Olympic Trials

Kids take the gold in Kissinger Olympics (02/24/10)
More than 1,350 miles away from the Vancouver Winter Olympics, another Olympic flame is "burning." The students at Kissinger Elementary School in Merrill are competing in their own Olympic games, complete with a torch made out of a lamp and construction paper...

Olympic champion returns to roots: Jennie Finch headlines Pink Ribbon Night (10/30/09)
You won't find too many natives of Southern California who enjoy the smell of a cattle farm. But Jennie Finch is not your typical California girl. "It's funny how you appreciate the smell of cows and cornfields," said Finch, a softball pitcher for Team USA and a two-time Olympian, said in Le Mars Thursday. ...

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...

Velarde gets light sentence in stabbing trial (12/11/08)
Guilty... but not much. A Le Mars man on trial for stabbing another local man in a fight got a light conviction Wednesday in court. Christopher Velarde, 24, was found guilty of simple assault by a jury. That's a much lighter conviction than he originally faced...

Stabbing trial begins for Velarde (12/10/08)
When Josh Thompson first saw Christopher Velarde at a bar on April 27, 2008, Velarde complimented Thompson on his New York Yankees baseball cap. The next date the two men would see the hat was in court as a piece of crime scene evidence that would link them together...

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...

O'Keefe pleads guilty to stabbing (09/05/08)
The man charged with stabbing another man with a butcher knife in a Le Mars downtown apartment in January pleaded guilty to four felony charges Thursday. Jody Brent O'Keefe, 35, signed a plea agreement that could land him in prison for up to 40 years 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...

Leaving behind her comfort zone (08/21/08)
When Jaclyn Ver Mulm packed her bags for China this summer, she had two things on her mind: visiting her sister and catching some of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. But more was in store for the young woman from Le Mars during her three-month stay in the country...

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...

Iowa athletes compete in Beijing for 2008 Olympics (08/05/08)
Iowa may be about 6,000 miles from Beijing, China, but starting this week, Iowa will have a presence in the 2008 Olympic hub. More than 10 athletes from Iowa or with Iowa connections are arriving in the Chinese capital this week to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics, which run Aug 8-24...

O'Keefe stabbing trial delayed (08/04/08)
The jury trial for a man charged with stabbing another man with a butcher knife in a Le Mars apartment has been pushed again. Jody Brent O'Keefe, 35, of Le Mars now faces a 9:30 a.m. Sept. 9 trial. O'Keefe's first degree murder charges stem from a stabbing incident Jan. 24 in a Le Mars apartment that left Samuel Ray Toliver, 32, dead...

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...

Our Dreams: Class of 2008 (06/12/08)
This is the fourth story in a series looking at what plans and dreams local members of the graduating class of 2008 hope to pursue. For Shahryar Naqvi, the desire become a lawyer isn't motivated by fame, fancy things, or even the money that is commonly associated with the practice. For this 2008 Gehlen Catholic High School graduate, the aspiration to become a lawyer lies in one, pure motive: To achieve equality for the little guy...

Trial pushed back in stabbing case (06/03/08)
The jury trial for a man charged with stabbing another man with a butcher knife in a Le Mars apartment has been pushed again. Jody Brent O'Keefe, 35, of Le Mars won't go to trial for first-degree murder charges until August 26 at 9:30 a.m. O'Keefe's charges stem from an stabbing incident Jan. 24 in a Le Mars apartment that left Samuel Ray Toliver, 32, dead...

Velarde pleads not guilty in stabbing (05/28/08)
The man charged with stabbing one person and injuring another downtown Le Mars in April pleaded not guilty last week. Christopher Velarde, 23, of Maurice, now face a July 22 trial for willfully causing serious injury, a class C felony, and assaulting someone, causing injury, an aggravated misdemeanor...

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