Courts

Drug court could fall victim to budget cuts (03/10/10)
A program that has changed lives in Plymouth County may be threatened. Adult drug court, in which adults facing drug-related charges meet with a panel of their peers and follow its recommendations, could be cut in Plymouth County if a lack of money is available, according to Mary Buhman, drug court coordinator...

County reminds recyclers to keep it clean (02/18/10)
Plymouth County citizens are being reminded to use the large metal recycling bin at the Plymouth County Courthouse responsibly. The large metal recycling bin on the Plymouth County Courthouse block is provided for the rural citizen of Plymouth County to deposit their recyclable materials...

State to scrutinize question of court reporters (01/21/10)
The decision between court reporters and digital recording devices in Iowa's courtroom isn't black and white -- and it won't be made for some time. That's according to John Goerdt, assistant state court administrator. Earlier this month, Iowa's Judicial Council reviewed a research committee's report about the accuracy and expense of putting digital recording systems in Iowa's 316 courtrooms...

Court system to look at bottom line of going digital (01/05/10)
Iowa's Judicial System is counting the cost of a transition that could eliminate court reporters in favor of digital recording in courtrooms. In May, Iowa's Chief Justice Marsha Ternus ordered a committee to investigate digital courtroom recording technology...

No overnight street parking by courthouse (12/17/09)
Some street parking near the Plymouth County Courthouse will be off-limits overnight, if a decision by the Plymouth County Supervisors goes through. Vehicles parked overnight on the streets west and south of the courthouse are causing snow plow problems, explained Supervisor Don Kass during Tuesday's supervisor meeting...

County injects $2,500 into drug court to sustain program (12/16/09)
Plymouth County's drug court is receiving a $2,500 boost from the county coffers. On Tuesday, the Plymouth County Board of Supervisors approved giving that sum of money to the program to keep it going through June 2010. Drug Court, which brings adults and juveniles facing drug-related charges in front of a panel of their peers for goal-setting, encouragement and enforcement, is low on money...

Courthouse offices closed (12/08/09)
The Plymouth County offices in the courthouse are closed as of 2 p.m. due to the weather.

Clerk of courts closed Friday (12/03/09)
The Plymouth County Clerk of Courts office, along with all of the Iowa courts system, will be closed Friday. This is one of the 10 days the courts will be closed between December and the end of the fiscal year in June 2010, a move ordered by the state's chief justice to help meet budget cuts...

County court employees' jobs safe from judicial cuts (11/13/09)
No one in the Plymouth County court system will lose his or her job despite the Iowa Judicial Branch's 9.3 percent reduction in employee workforce announced Thursday. "No personnel will be laid off in Plymouth County," emphasized Clerk of Courts Charlene Peterson. "We're very thankful for that."...

Courthouse annex building ready for architect's cost estimate (11/12/09)
The Plymouth County Supervisors are ready to send a floor plan for a proposed courthouse annex building to architects to receive cost estimates on the design. The supervisors' consensus Tuesday came after further review of the changes they have made to the layout of the proposed annex building the past few weeks...

Courts cut out 10 more days (11/11/09)
All of Iowa's judges, magistrates and court staff are ordered to take 10 already scheduled days of unpaid leave by July 1, 2010, including those in Plymouth County, in a cut announced Tuesday by the Iowa Supreme Court. The statewide unpaid leave, which will reduce the judicial branch's operating expenses by $4.1 million this fiscal year, were made in response to Iowa's "serious revenue shortfall," a press release from the Iowa Supreme Court stated...

Supervisors leave veterans' office alone (11/04/09)
Veteran affairs will remain in the Plymouth County Courthouse. The Plymouth County Supervisors determined that Tuesday as they continued to study the layout of a proposed courthouse annex building. Supervisor Craig Anderson wanted to know if his fellow board members were done talking about whether to leave the veteran affairs office in the courthouse...

Supervisors discuss courthouse parking (10/29/09)
Parking can be tight at the Plymouth County Courthouse. That's why employees are being asked to voluntarily park farther away from the courthouse entrances leaving closer spaces for the public. Supervisor Don Kass brought his concern to the supervisors Tuesday...

Courthouse annex building heads for second hearing (10/21/09)

Drug court: It's not about being judged (10/15/09)
Editor's note: This is the second story in a two-part series about Plymouth County's drug court, which celebrates its second anniversary this week. Jerry Haack was homecoming king in his class at Gehlen Catholic School. He set records on the track. He grew up in a healthy family environment...

Planned courthouse annex building hits major setback (10/07/09)
The Plymouth County Supervisors' plans to construct an annex building to help with space needs at the courthouse took a severe blow Tuesday. The Le Mars Board of Zoning Adjustment denied the county's request for a 10-foot setback off Fourth Avenue S.E. and a conditional-use permit to construct a government building in a residential zone...

Paperless courts? County set to give it a try (09/17/09)
In Iowa alone, 2.5 million papers are filed every year with the judicial system. Starting this winter in Plymouth County, that's going to change. The county's clerk of courts office was chosen for a pilot project that would electronically file every document coming into the courts...

Supervisors sign architect's contract (09/02/09)
It's official -- M Plus Architects will oversee construction of an annex building to help relieve space needs in the Plymouth County Courthouse. The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday voted 4-1 to sign the contract hiring the Sioux City firm to follow the project from start to finish...

