a gust of wind blew the 1979 Kawasaki 800cc he was driving off the road and into the south ditch...

Friends set fifth annual Joan Wilson Memorial Run (04/20/09)
The fifth annual Joan Wilson Memorial 5K Run/Walk, honoring a mother, wife, and friend, will kickoff at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 25, at the Le Mars Municipal Park Maser Fitness Trail in Le Mars. The race, organized by the Friends of Joan Wilson, honor the woman who died in a hit-and-run accident while running on a gravel road near her home northwest of Le Mars in May 2004...

Ethanol debate: Is your car ready for E-15? (03/12/09)
Currently, government rules allow non-flex-fuel vehicles to use only 10 percent ethanol in their gasoline. Politicians from Iowa are pushing for that to change. Earlier this week, newly appointed U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and U.S. Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, spoke in support of allowing higher blends -- 15 percent...

Developers look at piping methane from wastewater plant (03/11/09)
Waste not. That could be the motto of Le Mars' wastewater plant. The plant already makes 100 percent of what comes in into usable products. Now officials are talking with a local renewable energy developer about using the wastewater plant's methane to help fuel the Plymouth Energy ethanol and corn oil plants north of Merrill...

Sioux City man killed in icy rollover (02/27/09)
A 26-year-old Sioux City driver was killed when he lost control on icy roads and was thrown from the vehicle, according to an official from the Iowa State Patrol. Ramiro Barba was eastbound on C-38 about one-half mile west of K-42 when he lost control of the 2003 Chevrolet Trailblazer he was driving and went into the south ditch, where the vehicle flipped and Barba was ejected, according to Sergeant Dave Eral of the Iowa State Patrol...

Two-car crash rocks Central Avenue Tuesday (02/18/09)
A Le Mars teen complained of possible injuries after the car she was riding in struck another car at the intersection of Central Avenue and Ninth Street South. The 15-year-old was the passenger in a car driven by Jessica Langel, 14, of Le Mars. Langel, who was driving on Ninth Street South, was stopped at the stop sign at the Central Avenue intersection then pulled into the intersection...

Winning voices: More than 100 FFA students to compete in Le Mars (02/13/09)
On Tuesday at Le Mars Community School, senior Jacob Conley will make a radio ag. broadcast, junior Angie Breuer will speak on the pros and cons of ethanol, and senior Zerick Kuecker will do a job interview. This is all part of the FFA Leadership Contests...

Seniors train to save your life (02/09/09)
Beep. Beep. Beep. Eighteen-year-olds Pat Rosacker and Ryan Baue are already in motion. But it's not their cell phones they're answering. "Le Mars Ambulance needed for a car accident." Rosacker and Baue are answering a dispatcher's call as the Le Mars Ambulance squad's youngest EMTs...

Accident spills animal carcasses near highway (01/12/09)
A tow truck pulling a car pulled in front of a semi-trailer loaded with farm animal carcasses Saturday on Highway 75 south of Hinton causing an accident that sent the carcasses spilling onto the highway median and that truck's driver to the hospital...

A year to remember: Top stories of 2008 (12/30/08)
Editor's note: This is the first of two stories recapping 2008's top stories in the Daily Sentinel. 10. O'Keefe stabs, kills a man A butcher knife to the chest led to the death of Sam Toliver, 32, Jan. 24, 2008. Jody O'Keefe, 35, most recently of Le Mars, pleaded guilty to voluntary manslaughter and other charges and was sentenced to 40 years in prison. ...

Supervisors give stamp of a approval to Merrill urban renewal (11/19/08)
An urban renewal area around and in Merrill became a reality Tuesday. Following a public hearing, the Plymouth County Supervisors approved an urban renewal district to encompass the entire city of Merrill and around Plymouth Energy ethanol plant, Plymouth Oil, a food-grade oil plant and Midwest PMS, the liquid cattle feed mill...

Train officials: Don't risk your life to cross the rails (11/17/08)

Minnesota woman escapes serious injury in truck, building collision (09/29/08)
A medical condition caused Stephanie Kay Allen to lose control of her pickup and crash it into the Meylor Chiropractic building Friday afternoon, police said. The 39-year-old woman, of Silver Lake, Minn., who was wearing her seat belt, suffered non-life threatening injuries during the 12:45 p.m. accident...

Minnesota woman escapes serious injury in truck, building collision (09/26/08)

Gas prices only take small bite out of summer traffic (08/22/08)
By 10:30 a.m. a man from Charles City had already finished his breakfast: a vanilla cone at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor. Before 5 p.m. that same day, a woman from San Francisco, Calif. was posed outside to get her picture taken with the old fashioned milk truck...

Wind blows Texas oilman in to Le Mars to talk energy (08/15/08)
He may be 80 but an audience member still called T. Boone Pickens a "rockstar." The Texas oilman and billionaire landed his jet at the Le Mars airport Thursday afternoon to spin to Iowans his plan for reducing U.S. dependency on foreign oil. His idea: shift to using more wind energy and natural gas -- two things in which the nation is rich...

