Le Mars, Iowa · Saturday, March 20, 2010
[Masthead] Overcast ~ 32°F  

Endangerment By Substance Abuse

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...
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...
Domestic violence: Men can also be victims (10/27/09)
In reported cases of domestic violence, men are more often found to be abusers and women victims -- but that's not always the truth. "Can men be victims? Yes they can," said Cathy Van Maanen, Council on Sexual Assault & Domestic Violence (CSADV) outreach coordinator for Plymouth County...
Men in red shoes to create awareness Saturday (10/08/09)
Twenty-six men will "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes" Saturday to raise awareness for Domestic Violence. The male volunteers, wearing women's red heels, will talk to diners about the importance of men being more involved in stopping violence against women from 5-9 p.m. at 4 Brothers Bar & Grill, 1430 Twin Rivers Blvd., Le Mars...
Men will strap on women's shoes to create awareness (09/25/09)
Nearly 30 local men will step into women's fancy red heels next month to raise Domestic Violence awareness as they "Walk a Mile in Her Shoes." These male volunteers will be showing off their footwear while emphasizing the importance of men being more involved in stopping violence against women at the Oct. 10 event...
Grant will help provide sexual abuse education (07/13/09)
The Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence (CSADV) Plymouth County outreach shared its message of sexual abuse prevention with more than 500 children this past school year. A $6,500 grant received this month from Prevent Child Abuse (PCA) Iowa will help CSADV Plymouth County outreach continue educating elementary, preschool and daycare children...
Local man charged with sexually abusing minor (05/26/09)
A Le Mars man faces a sexual abuse charge for allegedly having sexual contact with a 12 year old. Richard W. Shade, 31, was charged with sexual abuse in the second degree and booked into the Plymouth County Jail on Friday after an investigation by the Department of Human Services and the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office...
Rural Le Mars man arrested for possible sexual abuse (05/07/09)
A 31-year-old rural Le Mars man was arrested Wednesday for possible sexual abuse against a child younger than 12. Patrick Elmer Klein faces two counts of sexual abuse in the second degree, class B felonies. Sexual abuse in the second degree involves sexual abuse in which the victim is under the age of 12...
Children to learn about sexual abuse prevention (03/30/09)
Happy Bear will visit Le Mars Public Library this week to teach children about good, bad and mixed-up touch. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. The panda mascot, sponsored by the Council on Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence (CSADV), will lead a sexual abuse prevention and safety program 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 1...
Coaches earn recognition for 'Coaching Boys into Men' (02/23/09)
During last year's football and cross country season male athletes learned not only how to throw a ball or run a mile but how to respect girls. Le Mars Community Schools' Jim Boyd, head football coach and counselor, and Al Engebretson, head cross country middle and high school coach and a math teacher at LCMS, participated in a nationwide program "Coaching Boys into Men."...
The drinking age debate: locals speak (09/12/08)
While a national group is urging university and college leaders to sign onto an initiative calling for a lower drinking age -- 18 years old -- locals aren't gung-ho about the idea. A project known as the Amethyst Initiative, launched this summer, is a group of more than 125 university and college presidents and chancellors urging elected leaders to support debate on the 21-year-old drinking age and reconsider laws related to that rule...
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."...
Pedestrian struck by drunken driver Saturday (06/16/08)
Erik Wiltgen was hit Saturday night by a drunken driver while attempting to walk across 12th St. S.E. Wiltgen was initially transported to Floyd Valley Hospital and later life flighted to Mercy Medical Center in Sioux City. The driver of the vehicle, Jeremy Murfin, of Le Mars, said he was traveling eastbound on 12th St. S.E. when Wiltgen stepped in front of his vehicle...