Courthouse annex building in hands of architect (07/29/09)
The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday hired an engineering firm to oversee construction of an annex building near the courthouse to help with space needs. M Plus Architects Inc., of Sioux City, was hired at a cost of $36,400 to develop designs, prepare construction documents, oversee bidding and provide construction administration for the annex building...

Courthouse water repair costs passed onto insurance (07/29/09)
Final costs to repair water damage at the clerk of courts' office on the third floor of the Plymouth County Courthouse are in. Stacey Feldman, auditor, told the Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday she would submit the $15,770 bill to the county's insurance company, and she expects a check within a few weeks...

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...

Supervisors look at new construction near courthouse (05/14/09)
A new chapter in the county's quest to solve the space needs issue at the courthouse has begun. The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday decided to pursue hiring an engineer to put together specifications for a proposed building to potentially be constructed at the site of the old jail in the southeast corner of the courthouse property...

Courthouse to lose one entrance Friday (04/29/09)
Security. That's the reason, starting Friday, why the lower level east door into the Plymouth County Courthouse will no longer be an entrance. The Plymouth County Supervisors approved the change earlier this month as part of a courthouse security plan recommended by Plymouth County Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo...

Iowa law now effective for same-sex couples to marry (04/27/09)
The Plymouth County recorder and others across the state can today begin accepting applications for gay and lesbian people wanting to marry. The official order allowing same-sex couples to marry was handed down by the Iowa Judicial Branch today (Monday), reflecting a ruling by the Iowa Supreme Court...

Public to be banned from courthouse east entrance (04/02/09)
There will soon be fewer entrances into the Plymouth County Courthouse. The Plymouth County Supervisors Tuesday decided to make the east door an exit-only to provide added security at the courthouse. Plymouth County Sheriff Mike Van Otterloo recommended that change because of easy access to the courthouse and the supervisors' boardroom, which is just inside the east door...

Stimulus package could help pay for local law enforcement (03/10/09)
The Le Mars Police Department and the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office could be eligible receive a total of more than $30,000 in economic stimulus dollars, according to a release from U.S. Sen. Tom Harkin's office last week. The Le Mars Police Department is set to receive $20,390 and the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office is set to receive $11,069...

Judicial system limits clerk of court hours (03/02/09)
The Plymouth County Clerk of Courts office will be closed several Fridays and have limited hours on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The closings come from Iowa Supreme Court Chief Justice Marsha Termus' order filed Friday. Termus ordered that all Iowa courts and court offices -- including clerk of courts offices -- be closed on the following Fridays: March 20, April 10, April 24, May 8, May 22, June 5 and June 19. ...

Huitink not ready to hang up his robe yet (01/09/09)
He doesn't change in phone booths or have a sidekick in spandex, but northwest Iowa judge Terry Huitink has created a legacy of justice. Huitink, of Ireton, retired from the Iowa Court of Appeals last month and was honored Thursday at a celebration in the Sioux County Courthouse...

Huitink retires from Iowa appeals court (12/29/08)
Iowa Court of Appeals Judge Terry Huitink has announced that he will retire effective December 31, 2008. Huitink was appointed to the Iowa Court of Appeals in 1994. Prior to joining the court, Huitink served as a district court judge from 1988 to 1994. He also served as a part-time juvenile court referee from 1981 to 1987...

Two local attorneys apply for appeals judge position (12/15/08)
Two Plymouth County residents are among 27 Iowans who have applied with the State Judicial Nominating Committee to fill the vacancy on the Iowa Court of Appeals that will occur when Judge Terry Huitink of Ireton retires Dec. 31, 2008. They are: Jeffrey A. Neary, 50, of Merrill, currently serves as a District Judge for the Third Judicial District...

Is Le Mars seeing the first signs of gangs? (11/24/08)

O'Keefe gets maximum sentence for stabbing death (09/10/08)
The man who pleaded guilty to stabbing another man with a butcher knife in a Le Mars downtown apartment will spend up to 40 years in prison. Jody Brent O'Keefe, 35, was sentenced Tuesday in Plymouth County District court for the death of Samuel Ray Toliver, 32...

No jail time required for Kingsley funeral director (09/03/08)
A Kingsley funeral director will have to pay nearly $180,000 in restitution to a former business partner for money he admitted to stealing, but he faces no prison time. Mark Francis Rohde, 49, who pleaded guilty in August to stealing about $179,000 and to tax evasion, both felonies, was sentenced Tuesday in Plymouth County District Court...

Kingsley funeral director pleads guilty to theft (08/19/08)
A Kingsley funeral director pleaded guilty to stealing about $175,000 and avoiding paying taxes Monday in Plymouth County District Court. Mark Francis Rohde, 49, pleaded guilty to theft in the first degree and tax evasion as part of a plea agreement...

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...

Robinson pleads not guilty in vehicular homicide (07/22/08)
A Merrill man pleaded not guilty to a charge of homicide by motor vehicle Monday in Plymouth County District Court. Danny Clyde Robinson, 49, is accused of that felony and operating while intoxicated, a second offense, regarding an Aug. 11, 2007 accident which claimed the life of a 78-year-old woman...

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