Plymouth County cracks down on drunk drivers (08/15/08)
The Plymouth County Sheriff's Office announced it will join other police agencies throughout the country in support of an intensive crackdown on impaired driving now through September 1. "The state has several times they do these things," said Chief Deputy Craig Bartolozzi. "Labor Day is one of the worst holidays for this kind of thing because of last minute vacationers and such."...

Akron man receives lifesaving award (08/12/08)
An 18-year-old Akron man was honored by Iowa's governor at the state fair on Friday for risking his own life to save another's. Shawn Milbrodt received a 2008 Governor's Lifesaving Award for helping save a 19-year-old's life last July. On July 20, 2007, Jason Bumsted, 19, was involved in a head on collision with another vehicle where both cars caught fire. Shawn Milbrodt and Grant Krentz, 21, of Sioux City, drove upon the accident shortly thereafter...

Three injured in Merrill accident (08/12/08)
Three passengers and one driver were injured Sunday when a Sioux City man failed to stop for a car on Highway 75 in Merrill. Peter Volodja Boe, 70, of Sioux City was westbound on C-44 at 7:45 p.m. and came to the stop sign at Highway 75 in Merrill, according to the Plymouth County Sheriff's report...

Sen. Harkin suggests alternatives to combat oil prices facing country (08/07/08)
Americans are addicted to oil. Sen. Tom Harkin told Plymouth County residents gathered Wednesday at Lally's Eastside Restaurant that addiction is the reason for the continued increase in oil prices. "When you're addicted to something, you just continue to feed the addiction," Harkin said...

Plymouth Oil may receive $1.2 million in tax benefits (07/22/08)
The State of Iowa pledged about $1.2 million in tax incentives to a plant near Merrill that will make corn oil for food and cooking. The $30 million Plymouth Oil plant is planned next to the 50-million-gallon Plymouth Energy LLC ethanol plant near Merrill. The projected completion date is July 31, 2013, according to an Iowa Department of Economic Development (IDED) spokesperson...

Grassley gives his take on fuel crunch at Le Mars meeting (07/01/08)
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley praised ethanol and drilling for more oil in the United States during his stop at a Le Mars town hall meeting where concern about energy and food prices was the prevailing mood. Speaking to a crowd of about 50 people at the American Bank Monday, Grassley responded to questions about fuel prices by presenting his idea for an energy program...

Corn oil plant seeks property tax relief from county (06/18/08)
A proposed $30 million corn oil plant near Merrill inched closer to reality this week. The Plymouth County Supervisors on Tuesday approved five years of property tax relief for Plymouth Oil L.L.C. The first year will be a 75 percent break declining to 15 percent in the fifth year...

Kingsley teen dies in crash (05/20/08)
A 15-year-old girl from Kingsley was killed in a one-vehicle accident north of Moville Monday. Monica Tejeda was thrown from the passenger seat of a vehicle when its driver, 17-year-old Jade Lalumendre, of Kingsley, apparently lost control of the vehicle, according to the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office...

Le Mars man injured in one-vehicle crash (05/20/08)
A 22-year-old from Le Mars was thrown from his car in a single-vehicle accident on Sunday. Charles Levi Hinh was driving on Highway 60 near 150th Street when his vehicle entered the median, rolled twice, and came to rest on its top on the highway. Hinh was ejected from the car...

Kingsley resident dies in one-vehicle crash (05/13/08)
A driver from Kingsley was killed in a one-car accident Monday afternoon on Highway 140 south of Kingsley. Aaron Ronald Foster, 29, lost control of his pickup for unknown reasons and it veered into the west ditch, colliding with a utility pole about a mile from Kingsley at 12:38 p.m...

Rural roads see more fatal teen accidents (05/12/08)
A recent study found that teens driving on rural roads are more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than teens driving in metropolitan areas. Allstate Insurance Company's study analyzed federal crash statistics and their company's claims data to identify hotspots where fatal teen crashes are higher than others...

Corn oil producer planned near Merrill ethanol plant (04/21/08)
Better together. That's what Dave Hoffman of Merrill says about the $30 million corn oil plant he and others are planning to build next to the Plymouth Energy ethanol plant near Merrill. The corn oil plant will produce up to 60 tons every day of the oil used for human food and cooking. Employing 25 people, the plant is slated to be in operation by the spring of 2009...

Pearson predicts bright future for agriculture (03/20/08)
Things are changing in agriculture and the long-term outlook is good, according to the host of a nationally syndicated farm program. Mark Pearson is host of "Market to Market," which is broadcast on public television stations across the United States. He brought his message about what's ahead in agriculture to Le Mars on Tuesday for the Le Mars Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Agri-Business luncheon...

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